Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 5,444 residents and lies in Washington.
Where it falls short is incomes: the median household income is $52K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. West Clarkston-Highland’s overall grade is D, better than 14% of U.S. towns. It ranks 249th of 285 in Washington. It also trails on schools: its schools rank behind 71% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $282K, 3.9 years of the Lewiston metro’s $72K median household income. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A−). C. C. Van Arsdol House is on the National Register of Historic Places. The town’s typical journey to work is 13 minutes, where Washington’s towns sit at 27 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 5 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a lower typical household income than West Clarkston-Highland.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places.
Where West Clarkston-Highland beats most towns.
Where West Clarkston-Highland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2024
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far West Clarkston-Highland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,920 in 1950, 5,488 in 2020. The archive holds 2 maps from 1945 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →West Clarkston-Highland is unincorporated, so Asotin County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 West Clarkston-Highland.
West Clarkston-Highland carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Washington (mostly inland flooding), has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Washington and sends many workers across the state line to Moscow.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of Washington towns, with expected losses of about $140 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Expected losses in West Clarkston-Highland break down as 73% from inland flooding and 13% from heat waves.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Clarkston School District. Enrollment at West Clarkston-Highland’s public school: 290 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 290 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
46% of working residents cross a state line to work, Moscow among the top destinations. The average commute for its 2,328 working residents takes 13.3 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
The top destinations are Lewiston (32%), Clarkston (19%) and Pullman (4%). Most working residents leave West Clarkston-Highland for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2014, West Clarkston-Highland has added 363 jobs, to 881 in 2024. Only 8 of the 285 Washington towns we compare have a lower typical journey to work than West Clarkston-Highland.
| West Clarkston-Highland | Typical Washington town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.5% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2024 · ACS
July afternoons average 93°, the highest of 639 Washington places with climate records; January nights average 30°.
Among 285 Washington towns, just one has a higher typical July afternoon high than West Clarkston-Highland. About 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| West Clarkston-Highland | Typical Washington town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 93°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 30°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,410 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Clarkston-Highland’s, it is healthier than 70%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in West Clarkston-Highland, the share who worry about having enough food is 15%. This Washington town beats the Washington average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 13% of adults here have diabetes; 75% had a checkup this year.
| West Clarkston-Highland | Typical Washington town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 71% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | West Clarkston-Highland | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 76.2% | 70.7% |
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 75.2% | 70.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Count the trails in 2 parks and preserves and they come to 0.2 miles. The biggest park or preserve is Swallows Park, at 74 acres. West Clarkston-Highland’s concentration of trails works out to 0.1 miles per square mile.
| West Clarkston-Highland | Typical Washington town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Swallows Park | — | 74 |
| 2. Golf Course Pond Habitat Management Unit Recreation Area | 0.2 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median property tax bill is $2,102, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
West Clarkston-Highland’s midpoint rent is $1,114 a month. Homes in West Clarkston-Highland sold for 98% of their list price on average. A home in West Clarkston-Highland typically sold within 45 days of listing.
| West Clarkston-Highland | Typical Washington town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,114 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of West Clarkston-Highland
About 5 of every 100 West Clarkston-Highland residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
CDP in Washington, United States
West Clarkston-Highland is a census-designated place (CDP) in Asotin County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Lewiston, ID-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,488 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with West Clarkston-Highland.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Clarkston-Highland | #249 | D | C+ | — | C | C+ |
| Clarkston | #256 | D | B− | D | C | C+ |
| Clarkston Heights-Vineland | #166 | C+ | C+ | — | B− | B+ |
West Clarkston-Highland and Clarkston Heights-Vineland report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare West Clarkston-Highland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Clarkston-Highland grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #249 of 285 in Washington. It grades C+ for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $283,000, 52% below the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.