Seattle, Washington
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Seattle.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Seattle compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 741,440City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $121,984Incorporated place (ACS)55% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 224ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)124% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $912,100City limits (ACS)201% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,998City limits (ACS)48% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.7%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 30 min20% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 7464% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 585.4annualized per 100k · citywideNear U.S. avg (602.7)U.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 4495.6annualized per 100k · citywide46% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 75°F12.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 37°F3.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 36.5 in11% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 21121% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Seattle with another city
Gray winters west of the Cascades and dry inland basins split lifestyles. Expect summer highs near 75°F and winter lows around 37°F. Average one-way commute time is about 30 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 74/100. Labor-market readings near 4.7% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. Violent-offense rates near 585.4 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Seattle, Washington counts about 741,440 residents inside the city limits. With median income around $121,984 and a cost index of 224, the market reads well above the national housing-cost baseline. Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $912,100 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Ask locals about Capitol Hill versus Ballard — those two pockets illustrate how different daily life can feel inside the same city limits, with Fremont as a common third option. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Seattle with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Neighborhoods often researched
- Capitol Hill
- Ballard
- Fremont
- Queen Anne
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Seattle city, 1600000US5363000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN530330000000003 (King County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00024234 SEATTLE BOEING FLD)
Last updated 2026-07-28