Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 33,756, settled in 1881. Public schools that outperform most of Washington.
Trash & recyclingFor most people who can afford it, yes. Pullman grades B overall, 74th of 285 graded towns in Washington. Its public schools beat 91% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $428K for a typical one and 7.7 times the Pullman area’s $55K median household income. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Pullman, against 7.9% in Washington’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 25 of Washington’s 397 towns score higher on hazard risk. Pullman has 12 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them United Presbyterian Church and William Swain House.
Where Pullman beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Elementary | PK–5 | 335 |
| Sunnyside Elementary | PK–5 | 326 |
| Kamiak Elementary | PK–5 | 315 |
| Widest gap | Pullman | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.8% | 7.9% |
Census counts: 868 in 1890, 32,901 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Pullman is from typical.
Its grades run from A for schools (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pullman, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Pullman.
Pullman carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Washington (mostly inland flooding), is shaped by its college students and fares better on crime within Washington than nationally.
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $428K.
Its public schools are run by the Pullman School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pullman High School, with 838 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 643 | – |
| Pullman High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 838 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
15 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The trail density in Pullman is 1.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Washington State University Arboretum, 110 acres with 1.8 miles of trail.
| Pullman | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Washington State University Arboretum | 1.8 mi | 110 |
| 2. Conservation Park | 1.1 mi | 19 |
| 3. Sunnyside Park | 1 mi | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 4,587 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pullman’s, it is healthier than 99%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
19% of Pullman adults have high blood pressure. Among 285 Washington towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Pullman. 31% of Pullman adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Pullman | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 31% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 64% | 71% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 5.1% | 9.8% | 12% |
| What stands out | Pullman | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.8% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 13% | 24.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 14.9% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 92% of Washington towns, with expected losses of about $72 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Pullman’s FEMA risk score is 25 of 100. Since 1979, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pullman.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 7.7 years of the Pullman area’s $55K median household income, the typical home (about $428K) costs more against local pay than in 83% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. 64.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 49.9% across Washington.
32% of households own their home in Pullman. The typical Pullman home is worth about $428,000, down 1.2% in a year, 27% below the Washington typical home. 65% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Pullman.
| Pullman | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 32% | 71% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 65% | 51% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,062 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Pullman has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 27° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 10,462 working residents takes 14.6 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
60% of Pullman’s working residents work right in town. Among 285 Washington towns, just 2 have a lower median household income than Pullman. Since 2013, Pullman has added 1,258 jobs, to 14,677 in 2023.
| Pullman | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 60% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 11% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 14.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 82% of Washington’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 386 to 315 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
3 within 15 miles of the center of Pullman
College town 45 of every 100 Pullman residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
12 places in Pullman on the National Register of Historic Places.
29 notable people were born in Pullman.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Pullman grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #74 of 285 in Washington. It grades A− for health, B for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
29 notable people were born here, including Jim Mattis and Robert W. Clower.
