Seattle, WA

Census Place

Add Comparison

2024 Population

754,195

US Senator

Patty Murray

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maria Cantwell

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

35.6

0.282% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

9.88%

0.0846% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$123,860

1.54% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$938,600

2.91% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

466,720

1.72% 1-year growth

About

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.

89.2% of the residents in Seattle, WA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Seattle, WA are University of Washington-Seattle Campus (15,578 degrees awarded in 2024), Seattle University (2,301 degrees), and Seattle Central College (1,285 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Seattle, WA was $938,600, and the homeownership rate was 43.7%.

Most people in Seattle, WA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26 minutes. The average car ownership in Seattle, WA was 1 car per household.

Photo by Alex Simoes

United States Washington King County, WA Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

Population & Diversity

Seattle, WA is home to a population of 754k people, from which 89.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 20.1% of Seattle, WA residents were born outside of the country (151k people).

In 2024, there were 3.36 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (443k people) in Seattle, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 132k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 48.5k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.2%

2024 Citizenship

89.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.2% of Seattle, WA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Seattle, WA was 89.3%, 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)
443k ± 4.29k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
132k ± 3.63k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
48.5k ± 2.06k

8.47%

Hispanic Population

63.9k people

8.47% of the people in Seattle, WA are hispanic (63.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 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
247,954 ± 12,030 people
India
116,227 ± 8,308 people
China
94,449 ± 7,500 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 247,954 Washington residents, followed by India with 116,227 and China with 94,449.

Foreign-Born Population

20.1%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

151k people

19.9%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

147k people

As of 2024, 20.1% of Seattle, WA residents (151k 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 Seattle, WA was 19.9%, 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

Gulf War (2001-)
6,149 ± 725
Vietnam
5,994 ± 546
Gulf War (1990s)
3,528 ± 554

Seattle, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.03 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Health

95.8% of the population of Seattle, WA has health coverage, with 64.8% on employee plans, 10.5% on Medicaid, 9.1% on Medicare, 10.9% on non-group plans, and 0.498% 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, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 15% under 18 years, 34% between 18 and 34 years, 38.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.18%

Uninsured

64.8%

Employer Coverage

10.5%

Medicaid

9.1%

Medicare

10.9%

Non-Group

0.498%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Seattle, WA declined by 4.29% from 4.37% to 4.18%.

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.

Economy

The economy of Seattle, WA employs 467k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Seattle, WA were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (97,982 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (57,266 people), and Retail Trade (54,812 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($163,081), Management of Companies & Enterprises ($141,014), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($136,080).

Employment

Occupations

467k

2024 Value

± 6,011

1.72%

1 Year growth

± 1.77%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Seattle, WA grew at a rate of 1.72%, from 459k employees to 467k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Seattle, WA, are Management Occupations (73,002 people), Computer & Mathematical Occupations (65,708 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (39,016 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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

467k

2024 Value

± 6,011

1.72%

1 Year growth

± 1.77%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Seattle, WA grew at a rate of 1.72%, from 459k employees to 467k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Seattle, WA, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (97,982 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (57,266 people), and Retail Trade (54,812 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

$97,601

Median earning men ± $2,488

$72,500

Median earning women ± $1,332

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($172,927), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($136,383), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($109,280).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($136,019), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($98,801), and Public Administration ($93,314).

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.

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

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Seattle, WA. Showing the available data for Washington.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (57.2%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (39%)
Republican Party
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.

Senator 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.

Education

In 2024, universities in Seattle, WA awarded 24,089 degrees. The student population of Seattle, WA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 42,602 male students and 44,551 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Seattle, WA are White (9,174 and 44.7%), Asian (4,784 and 23.3%), Hispanic or Latino (2,596 and 12.6%), and Two or More Races (1,595 and 7.77%).

The largest universities in Seattle, WA by number of degrees awarded are University of Washington-Seattle Campus (15,578 and 64.7%), Seattle University (2,301 and 9.55%), and Seattle Central College (1,285 and 5.33%).

The most popular majors in Seattle, WA are Computer Science (912 and 3.79%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (799 and 3.32%), and Registered Nursing (796 and 3.3%).

The median tuition costs are $39,492 for private four year colleges, and $4,488 and $5,046 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Seattle, WA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 45%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 23.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 87,153 (48.9% men and 51.1% 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 2024 there were 87,153 students enrolled in Seattle, WA, 48.9% men and 51.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 26,483 records, of which 56.7% were women and 43.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Computer Science
649 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
547 degrees awarded
Other Research & Experimental Psychology
533 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Seattle, WA was Computer Science with 649 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
15,578 degrees awarded
Seattle University
2,301 degrees awarded
Seattle Central College
1,285 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Washington-Seattle Campus with 15,578 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 10,016 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Seattle, WA, which is 0.712 times less than the 14,073 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 9,174 degrees mean that there were 1.92 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 4,784 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 ($39,492) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,008) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($873) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Seattle, WA was $938,600 in 2024, which is 2.82 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $912,100 to $938,600, a 2.91% increase. The homeownership rate in Seattle, WA is 43.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Seattle, WA have an average commute time of 26 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.

Housing

Property

$938,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,494

$158,945

Median Property Taxes

±$2,546

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

43.7%

Homeownership

2024

62.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 43.7% of the housing units in Seattle, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 44.2%.

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

Equity

Household Income

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

$123,860

Median Household Income

± $2,244

363k

Number of Households

± 4,832

In 2024, the median household income of the 363k households in Seattle, WA grew to $123,860 from the previous year's value of $121,984.

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.

0.469

2024 Wage GINI in Washington

0.468

2023 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2024, the income inequality in Washington was 0.469 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0979% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 2024

Drove Alone (36.7%)
Worked At Home (34.8%)
Public Transit (11.9%)

In 2024, 36.7% of workers in Seattle, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (34.8%) and those who used public transit to get to work (11.9%).

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

26 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Seattle, WA have a shorter commute time (26 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.25% 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

9.88% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Seattle, WA (72.6k out of 735k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

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.