Seattle, Washington population is 784,777 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #19 nationally and #1 in Washington. Cost of living runs 11% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $175,049/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
784,777
+11,572 in the last year
Top 1% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 111.1
+11% vs US
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$175,048/yr
+119% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$123,860
+59% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$938,600
+209% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$2,501/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
77°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
95%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
How many people live in Seattle?
784,777 people live in Seattle as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #19 largest U.S. city.
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 6.5% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 737,103 → 2025: 784,777 (+6.5%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
737,103
April 1, 2020
2020
740,675
July 1, 2020
2021
733,750
July 1, 2021
2022
749,545
July 1, 2022
2023
759,395
July 1, 2023
2024
773,205
July 1, 2024
2025
784,777
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 23.4% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Seattle is the #19 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #1 in Washington.
▸ Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
737,103
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+47,674
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+6.5%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+11,572
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+1.5%
within V2025 only
Density
9,340
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
84
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#19
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#1
of 281 in Washington
What is the median household income in Seattle?
Median household income is 59% above the U.S. median ($123,860 vs $77,719); 9.9% live in poverty — 2.6 points below the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$123,860
US
Seattle: $123,860 — 59% above the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Seattle
$123,860
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Seattle from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
123,860+59.4% vs US
±2,244
Per capita income
86,095+98.9% vs US
±1,158
Population in poverty
9.9%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 209% above the U.S. median ($938,600 vs $303,400); median rent is 51% above ($2,030 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 7.6×, making it 1.9× as cost-burdened as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).
Median home value$938,600
US
Seattle: $938,600 — 209% above the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$2,501/mo
US
Seattle: $2,501/mo — 132% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Seattle. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
3.8%
Seattle (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
511,669
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
34.8%+148.3% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Seattle sits in King County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
King County
8.8%
$121,984
4.1%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Seattle's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
164,374
$1,490 / wk
#2
Professional and technical services (54)
150,811
$3,333 / wk
#3
Information (51)
128,749
$6,735 / wk
#4
Accommodation and food services (72)
109,111
$783 / wk
#5
Retail trade (44-45)
103,571
$1,117 / wk
What workers earn in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Software Developers is the largest tracked occupation in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro (92,770 jobs, median $167,280/yr).
▸ Show all 12 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
54,670
$48,210
$23.18
Fast Food and Counter Workers
49,190
$39,150
$18.82
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
38,800
$101,920
$49.00
Stockers and Order Fillers
30,860
$46,830
$22.52
Cashiers
30,470
$44,210
$21.26
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
29,490
$47,740
$22.95
Software Developers · benchmark
92,770
$167,280
$80.42
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
46,620
$42,080
$20.23
Registered Nurses · benchmark
39,900
$128,260
$61.66
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
29,370
$146,030
$70.21
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
21,230
$71,240
$34.25
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 11.1% above the U.S. average (RPP 111.1); rents run 51.3% above (RPP 151.3) — the metro's housing premium is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 111.1
US
Seattle's cost of living runs 11.1% above the U.S. average (RPP 111.1 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 111.1
+11.1% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$2,501/mo
FY2026 · Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
0%
no state income tax · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$14,587/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$7,315/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in Washington · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
20.2% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) is the most-spoken language at home other than English (5.0% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Seattle's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
Hottest month: August (77°F avg high). Coldest: December (36°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 38.0 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Seattle from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk score: 99.7/100 — Very High nationally; top hazard: Earthquake (99.9).
Natural-hazard exposure for Seattle from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
King County
99.7
Very High
Earthquake 99.9 Very High · Riverine Flooding 99.5 Very High · Avalanche 99.3 Very High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Seattle?
21 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 95% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Seattle from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
21 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
18
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
95.5%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
95.5%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
397,537
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Seattle?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 5,891 violent and 38,061 property offenses in the Seattle jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 775.1 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Seattle — an FBI jurisdiction population of 760,058, versus the Census place population of 784,777. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
5,891
775.1
359.1
Property crime
38,061
5,007.6
1,760.1
▸ Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
52
Rape
352
Robbery
1,677
Aggravated assault
3,810
Burglary
8,756
Larceny-theft
21,905
Motor vehicle theft
7,400
Arson (12-month reporters only)
153
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
838.0
5,720.9
729,691
2023
777.1
5,012.2
753,786
2024
775.1
5,007.6
760,058
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Seattle · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Seattle sits at state rank #1 among 281 cities in Washington. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Louisville, KY · #18 · 795,222 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Nashville, TN · #20 · 745,904 residents.
Quick travel facts for Seattle
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
King County International Airport - Boeing Field(BFI) ·
7 mi 11 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Jun, Jul, Sep · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Seattle.
How many people live in Seattle, WA?
Seattle has 784,777 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #19 largest city in the United States and #1 in Washington. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Seattle growing or shrinking?
Seattle has grown 6.5% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 47,674 residents, including a 1.5% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
The GEOID for Seattle is 5363000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
