Living in Royal City, Washington: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 2.6% below the U.S. average in the parts of Washington outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Royal City to say.
A safer neighborhood1 violent crime was reported in 2025, about 0.5 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 4.1 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town4 public schools: 1 elementary, 2 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byOthello Community Hospital in Othello, about 23 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySeattle is about 137 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 Royal City 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

Home prices since then: Up 10%Grant County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $753 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $50,478U.S.: $80,734
Homes built before 1940: 0%U.S.: 12%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 97.4U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Washington outside metro areas)

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 10% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Washington outside metro areas, not Royal City 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: 1,8962020: 1,790
Median age: 24.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 6%U.S.: 17%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 12%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 1%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: Farming, forestry and mining (44%); schools, health care and social services (15%); manufacturing (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: Othello Community Hospital, Othello, WA, about 23 miles away. 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: Samaritan Hospital, Moses Lake, WA, about 23 miles away. Medicare gives it 2 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 Royal City, run by Royal 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 any internet subscription: 92%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: 26°F
July average high: 93°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 54 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 122 a year
Rain and melted snow: 8.4 inches a year
Elevation: 1,003 feet

Weather stations: Smyrna (5 miles away) and Othello 4.8 SSW (21 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

Othello Community HospitalEmergency room23

Richland, WACity of 65,00045

Seattle, WAMetro of 4.2 million137

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: Othello Community Hospital, Richland, Seattle.

Grant County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 5, 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:

Manhattan Project National Historical Park19 miles

Read about Royal City's history on Wikipedia.

Know Royal City?

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

George, WA1,000 people, 17 miles
Mattawa, WA3,900 people, 18 miles
Desert Aire, WA2,800 people, 20 miles
Cascade Valley, WA4,600 people, 22 miles
Othello, WA9,200 people, 22 miles
Moses Lake, WA27,000 people, 23 miles

Smaller places

Marine View, WA (unincorporated)471 people, 13 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.