Seattle metropolitan area

{{redirect|Seattle–Tacoma}} {{redirect|Seattle Metro|the public transit authority of Seattle and surrounding areas|King County Metro|the rapid transit system of the Seattle metropolitan area|Link light rail}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Seattle metropolitan area | official_name = Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA MSA | settlement_type = Metropolitan statistical area | image_skyline = Seattle Downtown Aerial, July 2025 (zoomed and perspective corrected).jpg | imagesize = 290 | image_alt = | image_caption = Aerial view of Downtown Seattle, 2025 | image_map = Map of Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue MSA and Seattle–Tacoma–Olympia CSA.svg | map_alt = Map of Washington state with the Seattle metropolitan area and combined statistical area highlighted | map_caption = Map of the Seattle metropolitan statistical area (MSA), highlighted in teal; the Seattle Combined Statistical Area (CSA) is highlighted in gold | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | pushpin_label_position = | coordinates = {{coord|47.49|-121.83|format=dms|display=inline}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|United States}} | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Washington}} | subdivision_type2 = Counties (MSA) | subdivision_name2 = King, Pierce, Snohomish | established_title = Largest city | established_date = Seattle (762,500) | established_title1 = Other cities | established_date1 = {{ubl| * – Tacoma (220,800) * – Bellevue (153,900) * – Kent (137,900) * – Everett (113,300) * – Renton (107,500)}} | leader_title1 = Congressional districts | leader_name1 = 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th | government_footnotes = | unit_pref = US | area_footnotes = <ref name="Gazetteer">{{cite web |date=October 28, 2021 |title=2020 Gazetteer Files: Core Based Statistical Areas |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2020/geo/gazetter-file.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> | area_urban_footnotes = | area_rural_footnotes = | area_metro_footnotes = | area_note = | area_water_percent = | area_rank = | area_blank1_title = | area_blank2_title = | area_total_sq_mi = 6308.67 | area_land_sq_mi = 5869.72 | area_water_sq_mi = 438.95 | area_urban_sq_mi = | area_rural_sq_mi = | area_blank1_sq_mi = | area_blank2_sq_mi = | area_blank1_acre = | area_blank2_acre = | length_mi = | width_mi = | dimensions_footnotes = | elevation_max_footnotes =  | elevation_max_ft = Mount Rainier<br />14,411 | elevation_max_m = 4,392 | elevation_min_footnotes =  | elevation_min_ft = Sea level<br />0 | elevation_min_m = 0 | population_footnotes = <ref name="Census2020-DP1"/> | population_as_of = 2020 | population_total = 4,018,762 | pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="CBSA-Estimates"/> | pop_est_as_of = 2024 | population_est = 4,145,494 | population_density_sq_mi = 685 | population_rank = 15th in the U.S. | population_note = | population_demonym = | demographics_type2 = GDP | demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="FRED-GDP">{{cite web |date=December 4, 2024 |title=Total Gross Domestic Product for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (MSA) |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP42660 |work=Federal Reserve Economic Data |publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis |accessdate=December 11, 2024}}</ref> | demographics2_title1 = MSA | demographics2_info1 = $604.065 billion (2024) | timezone1 = Pacific (PST) | utc_offset1 = −8 | timezone1_DST = PDT | utc_offset1_DST = −7 | postal_code_type = ZIP Code prefixes<ref>{{cite web |title=3-Digit ZIP Code Prefix Matrix |url=https://pe.usps.com/archive/html/dmmarchive20050106/print/L002.htm |publisher=United States Postal Service |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> | postal_code = 980, 981, 982, 983, 984 | area_code_type = Area codes | area_code = 206, 253, 360, 425, 564 | blank_name = FIPS code<ref>{{cite web |year=2015 |title=List 1: FIPS Metropolitan Area (CBSA) Codes |page=6 |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/methodology/2015%20Geography%20Cover.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> | blank_info = 53-42660 | blank_name2 = | iso_code = | website =  | module = | footnotes = }}

The '''Seattle metropolitan area''' is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding satellites and suburbs. The United States Census Bureau defines the '''Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA metropolitan statistical area''' as the three most populous counties in the state: King, Pierce, and Snohomish. Seattle has the 15th largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States with a population of 4,018,762 as of the 2020 census, over half of Washington's total population.

The area is considered part of the greater Puget Sound region, which largely overlaps with the Seattle Combined Statistical Area (CSA). The Seattle metropolitan area is home to a large tech industry and is the headquarters of several major companies, including Microsoft and Amazon. The area's geography is varied and includes the lowlands around Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountains; the highest peak in the metropolitan area is Mount Rainier, which has a summit elevation of {{convert|14,411|ft|m}} and is the tallest mountain in the United States.

