Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sammamish is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 1st of 285 graded towns in Washington. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, its schools rank ahead of 98% of Washington towns, and the median household earns $240K. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.5 million for a typical one and 12.9 times the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. 77% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sammamish, above both Washington’s towns (30%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 3 of Washington’s 141 towns score higher on safety. Sammamish is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Sammamish beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Sammamish | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4% | 9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Margaret Mead Elementary | K–5 | 580 |
| Sunny Hills Elementary | K–5 | 574 |
| Creekside Elementary | K–5 | 555 |
45,780 counted in 2010 and 67,455 in 2020; an estimated 66,110 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 Sammamish is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 34,104 in 2000, 67,455 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1913 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sammamish. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
14 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
14 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 Sammamish, 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 Sammamish.
Sammamish is the healthiest town in Washington, has schools in the top 5% of Washington and reports less crime than Redmond or any other graded neighbor.
At 12.9 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income, the typical home (about $1.49M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The typical value, about $1.49M, is 13% below its June 2022 peak.
Sammamish’s median rent is $2,857 a month. Typical home values fell 5.6% in the year to September 2026. 83% of Sammamish households own their home.
| Sammamish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,857 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 70% | 73% |
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 $1.49M.
Its public schools are run by the Issaquah School District. Two of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inglewood Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,229 | – |
| Eastlake High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,481 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
It is the healthiest of the 285 Washington towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Washington is tooth loss: 4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9% statewide.
20% of adults have obesity in Sammamish. Sammamish beats the Washington average on 25 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 24% of adults have high blood pressure in Sammamish.
| Sammamish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.1% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.4% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Sammamish | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4% | 9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.1% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 67.2% | 70.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
35 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. The trail density in Sammamish is 1.5 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Beaver Lake Park, 78 acres with 2.2 miles of trail.
| Sammamish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Beaver Lake Park | 2.2 mi | 78 |
| 2. Beaver Lake Preserve | 1.8 mi | 58 |
| 3. Big Rock Park Central | 1.7 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Redmond (C) comes closest. Reported crimes fell from 438 to 195 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Only 3 of the 132 Washington towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Sammamish.
| Sammamish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Sammamish has 6,680 jobs for its 32,220 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 4,597 in 2013 to 6,680.
Among 285 Washington towns, just 2 have a higher median household income than Sammamish. Jobs based in Sammamish grew to 6,680 in 2023, 2,083 more than in 2013. Among 285 Washington towns, just 8 have a higher share of workers working from home than Sammamish.
| Sammamish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 39% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $240,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 75.5°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.8°.
Sammamish has mild winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Sammamish | 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
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sammamish.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
18 within 15 miles of the center of Sammamish
About 4 of every 100 Sammamish residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Where Sammamish’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Washington, United States
Sammamish ( sə-MAM-ish) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 67,455 at the 2020 census. Located on a plateau, the city is bordered by Lake Sammamish to the west and the Snoqualmie Valley to the east. Sammamish is situated 20 miles east of Seattle, is a member of the Eastside, and is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Sammamish.
At #1 in WA, it grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Redmond (B+) comes closest.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Sammamish grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #1 of 285 in Washington. It grades A+ for health, A 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.
