Seattle, WA

Census Place

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2020 Population

741,251

2.34% 1-year growth

US Senator

Patty Murray

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maria Cantwell

Democratic Party

2020 Median Age

35.2

0.283% 1-year decrease

2020 Poverty Rate

10.2%

7.14% 1-year decrease

2020 Median Household Income

$97,185

5.33% 1-year growth

2020 Median Property Value

$713,600

7.62% 1-year growth

2020 Employed Population

455,772

3.51% 1-year growth

About

In 2020, Seattle, WA had a population of 741k people with a median age of 35.2 and a median household income of $97,185. Between 2019 and 2020 the population of Seattle, WA grew from 724,305 to 741,251, a 2.34% increase and its median household income grew from $92,263 to $97,185, a 5.33% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Seattle, WA are White (Non-Hispanic) (62.6%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (16.2%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (6.91%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (6.15%), and White (Hispanic) (3.24%).

None of the households in Seattle, 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.

89.8% of the residents in Seattle, WA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Seattle, WA are University of Washington-Seattle Campus (14,935 degrees awarded in 2020), Seattle University (2,534 degrees), and Seattle Central College (1,229 degrees).

In 2020, the median property value in Seattle, WA was $713,600, and the homeownership rate was 44.9%.

Most people in Seattle, WA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 27.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Seattle, WA was 1 car per household.

Photo by Alex Simoes

Population & Diversity

Seattle, WA is home to a population of 741k people, from which 89.8% are citizens. As of 2020, 19.4% of Seattle, WA residents were born outside of the country (144k people).

In 2020, there were 3.87 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (464k people) in Seattle, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 120k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 51.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.8%

2020 Citizenship

90.3%

2019 Citizenship

As of 2020, 89.8% of Seattle, WA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.4%. In 2019, the percentage of US citizens in Seattle, WA was 90.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Seattle, WA

White (Non-Hispanic)
464k ± 3.4k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
120k ± 2.69k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
51.2k ± 2.61k

7.12%

Hispanic Population

52.8k people

7.12% of the people in Seattle, WA are hispanic (52.8k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Seattle, WA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Washington.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
245,459 ± 11,963 people
India
87,443 ± 7,218 people
China
77,854 ± 6,815 people

In 2020, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 245,459 Washington residents, followed by India with 87,443 and China with 77,854.

Foreign-Born Population

19.4%

2020 Foreign-Born Population

144k people

18.8%

2019 Foreign-Born Population

136k people

As of 2020, 19.4% of Seattle, WA residents (144k people) were born outside of the United States, which is higher than the national average of 13.5%. In 2019, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Seattle, WA was 18.8%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
9,607 ± 681
Gulf War (2001-)
5,946 ± 681
Gulf War (1990s)
3,920 ± 508

Seattle, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.62 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Seattle, WA employs 456k people. The largest industries in Seattle, WA are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (88,815 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (56,921 people), and Retail Trade (56,733 people), and the highest paying industries are Management of Companies & Enterprises ($110,079), Information ($109,388), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($96,472).

Males in Washington have an average income that is 1.35 times higher than the average income of females, which is $61,193. The income inequality in Washington (measured using the Gini index) is 0.466, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

456k

2020 Value

± 5,855

3.51%

1 Year growth

± 1.67%

From 2019 to 2020, employment in Seattle, WA grew at a rate of 3.51%, from 440k employees to 456k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Seattle, WA, are Management Occupations (67,791 people), Computer & Mathematical Occupations (50,271 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (39,078 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Seattle, WA.

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

456k

2020 Value

± 5,855

3.51%

1 Year growth

± 1.67%

From 2019 to 2020, employment in Seattle, WA grew at a rate of 3.51%, from 440k employees to 456k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Seattle, WA, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (88,815 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (56,921 people), and Retail Trade (56,733 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Seattle, WA, though some of these residents may live in Seattle, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$71,290

Median earning men ± $1,240

$52,832

Median earning women ± $1,033

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2020 are Information ($128,022), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($103,649), and Public Administration ($90,970).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2020 are Information ($87,030), Public Administration ($74,409), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($73,046).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

8.45%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between May 2020 and May 2021

As of May 2021, there are 145M people employed in Washington. This represents a 8.45% increase in employment when compared to May 2020.

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

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Domestic Trade

Domestic Production & Consumption

Domestic production and consumption consists of products and services shipped from Washington to other states, or from other states to Washington.

Top Domestic Production in Dollars

In 2020, the top outbound Washington product (by dollars) was Transport equip. with $105B, followed by Misc. mfg. prods. ($46.1B) and Mixed freight ($35.2B).

The following chart shows the share of these products in relation to all outbound Washington products.

Domestic Trade Growth

Showing data for Washington.

$500B

2020 Value in Washington

$980B

Projected 2050 Value in Washington

95.8% growth

In 2020, total outbound Washington trade was $500B. This is expected to increase 95.8% to $980B by 2050.

The following chart shows how the domestic outbound Washington trade is projected to change in comparison to its neighboring states.

Interstate Trade

Interstate trade consists of products and services shipped from Washington to other states, or from other states to Washington.

Most Common Trade Partners

Oregon
$34.9B
California
$26.9B
Hawaii
$23.3B

In 2020, the top outbound Washington domestic partner for goods and services (by dollars) was Oregon with $34.9B, followed by California with $26.9B and Hawaii and $23.3B.

The following map shows the amount of trade that Washington shares with each state (excluding itself).

Civics

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.

