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

All states·Washington·Longview

Cowlitz County · Longview · population 38,294

Image: Wikipedia · Longview, Washington

Overview Cost of living Moving guide

View watchlist →

Rising

Momentum score · 0–100

Where Longview stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $390,616

1-year +0.5%

5-yr CAGR +3.0%

vs 5-yr peak -1.1%

Population +0.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly

Lifestyle scores

🚶

Walkability

32/100

Very car-dependent

Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.

🚉

Public transit

22/100

Transit limited

Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.

💻

Remote work fit

95/100

Excellent for remote work

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

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

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

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 23.7

Lean rent

At a 23.7 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Longview. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →

Home YoY

52 · w22%

Home 5-yr CAGR

53 · w22%

Distance from peak

83 · w18%

Population growth

51 · w16%

Rent YoY

60 · w12%

Home 10-yr CAGR

79 · w10%

Long thesis

Longview has held up across the cycle: home values at $390,616 with +3.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Longview's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Longview

Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, with an estimated population of 38,294. The median home value in Longview is $390,616 as of 2026-04, up 0.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.0% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Longview average $1,372 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.2%). The composite momentum score is 62 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -1.1% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

○The data is the data: Longview has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Longview (Wikipedia)

Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the most populous city in Cowlitz County. The city is located in southwestern Washington, at the junction of the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers. Longview shares a border with Kelso to the east, which is the county seat.

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

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

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

NWS active alerts (WA)Washington Emergency Management How to prepare (NWS)

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

Neighborhoods of Longview

17 tracked · ranked by median home value

1Cascade/City View$506,506-0.9%

2Glenwood$483,038+0.9%

3Columbia Heights East$479,570-1.0%

4Hillside Acres$459,442+1.7%

5Old West Side$441,242+1.7%

6West Longview$420,205+0.8%

7Northlake/Corman$410,701+0.1%

8Mint Valley$396,717+1.1%

9Columbia Valley Gardens$387,573+0.3%

10Memorial Park$369,415+1.2%

11Olympic East$365,274-1.7%

12New West Side$354,659-1.5%

13Olympic West$347,357+1.0%

14Third Avenue$330,559-0.7%

15Saint Helens$326,681+1.5%

16Broadway$293,621-6.2%

17Highlands$269,476+1.1%

Cities like Longview

Olympia, WA63 · Rising Wenatchee, WA62 · Rising Kelso, WA64 · Rising Puyallup, WA59 · Stable

Run the numbers for Longview

ToolCan I afford Longview?Income → city shortlist ToolROI on a Longview rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR ToolCompare Longview to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 cities ToolLongview cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

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.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

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

For rent

Zillow rentals → Apartments.com → Trulia rentals →

For sale

Zillow for sale → Realtor.com →

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

Local news & community

Latest news

Longview restaurant fined nearly $1M over defying COVID rules continues appeal efforts
KOIN.com · 5d ago
Divert opens Longview, Washington, facility to expand circular infrastructure for unsold food in the Pacific Northwest
Biomass Magazine · 2w ago
Divert begins operations at Washington facility
Waste Today – · 2w ago
2 people shot, killed outside event in Longview, WA with 200 attendees
FOX 13 Seattle · 1mo ago
Longview parents accuse school district officials of not responding to student assault allegations – Oregon Public Broadcasting
OPB · 2mo ago
Saturday night shooting outside Longview event hall kills 2; suspect arrested
KGW · 1mo ago

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Longview area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

NFLSeattle Seahawks →

MLBSeattle Mariners →

NHLSeattle Kraken →

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.