Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Toppenish earns a D−, ranked 277th of 285 in Washington, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 94% of U.S. towns, with 40 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. 32% of residents are under 18 in Toppenish, against 22% in Washington’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. On cost of living, just 28 of Washington’s 395 towns do better. Toppenish has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Yakima Indian Agency Building and US Post Office-Toppenish Main.
Where Toppenish beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Yakima Indian Agency BuildingEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Toppenish is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,598 in 1910, 8,854 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 3 maps from 1910 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Toppenish, 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 Toppenish.
Toppenish has seen reported crime fall by about half and has property taxes about half the Washington norm, but it has poverty well above the Washington rate.
Reported crimes fell from 548 to 275 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Toppenish’s property crime rate is 27.3 per 1,000 residents. Toppenish reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less. Toppenish’s violent crime rate is 4.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Toppenish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27.3 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Toppenish School District. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Toppenish High School, with 969 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toppenish Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 757 | – |
| Toppenish High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 969 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $2,000, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Toppenish home is worth about $269,000, down 1.4% in a year, 54% below the Washington typical home. The median rent in Toppenish is $985 a month.
| Toppenish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $985 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
35% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Toppenish. Only 7 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Toppenish. 19% of adults report frequent mental distress in Toppenish.
| Toppenish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 17% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 18% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 10% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 65% | 71% | 79% |
| What stands out | Toppenish | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.3% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.5% | 24.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 31% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Toppenish.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Toppenish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pioneer Park | 0.6 mi | 9 |
| 2. Olney Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Allen Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Toppenish has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 26° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 2,134 in 2013 to 2,859.
Most working residents leave Toppenish for work: only 19% work in town. 18% of Toppenish residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Toppenish grew to 2,859 in 2023, 725 more than in 2013.
| Toppenish | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 4.1% | 15% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Toppenish. Close and well known come first.
18 mi MuseumYakima Electric Railway Museum
34 mi National Historical ParkManhattan Project National Historical Park56K visitors a year
18 mi TheatreCapitol Theatre
16 mi GardenYakima Area ArboretumYakima Electric Railway Museum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Manhattan Project National Historical Park: Unknown, Public domain · Capitol Theatre: User:Cacophony, CC BY 2.5 · Yakima Area Arboretum: Bobjgalindo, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Toppenish
About 4 of every 100 Toppenish residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
3 places in Toppenish on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Toppenish.
City in Washington, United States
Toppenish () is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 8,854 at the 2020 census. It is located within the Yakama Indian Reservation, established in 1855. The city was founded in 1884 on a section of the Northern Pacific Railway through the Yakima Valley. Toppenish calls itself the "City of Murals", as it has more than 75 murals adorning its buildings. The first, "Clearing the Land", was painted in 1989, and the city hosts horse-drawn tours and annual art events. All murals are historically accurate and depict scenes of the region from 1840 to 1940.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Toppenish grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #277 of 285 in Washington. It grades D for health, D for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
6 notable people were born here, including A.B. Quintanilla and Gregory Short.
