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Moving to
Silverdale.
Silverdale is an unincorporated community in Kitsap 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 Silverdale
Silverdale is an unincorporated community in Washington with household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Silverdale 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
- Clean air
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
- Above-average rainfall
How Silverdale compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Silverdale
Based on Silverdale's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,286
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $85,720 a year
- 52% of Silverdale renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$111,060
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $55,530
- 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▲ 52% above US
$2,143/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,143 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 $555,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $555,300 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Kitsap County is 4.2%, 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.
Kitsap County (county-wide)
Safety
195 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Silverdale doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Kitsap 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 1134/100k · Policed by Kitsap County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% 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 35°F. It's a wet climate overall.
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 & workforceNear US average
36% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 36% 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
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. 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 (17 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Silverdale's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,143/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
Other places near Silverdale
All Washington guides →Moving to Bainbridge Island →
8 mi away · pop. 24,631
Rent $2,194/mo · Income $172,188
Compare with Silverdale →Moving to Bremerton →
8 mi away · pop. 44,830
Rent $1,641/mo · Income $74,940
Compare with Silverdale →Moving to Port Orchard →
10 mi away · pop. 17,149
Rent $1,797/mo · Income $89,795
Compare with Silverdale →Not sure Silverdale is the one?
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