==Definitions== [[File:ISS062-E-148232 - crop for Seattle metropolitan area.jpg|thumb|right|Satellite view of the Seattle metropolitan area taken from the International Space Station in 2020]]

As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Office of Management and Budget, the Seattle metropolitan area is officially the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and consists of:<ref name="CensusMap-2020">{{cite map |author=Population Division |date=April 2020 |title=Washington: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/metro-micro/reference-maps/2020/state-maps/53_Washington_2020.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref><ref name="OMB-2023">{{cite web |date=July 21, 2023 |title=OMB Bulletin No. 23{{hyphen}}01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas |pages=72, 81, 144 |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OMB-Bulletin-23-01.pdf |publisher=Office of Management and Budget |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

* Everett metropolitan division ** Snohomish County: north of Seattle * Seattle–Bellevue–Kent metropolitan division ** King County: Seattle and its immediate vicinity * Tacoma–Lakewood metropolitan division ** Pierce County: south of Seattle

Based on commuting patterns, the adjacent metropolitan areas of Olympia, Bremerton, and Mount Vernon, along with a few smaller satellite urban areas, are grouped together in a wider labor market region known as the ''Seattle–Tacoma'' combined statistical area (CSA), which encompasses most of the Puget Sound region.<ref name="OMB-2023"/><ref name="CSAMap-2013">{{cite map |date=February 2013 |title=Seattle–Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/econ/ec2012/csa/EC2012_330M200US500M.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The population of this wider region was 4,953,389 at the 2020 census and estimated to be 5,105,721 in 2024;<ref name="CBSA-Estimates"/> the Puget Sound region is home to two-thirds of Washington's population.<ref name="DOE-Puget">{{cite web |title=Puget Sound |url=https://ecology.wa.gov/Water-Shorelines/Puget-Sound |publisher=Washington State Department of Ecology |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref> The Seattle CSA is the 14th largest in the United States and the 13th largest primary census statistical area in the country.<ref name="CBSA-Estimates"/> The additional metropolitan and micropolitan areas included are:<ref name="OMB-2023"/>

* Bremerton–Silverdale–Port Orchard metropolitan area ** Kitsap County: west of Seattle, separated from the city by Puget Sound * Centralia micropolitan area ** Lewis County: south of Olympia * Mount Vernon–Anacortes metropolitan area ** Skagit County: north of Everett * Oak Harbor micropolitan area ** Island County: northwest of Everett, encompassing Whidbey Island and Camano Island in Puget Sound * Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater metropolitan area ** Thurston County: southwest of Seattle, at the south end of Puget Sound * Shelton micropolitan area ** Mason County: west of Tacoma and northwest of Olympia

===Establishment and expansion===

The Census Bureau adopted metropolitan districts in the 1910 census to create a standard definition for urban areas with industrial activity around a central city.<ref name="CES-History">{{cite report |last=Gardner |first=Todd |date=February 2021 |title=Changes in Metropolitan Area Definition, 1910–2010 |pages=6 |url=https://www2.census.gov/ces/wp/2021/CES-WP-21-04.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |department=Center for Economic Studies |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> At the time, Seattle had the 22nd largest metropolitan district population at 239,269 people, a 195.8 percent increase from the population of the equivalent area in the 1900 census.<ref>{{cite report |year=1913 |title=Abstract of the Thirteenth Census, 1910 |chapter=Population of Metropolitan Districts |pages=61–62 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/abstract-1910-p3.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The Seattle metropolitan district was expanded to encompass the entirety of Lake Washington in the 1930 census and also included Edmonds in Snohomish County, Des Moines in southern King County, and portions of eastern Bainbridge Island in Kitsap County.<ref>{{cite report |year=1932 |title=Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930 |chapter=Metropolitan Districts |page=214 |chapter-url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1930/metropolitan/03450421ch2.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The district covered {{convert|209.9|sqmi|sqkm}}, of which two-thirds was outside of Seattle proper, and counted a population of 420,663.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 30, 1931 |title=Population in Greater City Area Mounts |page=11 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref>

The Seattle metropolitan area, successor to the metropolitan district, was expanded in 1949 to encompass all of King County but lose its portions in Kitsap and Snohomish counties. The local chamber of commerce and other leaders had lobbied for a definition that also included all of Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties in a manner similar to the Portland metropolitan area, which had been expanded to cover four counties in Oregon and southwestern Washington.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hoffman |first=Fergus |date=November 11, 1949 |title=Census Of Greater Seattle To Include All King County |page=1 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 6, 1949 |title=Portland Area Enlarged 12-Fold For 1950 Census |page=10 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The Bureau of the Budget (now Office of Management and Budget) added Snohomish County to its definition of the Seattle metropolitan area in 1959. The definition had previously only encompassed King County; local leaders had sought to also include Pierce and Kitsap counties in a "Puget Sound metropolitan area".<ref>{{cite news |last=Fussell |first=E. B. |date=May 8, 1959 |title=Seattle Wins Point in Area Designation |page=17 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> Snohomish County had protested its inclusion and had sought a separate metropolitan area designation centered on Everett, which did not meet the population threshold of 50,000 residents.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 8, 1959 |title=County Included in Seattle Metro Area |page=6 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-everett-daily-herald-county-included/139642257/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=March 6, 1958 |title=Metropolitan Plan Stymied |page=35 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-everett-daily-herald-metropolitan-pl/139645441/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

