Seattle is a very large coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Washington. With a population of 755,078 people and 184 associated neighborhoods, Seattle is the largest community in Washington. Seattle has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in Seattle, where the median household income is $116,068.00.
Seattle home prices are not only among the most expensive in Washington, but Seattle real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
Also of interest is that Seattle has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
Of important note, Seattle is also a city of artists. Seattle has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Seattle’s character.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 27.05% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Seattle is one of the most attractive larger cities for people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. This makes it a good place to live for young singles in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting their professional careers. Although Seattle is a large city, this demographic is significant enough that young professionals will find many others like themselves here, with really good opportunities for friendships, recreation, romance, and more.
Seattle is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
Seattle, like many big cities in America, has a public transportation system, but the citizens of Seattle are lucky because theirs is one of the most extensive and widely used. Many commuters choose to leave their cars at home and instead use the bus to get to and from work. In fact, for some people it is feasible to forgo car ownership entirely, avoiding the cost and headache of driving in heavy traffic. The benefits include reduced air pollution and load on the road network.
If knowledge is power, Seattle is a pretty powerful place. 66.65% of the adults in Seattle have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Seattle in 2022 was $77,616, which is wealthy relative to Washington and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $310,464 for a family of four. However, Seattle contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Seattle is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Seattle home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Seattle residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Seattle include German, English, Irish, Italian, and European.
Foreign born people are also an important part of Seattle's cultural character, accounting for 19.84% of the city’s population.
The most common language spoken in Seattle is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.