Durham, NC vs Lake Stevens, WA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Lake Stevens

66.2

#1574 nationally

Lake Stevens leads in median household income ($111,821 vs $67,432). Durham leads in average commute (22.8 min vs 35.1 min). Durham leads in walk score (33 vs 23).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Lake Stevens, WA
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	66.2 (#1574)
Population	283,506	40,521
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$698,093
Median Household Income	$67,432	$111,821
Average Commute	22.8 min	35.1 min
Walk Score	33	23
Crime Level	Moderate	3.2
School Rating	6.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	102	137
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+19.0