What it's like to live in Everett
Everett is a mid-size city in Washington. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Everett deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, larger class sizes than the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Everett compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Everett
Based on Everett's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,480
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $69,600 a year
- 53% of Everett renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$113,060
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $56,530
- Homes cost 6.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 23% above US
$1,740/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,740 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $565,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $565,300 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 14% above US
4.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.9%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 24% below US
252 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2508/100k · Everett Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 13% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 73°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 34°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 20% below US
29% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 29%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
30 public schools inside the boundary
There are 30 public schools inside the boundary and 6 private schools. 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 Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park (26 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nothing in Everett's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,740/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. Whether it fits comes down to the specifics: the neighborhood, the job, and what matters most in the move.
Other places near Everett
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