Beaverton vs Federal Way
The short version
- Beaverton is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Federal Way area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $552,800 in Federal Way and $569,800 in Beaverton.
- Households earn more in Beaverton ($98,622 vs $86,909 median).
- Commutes are shorter in Beaverton (24 vs 32 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; Oregon's top rate is 9.9%.
Side by side
| Beaverton, OR | Federal Way, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 97,842 | 99,729 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.3% | -1.3% |
| People per square mile | 4,958 | 4,469 |
| Median age | 37.8 | 37.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 50% | 31% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $98,622 | $86,909 |
| Median home value | $569,800 | $552,800 |
| Home value to income | 5.8× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,826 | $1,797 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 105.4 | 111.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 125.1 | 151.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,100 | $83,300 |
| Homeowners | 51% | 55% |
| Top state income tax | 9.9% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 0% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.1 | 32.1 |
| Work from home | 25% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 5% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.4% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 10.1% | 13% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 36° | 48° / 38° |
| July high / low | 82° / 59° | 77° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 37 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 6 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 15 | 4 |
| Nights below freezing | 32 | 25 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 96.0 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.4% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +21.2% | +24.6% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Beaverton: April to October. Federal Way: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Beaverton weather by month and Federal Way weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $79,100 in Beaverton and $83,300 in Federal Way. Moving from Beaverton to Federal Way, you would need about $79,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Beaverton and Federal Way
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Beaverton and Federal Way.
Which would you pick?
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