Moving to
Union Hill-Novelty Hill.

All Union Hill-Novelty Hill data Compare Union Hill-Novelty Hill

23,047people live here $185,369median household income▲ 130% above US $2,556median rent per month▲ 81% above US $1,218,500median home value▲ 266% above US

Union Hill-Novelty Hill 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 Union Hill-Novelty Hill

Union Hill-Novelty Hill is an unincorporated community in Washington with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Union Hill-Novelty Hill 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
Growing population

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Above-average commute times
High student-teacher ratio

How Union Hill-Novelty Hill compares

Median household income

Union Hill-Novelty Hill$185,369

Washington avg$98,141

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Union Hill-Novelty Hill$2,556

Washington avg$1,760

US$1,413

Median home value

Union Hill-Novelty Hill$1,218,500

Washington avg$564,600

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Union Hill-Novelty Hill

Based on Union Hill-Novelty Hill's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$5,112

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $102,240 a year
48% of Union Hill-Novelty Hill renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$243,700

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $121,850
Homes cost 6.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 81% above US

$2,556/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,556 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 $1,218,500. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,218,500 · 48% 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

Union Hill-Novelty Hill 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 aroundNear US average

28 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 28.4 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 5 in 10 workers drive to work; 45% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

48%

Work from home

45%

Carpool

3.5%

Public transit

2.0%

Walk

1.1%

Other

0.4%

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)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 99% above US

72% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

9 public schools inside the boundary

There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 2 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 (15 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Union Hill-Novelty Hill'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 ($2,556/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (45% 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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