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?

There’s a new curfew in Laurel, Maryland, after fights, illegal fireworks and a shooting disrupted the city’s Fourth of July festivities.

Thousands attended Laurel’s Independence Day Celebration at Granville Gude Park on Saturday.

Large groups of teens disrupted the event by getting into fights, setting off illegal fireworks. One teen was shot, authorities said.

“It was organized chaos, I call it,” Laurel Mayor Keith Sydnor said.

Videos on TikTok show much of the chaos happened at the Laurel Town Centre.

“It’s been a trend in various cities throughout the state of Maryland with juveniles coming into the city on purpose and causing disruption. And they happened to come into our city on July the 5th and cause some disruption that made us review some of our curfew policies,” Sydnor said.

The new temporary curfew began Friday night and will be in effect every night through August 31.

Children under the age of 17 can’t be out without an adult from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Sydnor said if police see children violating the curfew they will interview the child to find out why they’re out past 11 p.m. before taking them home or having a parent or guardian pick them up.

“Not for us to try to grab kids and lock ’em up. We want to just push the kids along. We want the parents to deliver the message. Know where your kid is at all times,” Sydnor said.

Opinions about the curfew are mixed. One man who attended the Fourth of July celebration said he didn’t see any problems.

“A lot of times it’s done on your feelings and emotions. You need to kind of set those feelings and emotions aside and have some good common sense and logic. Don’t just put a curfew or put something in because on this particular day this happened,” he said.

A grandmother who was out shopping with her grandkids on Monday told News4 teens need to be home and she supports the curfew.

“These kids don’t have no structure, no discipline, no nothing. This would help with crime with teenagers,” she said.

Sydnor said the city has activities for teens, including drop-in events at recreation centers, a safe summer nights program and “real talk” sessions for kids 13 to 17 to hear their concerns.

“We have safe spaces for them to come in and … learn stuff at the same time and have fun,” Sydnor said.

Police said no one has been arrested in connection with the shooting during the Fourth of July celebration.

Four cars were stolen by a group of teenagers in the early morning hours on Friday, July 11, in Washington Township, New Jersey, police said.

According to police, between 3 and 5 a.m. Friday, the cars were stolen out of the South Jersey town.

In every instance, the car was unlocked. And, in three of the thefts, the key fob was in plain view, police said.

“I’ve been the police chief here now going on 9 years. I’ve never seen or experienced anything like it,” Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik.

Gurcsik said the “crimes of opportunity” like the ones that took place Friday are happening more and more both locally and across the Garden State.

“Our suspects were wearing masks; they were wearing gloves, and they appear to be very, very young; like 13, 14, 15 and 16-years-old, so our group of thieves appear to be juveniles,” Gurcsik said.

Michael Bangle, a resident of Washington Township, was able to capture the suspects on surveillance video as they tried to steal his car.

Thankfully for Bangle, the thieves were unsuccessful in stealing his vehicle.

“We lock our cars whenever we get out of it; and at nighttime before bed, I always come out and check them. Always, like clockwork, I make sure,” Bangle said.

Bangle said his neighbor on Uranus Road was not as fortunate, as the criminals were able to steal their white Chrysler 300 in around 30 seconds.

““Get a job! Get a job! If you can do that, go and steal cars, go get a job somewhere, or go get a real job,” Bangle said.

Police were able to recover three of the four vehicles stolen, Gurcsik said.

According to Gurcsik, criminals often steal cars to commit more serious crimes.

One of the cars stolen on Friday was used in a high-speed chase in Pennsauken, he said.

Although no arrests have been made in the thefts, Gurcsik is warning wannabe thieves to stay away.

“Stay out of Washington Township,” Gurcsik said. “We’ll prosecute you 100%.”

Residents are also urged to report any suspicious activity, as well as to remember to bring in their key fobs and lock their doors.