The Washington counties where home prices are increasing the most

Home prices are on the rise in Washington state.

Statewide, the median sales price of a home in Washington during the first quarter of 2025 was $636,200, representing a 1.6% increase from the same period in 2024, according to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Washington.

The center’s latest housing market report stated that home prices increased in all of the state’s 16 metropolitan counties compared to a year ago. Zooming out for a statewide view, rural Lincoln County in Eastern Washington saw the biggest relative increase at 22.1%. The median home price in Lincoln was $274,500 in the first quarter of this year.

In Kitsap County, the relative increase was 2.1% and the median home price was $543,600. In King County, the increase was 1.1% and the median home price was $940,900, representing the highest median price in the state.

“Washington state’s housing market was mixed in the first quarter of 2025, with sales and inventory increasing and new building permits declining compared with a year ago,” the report stated. Approximately 7,500 building permits were issued in the first quarter of 2025, representing an 18.9% decrease from the same period last year.

Here’s more on the report and where home prices are increasing the most in the state.

Where have housing prices increased the most in Washington state?

These are the 10 counties in Washington state that saw the biggest relative increases in home prices in the first quarter of 2025 compared to a year ago, according to the housing market report:

1. Lincoln County
   • % change by year: 22.1
   • Median home price Q1 2025: $274,500
2. Pacific County
   • % change by year: 19.4
   • Median home price Q1 2025: $358,300
3. Columbia County
   • % change by year: 17.7
   • Median home price Q1 2025: $268,700
4. San Juan County
   • % change by year: 17.5
   • Median home price Q1 2025: $866,700
5. Skamania County
   • % change by year: 15.5
   • Median home price Q1 2025: $531,200
6. Wahkiakum County
   • % change by year: 12.1
   • Median home price Q1 2025: $467,500
7. Klickitat County
   • % change by year: 11.1
   • Median home price Q1 2025: $437,500
8. Grant County
   • % change by year: 10.5
   • Median home price Q1 2025: $372,200
9. Skagit County
   • % change by year: 10.3
   • Median home price Q1 2025: $610,000
10. Cowlitz County
    • % change by year: 10
    • Median home price Q1 2025: $413,700

What are the least and most affordable counties in Washington?

The least affordable county in Washington state is San Juan County, according to the report. Garfield County in southeastern Washington is the most affordable. The median home price in Garfield was $212,200 in the first quarter of 2025.

However, all “the state’s 39 counties, and especially those in the central Puget Sound region, present affordability issues for first-time buyers,” the report stated.

What are the best cities to buy a home in the US?

A new report from the personal finance company WalletHub examined the best and worst places for first-time home buyers in the country. It took 300 cities and compared them across a number of factors, including affordability, market attractiveness and quality of life, according to the report.

Palm Bay on the eastern coast of Florida ranked as the best place for first-time home buyers in the country, according to the report. “It’s among the leading cities in the country when it comes to active home listings per capita and new building permits per capita, so there are plenty of older and brand-new homes to choose from,” the report stated. “In addition, while it’s a stereotype that millennials struggle to buy homes, Palm Bay has the fifth-highest millennial home-ownership rate.”

But several Washington locations also ranked relatively highly as being good places to buy a home. Spokane Valley ranked 33rd, Yakima ranked 45th and Spokane ranked 46th.

Housing data shared by Redfin showed the median sale price of a home in Spokane Valley was $430,000 in May 2025. Yakima had a median sale price of $360,000, and Spokane had a median sale price of $390,000.

How much do you need to earn to buy a home in Washington state?

A January 2025 report from Realtor.com found that home buyers in 36 states needed to earn a six-figure income to reasonably afford a home. Washington ranked sixth among states where buyers needed the highest incomes to buy a home. The median household income recommended to buy a house in Washington was $176,669.

Realtor based its findings on the median monthly mortgage payments in each state.

“The calculation uses median home list prices from December 2024 and a 6.93% mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan,” the report stated. “It includes estimated property taxes and insurance costs. It also assumes buyers put down 10% and didn’t spend more than 30% of their gross income on their mortgage payments each month.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in Washington state in 2023 dollars was $94,952.