Living in Darrington, 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 moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Darrington to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Darrington 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 town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
A hospital close byCascade Valley Hospital in Arlington, about 24 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySeattle is about 56 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 Darrington 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.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $419,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 9.9%Snohomish County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $879 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical property tax bill: $2,070 a yearWashington: $4,556
Homes built before 1940: 10%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 0%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 Darrington 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: 1,5002020: 1,482
Median age: 42.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 25%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 25%U.S.: 22%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 3%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: Manufacturing (16%); construction (11%)
Work from home: 5%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Cascade Valley Hospital, Arlington, WA, about 24 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 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

2 public schools in Darrington, run by Darrington 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: 64%U.S.: 76%

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: 30°F
July average high: 78°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 14 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 102 a year
Rain and melted snow: 71.2 inches a year
Snow: 16 inches a year
Elevation: 548 feet

Weather stations: Darrington Rs (less than a mile away) and Concrete Ppl Fish Stn (20 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

Cascade Valley HospitalEmergency room24

Marysville, WACity of 78,00028

Seattle, WAMetro of 4.2 million56

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: Cascade Valley Hospital, Marysville, 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

5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Darrington Ranger Station.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Ross Lake National Recreation Area24 miles
North Cascades National Park25 miles
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area35 miles
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve47 miles

Read about Darrington's history on Wikipedia.

Know Darrington?

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

Canyon Creek, WA3,900 people, 20 miles
Granite Falls, WA4,700 people, 20 miles
Arlington Heights, WA2,700 people, 21 miles
Lochsloy, WA3,000 people, 24 miles
Sisco Heights, WA3,000 people, 25 miles
Lake Cassidy, WA3,300 people, 26 miles

Smaller places

Swede Heaven, WA (unincorporated)746 people, 5 miles
Verlot, WA (unincorporated)224 people, 13 miles
Oso, WA (unincorporated)245 people, 14 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.