Like all states, Washington has certain places that are going on hard times. These Washington places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Washington.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 121 cities in Washington with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
What’s the poorest city in Washington? According to the facts, Cheney is the poorest place in Washington for 2025.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Washington reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Washington
- Cheapest Places To Live In Washington
- Most Dangerous Cities In Washington
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Washington For 2025
1. Cheney
/10
Population: 12,830
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $47,039 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.6% (highest)
People In Poverty: 4,437
More on Cheney: Data
Cheney, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Washington thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 12,830 people averages the 2nd lowest median household income in Washington and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Pullman
/10
Population: 31,939
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $45,097 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 32.1% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 10,246
More on Pullman: Data
The second poorest city in Washington is Pullman.
The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 19th highest in the Evergreen State.
3. Aberdeen
/10
Population: 17,040
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $52,181 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.2% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,776
More on Aberdeen: Data
Placing as the third poorest city, Aberdeen’s median income ranks as the 5th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 22.16% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Evergreen State.
4. Ellensburg
/10
Population: 18,913
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Income: $49,888 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.0% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,967
More on Ellensburg: Data
Ellensburg ranks as the fourth poorest place in Washington.
The town ranks as having the 3rd lowest median household income and the 7th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Centralia
/10
Population: 18,457
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Median Income: $52,387 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.9% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,667
More on Centralia: Data
The fifth poorest city in Washington is Centralia.
The city ranks as having the 6th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 9th highest in Washington.
Still not the best news for Centralia.
6. Clarkston
/10
Population: 7,240
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Income: $53,092 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.3% (11th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,398
More on Clarkston: Data
Clarkston ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Evergreen State.
It ranks as having the 11th highest incidence of poverty and the 8th highest unemployment rate.
7. Shelton
/10
Population: 10,619
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Median Income: $60,589 (16th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 23.4% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,479
More on Shelton: Data
Shelton places as the seventh poorest city in Washington.
The city of over 10,619 ranks as having the 4th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Kelso
/10
Population: 12,697
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 5)
