Cottage Lake is an unincorporated community in King County, WA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Cottage Lake

Cottage Lake is an unincorporated community in Washington with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Cottage Lake deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, and above-average rainfall.

The good

  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Highly educated workforce
  • Average class sizes

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Above-average rainfall

How Cottage Lake compares

Median household income

Cottage Lake$213,106
Washington avg$98,141
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Cottage Lake$2,740
Washington avg$1,760
US$1,413

Median home value

Cottage Lake$1,230,700
Washington avg$564,600
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Cottage Lake

Based on Cottage Lake's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$5,480

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $109,600 a year
  • 50% of Cottage Lake renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$246,140

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $123,070
  • Homes cost 5.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 94% above US

$2,740/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,740 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $1,230,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,230,700 · 50% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.5% county unemployment

Unemployment in King County is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

King County (county-wide)

Safety

167 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Cottage Lake doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the King County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 985/100k · Policed by King County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

26 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 25.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 34% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
57%
Work from home
34%
Carpool
6.0%
Other
1.3%
Public transit
0.8%
Walk
0.6%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 72°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 32°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
20°40°60°80°7.5"Jan: 6.54" precipitationFeb: 4.47" precipitationMar: 5.22" precipitationApr: 4.30" precipitationMay: 3.42" precipitationJun: 2.69" precipitationJul: 1.15" precipitationAug: 1.30" precipitationSep: 2.73" precipitationOct: 5.03" precipitationNov: 7.16" precipitationDec: 6.76" precipitationJJan: high 44°F, low 32°FFFeb: high 48°F, low 32°FMMar: high 52°F, low 35°FAApr: high 57°F, low 39°FMMay: high 64°F, low 44°FJJun: high 68°F, low 49°FJJul: high 74°F, low 52°F75°AAug: high 75°F, low 52°FSSep: high 69°F, low 48°FOOct: high 58°F, low 41°FNNov: high 49°F, low 35°F32°DDec: high 43°F, low 32°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 88% above US

68% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

9 public schools inside the boundary

There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park (15 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Cottage Lake's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,740/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (34% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

See all the data for Cottage Lake →·All Washington cities →

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