Financial profile
Snohomish County, Washington financial profile
The Snohomish County, Washington financial profile pulls six federal datasets into one page: what households earn, what housing costs, how prices have moved, how much natural hazard risk sits on a mortgage here, and how often lenders say no.
Median household income
$104,083
Census ACS 2022
Typical home value
$592,800
Census ACS
Median gross rent
$1,794/mo
Census ACS
2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
$2,501/mo
HUD 2026
Median property taxes
$4,883/yr
Census ACS
Unemployment rate
4.4%
Census ACS
Electricity price
13.1¢/kWh
EIA 2025, state average
Mortgage denial rate
15.6%
HMDA 2025
What happens when we cross the datasets
These readings are ours: each one combines two or more federal sources, so you get a number no single agency publishes for Snohomish County.
Rent burden on a median income
28.8%A two-bedroom at Fair Market Rent takes 28.8% of the median household income here, inside the 30% affordability line.
We use data from HUD Fair Market Rent and data from Census ACS median household income.
Home price to income ratio
5.7×The typical home costs 5.7 times the median household income — above the 3–4× range lenders traditionally treat as comfortable.
We use data from Census ACS median home value and data from Census ACS median household income.
5-year home price momentum
50.8%House prices in this county moved 50.8% over five years, which on today's median value is about $199,697 of the price.
We use data from FHFA House Price Index (5-year) and data from Census ACS median home value.
Natural hazard exposure
Relatively HighFEMA’s National Risk Index rates this county “Relatively High” for overall natural hazard risk on its own national scale (composite risk score 97.9), and it has been inside 14 federal disaster declarations in the last 15 years, led by earthquake. That is what drives homeowners insurance pricing.
We use data from FEMA National Risk Index and data from FEMA disaster declarations (15 years).
Mortgage denial gap vs. the country
-2.1 pts15.6% of mortgage applications here are denied, versus 17.7% nationally — 2.1 points easier than the national picture.
We use data from CFPB HMDA county aggregates and data from CFPB HMDA national aggregates.
Electricity burden on a median income
1.4%At 13.1¢ per kilowatt-hour, a typical 900 kWh month costs about $118 — 1.4% of the median household income over a year.
We use data from EIA average retail electricity price and data from Census ACS median household income.
Grocery burden for a family of four
13.0%Feeding two adults and two school-age children at USDA's low-cost plan runs about $1,125 a month (6/2026 prices) — 13.0% of the median household income here, before rent, energy or health cover.
We use data from USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home, June 2026 (June 2026) (household-adjusted) and data from Census ACS median household income.
Rent against the average Social Security cheque
117.0%The average Social Security payment in this county is $2,138 a month (December 2025), and a two-bedroom at Fair Market Rent is $2,501 — 117.0% of that cheque, a calculation that touches 144,565 beneficiaries locally.
We use data from SSA OASDI beneficiaries by county and data from HUD Fair Market Rent.
Local inflation (Seattle CPI-U)
+4.4%Consumer prices in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area moved up 4.4% over the year to August 2026. Applied to the median household income here, that rate is income-equivalent inflation exposure of $4,535 a year — a simple scaling heuristic, not measured household spending, because CPI-U tracks a fixed basket rather than what any one household buys. This county is inside the metro the BLS actually prices, so the price reading itself is not extrapolated.
We use data from BLS Consumer Price Index (metropolitan area) and data from Census ACS median household income.
Insurance burden on a median income
2.4%NAIC puts the average Washington car insurance premium at $1,235 a year and the average owner-occupied HO-3 homeowners premium at $1,232 (2023 data). Together that is 2.4% of the median household income in this county. Both figures are state averages — NAIC does not publish county premiums, so we never break them down further, and an average premium reflects each state's coverage limits, deductibles, risk and regulation rather than the price of cover alone.
We use data from NAIC auto and homeowners insurance reports (state) and data from Census ACS median household income.
Home insurance per $1,000 of home value
$2.08The Washington average HO-3 premium of $1,232 works out at $2.08 for every $1,000 of the $592,800 median home value in this county. High-hazard states such as Louisiana, Florida and Oklahoma sit far above the national picture on this measure.
We use data from NAIC homeowners report, HO-3 state average and data from Census ACS median home value.
Health insurance premiums
Data not available — Washington runs its own health insurance marketplace, so its premiums are not in the federal CMS rate files.
Source: CMS Health Insurance Marketplace Public Use Files, plan year 2026.
Insurance, Medicare and local prices
Average car insurance
$1,235/yr
Washington state average — NAIC 2023, not a county figure
Average home insurance (HO-3)
$1,232/yr
Owner-occupied HO-3 policy, Washington state average — NAIC 2023
Dwelling fire policy (DP)
$886/yr
Non-owner-occupied and rental property — a different policy from HO-3. Washington state average, NAIC 2023
Local inflation, Seattle
+4.4%
BLS CPI-U, year to August 2026
Disaster history and insurance
Snohomish County has been included in 14 federal disaster declarations over the last 15 years, most recently a flood declaration dated 2026-04-07. FEMA estimates expected annual losses of $409,166,722 across the county. Hazard history is one of the strongest drivers of homeowners insurance premiums, so quote your insurance before you close, not after.
Housing next steps in Snohomish County
Shown because this profile holds housing costs for Snohomish County. We never place an offer next to a number we do not have.
- Check today's mortgage ratesWeekly national averages from Freddie Mac, with the observation date.
- Get matched with a lender licensed in WashingtonFree, no obligation, and never a condition of what we publish about Snohomish County.
Editorial disclosure — Some companies listed here are commercial brands. We select them editorially from public regulatory data and are never paid for placement or ranking. Read our full disclosure.
Go deeper on Snohomish County
New data for Snohomish County, delivered
We refresh this profile whenever the underlying federal releases update. Leave an email and we will tell you what changed for your county.
One email with the download. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (5-year), 2023 release; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents, FY2026; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index (annual, all-transactions); FEMA National Risk Index and OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations; CFPB Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) aggregates; U.S. Energy Information Administration, average retail electricity and natural gas prices; CMS Health Insurance Marketplace Public Use Files (rate, plan attributes, service area), plan year 2026; Social Security Administration, OASDI Beneficiaries by State and County, December 2025; USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home, June 2026 (Alaska and Hawaii schedules from the separate USDA Alaska/Hawaii release); IRS Statistics of Income, ZIP Code Data, tax year 2022; Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities and per-capita personal income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, metropolitan areas; National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Auto Insurance Database Report and Homeowners Insurance Report (state averages); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Poverty Guidelines; CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape and plan files.