Median Income: $59,462 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.5% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,470
More on Kelso: Data
Kelso ranks as the eighth poorest city in Washington.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Hoquiam
/10
Population: 8,792
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Income: $51,754 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 15.9% (20th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,398
More on Hoquiam: Data
Hoquiam couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Washington; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 4th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Hoquiam ranks as having the 20th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Washington.
10. Sunnyside
/10
Population: 16,329
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 5)
Median Income: $53,350 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.4% (15th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,844
More on Sunnyside: Data
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Washington is Sunnyside.
The city of 16,329 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Evergreen State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Washington for 2025
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2019-2023 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 121 places with more than 5,000 people in Washington, we ranked each place from 1 to 121 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Cheney, crowned the “Poorest Place In Washington For 2025”.
This report has been updated for 2025, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Washington.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Washington For 2025
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Washington, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Washington.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Washington, according to data:
-
Richest: Snoqualmie
2nd Richest: Bainbridge Island
3rd Richest: Newcastle
For more Washington reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Washington
- Safest Places In Washington
- Worst Places To Live In Washington
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Washington
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Washington
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheney | 12,830 | 34.6% | $47,039 | 4,437 |
| 2 | Pullman | 31,939 | 32.1% | $45,097 | 10,246 |
| 3 | Aberdeen | 17,040 | 22.2% | $52,181 | 3,776 |
| 4 | Ellensburg | 18,913 | 21.0% | $49,888 | 3,967 |
| 5 | Centralia | 18,457 | 19.9% | $52,387 | 3,667 |
| 6 | Clarkston | 7,240 | 19.3% | $53,092 | 1,398 |
| 7 | Shelton | 10,619 | 23.4% | $60,589 | 2,479 |
| 8 | Kelso | 12,697 | 19.5% | $59,462 | 2,470 |
| 9 | Hoquiam | 8,792 | 15.9% | $51,754 | 1,398 |
| 10 | Sunnyside | 16,329 | 17.4% | $53,350 | 2,844 |
| 11 | Grandview | 11,042 | 19.0% | $59,875 | 2,100 |
| 12 | Yakima | 96,810 | 17.0% | $59,228 | 16,467 |
| 13 | Othello | 8,699 | 23.8% | $65,757 | 2,068 |
| 14 | Airway Heights | 10,766 | 21.9% | $64,659 | 2,354 |
| 15 | Sequim | 8,130 | 14.8% | $52,977 | 1,202 |
| 16 | Prosser | 6,213 | 20.2% | $66,406 | 1,256 |
| 17 | Bellingham | 92,367 | 18.3% | $65,821 | 16,875 |
| 18 | Longview | 37,836 | 15.1% | $60,844 | 5,728 |
| 19 | Toppenish | 8,746 | 17.6% | $67,766 | 1,535 |
| 20 | Port Townsend | 10,290 | 14.2% | $60,015 | 1,464 |
| 21 | Chehalis | 7,536 | 15.9% | $68,021 | 1,201 |
| 22 | Union Gap | 6,511 | 12.8% | $58,958 | 833 |
| 23 | Ephrata | 8,493 | 16.1% | $70,321 | 1,364 |
| 24 | Spokane | 229,228 | 14.6% | $65,745 | 33,375 |
| 25 | Walla Walla | 33,766 | 14.4% | $65,493 | 4,862 |
| 26 | Mount Vernon | 35,312 | 16.7% | $73,277 | 5,911 |
| 27 | Connell | 5,080 | 13.2% | $63,810 | 668 |
| 28 | Moses Lake | 25,594 | 15.4% | $71,854 | 3,933 |
