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36. Mill Creek, WA
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Mill Creek, WA
36
Top 50 rank: 36
Population: 18,834

Originally a planned community built around a golf course, Mill Creek has been steadily growing in size for the past two decades. The area's strong schools (recently testing well above the state average) and affordable homes have been a big draw for families.

While most residents work outside of town, the commute to good technology and aerospace jobs in Seattle is just 30 minutes long. --S.M.

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Mill Creek, WA
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$106,919
Job growth % (2010-2012)
6.26%
Median home price (2012)
$318,000
Reading test scores (% above/below average)
24.5%
Math test scores (% above/below average)
24.4%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
21
Financials
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$106,919
Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$95,728
Sales tax
9.60%
State income tax rate (highest bracket)
0.00%
State income tax rate (lowest bracket)
0.00%
Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state)
$1,670
Job growth % (2010-2012)
6.26%
Housing
Median home price (2012)
$318,000
Average property taxes
(2012)
$4,155
Education
Reading test scores (% above/below state average)
24.5%
Test scores math (% above/below average)
24.4%
% students attending public/private schools (located within town limits)
97.3/2.7
Quality of life
Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good)
89.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
21
Median commute time (in minutes)
24.2
% population with commute 45 mins. or longer
20.8%
% population walk or bike to work
3.4%
Leisure and culture
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts)
0.5
Weather
Annual rainfall (inches)
37.07
% clear days in the area
38%
High temp in July ° F
73°
Low temp in Jan ° F
33.6°
Meet the neighbors
Median age
38.5
Completed at least some college (% of residents)
77.3%
Married %
59.4%
Divorced %
7.0%
Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
116.2
View moreless See Mill Creek homes for sale
From the September 2013 issue

Source: Onboard Informatics. Details

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  • Mill Creek real estate
Real estate and homes for sale on Trulia
Fan Favorite Towns

Money picked the top 100. Now it's your turn: Which town will be our fan favorite? 'Like' your town and it might just make it to No. 1.

Town # of Likes
1. Sharon, MA 11,968
2. Apex, NC 10,738
3. Westford, MA 6,023
4. Peachtree City, GA 5,632
5. Hillsborough, NJ 5,329
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How we pick the Best Places
Using statistics from data services company Onboard Informatics and other sources, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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