Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Winthrop’s average trip to work is 12 minutes, below both Washington’s towns (27 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Of the 286 Washington towns we compare, none has a lower January low than Winthrop. Winthrop’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, above both the Washington town median (0.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Early Winters Ranger Station Work Center and Golden West Lodge Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Winthrop has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Winthrop beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 270 in 1930, 504 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Winthrop, 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 Winthrop.
Most working residents leave Winthrop for work: only 19% work in town. Jobs based in Winthrop grew to 530 in 2023, 252 more than in 2013. The median household income in Winthrop is $67,000.
| Winthrop | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 4.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Star Montessori School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–K | Grades PK–K | 125 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Winthrop’s FEMA risk score is 99 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Winthrop has grown 24% since 2020, to 624 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 36% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Winthrop.
| Winthrop | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.1 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 30% | 29% |
Somewhere between 32% and 56% women
The Census survey reached too few of Winthrop’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±11.9 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Winthrop | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 18.2% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.1% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.9% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.5% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 19.4% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.3% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.9% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.7% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.4% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 8.7% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.7% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.6% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Winthrop has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 19° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Winthrop beats the Washington average on 13 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 29% of Winthrop adults sleep under 7 hours. Only 10 of the 286 Washington towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Winthrop.
| Winthrop | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Winthrop | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 10.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.1% | 9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Winthrop home is worth about $610,000, down 2.3% in a year, close to the Washington typical home.
| Winthrop | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,128 a month | $1,739 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mack Lloyd Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
| 2. Homestream Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
| 3. Heckendorn Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Winthrop; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Winthrop residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
Where Winthrop’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Washington, United States
Winthrop is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. It is located on the North Cascades Highway, east of Mazama and north of Twisp. The town's population was 504 at the 2020 census. Winthrop lies at the confluence of the Methow and Chewuch rivers near the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The town was founded in 1890 after the Methow Valley, the homeland of the indigenous Methow people, was opened to white settlement. Winthrop was named for author and explorer Theodore Winthrop, who visited Washington Territory in the 1860s. The town was incorporated in 1924 and continues to operate under a mayor–council government. Winthrop adopted an Old West theme for its downtown…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Winthrop has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including Erik Bjornsen and Novie McCabe.
