Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,941, settled in 1873.
The best of Tenino’s subject grades are an A− for walkability and civic life and an A for the outdoors; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Only 20 of Washington’s 395 towns score higher on cost of living. Tenino’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile, above both Washington’s towns (0.8) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 31 of Washington’s 397 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Violet Prairie Wildlife Area, at 96 acres. Tenino has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Tenino beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,695 counted in 2010 and 1,870 in 2020; an estimated 1,941 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 Tenino is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 339 in 1890, 1,870 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 5 maps from 1940 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tenino, 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 Tenino.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 93% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tenino.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Tenino School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Tenino High School, with 383 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkside ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 316 | – |
| Tenino High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 383 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Tenino has mild winters and pleasant summers. Tenino’s July high is 78°F, where Washington’s towns sit at 77°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Tenino for work: only 5% work in town. The average trip to work in Tenino is 33 minutes. Since 2013, Tenino has added 239 jobs, to 635 in 2023.
| Tenino | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 4.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Tenino beats the Washington average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 67% of Tenino adults had a checkup this year. Among 286 Washington towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Tenino.
| Tenino | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 71% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Tenino | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 12.8% | 10.1% |
| More adults with depression | 30.8% | 25.1% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 19.9% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Tenino home is worth about $501,000, up 0.6% in a year, 15% below the Washington typical home. Tenino’s median rent is $1,400 a month.
| Tenino | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,400 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tenino City Park | 1.3 mi | 48 |
| 2. Violet Prairie Wildlife Area | 0.2 mi | 96 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tenino. Close and well known come first.
35 mi National ParkMount Rainier National Park1.6M visitors a year
33 mi Stadium & arenaTacoma Dome
39 mi Theme parkWild Waves Theme Park
32 mi Stadium & arenaCheney Stadium
35 mi GardenPoint Defiance Park
35 mi Zoo & aquariumPoint Defiance Zoo & AquariumMount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Tacoma Dome: Broran28, Public domain · Wild Waves Theme Park: Jessica Spengler from Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · Cheney Stadium: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Point Defiance Park: Crash Dalco, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium: Takinzinnia, CC0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Tenino
About 2 of every 100 Tenino residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
4 places in Tenino on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Washington, United States
Tenino () is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,870 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1906, the city sits upon land first established as a food-source prairie for Native Americans living in the area. The town grew around an economy of stone quarrying, with local sandstone being used in several government and university buildings in the Pacific Northwest. With a decrease in demand for stone, the town converted one abandoned quarry into a community pool. Its downtown district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Tenino gained notoriety during the Great Depression for the use of wooden money as public currency for its residents, a pra…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 5.2 years of the area's median household income ($96,563 across the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA metro 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.
2 notable people were born here, including W. R. Davies and Edward L. Keithahn.