Senators Elections

US Senators from Washington

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

Patty Murray

Senator from Washington

Assumed office on January 3, 1993

Maria Cantwell

Senator from Washington

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.

US Representatives Elections

US Representatives from Washington

Washington is currently represented by 10 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Washington have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2020, universities in Seattle, WA awarded 23,538 degrees. The student population of Seattle, WA in 2020 is skewed towards women, with 34,916 male students and 44,978 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Seattle, WA are White (10,358 and 52%), followed by Asian (3,898 and 19.6%), Hispanic or Latino (1,912 and 9.61%), and Two or More Races (1,479 and 7.43%).

The largest universities in Seattle, WA by number of degrees awarded are University of Washington-Seattle Campus (14,935 and 63.5%), Seattle University (2,534 and 10.8%), and Seattle Central College (1,229 and 5.22%).

The most popular majors in Seattle, WA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (977 and 4.15%), General Business Administration & Management (878 and 3.73%), and Computer Science (600 and 2.55%).

The median tuition costs in Seattle, WA are $32,964 for private four year colleges, and $3,727 and $3,727 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2020 in Seattle, WA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 62.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 24.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2020 was 79,894 (43.7% men and 56.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2020 there were 79,894 students enrolled in Seattle, WA, 43.7% men and 56.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 32,173 records, of which 56.4% were women and 43.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Speech Communication & Rhetoric
527 degree-majors awarded
Other Research & Experimental Psychology
473 degree-majors awarded
Computer Science
462 degree-majors awarded

In 2020, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Seattle, WA was Speech Communication & Rhetoric with 527 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Seattle, WA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Washington-Seattle Campus
14,935 degrees awarded
Seattle University
2,534 degrees awarded
Seattle Central College
1,229 degrees awarded

In 2020, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Washington-Seattle Campus with 14,935 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2020, 10,254 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Seattle, WA, which is 0.772 times less than the 13,284 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2020 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 10,358 degrees mean that there were 2.66 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 3,898 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($32,964) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2020.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($671) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2020.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2020, 0.797% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.827% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2020 were Some college (1.42M), High School or Equivalent (1.36M), and Bachelors Degree (1.26M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Seattle, WA was $713,600 in 2020, which is 3.11 times larger than the national average of $229,800. Between 2019 and 2020 the median property value increased from $663,100 to $713,600, a 7.62% increase. The homeownership rate in Seattle, WA is 44.9%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.4%.

People in Seattle, WA have an average commute time of 27.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Seattle, WA is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Median household income in Seattle, WA is $97,185. In 2020, the place with the highest median household income in Seattle, WA was Census Tract 62 with a value of $217,885, followed by Census Tract 16 and Census Tract 56, with respective values of $172,232 and $171,049.

Housing

Property

$713,600

Median Property Value 2020

±$6,941

$154,840

Median Property Taxes

±$3,036

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 Seattle, WA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

44.9%

Homeownership

2020

62.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2020

In 2020, 44.9% of the housing units in Seattle, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 45.7%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 62
Census Tract 16
Census Tract 56

In 2020, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Seattle, WA was Census Tract 62 with a value of $217,885, followed by Census Tract 16 and Census Tract 56, with respective values of $172,232 and $171,049.

The following map shows all of the places in Seattle, WA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$97,185

Median Household Income

± $1,755

345k

Number of Households

± 5,047

In 2020, the median household income of the 345k households in Seattle, WA grew to $97,185 from the previous year's value of $92,263.

The following chart displays the households in Seattle, 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 $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Seattle, WA is from Washington.

0.466

2020 Wage GINI in Washington

0.468

2019 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2020, the income inequality in Washington was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.301% decline from 2019 to 2020, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2020

Drove Alone (43.4%)
Public Transit (20.5%)
Worked At Home (14%)

In 2020, 43.4% of workers in Seattle, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who used public transit to get to work (20.5%) and those who worked at home (14%).

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.

Commute Time

27.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Seattle, WA have a longer commute time (27.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.9 minutes). Additionally, 1.46% of the workforce in Seattle, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Seattle, WA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Seattle, WA have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

10.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Seattle, WA (73.5k out of 722k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.8%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Seattle, WA is White, followed by Asian and Black.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

95.4% of the population of Seattle, WA has health coverage, with 61.7% on employee plans, 10.9% on Medicaid, 8.82% on Medicare, 13.1% on non-group plans, and 0.799% on military or VA plans.

Per capita personal health care spending in Washington was $7,913 in 2014. This is a 4% increase from the previous year ($7,609).

Primary care physicians in King County, WA see 830 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.121% increase from the previous year (829 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 912 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 216 patients per year.

COVID-19

Daily New Cases by Date

Showing data at the state level for Washington. Hospitalization data for some states may be delayed or not reported.

Y-Axis

This chart shows the number of COVID-19 daily new cases by date in Washington, as a 7-day rolling average, compared with the four states with the most similar number of confirmed cases.

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Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for King County, WA.

830 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in King County, WA

Primary care physicians in King County, WA see an average of 830 patients per year. This represents a 0.121% increase from the previous year (829 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in King County, WA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Community Mobility

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

This chart presents movement trends over time in the state of Washington across different categories of places such as retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential.

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Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2020, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 15.8% under 18 years, 33.9% between 18 and 34 years, 38% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.64%

Uninsured

61.7%

Employer Coverage

10.9%

Medicaid

8.82%

Medicare

13.1%

Non-Group

0.799%

Military or VA

Between 2017 and 2018, the percent of uninsured citizens in Seattle, WA declined by 22.5% from 5.99% to 4.64%.

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