Snohomish County, Washington Eviction Risk: Elevated
61 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of Everett (7.3) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.
Ranked #17 of 39 WA counties
737k residents · 61 cities · 173 tracts
Snohomish County eviction risk score history
Key metrics
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Tenant beats landlord46.1%/ 100 outcomesIn court-decided eviction outcomes for Snohomish County, WA, tenants prevail in roughly 46.1% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses and longer calendars.
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Timeline158dfiling → judgmentFrom the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Snohomish County, WA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 158 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent for landlords.
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Cost range$8.3–19.5klegal + lost rentA typical eviction in Snohomish County, WA costs landlords $8,283 to $19,467 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent.
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Average rent$2,06732% stretched on rentAverage gross rent in Snohomish County, WA is $2,067 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey. 32% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent.
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Renters32.1%of households32.1% of occupied housing units in Snohomish County, WA are renter-occupied. A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings and a more active rental market.
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Poverty7.6%4.3% unemp.7.6% of Snohomish County, WA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.3%. Both feed the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model.
Scrub 50 years
Snohomish County averages 5.1/10 across its 61 cities, with scores running from a low of 3.6 to a high of 5.7, the peak held by Everett.
Ranked 14 of 39 Washington counties by eviction risk.How Snohomish County ranks in Washington
Landlord guides for Washington
| City↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | % income on rent↕ | Average rent↕ | Lean↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Everett | 111,845 | 6.9 | 32.1% | $1,740 | Dem |
| 002 | Marysville | 73,002 | 6.9 | 31.9% | $1,997 | Dem |
| 003 | Edmonds | 42,735 | 6.7 | 28.8% | $1,903 | Dem |
| 004 | Lake Stevens | 40,253 | 6.9 | 33.1% | $2,224 | Dem |
| 005 | Lynnwood | 40,110 | 7.1 | 36.0% | $1,742 | Dem |
| 006 | Mill Creek East | 25,453 | 6.7 | 27.9% | $3,152 | Dem |
| 007 | Eastmont | 23,721 | 7.0 | 37.3% | $2,443 | Dem |
| 008 | North Lynnwood | 23,339 | 6.8 | 32.0% | $2,145 | Dem |
| 009 | Mountlake Terrace | 23,104 | 6.8 | 28.9% | $2,004 | Dem |
| 010 | Martha Lake | 22,634 | 7.0 | 29.3% | $2,185 | Dem |
| 011 | Silver Firs | 22,306 | 6.6 | 27.8% | $2,881 | Dem |
| 012 | Bothell West | 22,029 | 6.6 | 24.7% | $2,511 | Dem |
