CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

45.64° N · 122.40° W · GEOID 5323690

Fern Prairie

Clark County, Washington · part of the Portland, OR metro

Limited data population under 5,000

WashingtonFern Prairie, WAFern PrairieFern Prairie

The short answer

Fern Prairie is home to 2,053 people. Median household income is $115,875 a year and median rent is $1,482 a month, 15.3% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $628,200, about 5.4x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,482
9% above the median place
Median household income
$115,875
44% above the median place
Median home value
$628,200
97% above the median place
Unemployment
5.3%
8% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Fern Prairie

  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 182 Washington places.
  • 94% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 95% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,088 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 89% of places its size.
  • Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, household income rose 7.5% a year while rent rose 3%, so pay gained on rent more than in 86% of places its size.
  • Households average 2.98 people, larger than in 88% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 92 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Fern Prairie

Clark County gains about 4.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in24,748
Moved out22,902
Net+1,846

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Washington, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within WashingtonOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$92K
Leavers$82K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Clark County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.5% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Clark County report $91,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $81,700, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$59,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,482 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,570 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $628,200.
Getting to work
22 minutes each way on average; 21.6% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Rockaway, NJ matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
4.5%
125% above the median place
Income of households moving in6
$91,671
30% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
4.2
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureFern PrairieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.4%11% above
Moved from another state1County figure4.5%125% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure4.2above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$91,67130% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$81,65416% above
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 0.0%, below the median place (median 50.6%).

Fern Prairie15.3%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$59,280
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.3%
25% below the median place
Home price to income
5.4x
43% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$96,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Fern Prairie, $1,482 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Fern Prairie, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Tichigan, WI11.4% vs 15.3%$19,500Compare
Vernon, WI11.2% vs 15.3%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Fern Prairie.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Fern Prairie? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
0.0%
below the median place (median 50.6%)
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Homeownership1
94.2%
42% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureFern PrairieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4829% above
Rent to income115.3%25% below
Property tax rate10.8%11% below
Home price to income15.4x43% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure105.44% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,87816% above
Property tax paid (median)1$5,11757% above
Median home value1$628,20097% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.0%36% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure42.5%17% below
Homeownership194.2%42% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,57037% above
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119850% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Works from home1
21.6%
74% above the median place
Median household income1
$115,875
44% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureFern PrairieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$115,87544% above
Income per person1$45,61114% above
Unemployment1County figure5.3%8% above
Average annual pay5County figure$75,48314% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.8%3% above
Jobs5County figure182,79821% above
Poverty rate1County figure8.0%26% below
Mean commute122 min11% below
Works from home121.6%74% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 0.0%, below the median place (median 6.4%).

No health insurance1
0.0%
below the median place (median 6.4%)
Median age1
47.9
23% above the median place
Household size1
3.0
19% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband95.8% +4%
High school or higher89.1% −4%
Bachelor's or higher38.6% +20%
All 8 people measures
MeasureFern PrairieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,0536646th largest
Median age147.923% above
Bachelor's or higher138.6%20% above
High school or higher189.1%4% below
Household size13.019% above
Born abroad1County figure11.0%25% above
No health insurance10.0%below (median 6.4%)
Homes with broadband195.8%4% above
05

Life in Fern Prairie

45 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars16.7 −20%
Shops20.7 −32%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.5 −15%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.2 −15%
Child care centers2.2 −4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Shops per 10k7
20.7
32% below the median place
Public schools10
149
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students10
74,366
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureFern PrairieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure149above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure74,366above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher10County figure18.822% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure16.720% below
Shops per 10k7County figure20.732% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure3.515% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure17.215% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.24% below
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k80.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure45246% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Annual precipitation is 66.9 in, 53% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Fern Prairie. Larger places are fetched first.

Annual precipitation11
66.9 in
53% above the median place
Median air quality index13
33
23% below the median place
July average high11
79°F
9% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureFern PrairieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure79°F9% below
January average low11County figure35°F38% above
Average temperature11County figure52°F5% below
Annual precipitation11County figure66.9 in53% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure92.20% below
Tornado risk12County figure31.362% below
Wildfire risk12County figure69.614% above
Heat wave risk12County figure95.96% above
Median air quality index13County figure3323% below
Good air days13County figure82.7%21% above
08

Fern Prairie in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 15% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,482/mo (2023)$1,960/mo$1,580 to $2,420/mo+4.1%
Median household income$115,875 (2024)$148,500$125,500 to $176,000+4.2%
Median home value$628,200 (2024)$927,000$673,000 to $1,277,000+6.7%

The median home would be worth 6.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.4 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Fern Prairie

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Rockaway, NJ$1,587$107,053Compare
Carlstadt, NJ$1,645$115,444Compare
Cloverdale, CA$1,435$117,177Compare
Oatfield, OR$1,786$103,224Compare
Oatfield, ORCloverdale, CACarlstadt, NJRockaway, NJFern Prairie, WAFern PrairieRockawayCarlstadtCloverdaleOatfieldFern PrairieRockawayCarlstadtCloverdaleOatfield

Common questions

Is Fern Prairie a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 182 Washington places. 94% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 95% of places its size. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Fern Prairie expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.3% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $628,200.

What salary do you need to live in Fern Prairie?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $59,280 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Fern Prairie?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Rockaway, NJ, Carlstadt, NJ, Cloverdale, CA and Oatfield, OR.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Fern Prairie with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Fern Prairie itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/fern-prairie-washington

Citytistics. “Fern Prairie, Washington.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/fern-prairie-washington/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.