The best of Tonasket’s subject grades are an A− for walkability and the outdoors and an A for civic life; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Tonasket, where Washington’s towns sit at 7.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On incomes, just 3 of Washington’s 396 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. The biggest park or preserve is Chief Tonasket Park, at 35 acres. Tonasket has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestACivic life A⁻Outdoors A⁻WalkabilityWeakestD⁻Jobs & income D⁻Hazard risk

What makes Tonasket stand out

Where Tonasket beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

Jobs vs. working residents

Jobs here766

Residents who work377

Work

2 jobs for every working resident

A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 93% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023.

Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents

42% more nonprofits per person

than the typical Washington town

Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.

Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD⁻

Inland flooding and wildfire at the top

FEMA National Risk Index.

Small town

1,133 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Riverside · 14 mi Oroville · 17 mi Conconully · 17 mi Omak · 20 mi Okanogan · 24 mi

How Tonasket grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Tonasket is from typical.

How grading works

Jobs & incomeD⁻Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD⁻Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.5 of 20; 13.5% of households have no car; 18.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitA⁻Open →SchoolsC⁺Open →HealthNorth Valley Hospital 0.2 miles awayC⁺Open →Cost of livingTypical home $237K, 3.8 years of the county’s $63K median household incomeB⁻Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors0 miles of trails; 7% conserved landA⁻Open →History3 notable people born hereC⁺Open →Civic life5.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 49.5; 25% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Gold Lake Lodge, 1913

Tonasket’s story

131 years in pictures

Census counts: 513 in 1930, 1,103 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1913 and 2 maps from 1957 on.

1895Tonasket is settled

Explore the history →

Getting set up

Moving to Tonasket: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Tonasket, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerPUD No 1 of Okanogan County10.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterTonasket Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet5 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Tonasket’s trash rules yet

SchoolsTonasket School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

Register to voteOnlineIn Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereOkanogan County AuditorOkanogan County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015

ZIP code9885598855 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Tonasket.

HousingCost of living grade B⁻

In Tonasket, the median rent runs lower than in the typical Washington or U.S. town

Tonasket’s median rent is $745 a month, below both Washington’s towns ($1,739 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 43% of Tonasket households own their home. The typical Tonasket home is worth about $237,000, down 1.2% in a year, 60% below the Washington typical home.

$237KZillow home value

	Tonasket	Washington towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	43%	71%	73%
Median rent	$745 a month	$1,739 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Tonasket$237K

Washington$588K

−1.2%

value change, 1 year

Full pageTonasket’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsDown 1.2% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 6.3 years of income Rents$745 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

SchoolsC⁺

Public schools in Tonasket fall behind 62% of Washington districts

Its public schools are run by the Tonasket School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

38%of WA districts it outscoresC⁺School Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Tonasket Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5	Grades PK–5	476	–
Tonasket High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	280	–

Full pageTonasket’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsTonasket School District Every school5 schools · Tonasket Elementary School Questions“Are Tonasket’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation

Work & commuteJobs & income grade D⁻

Tonasket stands out in Washington and nationally: the median household income there is lower

The median household income in Tonasket is $38,000. Since 2013, Tonasket has added 72 jobs, to 766 in 2023. 26% of working residents work locally in Tonasket.

26%work in town

	Tonasket	Washington towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	26%	4.9%	8%
Average trip to work	17 minutes	27 minutes	25 minutes
Median household income	$38,000	$98,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Tonasket26%

Omak7%

Okanogan5%

Wenatchee3%

Seattle2%

24 mi

median commute distance

766

jobs based in Tonasket

A job hub

jobs vs. working residents

A−

Walkability grade: more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns

Full pageTonasket’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here766 jobs based here · A job hub Where people work26% work in Tonasket Commute times17 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 24 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D⁻

Tonasket faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Among 286 Washington towns, just 10 have a higher FEMA risk score than Tonasket.

94risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingWildfireAvalanches

Full pageTonasket’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters35 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready2 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Tonasket has four seasons and hot summers

Tonasket has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Tonasket’s July high is 89°F.

89°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter23–37°

Spring38–64°

Summer55–85°

Fall38–61°

Oct 10

typical first frost

Apr 26

typical last frost

+1.2°

vs. the 20th-century average

89°

typical summer high

Full pageTonasket’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 89°, January lows 23°Rain & snow15″ of rain a year · Rain a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.2° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HealthC⁺

Residents of Tonasket are less healthy than 58% of U.S. towns

Tonasket beats the Washington average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 20. Only 4 of the 286 Washington towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Tonasket.

42%healthier than U.S. townsC⁺Health Grade

	Tonasket	Washington towns	U.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	18%	13%	14%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	13%	17%	16%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	41%	31%	35%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	14%	9.8%	12%