Federal Way, WA

Census Place

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2024 Population
99,493
US Senator
Patty Murray
Democratic Party
US Senator
Maria Cantwell
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
37.4
0.532% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
13%
2.82% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$86,909
5.8% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$552,800
10.6% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
49,666
2.37% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Federal Way, WA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

83.2% of the residents in Federal Way, WA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Federal Way, WA are KaiStar (111 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Federal Way, WA was $552,800, and the homeownership rate was 55.3%.

Most people in Federal Way, WA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 32.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Federal Way, WA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesWashingtonKing County, WASeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAKing County (Southwest)--Auburn City & Lakeland PUMA, WAKing County (Far Southwest)--Federal Way, Des Moines Cities & Vashon Island PUMA, WAKing County (Southwest Central)--Kent City PUMA, WATacoma City (North) PUMA, WAPierce County (North Central)--Bonney Lake, Edgewood, Fife & Sumner Cities PUMA, WA

Population & Diversity

Federal Way, WA is home to a population of 99.5k people, from which 83.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 31.8% of Federal Way, WA residents were born outside of the country (31.6k people).

In 2024, there were 1.96 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (34.7k people) in Federal Way, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 17.8k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 15.3k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

83.2%
2024 Citizenship
84.6%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 83.2% of Federal Way, WA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Federal Way, WA was 84.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Federal Way, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Federal Way, WA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    34.7k ± 2.04k
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    17.8k ± 1.97k
  3. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    15.3k ± 1.34k
20%
Hispanic Population
19.9k people

In 2024, there were 1.96 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (34.7k people) in Federal Way, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 17.8k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 15.3k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

20% of the people in Federal Way, WA are hispanic (19.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Federal Way, WA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Washington.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    248,556 ± 12,042 people
  2. India
    107,324 ± 7,987 people
  3. China
    89,838 ± 7,316 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 248,556 Washington residents, followed by India with 107,324 and China with 89,838.

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Foreign-Born Population

31.8%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
31.6k people
28.7%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
28.5k people

As of 2024, 31.8% of Federal Way, WA residents (31.6k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Federal Way, WA was 28.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Federal Way, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    1,595 ± 289
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,471 ± 302
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    782 ± 250

Federal Way, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.08 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Federal Way, WA.

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Economy

The economy of Federal Way, WA employs 49.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Federal Way, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (7,558 people), Retail Trade (6,305 people), and Manufacturing (5,361 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($92,431), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($77,181), and Public Administration ($75,392).

Employment

Occupations

49.7k
2024 Value
± 2,128
2.37%
1 Year growth
± 5.86%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Federal Way, WA grew at a rate of 2.37%, from 48.5k employees to 49.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Federal Way, WA, are Management Occupations (5,109 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,005 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,030 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Federal Way, WA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Washington (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

49.7k
2024 Value
± 2,128
2.37%
1 Year growth
± 5.86%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Federal Way, WA grew at a rate of 2.37%, from 48.5k employees to 49.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Federal Way, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,558 people), Retail Trade (6,305 people), and Manufacturing (5,361 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Federal Way, WA, though some of these residents may live in Federal Way, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$53,296
Median earning men ± $2,401
$44,513
Median earning women ± $2,632

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($90,385), Public Administration ($85,044), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($65,211).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($88,167), Public Administration ($73,367), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,867).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.
Y-Axis
3.62%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 3.58M people employed in Washington. This represents a 3.62% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Washington.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing the state of Washington. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Washington is currently represented by 10 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Federal Way, WA. Showing the available data for Washington.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (57.2%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (39%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.4%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Washington for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Washington

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.
Patty Murray
Senator from Washington3
Assumed office on January 3, 1993
Maria Cantwell
Senator from Washington1
Assumed office on January 3, 2001

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing Washington.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Washington over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Federal Way, WA awarded 111 degrees. The student population of Federal Way, WA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 11 male students and 140 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Federal Way, WA are White (52 and 47.7%), Hispanic or Latino (22 and 20.2%), Two or More Races (14 and 12.8%), and Asian (11 and 10.1%).

The largest universities in Federal Way, WA by number of degrees awarded are KaiStar (111 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Federal Way, WA are General Cosmetology (110 and 99.1%) and Cosmetology, Barber, & Nail Instructor (1 and 0.901%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 151 students enrolled in Federal Way, WA, 7.28% men and 92.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 74 records, of which 95.9% were women and 4.05% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

General Cosmetology
Most Common
110 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Federal Way, WA was General Cosmetology with 110 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Federal Way, WA according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
KaiStar
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
111 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was KaiStar with 111 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 2 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Federal Way, WA, which is 0.0183 times less than the 109 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 52 degrees mean that there were 2.36 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 22 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Federal Way, WA was $552,800 in 2024, which is 1.66 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $499,600 to $552,800, a 10.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Federal Way, WA is 55.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Federal Way, WA have an average commute time of 32.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Federal Way, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$552,800
Median Property Value 2024
±$13,668
$19,757
Median Property Taxes
±$1,073

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Federal Way, WA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Federal Way, WA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

55.3%
Homeownership
2024
66.8%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 55.3% of the housing units in Federal Way, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 55.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Federal Way, WA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$86,909
Median Household Income
± $3,723
35.7k
Number of Households
± 1,630

In 2024, the median household income of the 35.7k households in Federal Way, WA grew to $86,909 from the previous year's value of $82,144.

The following chart displays the households in Federal Way, WA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Federal Way, WA is from Washington.
0.468
2023 Wage GINI in Washington
0.47
2022 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2023, the income inequality in Washington was 0.468 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.276% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Washington in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Washington across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (66.5%)
  2. Worked At Home (13.7%)
  3. Carpooled (12.1%)

In 2024, 66.5% of workers in Federal Way, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.7%) and those who carpooled to work (12.1%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

32.1 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Federal Way, WA have a longer commute time (32.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.78% of the workforce in Federal Way, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Federal Way, WA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Federal Way, WA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Federal Way, WA have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Federal Way, WA (12.9k out of 98.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Federal Way, WA is Hispanic, followed by Black and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

89.8% of the population of Federal Way, WA has health coverage, with 44.8% on employee plans, 23.7% on Medicaid, 9.86% on Medicare, 10.1% on non-group plans, and 1.41% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Washington see 1,202 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,202 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1152 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 186 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.2% were men and 48.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.2% under 18 years, 22.9% between 18 and 34 years, 38.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.2% were men and 48.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

10.2%
Uninsured
44.8%
Employer Coverage
23.7%
Medicaid
9.86%
Medicare
10.1%
Non-Group
1.41%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Federal Way, WA grew by 16.9% from 8.7% to 10.2%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Federal Way, WA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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