| 29 | Sedro-Woolley | 12,633 | 14.7% | $72,140 | 1,851 |
| 30 | Lakewood | 63,034 | 13.6% | $70,524 | 8,572 |
| 31 | Ocean Shores | 7,076 | 11.8% | $62,750 | 837 |
| 32 | Kennewick | 84,389 | 13.9% | $72,867 | 11,738 |
| 33 | Olympia | 55,583 | 14.8% | $76,930 | 8,209 |
| 34 | Spokane Valley | 105,460 | 12.9% | $70,722 | 13,625 |
| 35 | College Place | 9,828 | 10.8% | $59,768 | 1,056 |
| 36 | Lynnwood | 40,953 | 14.2% | $76,439 | 5,803 |
| 37 | Bremerton | 44,531 | 13.5% | $74,399 | 6,007 |
| 38 | Port Angeles | 20,087 | 10.9% | $61,640 | 2,195 |
| 39 | Wenatchee | 35,502 | 11.7% | $70,000 | 4,153 |
| 40 | Port Orchard | 16,398 | 13.8% | $81,472 | 2,254 |
| 41 | Quincy | 7,922 | 13.1% | $79,973 | 1,040 |
| 42 | Selah | 8,301 | 11.9% | $74,757 | 988 |
| 43 | Burlington | 9,637 | 11.5% | $74,028 | 1,112 |
| 44 | Tukwila | 21,479 | 12.3% | $80,534 | 2,644 |
| 45 | Pasco | 78,446 | 12.6% | $81,130 | 9,892 |
| 46 | Federal Way | 99,232 | 12.7% | $82,144 | 12,582 |
| 47 | Everett | 111,083 | 12.1% | $81,502 | 13,441 |
| 48 | Woodland | 6,513 | 12.5% | $83,193 | 812 |
| 49 | Vancouver | 192,696 | 11.1% | $78,156 | 21,408 |
| 50 | Blaine | 5,982 | 11.8% | $81,559 | 708 |
| 51 | Tacoma | 220,482 | 12.0% | $83,857 | 26,546 |
| 52 | Pacific | 7,064 | 15.7% | $102,976 | 1,109 |
| 53 | SeaTac | 31,143 | 10.4% | $76,517 | 3,232 |
| 54 | Oak Harbor | 24,396 | 8.3% | $72,041 | 2,032 |
| 55 | Arlington | 20,599 | 10.9% | $84,919 | 2,255 |
| 56 | Lacey | 57,088 | 11.0% | $87,277 | 6,291 |
| 57 | Ferndale | 15,447 | 10.5% | $83,839 | 1,617 |
| 58 | Milton | 8,747 | 11.4% | $89,804 | 996 |
| 59 | Fife | 10,902 | 11.5% | $90,515 | 1,249 |
| 60 | Washougal | 16,945 | 12.7% | $100,916 | 2,143 |
| 61 | Des Moines | 32,545 | 10.7% | $89,787 | 3,479 |
| 62 | Kent | 135,015 | 10.6% | $90,416 | 14,352 |
| 63 | Snohomish | 10,177 | 8.3% | $84,688 | 848 |
| 64 | Burien | 51,331 | 10.4% | $90,597 | 5,348 |
| 65 | Steilacoom | 6,683 | 11.0% | $97,634 | 735 |
| 66 | East Wenatchee | 14,114 | 7.1% | $81,050 | 1,006 |
| 67 | Richland | 61,912 | 9.3% | $92,550 | 5,733 |
| 68 | Lynden | 16,025 | 8.7% | $94,869 | 1,397 |
| 69 | Anacortes | 17,837 | 7.9% | $89,788 | 1,403 |
| 70 | Poulsbo | 11,962 | 9.5% | $95,774 | 1,135 |
| 71 | University Place | 34,850 | 8.6% | $94,952 | 2,986 |
| 72 | Stanwood | 8,351 | 7.5% | $87,477 | 626 |
| 73 | Tumwater | 26,519 | 7.8% | $93,635 | 2,073 |
| 74 | Auburn | 85,455 | 7.6% | $95,367 | 6,477 |
| 75 | Puyallup | 42,642 | 7.5% | $95,639 | 3,206 |
| 76 | Renton | 105,279 | 7.8% | $96,626 | 8,169 |
| 77 | Mountlake Terrace | 21,419 | 8.0% | $101,404 | 1,713 |
| 78 | Shoreline | 59,280 | 8.4% | $113,336 | 4,985 |
| 79 | Yelm | 10,618 | 5.4% | $88,279 | 573 |
| 80 | Marysville | 71,570 | 7.5% | $100,362 | 5,331 |
| 81 | Seattle | 741,440 | 9.9% | $121,984 | 73,180 |
| 82 | Sumner | 10,674 | 7.1% | $98,376 | 759 |
| 83 | Enumclaw | 12,663 | 8.2% | $116,563 | 1,044 |
| 84 | Battle Ground | 21,293 | 6.7% | $100,185 | 1,435 |
| 85 | Buckley | 5,306 | 8.2% | $121,719 | 432 |
| 86 | Monroe | 19,696 | 7.0% | $107,556 | 1,378 |
| 87 | Sultan | 5,770 | 3.2% | $85,278 | 182 |
| 88 | West Richland | 17,126 | 7.2% | $118,056 | 1,234 |
| 89 | Gig Harbor | 12,202 | 5.8% | $106,042 | 702 |
| 90 | Liberty Lake | 12,435 | 5.2% | $105,599 | 646 |
| 91 | Ridgefield | 12,576 | 6.0% | $117,550 | 750 |
| 92 | Duvall | 8,279 | 8.4% | $178,821 | 697 |
| 93 | Fircrest | 7,082 | 5.1% | $107,781 | 360 |
| 94 | Kenmore | 23,594 | 6.0% | $137,926 | 1,422 |
| 95 | Edgewood | 12,683 | 4.7% | $114,342 | 598 |
| 96 | Mukilteo | 21,312 | 5.8% | $122,612 | 1,225 |
| 97 | Kirkland | 91,614 | 6.0% | $143,533 | 5,478 |
| 98 | Lake Stevens | 39,500 | 5.0% | $118,290 | 1,990 |
| 99 | Bellevue | 151,199 | 7.3% | $161,300 | 10,992 |
| 100 | Bothell | 48,610 | 5.8% | $132,232 | 2,795 |