Washington Town Records: Highest, Densest and Fastest-Growing
How Washington's towns compare with each other, from census counts, land area and elevation, across the 271 Washington towns on Our Town Store (of 281 municipalities in the state). A town not yet on our site is not ranked.
The highest town in Washington is Roslyn at about 4,472 feet, and the lowest is Ocean Shores at about 5 feet, a difference of 4,467 feet.
Mountlake Terrace packs the most people into its land, 5,248 per square mile.
Ridgefield grew fastest between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, from 4,763 to 10,319 people (+117%).
Mattawa lost the largest share, from 4,437 to 3,335 (-25%).
By land area the largest is Spokane at 69 square miles.
How these tables are made: density and growth rankings leave out towns under 1,000 people, where a few households swing the number. Growth compares the 2010 and 2020 census counts, so annexations show up as growth. Elevation is the USGS 3D Elevation Program height at the Census Bureau's point for the town. Land-area tables leave out towns where the Census and Wikidata areas disagree, usually a village and a town sharing a name. See the full list of Washington towns.
Highest towns
| # | Town | County | Elevation (ft) | People (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roslyn | Kittitas County | 4,472 | 950 |
| 2 | Waterville | Douglas County | 2,628 | 1,134 |
| 3 | Republic | Ferry County | 2,612 | 992 |
| 4 | Uniontown | Whitman County | 2,580 | 389 |
| 5 | Fairfield | Spokane County | 2,575 | 589 |
| 6 | Colton | Whitman County | 2,563 | 401 |
| 7 | Waverly | Spokane County | 2,537 | 121 |
| 8 | Tekoa | Whitman County | 2,520 | 817 |
| 9 | Latah | Spokane County | 2,519 | 185 |
| 10 | Pullman | Whitman County | 2,513 | 32,901 |
Lowest towns
| # | Town | County | Elevation (ft) | People (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ocean Shores | Grays Harbor County | 5 | 6,715 |
| 2 | La Conner | Skagit County | 7 | 965 |
| 3 | Everett | Snohomish County | 9 | 110,629 |
| 4 | Longview | Cowlitz County | 9 | 37,818 |
| 5 | South Bend | Pacific County | 9 | 1,746 |
Most densely settled towns (1,000+ people)
| # | Town | County | People per sq mi | People (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountlake Terrace | Snohomish County | 5,248 | 21,286 |
| 2 | Burien | King County | 5,186 | 52,066 |
| 3 | Des Moines | King County | 5,128 | 32,888 |
| 4 | Shoreline | King County | 5,037 | 58,608 |
| 5 | Lynnwood | Snohomish County | 4,896 | 38,568 |
| 6 | Maple Valley | King County | 4,666 | 28,013 |
| 7 | Bellevue | King County | 4,537 | 151,854 |
| 8 | Federal Way | King County | 4,525 | 101,030 |
| 9 | Fircrest | Pierce County | 4,521 | 7,156 |
| 10 | Mill Creek | Snohomish County | 4,506 | 20,926 |
Fastest-growing towns, 2010 to 2020 (1,000+ people in 2010)
| # | Town | County | Change | People (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ridgefield | Clark County | +117% | 10,319 |
| 2 | Kirkland | King County | +89% | 92,175 |
| 3 | Airway Heights | Spokane County | +76% | 10,757 |
| 4 | Gig Harbor | Pierce County | +69% | 12,029 |
| 5 | Liberty Lake | Spokane County | +58% | 12,003 |
| 6 | Burien | King County | +56% | 52,066 |
| 7 | Yelm | Thurston County | +55% | 10,617 |
| 8 | Kent | King County | +48% | 136,588 |
| 9 | Sammamish | King County | +47% | 67,455 |
| 10 | Tumwater | Thurston County | +46% | 25,350 |
Steepest population declines, 2010 to 2020
| # | Town | County | Change | People (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mattawa | Grant County | -25% | 3,335 |
| 2 | Royal City | Grant County | -17% | 1,776 |
| 3 | Brewster | Okanogan County | -16% | 1,983 |
| 4 | Mabton | Yakima County | -14% | 1,959 |
| 5 | Bridgeport | Douglas County | -12% | 2,141 |
| 6 | Warden | Grant County | -9% | 2,449 |
| 7 | Morton | Lewis County | -8% | 1,036 |
| 8 | Wapato | Yakima County | -8% | 4,607 |
| 9 | Republic | Ferry County | -8% | 992 |
| 10 | Okanogan | Okanogan County | -7% | 2,379 |
Largest towns by land area
| # | Town | County | Land (sq mi) | People (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spokane | Spokane County | 68.8 | 228,989 |
| 2 | Tacoma | Pierce County | 49.7 | 219,346 |
| 3 | Vancouver | Clark County | 48.7 | 190,915 |
| 4 | Pasco | Franklin County | 39.0 | 77,108 |
| 5 | Spokane Valley | Spokane County | 37.7 | 102,976 |
| 6 | Kent | King County | 33.8 | 136,588 |
| 7 | Bellevue | King County | 33.5 | 151,854 |
| 8 | Auburn | Pierce County | 29.6 | 87,256 |
| 9 | Kennewick | Benton County | 28.5 | 83,921 |
| 10 | Bellingham | Whatcom County | 28.2 | 91,482 |
Smallest towns by land area
| # | Town | County | Land (sq mi) | People (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nespelem | Okanogan County | 0.19 | 180 |
| 2 | Starbuck | Columbia County | 0.20 | 119 |
| 3 | Marcus | Stevens County | 0.22 | 216 |
| 4 | Index | Snohomish County | 0.23 | 155 |
| 5 | Elmer City | Okanogan County | 0.24 | 239 |
Sources: municipality list, coordinates and land area from the U.S. Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer (public domain); population from the 2010 and 2020 censuses and elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (public domain) at each place's Census point; founding years quoted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Compiled by script by Our Town Store. Corrections to hello@ourtownstore.com.