Auburn, WA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Washington·Auburn

Why look at Auburn?

  • Mid-tier housing market. Median home is $619k.
  • Stable market. Home values -0.9% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
  • No state income tax. Higher take-home pay than equivalent salary in a high-tax state.
Auburn, WA
Image: Wikipedia · Auburn, Washington
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
56
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Auburn stands

Population shrinking 0.5% per year.

Median home $618,534
1-year -0.9%
5-yr growth +3.8%
vs 5-yr peak -2.3%
Population -0.5%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-06$619k$287k$411k$535k$659k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
74/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,963/mo$1,484$1,787$2,090202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent121124100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 26.3
Rent

At a 26.3 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Auburn for most shorter stays. The premium you pay to own would take many years of saved rent to recover, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and what your down payment could earn elsewhere.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
45 · w22%
Home 5-yr growth
58 · w22%
Distance from peak
76 · w18%
Population growth
37 · w16%
Rent YoY
47 · w12%
Home 10-yr growth
76 · w10%

About Auburn (Wikipedia)

Auburn is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 87,256 at the 2020 Census, and was estimated at 85,513 in 2024. Auburn is a suburb in the Seattle metropolitan area, and is currently ranked as the 15th most populous city in the state of Washington.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorNancy Backus
Area30.113 sq mi
Elevation92 ft
EstablishedJune 13, 1891
Motto"More Than You Imagined"
Density2890.43/sq mi
Named forAuburn, New York

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Things to see in Auburn(Landmarks)

  • Auburn Masonic Temple
  • Auburn Post Office
  • Auburn Public Library

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for King County right now.

NWS active alerts (WA)Washington Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. King County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Auburn

3 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Lea Hill$711,378-1.8%
2Lakeland South$674,833-1.2%
3Lakeland North$613,081-0.5%

Run the numbers for Auburn

ToolCan I afford Auburn?Income → city shortlistToolCompare Auburn to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolAuburn cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Washington context

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
45° / 35°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
77° / 56°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
152
~42% of year
Annual precip
38″ rain
10″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
High
Earthquake
Very high
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Auburn listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Auburn-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
75%
Very humid climate
Median household income
$90,400
Washington state median
Top industries (state-level)
Tech (Amazon/MS)Aerospace (Boeing)Agriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Find more cities like Auburn

Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Auburn’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.

Find more like Auburn →

Cities similar to Auburn

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all Washington cities →    Browse best-of lists →

Cost-of-ownership at the median

Tax burden
no state income tax
~25% all-in for a $150k earner
Property tax / yr
$6k
0.93% × median home $619k
Climate / hazard
limited data
Plan for the local hazard profile.

Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.

Schools & crime context

Schools

School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.

Crime

Washington: 293 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.

Compare to where you live now

Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.