Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,709, settled in 1880. 4.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Washington town.
The best of Ritzville’s subject grades are an A+ for walkability and civic life and an A− for schools; the weakest is a D for incomes. 32% of working residents work locally in Ritzville, above both the Washington town median (4.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 11 of Washington’s 397 towns score higher on hazard risk. Only 7 of Washington’s 397 towns score higher on history. Ritzville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ritzville beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Ritzville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 761 in 1900, 1,767 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ritzville, 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 Ritzville.
The typical Ritzville home is worth about $234,000, down 3.2% in a year, 60% below the Washington typical home. Ritzville’s median rent is $1,002 a month, against $1,739 a month in Washington’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
| Ritzville | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,002 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Ritzville School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ritzville Grade SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 193 | – |
| Ritzville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 133 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ritzville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ritzville has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Ritzville’s July high is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Ritzville’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Ritzville is $56,000. The top destinations are Spokane (7%), Moses Lake (4%) and Spokane Valley (4%).
| Ritzville | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ritzville's reported crime rate is close to Washington's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 5 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Ritzville | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.6 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Ritzville beats the Washington average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 27% of Ritzville adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Ritzville | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 71% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Ritzville | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 26.6% | 31.8% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.6% | 70.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City of Ritzville Park | — | 3 |
| 2. Veterans Memorial Children's Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Ritzville; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Ritzville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
6 places in Ritzville on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Ritzville.
City in Washington, United States
Ritzville () is a city in Adams County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,767 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Adams County. The city is part of the Othello, WA Micropolitan Area, which comprises all of Adams County, and is part of the larger Moses Lake-Othello, WA Combined Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
4.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Washington town.
That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($66,136 across the Othello, WA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
7 notable people were born here, including James Luther Adams and Dick King.
