East Renton Highlands 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 East Renton Highlands

East Renton Highlands is an unincorporated community in Washington with household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. East Renton Highlands deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and larger class sizes than the national average.

The good

  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Highly educated workforce

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Above-average commute times
  • High student-teacher ratio
  • High rent burden for renters

How East Renton Highlands compares

Median household income

East Renton Highlands$142,500
Washington avg$98,141
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

East Renton Highlands$2,717
Washington avg$1,760
US$1,413

Median home value

East Renton Highlands$778,700
Washington avg$564,600
US$332,700

What it takes to move to East Renton Highlands

Based on East Renton Highlands's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$5,434

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

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $108,680 a year
  • 56% of East Renton Highlands renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$155,740

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $77,870
  • Homes cost 5.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 92% above US

$2,717/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,717 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 $778,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $778,700 · 56% 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

East Renton Highlands 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 around▲ 23% above US

32 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 31.9 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 25% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
63%
Work from home
25%
Carpool
8.5%
Other
1.5%
Walk
1.3%
Public transit
1.1%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 75°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
20°40°60°80°6"Jan: 4.93" precipitationFeb: 3.21" precipitationMar: 3.74" precipitationApr: 2.83" precipitationMay: 1.86" precipitationJun: 1.47" precipitationJul: 0.60" precipitationAug: 0.89" precipitationSep: 1.53" precipitationOct: 3.49" precipitationNov: 5.61" precipitationDec: 4.53" precipitationJJan: high 48°F, low 37°FFFeb: high 50°F, low 37°FMMar: high 55°F, low 40°FAApr: high 60°F, low 43°FMMay: high 66°F, low 49°FJJun: high 71°F, low 54°FJJul: high 77°F, low 58°F78°AAug: high 78°F, low 57°FSSep: high 72°F, low 53°FOOct: high 61°F, low 46°FNNov: high 52°F, low 40°F37°DDec: high 47°F, low 37°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 20% above US

43% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 43% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

5 public schools inside the boundary

There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, 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 (14 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

East Renton Highlands'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 ($2,717/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (25% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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