Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,469, settled in 1885.
Wapato grades D overall, ranked 259th of 285 in Washington, mostly because of health and schools. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country. Its schools rank behind 89% of the state's. One bright spot: homes are within reach, about $280K for a typical one, or 4 years of the Yakima metro’s $71K median household income. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Wapato, above both the Washington town median (7.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On civic life, just 9 of Washington’s 198 towns do worse. Wapato has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Donald-Wapato Bridge and Yakima Valley Filipino Community Hall.
Where Wapato beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Wapato | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 31.9% | 8.4% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Wapato is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 400 in 1910, 4,607 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wapato, 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 Wapato.
Wapato trades workers with Yakima and other neighbors and has property taxes about half the Washington norm, but it has poverty well above the Washington rate.
36% of Wapato adults say their health is fair or poor. Among 285 Washington towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Wapato. 19% of Wapato adults report frequent mental distress.
| Wapato | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 17% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 18% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 10% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 65% | 71% | 79% |
| What stands out | Wapato | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.2% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 20% | 24.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 31.9% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Wapato School District. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wapato Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 737 | – |
| Wapato High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 853 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $1,449, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Wapato’s median rent is $957 a month. The typical Wapato home is worth about $280,000, down 1.3% in a year, 52% below the Washington typical home.
| Wapato | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $957 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.1 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Wapato Sports Park, at 27 acres. The trail density in Wapato is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Wapato | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.1% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wapato Sports Park | 0.4 mi | 27 |
| 2. Lions Park | 0.2 mi | 18 |
| 3. McCready Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wapato.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Wapato 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
Wapato has about as many jobs (1,608) as working residents, but only 235 people both live and work here.
Only 6 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a lower median household income than Wapato. Jobs based in Wapato grew to 1,608 in 2023, 354 more than in 2013. 13% of working residents work locally in Wapato.
| Wapato | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 4.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wapato. Close and well known come first.
11 mi MuseumYakima Electric Railway Museum
36 mi National Historical ParkManhattan Project National Historical Park56K visitors a year
12 mi TheatreCapitol Theatre
10 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
4 within 15 miles of the center of Wapato
About 3 of every 100 Wapato residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
5 notable people were born in Wapato.
City in Washington, United States
Wapato () is a town in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,607 at the 2020 census. It has a Hispanic majority.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wapato grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #259 of 285 in Washington. It grades D for health and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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 A−.
5 notable people were born here, including Larry Hovis and Gustavo Lopez.
