What it's like to live in Mountlake Terrace
Mountlake Terrace is a small city in Washington with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Mountlake Terrace deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- High student-teacher ratio
How Mountlake Terrace compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Mountlake Terrace
Based on Mountlake Terrace's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,008
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $80,160 a year
- 47% of Mountlake Terrace renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$133,460
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $66,730
- Homes cost 6.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 42% above US
$2,004/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,004 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 $667,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $667,300 · 47% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.6% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.6%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 51% below US
160 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 1529/100k · Mountlake Terrace Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
28 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 22% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 75°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 19% 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 (13 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Mountlake Terrace's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,004/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (22% 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 Mountlake Terrace →·All Washington cities →
Other places near Mountlake Terrace
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Compare with Mountlake Terrace →Moving to Edmonds →
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