Appreciation Velocity — Washington Cities
Cities of Washington ranked by 1Y / 3Y / 5Y home-price appreciation.
Public Record
Top 10 — 5Y appreciation (Countys)
#1 · Chelan, WA
+106.6%
#2 · Benton, WA
+102.9%
#3 · Stevens, WA
+87.9%
#4 · Klickitat, WA
+86.0%
#5 · Pend Oreille, WA
+79.0%
#6 · Thurston, WA
+77.1%
#7 · Cowlitz, WA
+71.2%
#8 · Skamania, WA
+69.5%
#9 · Douglas, WA
+69.4%
#10 · Yakima, WA
+68.9%
County ranking — 5Y appreciation (highest first)
| # | County | State | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Current median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelan, WA | WA | +17.8% | +116.3% | +106.6% | +191.0% | $830.3K |
| 2 | Benton, WA | WA | +42.7% | +48.7% | +102.9% | +222.6% | $713.3K |
| 3 | Stevens, WA | WA | +23.9% | +27.6% | +87.9% | +158.3% | $404.4K |
| 4 | Klickitat, WA | WA | +53.8% | +96.1% | +86.0% | +81.5% | $442.7K |
| 5 | Pend Oreille, WA | WA | -21.7% | +134.7% | +79.0% | +92.2% | $402.8K |
| 6 | Thurston, WA | WA | +33.8% | +38.0% | +77.1% | +93.4% | $682.4K |
| 7 | Cowlitz, WA | WA | +4.5% | +47.3% | +71.2% | +97.8% | $464.9K |
| 8 | Skamania, WA | WA | +16.4% | +18.3% | +69.5% | +194.8% | $577.5K |
| 9 | Douglas, WA | WA | +5.5% | +63.3% | +69.4% | +106.2% | $524.6K |
| 10 | Yakima, WA | WA | +23.8% | +1.9% | +68.9% | +102.6% | $434.3K |
| 11 | Grays Harbor, WA | WA | +24.0% | -2.2% | +61.4% | +126.3% | $297.8K |
| 12 | Whitman, WA | WA | -7.3% | +29.1% | +60.1% | +270.0% | $401K |
| 13 | Grant, WA | WA | -7.8% | +111.5% | +58.2% | +98.6% | $375.3K |
| 14 | Asotin, WA | WA | -2.7% | +64.9% | +54.4% | +145.2% | $370.7K |
| 15 | Pacific, WA | WA | -16.0% | +19.3% | +53.3% | +100.0% | $304K |
| 16 | Lincoln, WA | WA | -26.5% | +30.1% | +51.3% | +37.5% | $224.4K |
| 17 | Mason, WA | WA | +4.6% | +33.6% | +47.0% | +139.5% | $418.7K |
| 18 | Whatcom, WA | WA | +1.2% | +58.7% | +43.9% | +136.7% | $654.3K |
| 19 | Lewis, WA | WA | -4.0% | +20.4% | +40.1% | +130.5% | $400.9K |
| 20 | Ferry, WA | WA | +62.7% | -28.6% | +37.3% | +115.7% | $227.2K |
| 21 | Clark, WA | WA | -0.7% | +34.4% | +37.1% | +40.5% | $677.5K |
| 22 | Island, WA | WA | -19.5% | +11.1% | +33.9% | +113.6% | $621.4K |
| 23 | Snohomish, WA | WA | -9.5% | +16.7% | +25.0% | +51.2% | $795.4K |
| 24 | Spokane, WA | WA | -26.9% | +8.3% | +24.9% | +100.5% | $429.5K |
| 25 | Walla Walla, WA | WA | -7.3% | +5.7% | +23.0% | +109.7% | $440K |
| 26 | Kitsap, WA | WA | -19.8% | -6.4% | +22.7% | +74.4% | $579.9K |
| 27 | Pierce, WA | WA | -2.6% | +16.7% | +21.6% | +21.7% | $648K |
| 28 | King, WA | WA | -7.9% | +2.9% | +20.8% | +97.7% | $1.12M |
| 29 | Jefferson, WA | WA | +28.5% | +13.6% | +17.9% | +152.7% | $660.9K |
| 30 | Franklin, WA | WA | -28.9% | +10.7% | +16.9% | +73.3% | $443.8K |
| 31 | Skagit, WA | WA | -6.5% | +29.4% | +12.4% | +89.2% | $581.5K |
| 32 | Okanogan, WA | WA | -23.9% | +16.0% | +3.6% | +65.0% | $275.6K |
| 33 | Wahkiakum, WA | WA | +40.8% | -23.3% | -1.6% | -19.4% | $279.2K |
| 34 | San Juan, WA | WA | -60.9% | +20.0% | -4.0% | +79.7% | $781.5K |
| 35 | Kittitas, WA | WA | -43.1% | -76.1% | -21.0% | +33.2% | $375.5K |
| 36 | Adams, WA | WA | -23.7% | -8.4% | -43.7% | +85.0% | $284K |
| 37 | Columbia, WA | WA | -50.5% | -56.1% | -53.9% | -62.2% | $125K |
| 38 | Clallam, WA | WA | -77.7% | -73.0% | -65.2% | -51.4% | $108K |
How to read these numbers
Velocity vs. level
A market with 25% one-year appreciation is moving fast — but a market with steady 6% over ten years has compounded much further. Use 10Y as the long-run signal, 1Y as the momentum signal.
Mean-reversion risk
Markets that posted huge 1Y and 3Y gains often cool over the next cycle. Compare 1Y to 5Y: if 1Y is far above 5Y, the trend is accelerating; if far below, it is decelerating — often the more important signal.
Sample sanity
We require a minimum current median price (default $50K) to filter out tiny ZIPs with noisy data. Raise that threshold for serious investment markets; lower it to find emerging niches. Source: public record.