Should I Move To
Roughly 150,606 people live in Bellevue, Washington. Living here costs expensive relative to the rest of the country, 26% above the national average. Median rent runs about $2,422/mo; the typical household pulls in $149,551. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 47/100 — a D, putting it at #630 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Bellevue sits at 126 — expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($2,422/mo against $149,551 median household income), housing eats roughly 19% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $1,139,500.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 75°F in summer, 38°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 39 inches. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go. Crime runs notably high by national standards. As always, neighborhood-level data tells a more nuanced story than the citywide figure. AQI runs about 44 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Bellevue isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 46/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is climate (96/100); the soft spot is walkability (11/100).
For retirees, Bellevue isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 39/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is climate (96/100); the soft spot is walkability (11/100).
For remote workers, Bellevue isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 36/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is climate (96/100); the soft spot is walkability (11/100).
For young professionals, Bellevue isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 49/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is climate (96/100); the soft spot is walkability (11/100).
Our overall score for Bellevue is 47/100 — a D, sitting at #630 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Bellevue sits at 126 — expensive, 26% above the national average. Median renter pays around $2,422 a month.
Bellevue runs four-season on the weather. Summer's near 75°F, winter's near 38°F; 39 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 11/100. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go.
Roughly 150,606 people live here, with 70% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 38.
Drop Bellevue into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Bellevue with other Washington cities scored on UrbRank.
Take the 2-minute UrbRank quiz to get a personalized ranking of US cities based on your priorities — cost, climate, commute, jobs, and more.