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Place dossier plate
SheetWA-BLAINE-WA · Blaine, WA 5,982 pop · income 63rd pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Blaine
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Blaine on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Somerset · lowest
41,782
Somerset · lowest
41,782 median HH income
31.6% of the leader · rank #1
Leominster · near
81,556
Leominster · near
81,556 median HH income
61.7% of the leader · rank #2
Blaine · this city
81,559
Blaine · this city
81,559 median HH income
61.7% of the leader · rank #3
Monticello · near
81,563
Monticello · near
81,563 median HH income
61.8% of the leader · rank #4
Middleville · near
81,563
Middleville · near
81,563 median HH income
61.8% of the leader · rank #5
Forest Juncti… · near
81,563
Forest Juncti… · near
81,563 median HH income
61.8% of the leader · rank #6
Hockinson · highest
132,083
Hockinson · highest
132,083 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Blaine on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 5,982.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Blaine - the verdict
Blaine ranks in the 63rd percentile for household income and the 25th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
63rd
percentile, household income
85th
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
25th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Blaine, WA
Blaine is a small town in Washington, home to 5,982 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $81,559 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 8.7%. Home values in Blaine run a median of $500,600, and the median resident age is 41.6 years. About 32.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 51.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 102 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 100% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 2347.6 in FBI UCR data, near the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 50.9°F with 41.8 inches of precipitation per year and 9.3 inches of snowfall.
Washington carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Washington at 107.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Above Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,472 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Washington run around $188, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.0 out of 100 (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Blaine's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to comparison shortlist to population change to schools and households to climate and hazard context to work and mobility to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Blaine, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in Blaine?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Which cities make useful reference points for Blaine?
Within Washington, the closest population matches are Country Homes (5,979 residents, $78,841 income); North Fort Lewis (5,990 residents, $72,778 income); Hockinson (5,993 residents, $132,083 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Oak View, CA (5,984 residents); Somerset, PA (5,984 residents); Richmond, MO (5,979 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +577 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +9.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 102 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 32.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Blaine?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 50.9°F, with 41.8 inches of precipitation and 9.3 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Washington is 70.0 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
50.9°F
Annual precipitation
41.8 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
70.0
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What does the journey to work look like in Blaine?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 69.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
19.4%
Drive alone
69.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 2,521 workers age 16+.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Blaine?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2347.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 3% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2174.3
Violent rate
173.3
Total reported rate
2347.6
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Above median income · poverty 8.7% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
107.0 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Washington average
D
City profile score · Blaine, WA
47/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share C+
32.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income C+
$81,559
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime C-
173 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate D
8.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living F
107.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Blaine profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 63/100 (C+) · 32.9%
Household income: 61/100 (C+) · $81,559
Violent crime: 53/100 (C-) · 173 /100k
Poverty rate: 45/100 (D) · 8.7%
Cost of living: 15/100 (F) · 107.0 index
Where Blaine sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Blaine's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Blaine highlighted among 24 peers.Read the chart values
Blaine, WA (this city): home $500,600, crime 2,348/100k
Somerset, PA : home $144,400, crime 803/100k
Richmond, MO : home $135,500, crime 2,087/100k
Sharon Hill, PA : home $163,200, crime 2,154/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Blaine compare to other US cities?
Where Blaine sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income63% higher than other cities
Home value85% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety25% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Washington and the picture shifts: Blaine ranks #94 of 156 Washington cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Blaine against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Washington only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Washington-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Blaine near the bottom of Washington's cities
Among the 599 Washington cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Blaine ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Blaine only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#304 of 565
46th percentile in Washington
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 599
0th percentile in Washington
Median Home Value
#194 of 565
66th percentile in Washington
Poverty Rate
#196 of 598
67th percentile in Washington
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#195 of 599
67th percentile in Washington
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Washington only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
63rd percentile nationally for median household income · 25th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Blaine's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Blaine's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Blaine's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$500,60015th percentilemore affordable than 15% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Blaine's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,201 of 15,516
More affordable than 8% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,521 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 6.1×, Blaine sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,201 of 15,516 and #10,521 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$81,559Blaine, WA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Blaine, WA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Blaine, WA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)32.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)8.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)51.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,982
Median Income
$81,559
Median Home Value
$500,600
Median Age
41.6
Poverty Rate
8.7%
Labor force participation
51.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
32.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2347.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
173.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2174.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
50.9°F
Annual Precipitation
41.8"
Annual Snowfall
9.3"
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Blaine's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
5,898 residents
2021
5,965 residents
2022
6,035 residents
2023
6,182 residents
2024
6,356 residents
2025
6,475 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
102
housing units authorized
Single-Family
96
detached homes
Multifamily
6
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
17.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
51
43
8
$14.9M
2020
55
43
12
$13.8M
2021
53
49
4
$20.1M
2022
131
113
18
$39.7M
2023
89
82
7
$26.9M
2024
102
96
6
$31.0M
Permit volume increased 100% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
69.5%
Carpool
7.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
19.4%
Other
0.7%
Based on 2,521 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Washington statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $188
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Washington at $188 (electricity about $85 , water and sewer about $55 ).
These are Washington statewide averages, not a meter reading for Blaine. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Washington's BEA cost-of-living index is 107.0 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Blaine is $1,472/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Washington statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.0 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Washington statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Blaine sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Blaine compares to similar-size Washington cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.