Columbia County, Washington
Population 4,014 · Dayton, Starbuck
- Overall cost of living: −2.6% vs the US average, higher than 84% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Terrain relief: 5,250.2 ft, higher than 96% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−2.6% | higher than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Washington outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $271,200 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Median rent | $985 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $174/mo | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $10,800/yr | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.5% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| State income tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,303 | higher than 71% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $71,810 | higher than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -10.5% | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 226.9 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈181 days | lower than 85% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 87°F | lower than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 28°F | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 16 in | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 31 days | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 113 days | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 13.2% of weeks | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈46.7°F | lower than 91% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 18.9 in | lower than 87% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $319/yr | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $293/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $6.9/yr | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.23/yr | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $18/yr | higher than 89% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.1 µg/m³ | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 215.7 mi | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈5,250.2 ft | higher than 96% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 89.7% | lower than 54% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 24.9% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 9.9% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 16.5:1 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | N/A | |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.65 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.04 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.07 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 4.2 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 50/100k | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 3 | lower than 45% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3★ | lower than 48% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 77 yrs | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.8% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 373/100k | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 74/100k | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 82.1% | higher than 79% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 43 min | lower than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 122 min | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 82.4% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.3% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 11.9% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 285 min | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 5 per sq mi | lower than 83% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 0.4 per 1k | lower than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 6.2 per 1k | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Population | 4,014 | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Median age | 49.6 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +13.7 per 1k/yr | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 26.7% Dem | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 70.2% Rep | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 3.2% | higher than 97% of US counties |
| % White | 81.2% | higher than 52% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 8.3% | higher than 67% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.5% | lower than 78% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.9% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 7.5% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.2% | lower than 54% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 99 parks | higher than 63% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 19.9 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 10 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.6% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 6 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 339 km | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 5 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 10 | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 74 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 4 | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data