Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,230, founded in 1880.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Sultan grades B overall, 86th among Washington's 285 graded towns. It is healthier than 82% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $95K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $556K for a typical one and 4.8 times the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Sultan’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, where Washington’s towns sit at 27 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. On hazard risk, just 9 of Washington’s 397 towns do worse. Sultan is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns.
Where Sultan beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
4,651 counted in 2010 and 5,146 in 2020; an estimated 7,230 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 39.9% since 2020, after 10.6% 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 Sultan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 576 in 1910, 5,146 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1885 and 4 maps from 1953 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sultan, 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 Sultan.
Sultan fares better on crime within Washington than nationally and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
4.7 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The trail density in Sultan is 1.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Osprey Park, 82 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
| Sultan | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.2% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Osprey Park | 1.7 mi | 82 |
| 2. Rudolf Reese Park | 0.2 mi | 18 |
| 3. River Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Sultan School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Sultan Senior High School, with 581 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 676 | – |
| Sultan Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 581 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
175 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 24 properties have flooded more than once.
Sultan’s FEMA risk score is 96 of 100. Since 1979, 175 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sultan.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
69% of Sultan adults had a checkup this year. Sultan beats the Washington average on 6 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 27% of Sultan adults have high blood pressure.
| Sultan | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.8% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| What stands out | Sultan | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.8% | 9.5% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.5% | 5.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.4% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 2,647 working residents takes 37.7 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
Most working residents leave Sultan for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Sultan grew to 1,041 in 2023, 157 more than in 2013. 5.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Sultan.
| Sultan | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 12.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 88% of Washington’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 76.2°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34.7°.
Sultan has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Sultan | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 12% of residents (17% statewide). Sultan has grown 40% since 2020, to 7,230 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
| Sultan | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.7 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 30% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 75% are men (WA 44%).
| Sultan | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.7% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.8% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.6% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 22.8% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.1% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.6% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.3% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.7% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.5% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.4% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.9% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Sultan home is worth about $556,000, about the same as a year ago, 5% below the Washington typical home.
| Sultan | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,729 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sultan. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
31 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
31 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
28 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
None within 15 miles of Sultan; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Sultan residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Where Sultan’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Washington, United States
Sultan is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located approximately 23 miles (37 km) east of Everett at the confluence of the Skykomish River and the Sultan River, a minor tributary. The city had a population of 5,146 at the 2020 census. The city was founded in 1880 at the site of a Skykomish village and initially settled during a small gold rush. Sultan was platted in 1889, just prior to the arrival of the Great Northern Railway, and was a hub for mining and the lumber industry. It was incorporated on June 28, 1905, with a population of 700. The city was home to a Civilian Conservation Corps camp during the Great Depression and undertook several civic improvements …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Sultan.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan | #86 | B | C− | B+ | B− | A− |
| Startup | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Sultan | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Startup and North Sultan aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sultan with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Sultan grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #86 of 285 in Washington. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk 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 C−.
