Living in Chelan, Washington: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.9% above the U.S. average in the Wenatchee-East Wenatchee metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 6.3 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Chelan itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town4 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school and 1 other.
A hospital close byLake Chelan Community Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySeattle is about 110 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 Chelan 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

Tourist town. About 29% of homes are vacation or seasonal homes, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

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: $518,000U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 8.8%Chelan County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,368 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $82,637U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 56%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,303 a yearWashington: $4,556
Homes built before 1940: 14%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 14%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 29%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 103.9U.S. average = 100 (the Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 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 8.8% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Wenatchee-East Wenatchee metro area, not Chelan 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, 2025 estimate: 4,4942020: 4,240
Median age: 46.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 23%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 17%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 28%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 9%U.S.: 6%

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: Schools, health care and social services (27%); other services (14%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (13%)
Unemployment rate: 2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 14 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 10%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 8%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Lake Chelan Community Hospital, Chelan, WA, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Confluence Health Hospital, Wenatchee, WA, about 32 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 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

4 public schools in Chelan, run by Lake Chelan 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: 89%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 96%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: 22°F
July average high: 87°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 25 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 109 a year
Rain and melted snow: 12 inches a year
Snow: 20 inches a year
Elevation: 1,182 feet

Weather station: Chelan (1 mile away). 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

Yakima, WACity of 97,00090

Seattle, WAMetro of 4.2 million110

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: Yakima, Seattle.

Chelan County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Power Plant.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area39 miles
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area48 miles
North Cascades National Park51 miles

Read about Chelan's history on Wikipedia.

Know Chelan?

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

Waterville, WA1,200 people, 14 miles
Entiat, WA1,600 people, 15 miles
Bridgeport, WA2,300 people, 19 miles
Brewster, WA2,100 people, 21 miles
Sunnyslope, WA3,700 people, 28 miles
Cashmere, WA3,300 people, 31 miles

Smaller places

Chelan Falls, WA (unincorporated)233 people, 3 miles
Manson, WA (unincorporated)1,462 people, 7 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.