Quality of Life

In the 2019 Washington County Resident Survey, residents answered questions regarding their quality of life, with their responses compared to data from nearby counties. The survey found that Washington County residents have a high quality of life, fantastic access to outdoor amenities and benefit from Washington County’s prime location near the airport and Twin Cities.

Survey Highlights

  • Washington County residents continue to enjoy a high quality of life.
  • Survey respondents were asked to rate their overall quality of life in Washington County. On average, their rating represented a score between “excellent” and “good.”
  • Washington County’s overall quality of life was much higher than the average of ratings given by other counties in the benchmark data set.
  • When asked to identify one thing that they liked most about living in Washington County, the most frequently selected categories in 2019 were quality of life in general and location.
  • Residents’ rating for overall feeling of safety in the county was much higher than that given in other counties across the nation.
  • Ease of travel by car in Washington County received a rating between “excellent” and “good” and was much higher than ratings given in other counties across the nation.
  • Washington County received high ratings for the following services: county libraries, county parks and recreation, Sheriff services, recycling and drop-off services at the Environmental Center, snow and ice removal on county roads, disaster preparedness, services provided to older adults and mental and chemical health services.
  • When asked how often they had frequented a regional park or trail in the past year, a majority of respondents (6 in 10) had visited at least three times during that time period.