What it's like to live in Aberdeen
Aberdeen is a small city in Washington with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and air quality that stays clean most of the year. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Aberdeen deals with county unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Clean air
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
How Aberdeen compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Aberdeen
Based on Aberdeen's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,098
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $41,960 a year
- 52% of Aberdeen renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$47,460
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $23,730
- Homes cost 4.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 26% below US
$1,049/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,049 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $237,300. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $237,300 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Grays Harbor County is 5.9%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Grays Harbor County (county-wide)
SafetyNear US average
311 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2270/100k · Aberdeen Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 20% below US
21 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.7 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 67°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 58% below US
15% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
12 public schools inside the boundary
There are 12 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (53 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Aberdeen's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,049/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Aberdeen
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