County profile

King County / Seattle, WA

Reading this county

King County runs from Puget Sound to the Cascade foothills, taking in Lake Washington, Seattle and 2.25 million residents. It was named in 1852 for a slave-owning vice president-elect and renamed for Dr Martin Luther King Jr, whose likeness has been the county logo since 2007. Household income here is among the highest in the country, and so is the cost of housing. What is scarce here is daylight.

Freshwater Access: 886: 886 freshwater access points within 30 miles of Seattle, a count only nine counties beat. Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish both sit inside the county line, and Public Health tests their busiest beaches every week through the swim season. >99% of 3,143 counties
All Occupations: $116K¹: Typical household income is $116K, ahead of 98% of counties. The legal wage floor under it changes at the Seattle city line, so two identical jobs a mile apart can sit under different minimums. >98% of 3,143 counties
Regional Theatre: 16: Sixteen resident theatre companies, more than any other county in the country. They are not all in Seattle: the company in Issaquah has been producing there, and originating new work, for over four decades. >99% of 3,143 counties
Sunny Days: 152: 152 sunny days a year, fewer than in 98% of counties. Winds split around the Olympic Peninsula and meet again over Puget Sound, and the convergence zone that forms can rain on one stretch of the county while the rest stays dry. <98% of 3,143 counties
The trade-off — Median Rental - Single Family Home: $3,471⁴: Median single-family rent is $3,471, higher than 99% of counties, and the $896K median home price is beaten by only 24. Neither way in is cheap here, so the question is how much capital the move needs up front rather than which option saves money. >99% of 3,143 counties

Seattle is the most literate city in the U.S. with the most bookstores and libraries per capita, and the most library card-holders to check them out.

Demographics and county data

Each comparison is against the US counties that publish the same measurement. Measurements where too many counties share a single value to be ranked show no comparison at all.