| 013 | Mukilteo | 21,323 | 6.6 | 31.5% | $2,166 | Dem |
| 014 | Arlington | 21,095 | 6.9 | 33.4% | $1,905 | Dem |
| 015 | Mill Creek | 20,956 | 6.8 | 29.3% | $2,249 | Dem |
| 016 | Monroe | 19,755 | 6.9 | 30.2% | $1,950 | Dem |
| 017 | Lake Stickney | 15,890 | 6.8 | 33.2% | $1,806 | Dem |
| 018 | Bothell East | 14,578 | 6.8 | 27.0% | $2,406 | Dem |
| 019 | Maltby | 10,910 | 6.7 | 45.7% | $2,158 | Dem |
| 020 | Alderwood Manor | 10,266 | 6.9 | 35.1% | $1,919 | Dem |
| 021 | Picnic Point | 10,261 | 6.7 | 33.2% | $2,319 | Dem |
| 022 | Snohomish | 10,239 | 7.1 | 31.7% | $1,654 | Dem |
| 023 | Stanwood | 8,373 | 6.8 | 37.4% | $1,766 | Dem |
| 024 | Woods Creek | 6,943 | 6.8 | 14.1% | $2,603 | Dem |
| 025 | Brier | 6,545 | 6.9 | 51.0% | $2,318 | Dem |
| 026 | Sultan | 6,116 | 6.6 | 29.3% | $1,729 | Dem |
| 027 | Lake Goodwin | 5,536 | 6.7 | 26.4% | $1,316 | Dem |
| 028 | Chain Lake | 4,950 | 6.6 | 17.4% | $1,755 | Dem |
| 029 | Granite Falls | 4,659 | 6.5 | 38.3% | $1,825 | Dem |
| 030 | Larch Way | 4,424 | 6.7 | 40.7% | $2,002 | Dem |
| 031 | Esperance | 4,189 | 6.7 | 19.9% | $2,463 | Dem |
| 032 | Three Lakes | 4,055 | 6.8 | 51.0% | $1,730 | Dem |
| 033 | Canyon Creek | 3,910 | 7.3 | 51.0% | $1,821 | Dem |
| 034 | Bunk Foss | 3,627 | 6.7 | 21.9% | $2,705 | Dem |
| 035 | Warm Beach | 3,442 | 6.7 | 51.0% | $2,111 | Dem |
| 036 | Lake Cassidy | 3,292 | 6.4 | 24.8% | $1,734 | Dem |
| 037 | Clearview | 3,254 | 6.3 | 23.4% | $2,357 | Dem |
| 038 | High Bridge | 3,196 | 6.9 | 51.0% | $2,433 | Dem |
| 039 | Lochsloy | 3,029 | 6.7 | 19.5% | $1,250 | Dem |
| 040 | Sisco Heights | 3,015 | 6.9 | 51.0% | $1,701 | Dem |
| 041 | Meadowdale | 3,009 | 6.9 | 47.7% | $3,038 | Dem |
| 042 | Arlington Heights | 2,727 | 6.8 | 49.5% | $1,873 | Dem |
| 043 | Bryant | 2,648 | 6.4 | 48.5% | $1,213 | Dem |
| 044 | Fobes Hill | 2,569 | 6.7 | 32.0% | $1,401 | Dem |
| 045 | Gold Bar | 2,390 | 7.1 | 43.7% | $1,843 | Dem |
| 046 | Cathcart | 2,064 | 6.5 | 20.2% | $2,085 | Dem |
| 047 | Kayak Point | 1,883 | 6.6 | 18.5% | $945 | Dem |
| 048 | Cavalero | 1,591 | 6.2 | 23.5% | $3,127 | Dem |
| 049 | Monroe North | 1,456 | 6.6 | 31.5% | $2,085 | Dem |
| 050 | Darrington | 1,412 | 7.3 | 33.3% | $879 | Dem |
| 051 | Machias | 1,276 | 6.8 | 22.6% | $3,102 | Dem |
| 052 | Woodway | 1,251 | 6.6 | 22.2% | $2,001 | Dem |
| 053 | Lake Bosworth | 907 | 6.7 | 31.5% | $2,085 | Dem |
| 054 | Lake Roesiger | 815 | 6.5 | 35.4% | $1,473 | Dem |
| 055 | May Creek | 791 | 7.2 | 31.5% | $2,085 | Dem |
| 056 | Swede Heaven | 746 | 6.6 | 31.5% | $2,085 | Dem |
| 057 | Startup | 555 | 6.6 | 31.5% | $2,085 | Dem |
| 058 | North Sultan | 355 | 6.5 | 31.5% | $2,085 | Dem |
| 059 | Verlot | 224 | 6.4 | 31.5% | $2,085 | Dem |
| 060 | Baring | 177 | 7.2 | 31.5% | $2,085 | Dem |
| 061 | Index | 173 | 6.6 | 60.5% | $1,383 | Dem |
County heatmap
Neighborhoods in Snohomish County
Top 23 neighborhoods by population. Click for a pop-weighted risk score and the constituent census tracts.
One county, multiple regulatory regimes.
