Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,817, settled in 1905.
Soap Lake’s best subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Soap Lake, against 7.9% in Washington’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 9 of Washington’s 396 towns score lower on incomes. Soap Lake's public schools trail 88% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. Soap Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,514 counted in 2010 and 1,691 in 2020; an estimated 1,817 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 Soap Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 352 in 1920, 1,691 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and a map from 1956 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Soap Lake, 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 Soap Lake.
Public schools: the Soap Lake School District. Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The 2 public schools in Soap Lake teach 591 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soap Lake ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 328 | – |
| Soap Lake Middle & High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 263 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
The typical Soap Lake home is worth about $300,000, about the same as a year ago, 49% below the Washington typical home. Nearly two thirds of households live in a home they own locally, where Washington’s towns sit at 71% and U.S. towns at 73%.
| Soap Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $599 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among adults in Soap Lake, 14% binge drink. The town does better than the Washington average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and worse on 19. Two figures for adults here: 43% have high blood pressure, 15% have diabetes. Only 10 of the 286 Washington towns we compare have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Soap Lake.
| Soap Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 18% | 25% |
| What stands out | Soap Lake | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.2% | 70.7% |
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 75.4% | 70.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.8% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The level of violent crime for Soap Lake comes to 0.6 per 1,000 residents. The property offense rate for Soap Lake comes to 9.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Soap Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.4 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
For Soap Lake, the typical journey to work is 21 minutes. The median commute is under 22 miles. The top destinations are Ephrata (22%), Moses Lake (11%) and Spokane (4%). Jobs based locally fell to 228 in 2023, 21 fewer than in 2013.
| Soap Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 4.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical July afternoon high in Soap Lake is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected losses in Soap Lake break down as 61% from inland flooding and 15% from wildfires. Soap Lake’s FEMA risk score is 63 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 1.4 miles of trail. Soap Lake’s trail network density comes in at 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Soap Lake | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Smokiam Park | — | 8 |
| 2. West Beach Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Lauzier Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Soap Lake; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Soap Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Where Soap Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Washington, United States
Soap Lake is a city in Grant County, Washington, on the shores of Soap Lake. The population was 1,691 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Soap Lake.
Soap Lake and Lakeview have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Lakeview reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Soap Lake with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.