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Place dossier plate
SheetWA-COLLEGE-PLACE-WA · College Place, WA 9,828 pop · income 35th 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 College Place
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest College Place on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Uniontown · lowest
35,451
Uniontown · lowest
35,451 median HH income
27.6% of the leader · rank #1
Hector · near
59,762
Hector · near
59,762 median HH income
46.6% of the leader · rank #2
College Place · this city
59,768
College Place · this city
59,768 median HH income
46.6% of the leader · rank #3
Bon Air · near
59,773
Bon Air · near
59,773 median HH income
46.6% of the leader · rank #4
Pittsville · near
59,773
Pittsville · near
59,773 median HH income
46.6% of the leader · rank #5
Williston · near
59,776
Williston · near
59,776 median HH income
46.6% of the leader · rank #6
Picnic Point · highest
128,295
Picnic Point · highest
128,295 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 College Place 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: 9,828.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
College Place - the verdict
College Place ranks in the 35th percentile for household income and the 35th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
35th
percentile, household income
70th
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
35th
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: College Place, WA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 9,828 residents in College Place, a small town within Washington. College Place households earn a median of $59,768 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.3%. College Place's housing stock carries a median value of $335,000, and the median resident age is 29.9 years. 35.7% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 58.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 3 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 96% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1906.0 incidents per 100,000 residents, near the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Washington carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 107.0 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,472 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $188 across Washington, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Commute times here average 11.8 minutes, with 65.4% driving alone and 10.5% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 70.0 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of College Place'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 reported crime to population change to housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For College Place, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, 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.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in College Place?
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 1906.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 16% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Is College Place growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -35 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 3 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
How far does income reach against housing in College Place?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 10.3%, 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 College Place?
Within Washington, the closest population matches are Picnic Point (9,833 residents, $128,295 income); DuPont (9,952 residents, $114,423 income); Burlington (9,637 residents, $74,028 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Marathon, FL (9,831 residents); Uniontown, PA (9,819 residents); Capitola, CA (9,813 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.
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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for College Place?
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 35.7% 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.
Matched public schools
2
Bachelor's degree+
35.7%
Poverty estimate
10.3%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in College Place?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 65.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 11.8 minutes.
Public transit
1.4%
Work from home
10.5%
Drive alone
65.4%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 4,431 workers age 16+.
Below median income · poverty 10.3% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
107.0 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Washington average
D
City profile score · College Place, WA
44/100
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.
Violent crime B
93 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share B-
35.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
10.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$59,768
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
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.
College Place profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 73/100 (B) · 93 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 68/100 (B-) · 35.7%
Poverty rate: 38/100 (F) · 10.3%
Household income: 34/100 (F) · $59,768
Cost of living: 15/100 (F) · 107.0 index
Where College Place sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
College Place'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 - College Place highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
College Place, WA (this city): home $335,000, crime 1,906/100k
Uniontown, PA : home $87,600, crime 4,148/100k
Capitola, CA : home $746,000, crime 3,150/100k
DuPont, WA : home $550,200, crime 1,168/100k
Burlington, WA : home $432,900, crime 6,142/100k
Snohomish, WA : home $599,600, crime 1,773/100k
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 College Place compare to other US cities?
Here's how College Place stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income35% higher than other cities
Home value70% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety35% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Washington alone, College Place ranks #74 of 156 Washington cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares College Place 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 College Place near the bottom of Washington's cities
Among the 599 Washington cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, College Place ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares College Place only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#451 of 565
20th percentile in Washington
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 599
0th percentile in Washington
Median Home Value
#359 of 565
36th percentile in Washington
Poverty Rate
#147 of 598
75th percentile in Washington
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#174 of 599
71st 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
35th percentile nationally for median household income · 35th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
College Place's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
College Place'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 College Place's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$335,00030th percentilemore affordable than 30% 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
College Place's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,709 of 15,516
More affordable than 12% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,232 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 5.6×, College Place sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,709 of 15,516 and #10,232 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
$59,768College Place, WA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context College Place, 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 College Place, WA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)35.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)10.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)58.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
9,828
Median Income
$59,768
Median Home Value
$335,000
Median Age
29.9
Poverty Rate
10.3%
Labor force participation
58.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
35.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1906.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
92.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1813.3
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.
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
College Place's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
9,958 residents
2021
9,872 residents
2022
9,837 residents
2023
9,726 residents
2024
9,849 residents
2025
9,923 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
3
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
2
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
72
48
24
$16.5M
2020
28
22
6
$6.9M
2021
46
28
18
$10.5M
2022
5
5
0
$2.0M
2023
85
3
82
$13.7M
2024
3
1
2
$0.7M
Permit volume decreased 96% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
11.8 minutes
Drive Alone
65.4%
Carpool
10.2%
Public Transit
1.4%
Walk
11.3%
Work from Home
10.5%
Other
1.2%
Based on 4,431 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 College Place. 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 College Place 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 College Place sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How College Place 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, 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.