Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Redmond grades B+ overall, ranked 49th of 285 in Washington. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally. Its public schools beat 98% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation and the median household earns $163K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $1.3 million for a typical one and 11.2 times the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Redmond, against 30% in Washington’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 9 of Washington’s 396 towns do better. Redmond is home to DigiPen Institute of Technology.
Where Redmond beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Redmond | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 2.2% | 5.1% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Rush Elementary | K–5 | 631 |
| Redmond Elementary | K–5 | 543 |
| Clara Barton Elementary School | K–5 | 452 |
54,144 counted in 2010 and 73,256 in 2020; an estimated 82,506 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 12.6% since 2020, after 35.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Redmond is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 116 in 1900, 73,256 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Redmond. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
12 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
12 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
9 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Redmond, 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 Redmond.
Redmond has schools in the top 5% of Washington, draws workers from Seattle and beyond and fares better on crime within Washington than nationally.
At 11.2 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income, the typical home (about $1.29M) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The typical value, about $1.29M, is 9% below its June 2022 peak.
Redmond’s median rent is $2,409 a month. The typical Redmond home is worth about $1,293,000, down 4.2% in a year, more than twice the Washington typical home. 43% of households own their home in Redmond.
| Redmond | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,409 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 36% | 51% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #3 of the 285 Washington towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.29M.
Its public schools are run by the Lake Washington School District. Two of its 25 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,009 | – |
| Redmond High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,304 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
45 miles of trail in 45 parks and preserves. The trail density in Redmond is 2.7 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Redmond Watershed Preserve, 1,645 acres with 7.8 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Redmond Watershed Preserve | 7.8 mi | 1,645 |
| 2. Farrel-McWhirter Park | 2.6 mi | 68 |
| 3. Jonathan Hartman Park | 1.1 mi | 40 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Washington is COPD: 2.2% of its 55,799 adults have COPD, against 5.1% statewide.
19% of Redmond adults have obesity. Among 285 Washington towns, just 7 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Redmond. 21% of Redmond adults have high blood pressure.
| Redmond | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 7.5% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 31% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.2% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Redmond | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 2.2% | 5.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.1% | 9% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 63.1% | 70.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
118,943 jobs are based in Redmond, 3.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 38.4% of workers work from home, against 19.8% across Washington.
About one in 3 of Redmond’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Redmond has added 26,542 jobs, to 118,943 in 2023. The top destinations are Seattle (27%), Bellevue (13%) and Kirkland (5%).
| Redmond | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 38% | 15% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $163,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 30.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 57% of Washington’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 2,463 to 1,707 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Redmond.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Seattle Sand Pt Wsfo weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 75.8°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36°.
Redmond has mild winters and cool summers. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Redmond | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
23 within 15 miles of the center of Redmond
About 6 of every 100 Redmond residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
13.7% of the town is conserved land, across 45 parks and preserves.
3 places in Redmond on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Redmond.
City in Washington, United States
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located 15 miles (24 km) east of Seattle. The population was 73,256 at the 2020 census. The city has a large technology industry in addition to being a bedroom community for Seattle, which lies across Lake Washington on State Route 520. Redmond is best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America. With an annual bike race on city streets and the state's only velodrome, Redmond is also known as the "Bicycle Capital of the Northwest".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Redmond.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | #49 | B+ | D− | C | A+ | A+ |
| Union Hill-Novelty Hill | #15 | A | D | — | A+ | A+ |
| Bellevue | #63 | B+ | D− | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Kirkland | #28 | A− | D− | B− | A+ | A+ |
| Sammamish | #1 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Cottage Lake | #19 | A | D | — | A+ | A+ |
Union Hill-Novelty Hill and Cottage Lake report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Redmond with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Redmond grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #49 of 285 in Washington. It grades A+ for health, C for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
20 notable people were born here, including Karan Brar and Blake Lewis.
