Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Renton is a city of 104,975, and it grades C overall, 193rd of 285 graded towns in Washington. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country and the median household earns $100K. The trade-offs: the typical home is worth about $725K, 6.3 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income, and its police reported 272 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 89% of U.S. towns. Renton is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 94% of U.S. towns. Renton’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Washington’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Renton is home to Renton Technical College.
Where Renton beats most towns.
90,927 counted in 2010 and 106,785 in 2020; an estimated 104,975 in 2025.
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 Renton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 200 in 1880, 106,785 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 5 maps from 1949 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Renton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
10 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
11 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
13 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 Renton, 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 Renton.
Renton has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
24% of adults have obesity in Renton, below both Washington’s towns (33%) and U.S. towns (35%). 69% of adults had a checkup this year in Renton. Renton beats the Washington average on 10 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Renton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 33% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Renton | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with obesity | 24% | 30.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 12% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Renton School District. Two of its 37 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelsen Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 913 | – |
| Hazen Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,796 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
32 miles of trail in 38 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Black River Riparian Forest and Wetland, at 97 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park | 1.3 mi | 35 |
| 2. Heritage Park | 0.9 mi | 10 |
| 3. Sunset Neighborhood Park | 0.7 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 4,971 to 2,852 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Renton is 24.5 per 1,000 residents. Renton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less. The violent crime rate in Renton is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Renton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.5 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Renton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Renton’s median rent is $1,998 a month. The typical Renton home is worth about $725,000, down 2.2% in a year, 23% above the Washington typical home. 54% of Renton households own their home.
| Renton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,998 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 54% | 51% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 76.6°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36°.
Renton has mild winters and pleasant summers. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Renton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Renton for work: only 12% work in town. Jobs based in Renton grew to 64,554 in 2023, 9,656 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Seattle (29%), Bellevue (11%) and Kent (6%).
| Renton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 15% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Washington average. 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
| Renton | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 30% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 36.5 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1 point. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.8, men 36.2.
| Renton | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.3% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.7% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.1% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.1% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.3% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.4% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.8% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.7% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
18 within 15 miles of the center of Renton
About 6 of every 100 Renton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
23 notable people were born in Renton.
9 towns share a border with Renton.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renton | #193 | C | D | D | C+ | A |
| Fairwood | #127 | B− | D | — | B− | A |
| East Renton Highlands | #21 | A− | D | — | A+ | A |
| Bryn Mawr-Skyway | #152 | C+ | D | — | C+ | A |
| Newcastle | #57 | B+ | D− | C+ | A | A+ |
| Kent | #221 | C− | D | D | B− | A− |
| Tukwila | #236 | C− | C− | D− | C+ | A− |
| Mercer Island | #6 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
Fairwood, East Renton Highlands and Bryn Mawr-Skyway report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Renton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Renton grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #193 of 285 in Washington. It grades A for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
23 notable people were born here, including Zach LaVine and Sean Kinney.
