Living in Bothell East, Washington: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 11.1% above the U.S. average in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.7 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI doesn't publish crime figures for unincorporated communities. Call the county sheriff's office (or the town or township police, where there is one) and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town6 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle and 2 high schools.
A hospital close byEvergreenhealth Medical Center in Kirkland, about 6 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySeattle is about 15 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Bothell East meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Bothell East runs into the built-up area around Seattle (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $1,131,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 9.9%Snohomish County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $2,406 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $198,882U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 59%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $8,991 a yearWashington: $4,556
Homes built before 1940: 0%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 40%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 111.1U.S. average = 100 (the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 9.9% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area, not Bothell East alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2020-2024 Census survey: 14,578The Census Bureau makes yearly estimates only for incorporated towns
Median age: 34.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 7%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 29%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 66%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 14%U.S.: 6%
College students: 5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Professional and business services (26%); schools, health care and social services (19%); manufacturing (14%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 31 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 34%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 4%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Evergreenhealth Medical Center, Kirkland, WA, about 6 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 5 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

6 public schools in Bothell East, run by Northshore School District.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Washington's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 91%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 98%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 37°F
July average high: 72°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 0 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 29 a year
Rain and melted snow: 50.8 inches a year
Snow: 3 inches a year
Elevation: 386 feet

Weather stations: Everett Snohomish Ap (8 miles away) and Monroe (9 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Evergreenhealth Medical CenterEmergency room6

Bothell, WACity of 52,0002

Seattle, WAMetro of 4.2 million15

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Evergreenhealth Medical Center, Bothell, Seattle.

Snohomish County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve32 miles
Olympic National Park43 miles
Mount Rainier National Park57 miles
San Juan Island National Historical Park58 miles

Read about Bothell East's history on Wikipedia.

Know Bothell East?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Clearview, WA3,300 people, 2 miles
Maltby, WA10,900 people, 4 miles
Woodinville, WA14,500 people, 4 miles
Alderwood Manor, WA10,300 people, 4 miles
Larch Way, WA4,400 people, 4 miles
Brier, WA6,600 people, 4 miles

Smaller places

Cathcart, WA (unincorporated)2,064 people, 5 miles
Monroe North, WA (unincorporated)1,456 people, 11 miles
Hunts Point, WA461 people, 11 miles
Cavalero, WA (unincorporated)1,591 people, 13 miles
Clinton, WA (unincorporated)1,419 people, 13 miles
Machias, WA (unincorporated)1,276 people, 14 miles
Lake Marcel-Stillwater, WA (unincorporated)1,549 people, 15 miles
Kingston, WA (unincorporated)2,496 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.