Moving to
Ridgefield.

All Ridgefield data Compare Ridgefield

13,408people live here $116,389median household income▲ 44% above US $2,335median rent per month▲ 65% above US $613,500median home value▲ 84% above US

What it's like to live in Ridgefield

Ridgefield is a small city in Washington with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Ridgefield 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 good

Higher-than-average incomes
Low crime rates
Clean air
Highly educated workforce
Fast-growing population

The not so good

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

How Ridgefield compares

Median household income

Ridgefield$116,389

Washington avg$98,141

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Ridgefield$2,335

Washington avg$1,760

US$1,413

Median home value

Ridgefield$613,500

Washington avg$564,600

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Ridgefield

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

To rent

$4,670

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $93,400 a year
50% of Ridgefield renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$122,700

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $61,350
Homes cost 5.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 65% above US

$2,335/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,335 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 $613,500. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $613,500 · 50% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.5% county unemployment

Unemployment in Clark 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.

Clark County (county-wide)

Safety▼ 80% below US

66 violent crimes per 100k

Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.

Property crime 1062/100k · Ridgefield Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

25 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 24.8 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; 22% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

68%

Work from home

22%

Carpool

8.4%

Public transit

0.8%

Walk

0.7%

Other

0.4%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 34°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

39% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 39% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

6 public schools inside the boundary

There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. 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 Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (13 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Ridgefield'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 ($2,335/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (22% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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