Snohomish County carries an average eviction-risk score of 6.8/10, placing it in the Elevated tier and in the higher-risk third of Washington state. Only 6 of Washington eviction laws's 39 counties score worse, meaning 32 are measurably more landlord-friendly than operating here. Across 61 cities and a total county population of roughly 737,000, landlords face a legal environment that tilts toward tenant protections, backed by one of the more prescriptive residential landlord-tenant statutes in the country. Average rents of $2,067 per month provide reasonable revenue potential, but cost and timeline risk in an eviction can erode that margin quickly.
The county-wide score of 6.8/10 is an average, and averages obscure the full picture. Scores within Snohomish County run from 4.7 to 7.4, a spread wide enough that portfolio decisions made at the county level without city-level data can lead landlords into materially different risk exposures than they bargained for. Where you buy or lease within the county matters nearly as much as the decision to operate in Washington eviction laws at all.
The cities inside Snohomish County
At the top of the risk range, Woodway scores 7.4/10, the highest in the county. Close behind are North Lynnwood at 7.3/10 (population 23,339) and High Bridge at 7.2/10, followed by Lake Stickney and Sisco Heights, both at 7.1/10. The county seat and largest city, Everett (population 111,845), scores 7/10, a significant risk level given the concentration of rental inventory there. Eastmont and Chain Lake also land at 7/10.
Lower-risk options exist but require deliberate selection. Edmonds scores 5.7/10 (population 42,735), the most landlord-favorable reading among the county's larger cities. Lake Stevens comes in at 6/10 (population 40,253) and Mill Creek East at 6.1/10. The difference between Edmonds and Woodway, 1.7 points, is the difference between a manageable operating environment and one of the county's most constrained. Risk here is genuinely hyper-local, and the city grid on this page is the right starting point for any site-selection analysis.
State-level laws that apply here
Every landlord in Snohomish County operates under RCW § 59.18 (Washington eviction laws's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act). Notice requirements vary by cause: nonpayment of rent triggers a 14-day notice under RCW 59.18.057; a material, curable breach requires 10 days; waste, nuisance, or unlawful activity requires only 3 days; a no-cause termination for a tenancy under 6 months requires 20 days; and just-cause no-fault situations such as owner move-in or substantial rehabilitation require a full 90-day notice. Washington eviction laws state law requires just cause to terminate most tenancies, and a rent cap formula of 7% plus CPI, capped at 10%, applies. Source-of-income discrimination is a protected class under state law, which limits how landlords screen applicants. Reviewing the Washington eviction laws eviction process before filing is essential, because an uncontested case still takes 30 to 60 days from filing to lockout, and a contested case can run 60 to 150 days.
On the cost side, the court filing fee is a flat $83, sheriff lockout fees run $50 to $150, and attorney fees for a litigated matter typically fall between $1,000 and $3,500, making Washington eviction costs a material line item whenever a case is contested. Landlords must also provide 48 hours notice before entry under RCW § 59.18.060. Understanding Washington tenant protections, including the retaliation statute at RCW § 59.18.240, is equally important before taking any adverse action.
With a 7.6% average poverty rate and 32.1% of households renting, Snohomish County carries a renter base large enough to support active portfolio activity, but the city-level score spread from 4.7 to 7.4 means the risk profile of any individual asset depends heavily on its specific location, not just its county address.
Historical eviction filings in Snohomish County
From 2004 to 2018, eviction filings in Snohomish County declined 35%. The peak was 2,945 filings in 2004.1
- 2,9452004
- 2,945Peak (2004)
- 1,9282018
Data covers 2000–2018, the full span of the Princeton Eviction Lab's national county court-records dataset.
How Snohomish County compares
Within Washington, Snohomish County ranks 14 of 39 counties for eviction risk at 5.1/10, placing it firmly in the Moderate band. It tracks just below its closest peers, Benton County at 5.12 and Whatcom County at 5.15, and sits clearly under Yakima County at 5.23 and Spokane County at 5.54.
On the lighter side, Snohomish County reads slightly higher than Kitsap County at 4.94, so landlords weighing Puget Sound submarkets will find Snohomish County a touch more eviction-prone than Kitsap but calmer than the larger eastern Washington eviction laws metros.