City · Columbia County, Washington

Dayton, Washington

Dayton is a city in Columbia County, Washington. It has 2,774 residents. Dayton, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 64 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,638 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Washington it ranks #164 of 395 cities and towns. It ranks best on violent crime rate (low), suicide rate (low) and firearm deaths (low). It ranks worst on students per teacher (high), flu vaccinations (low) and drought exposure (high).

64High

Quality-of-life score: #5,638 of 15,651 cities and towns
Washington: #164 of 395 in WA
Population: 2,774 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,923.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 5316970

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety99#98/15,637
Economy54#7,178/15,631
Housing53#7,044/14,977
Health56#6,794/15,609
Healthcare50#7,777/15,650
Environment62#5,898/15,453
Education50#7,858/15,649
Infrastructure25#11,703/15,650
Community72#4,326/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,454/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Dayton, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Columbia County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Violent crime rate · low25 /100k
100/100Washington 284 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationColumbia County value
Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Washington 17.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataColumbia County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Washington 11.9 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataColumbia County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,287 /100k
98/100Washington 1,865 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColumbia County value
Traffic deaths · low5.0 /100k
95/100Washington 9.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataColumbia County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low105 min
94/100Washington 156 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesColumbia County value

Weaknesses

Students per teacher · high36.9×
0/100Washington 17.9×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsColumbia County value
Flu vaccinations · low18.0%
1/100Washington 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColumbia County value
Drought exposure · high99%
2/100Washington 54%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAColumbia County value
Natural hazard risk · high96.8
3/100Washington 63.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyColumbia County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Washington 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsColumbia County value
Depression · high28.4%
12/100Washington 25.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
15.7 /1k (2021) → 0.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−98%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
30.2% (2015-2019) → 45.3% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
12.9% (2015-2019) → 3.3% (2020-2024)
−9.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$50,313 (2015-2019) → $70,625 (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
15.9 min (2015-2019) → 22.1 min (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
5.1% (2015-2019) → 12.9% (2020-2024)
+7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Dayton, Washington improved on 2 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Inequality−0.1520.542 → 0.390
Household income+40%$50,313 → $70,625

Declined1

Rent burden+15 points30.2% → 45.3%

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Dayton, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.9 min2015-2019	22.1 min2020-2024	+6.3 min	Within the margin of error	6%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.6%2015-2019	24.3%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Broadband subscriptions	77.7%2015-2019	79.2%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Effective property tax rate	0.91%2015-2019	0.73%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	54%
High school diploma or higher	88.9%2015-2019	86.7%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	66%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5422015-2019	0.3902020-2024	−0.152	Improved	99%
Median household income	$50,3132015-2019	$70,6252020-2024	+40%	Improved	74%
Poverty rate	11.7%2015-2019	11.9%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Rent as share of income	24.5%2015-2019	28.5%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Rent-burdened households	30.2%2015-2019	45.3%2020-2024	+15 points	Declined	14%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Dayton, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dayton, Washington in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Dayton, Washington itself moved −3.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,774 residents (±239)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 women (−4.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,774 residents (±239)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

White75%2,093
Black0.8%†22
Hispanic or Latino11%299

Education

2,011 residents (±159)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma13%†267
High school or GED27%547
Some college23%466

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,235 households (±125)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k19%†240
$25k–50k15%†187
$50k–75k22%†272
$75k–100k11%†139
$100k–150k26%†315
$150k–200k3.6%†45
$200k or more3.0%†37

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+15.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,235 households (±125)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

Own75%925
Rent25%†310

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

305 households (±98)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

Under $75018%†56
$750–1,00042%†127
$1,000–1,50034%†104

Home values

925 homes (±127)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k18%†166
$150k–250k35%320
$250k–400k34%316

Age of homes

1,416 homes (±108)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later2.4%†34
2000–20098.0%†113
1980–19998.3%†117

Size of homes

1,416 homes (±108)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

Studio1.0%†14
1 bedroom12%†172
2 bedrooms28%391

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,151 workers (±185)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone71%813
Carpool9.1%†105
Public transit0.5%†6
Walk9.1%†105
Bike1.9%†22
Work from home7.3%†84
Other1.4%†16

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (+13.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,067 workers (±195)

Dayton, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min52%560
15–29 min8.9%†95
30–44 min13%†137

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Columbia County, the county holding most of Dayton's residents.

Columbia County has 107 employer establishments, 263 for every 10,000 residents (1.06× the US rate of 248; 1.02× Washington's), with 903 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,212. The Census Bureau also counts 224 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 107; 224 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 263; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 903
Average annual pay: $48,212; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Columbia County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	5	12.3	0.67×Too few to compare	39	$25,769	—
Specialty trade contractors	5	12.3	0.79×Too few to compare	10	$27,900	16
Ambulatory health care services	4	9.8	0.47×Too few to compare	13	$58,000	10
Gasoline stations	4	9.8	3.04×Too few to compare	28	$23,929	—
Lessors of real estate	4	9.8	0.80×Too few to compare	8	$23,375	29
Religious organizations	4	9.8	1.77×Too few to compare	5	$23,400	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	3	7.4	1.47×Too few to compare	9	$29,667	—
Banks and credit unions	3	7.4	2.28×Too few to compare	18	$71,833	—
Commercial and industrial machinery repair	3	7.4	10.9×Too few to compare	26	$87,385	—
Full-service restaurants	3	7.4	0.96×Too few to compare	18	$33,444	—
RV parks and recreational camps	3	7.4	31.1×Too few to compare	6	$18,667	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	4

Rank places for an industry Open Columbia County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 4,064 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Dayton is mostly in Columbia County.

See federal money in Columbia County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Dayton, Washington is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Michael BaumgartnerR-WA-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.4%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Columbia County71100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Columbia County

Largest first.

Starbuck93

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5316970