Abortion Regulation: Legal (Restricted)
ACT/SAT Scores: #46
Air Quality: 7.7¹
Alcohol Regulation: #26
All Occupations: $103K
American Indians/Alaskan Natives: ↓-1.3%
Amish, Mennonites, etc: ↓-1.8%⁷
Any Airport: 0h 13m
Any Natural Disaster: High³
Architecture & Engineering: $102K¹⁰
Art Museums: 14
Arts, Design, Sports, Media & Entertainment: $77K¹⁰
Asian Americans: ↑16.8%
Asian Language Speakers: ↑11.0%
Avalanche: Medium³
Average School Rating: 62.1⁶
Beergardens & Brewpubs: 34
Bike Score: 71
Blacks/African Americans: ↓-2.5%
Boating: 778
Broadband Internet: 92%
Buddhists: ↑1.2%⁷
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance: $43K¹⁰
Business & Financial Operations: $93K¹⁰
Cannabis Regulation: Legal
Cat Friendly Rentals: 60%
Catholics: ↑0.6%⁷
City Population: 737K
Climate Change Risk: 2.7
Coastal Flooding: High³
Cold Wave: Very Low³
Community & Social Service: $61K¹⁰
Commute Time: 30
Computer & Mathematical: $130K¹⁰
Construction & Extraction: $73K¹⁰
County Population: 2.25M
Cuisine Diversity: 57
Cycling: 50+
Dentists: 11.0
Dog Friendly Rentals: 60%
Drought: Very Low³
Earthquakes: High³
Education, Training, & Library: $69K¹⁰
Educational Attainment: 37%
Elevation: 1,870'⁸
English Speakers: ↓-7.3%
Farmers Markets: 41
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry: $42K¹⁰
Fatal Dog Attacks: 0
Fatal Wildlife Attacks: 1
Fire Ants: none
Fishing: 108
Food Preparation & Serving Related: $41K¹⁰
Forests: 58%
Freshwater Access: 886
Gluten-Free Options: 26
Golf: 42
Gun Open Carry Regulation: Legal (Unrestricted)
Hail: Very Low³
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical: $110K¹⁰
Healthcare Support: $42K¹⁰
Heat Wave: Low³
High School Graduation Rate: 89%¹
Hiking: 366
Hindus: ↑0.2%⁷
Hispanics/Latinos: ↑0.2%
History Museums: 22
Home Ownership Rate: 57%
Homelessness: 228
Homicide Rate: 3¹
Hospitals: 16
Hurricanes: none³
Ice Storms: Low³
Indo-European Language Speakers: ↑5.0%
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair: $65K¹⁰
Investment Potential: 3 / 100
Jehovah's Witnesses: ↓-0.5%⁷
Jews: ↑0.5%⁷
Landslide: Medium³
LDS / Mormons: ↑0.7%⁷
Legal: $121K¹⁰
Life Expectancy: 82¹
Life, Physical, & Social Science: $87K¹⁰
Lightning: Low³
Live Music: 98
Major Airport: 0h 19m
Major City Proximity: Major City
Major League Baseball: 0h 07m
Major League Soccer: 0h 07m
Management: $151K¹⁰
Median Age: 37 years¹¹
Median Home Price: $896K⁴
Median Rental - 1 BR Apartment: $1,190
Median Rental - 2 BR Apartment: $1,318
Median Rental - 3 BR Apartment: $1,847
Median Rental - 4 BR Apartment: $2,213
Median Rental - Room: $1,467
Median Rental - Single Family Home: $3,471
Median Rental - Studio Apartment: $1,146
Mental Health Providers: 46.3
Meth Labs: 1
Michelin Rated Restaurants: none
Minor League Baseball: 0h 46m
Mountains: 7,772'⁸
Multiracials: ↑3.4%
Muslims: ↑0.4%⁷
National Parks: 1h 22m
Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders: ↑0.6%
NBA Basketball: 3h 04m
NFL Football: 0h 07m
NHL Hockey: 0h 06m
Not Religious / Atheists / Agnostics: ↑22.0%
Nuclear Strike: Direct Target
Obesity Rate: 23%¹
Office & Administrative Support: $52K¹⁰
Orthodox Christians: ↓-0.2%⁷
Other Language Speakers: ↑2.0%
Other Relocation Incentives: none
Park Score: 99%⁹
People 0-9 Years Old: ↓-0.2%
People 10-19 Years Old: ↓-2.1%
People 20-29 Years Old: ↑2.9%
People 30-39 Years Old: ↑5.1%
People 40-49 Years Old: ↑2.3%
People 50-59 Years Old: ↓-1.1%
People 60-69 Years Old: ↓-2.8%
People 70-79 Years Old: ↓-2.8%
People 80+ Years Old: ↓-1.4%
Performing Arts: 2
Personal Care & Service: $46K¹⁰
Political Orientation: 86% Dems
Population Density: 1,073
Population Growth: ↓-0.9%
Poverty Rate: 7.6%
Primary Care Physicians: 12.0¹
Private/Home School Regulation: #2
Production: $54K¹⁰
Property Crime Rate: 4,496
Property Tax: 0.90%
Protective Service: $66K¹⁰
Protestants / Non-Denominationals: ↓-17.5%⁷
Rain: 73"
Regional Theatre: 16
River Flooding: Very Low³
Sales & Related: $59K¹⁰
Sales Tax: 10.3%
Same Sex Households: ↑0.4%
Scenic Beauty: #6
Seacoast Proximity: 1h 40m
Seasons: 34 °F
Shark Attacks: 0
Single Parent Households: ↓-6.4%
Skiing: 1h 01m
Small or Major Airport: 0h 19m
Smokers: 11%¹
Snow: 4"
Spanish Speakers: ↑0.1%
State Income Tax: 0.0%
Strong Wind: Very Low³
Summer Heat: 72 °F
Summer Mugginess: none
Sunny Days: 152
Termite Infestation: Light
Tobacco Regulation: #5
Top School Rating: 99.3⁶
Tornadoes: Low³
Traffic: 1.84M
Transit Score: 60
Transportation & Material Moving: $53K¹⁰
Tsunami: Low³
Typical Expenses: $63K⁵
Typical Expenses: $117K⁵
Typical Expenses: $80K⁵
Typical Expenses: $140K⁵
Typical Expenses: $117K⁵
Typical Expenses: $176K⁵
Typical Expenses: $108K⁵
Typical Expenses: $150K⁵
Typical Expenses: $104K⁵
Typical Expenses: $93K⁵
Typical Expenses: $178K⁵
Typical Expenses: $80K⁵
Unemployment Rate: 7.5%¹
Vegetarian Friendliness: 50+
Violent Crime Rate: 341²
Volcanic Activity: Very High³
Walk Score: 74
Water Quality: 3/4
Whites: ↓-17.5%
Wildfires: Very Low³
Windiness: 11 mph
Wineries: 31
Winter Cold: 38 °F
Winter Weather: Very Low³

