Census-designated place · Snohomish County, Washington

Three Lakes, Washington

Three Lakes is a census-designated place in Snohomish County, Washington, part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area. It has 4,055 residents. Three Lakes, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 67 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,212 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Washington it ranks #144 of 395 cities and towns. It ranks best on hot days (low), median household income (high) and food insecurity (low). It ranks worst on rent as share of income (high), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high) and comfortable days (low).

67High

Quality-of-life score: #5,212 of 15,651 cities and towns
Washington: #144 of 395 in WA
Population: 4,055 (2020-2024)
Land area: 12 mi²
Density: 347.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 5371330

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.

Safety73#4,254/15,637
Economy99#186/15,631
Housing19#12,164/14,977
Health70#4,712/15,609
Healthcare70#4,665/15,650
Environment25#11,493/15,453
Education61#6,082/15,649
Infrastructure74#4,005/15,650
Community58#6,502/15,651
Leisure & amenities43#8,971/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Three Lakes, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Snohomish 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

Hot days · low1 days
98/100Washington 13 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSnohomish County value
Median household income · high$172,879
96/100Washington $99,309United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Food insecurity · low7.8%
93/100Washington 10.5%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Physical inactivity · low15.8%
93/100Washington 19.0%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · low2.4%
92/100Washington 11.5%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Broadband subscriptions · high96.5%
91/100Washington 93.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Weaknesses

Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Washington 30.0%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.3 µg/m³
6/100Washington 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySnohomish County value
Comfortable days · low23.2%
9/100Washington 25.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSnohomish County value
Students per teacher · high18.7×
11/100Washington 17.9×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSnohomish County value
Depression · high28.0%
12/100Washington 25.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
12/100Washington 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSnohomish County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
3,480 (2015-2019) → 4,055 (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
54.8% (2015-2019) → 79.5% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$119,583 (2015-2019) → $172,879 (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
34.2% (2015-2019) → 40.8% (2020-2024)
+6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.0× (2015-2019) → 4.9× (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Poverty rateWorsening
2.0% (2015-2019) → 6.3% (2020-2024)
+4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Three Lakes, Washington improved on 2 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 6 moved within the margin of error and 1 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

Property tax−0.5 points1.16% → 0.68%
Household income+45%$119,583 → $172,879

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Three Lakes, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	39.1 min2015-2019	40.1 min2020-2024	+1.0 min	Within the margin of error	36%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.2%2015-2019	40.8%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Broadband subscriptions	97.1%2015-2019	96.5%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Effective property tax rate	1.16%2015-2019	0.68%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	90%
High school diploma or higher	94.9%2015-2019	92.4%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Home price to income ratio	4.0×2015-2019	4.9×2020-2024	+0.9×	Within the margin of error	26%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3292015-2019	0.3762020-2024	+0.046	Within the margin of error	18%
Median household income	$119,5832015-2019	$172,8792020-2024	+45%	Improved	80%
Rent as share of income	51.0%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	0 points	Little change	55%

“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 Three Lakes, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Three Lakes, 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, Three Lakes, Washington itself moved −2.6 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

4,055 residents (±505)

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: 50–59 men (−3.8 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,055 residents (±505)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

White84%3,421
Black0.7%†27
Hispanic or Latino1.1%†46

Education

2,986 residents (±424)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma7.6%†228
High school or GED20%†596
Some college19%

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

1,269 households (±152)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k7.7%†98
$25k–50k8.0%†102
$50k–75k2.8%†35
$75k–100k11%†139
$100k–150k16%†203
$150k–200k18%†225
$200k or more37%467

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+16.3 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

1,269 households (±152)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

Own96%1,221
Rent3.8%†48

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

39 households (±46)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50021%†8

Home values

1,221 homes (±150)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k4.8%†59
$150k–250k0.7%†9
$250k–400k0.7%†9

Age of homes

1,378 homes (±162)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later17%†239
2000–200927%†374
1980–199935%487

Size of homes

1,378 homes (±162)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

Studio0.7%†9
1 bedroom2.3%†31
2 bedrooms11%†153

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

2,032 workers (±339)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone75%1,521
Carpool6.8%†138
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home18%†373
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+11.9 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

1,659 workers (±301)

Three Lakes, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min3.8%†63
15–29 min23%†384
30–44 min29%†485

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

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

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 Snohomish County, the county holding most of Three Lakes's residents.

Snohomish County has 20,258 employer establishments, 239 for every 10,000 residents (0.96× the US rate of 248; 0.93× Washington's), with 283,649 paid employees at an average annual pay of $70,427. The Census Bureau also counts 60,065 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 20,258; 60,065 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 239; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 283,649
Average annual pay: $70,427; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	2,515	29.6	1.92×More than typical	21,245	$76,963	3,108
Restaurants and other eating places	1,528	18	0.98×About typical	23,054	$29,647	266
Ambulatory health care services	1,420	16.7	0.80×About typical	27,226	$57,326	2,700
Construction of buildings	1,176	13.9	1.83×More than typical	5,271	$76,112	1,859
Lessors of real estate	1,097	12.9	1.05×About typical	3,070	$60,342	5,584
Building finishing contractors	862	10.2	2.67×More than typical	5,386	$66,021	1,374
Services to buildings and dwellings	811	9.6	1.42×More than typical	5,849	$49,455	3,039
Building equipment contractors	661	7.8	1.29×More than typical	6,732	$89,627	387
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	659	7.8	2.46×More than typical	6,438	$72,174	424
Full-service restaurants	633	7.5	0.97×About typical	9,850	$35,114	83
Limited-service restaurants	580	6.8	0.85×About typical	9,664	$26,239	130
Offices of other health practitioners	566	6.7	1.10×About typical	3,496	$52,632	1,511

Rank places for an industry Open Snohomish County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 848,363 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

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Three Lakes, Washington: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

672.2KFY2017
865.1KFY2018
1.2MFY2019
-175.6KFY2020
333.8KFY2021
5.6KFY2022
120.6KFY2023
-27.3KFY2024
8KFY2025

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Three Lakes, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Three Lakes, Washington's figures are part of those of Snohomish County, WA ($330.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Snohomish 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.

Three Lakes, Washington is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).