Cities

Adelaide, Algona, Allentown, Ames Lake, Auburn, Avondale, Bandera, Baring, Barneston, Bayne, Beaux Arts Village, Bellevue, Berrydale, Birch, Black Diamond, Boise, Bothell, Boulevard Park, Bryn Mawr, Bryn Mawr-Skyway, Buenna, Burien, Burton, Carnation, Cedar Falls, Cedar Grove, Cedar Mountain, Chautauqua, Cherokee Bay Park, Christopher, Clyde Hill, Coal Creek, Coalfield, Cove, Covington, Cowley, Cumberland, Denny Creek, Des Moines, Dilworth, Dockton, Dunlap, Durham, Duvall, Duwamish, East Renton Highlands, Elliott, Ellisport, Ellisville, Enumclaw, Ernies Grove, Evansville, Fairwood, Fall City, Fauntleroy, Federal Way, Feriton, Fern Heath, Firloch, Foy, Garcia, Georgetown, Glen Acres, Green Lake, Green River, Grotto, Harbor Heights, Harman Heights, Hazelwood, Henrys, High Point, Hilltop, Hobart, Holly Park, Hollywood, Humphrey, Hunts Point, Inglesea, Issaquah, Jovita, Juanita, Kanaskat, Kangley, Kenmore, Kennydale, Kent, Kerriston, Kirkland, Klahanie, Krain, Kummer, Lake Forest Park, Lake Heights, Lake Holm, Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Lake Morton-Berrydale, Lakeland North, Lakeland South, Lakeridge, Lakota, Landsburg, Lavilla, Lester, Lisabeula, Lowman Beach Park, Madrona, Magnolia Bluff, Manzanita, Maple Heights-Lake Desire, Maple Valley, Maury, McVan, Medina, Mercer Island, Meridian, Meridian Heights, Metum, Midlakes, Mileta, Miller River, Milton, Mirror Lake, Mirrormont, Monohon, Mount Baker, Mount View, Naco, Nagrom, Newcastle, Newport Hills, Newport Shores, Noble, Normandy Park, North Bend, Northrup, Novelty, Osceola, Pacific, Palmer, Phinney Ridge, Pines, Pleasant Hill, Portage, Preston, Raeco, Ragnar, Rainier Beach, Rainier Valley, Ravenna, Ravensdale, Redmond, Redondo, Renton, Riverbend, Riverpoint, Roanoke, Rockdale, Rose Hill, Sammamish, Seahurst, SeaTac, Seattle, Selleck, Seola Beach, Shadow Lake, Shawnee, Skykomish, Skyway, Snoqualmie, Snoqualmie Falls, South Seattle, Southern Heights, Spring Beach, Spring Glen, Stampede, Star Lake, Stuart, Stuck, Summerhurst, Tahlequah, The Highlands, Thomas, Tokul, Trude, Tukwila, Union Hill-Novelty Hill, Upper Mill, Upper Preston, Vashon, Vashon Heights, Veazie, Wayne, White, White Center, Wilderness Rim, Willows, Woodinville, Yarrow Point, York, Zenith