In the 1950 census, a separate metropolitan area for Tacoma was defined that encompassed all of Pierce County.<ref>{{cite news |last=Spaeth |first=John D. |date=October 18, 1959 |title=Questions on Loans, Construction Answered |page=38 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McDaniel |first=Robert |date=October 2, 1974 |title=Tacoma leaders sure city can snap out of slump |page=B9 |work=The Seattle Times |agency=United Press International}}</ref> Kitsap County remained part of no metropolitan area despite its connections to both Seattle and Tacoma.<ref>{{cite news |last=Coughlin |first=Dan |date=April 19, 1964 |title=Paper Noose—Strangling Puget Sound Area |page=1 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The Office of Management and Budget included the area in the Seattle–Tacoma standard consolidated statistical area in 1981;<ref>{{cite web |date=November 18, 1999 |title=Standard Consolidated Statistical Areas (SCSAs), 1981 with Codes |url=http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/81codes.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041209193029/http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/81codes.txt |archive-date=December 9, 2004 |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> it was replaced in 1983 by the Seattle–Tacoma consolidated metropolitan statistical area (CMSA).<ref>{{cite web |date=November 1998 |title=Metropolitan Areas and Components, 1983 with FIPS Codes |url=http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/83mfips.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041209193033/http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/83mfips.txt |archive-date=December 9, 2004 |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The CMSA was expanded to include Bremerton and Olympia after the 1990 census and was the 12th largest in the country at the time.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 19, 1993 |title=Bremerton leads population gain in state's cities |page=B3 |work=The Seattle Times |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=March 18, 1993 |title=Census breaks down state population |page=A2 |work=The Olympian |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-olympian-census-breaks-down-state-po/139655033/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The Office of Management and Budget restructured its classification system in 2003 and created the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan statistical area to cover the tri-county region. A new Seattle–Tacoma–Olympia combined statistical area (CSA) replaced the CMSA and expanded to cover Island and Mason counties.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 7, 2003 |title=OMB Bulletin No. 03{{hyphen}}04 Attachment: Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, Combined Statistical Areas, New England City and Town Areas, Combined New England City and Town Areas |pages=48, 102 |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/assets/OMB/bulletins/b03-04_attach.pdf |publisher=Office of Management and Budget |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709121637/https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/assets/OMB/bulletins/b03-04_attach.pdf |archive-date=July 9, 2017 |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |date=June 2003 |title=Washington – Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/metroarea/stcbsa_pg/Jun03_orig/cbsa2003a_WA.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The Mount Vernon–Anacortes metropolitan area was created in 2003 to encompass Skagit County and added to the Seattle CSA in 2006;<ref>{{cite press release |date=June 6, 2003 |title=OMB Designates 49 New Metropolitan Statistical Areas |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/pubpress/2003-18.pdf |publisher=Office of Management and Budget |via=National Archives and Records Administration |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=December 18, 2006 |title=OMB Bulletin No. 07{{hyphen}}01: Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/legacy_drupal_files/omb/bulletins/2001-2008/b07-01.pdf |publisher=Office of Management and Budget |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> the CSA was extended further south to Lewis County through the addition of the Centralia micropolitan area in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 28, 2013 |title=OMB Bulletin No. 13{{hyphen}}01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas |page=109 |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/legacy_drupal_files/omb/bulletins/2013/b13-01.pdf |publisher=Office of Management and Budget |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

==Geography==

The Seattle metropolitan area covers {{convert|6,309|sqmi|sqkm}} of land and water in Western Washington divided between the three counties;<ref name="Gazetteer"/> King County is the largest county at over {{convert|2,115|sqmi|sqkm}}, followed by Snohomish and Pierce counties.<ref name="PSRC-Economic">{{cite report |date=December 2021 |title=Regional Economic Strategy |pages=10–12, 21–27 |url=https://www.psrc.org/media/1688 |publisher=Puget Sound Regional Council |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> The region includes portions of the Cascade Range and two active volcanoes, Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak, which can generate lahars that could potentially reach populated areas.<ref name="KQED-Volcanoes">{{cite news |last=Geranios |first=Nicholas K. |date=May 12, 2018 |title=Concerned About West Coast Volcanoes? Scientists Answer Burning Questions |url=https://www.kqed.org/news/11668047/concerned-about-west-coast-volcanoes-scientists-answer-burning-questions |publisher=KQED |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=February 8, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Landers |first=Rich |date=October 2, 2014 |title=In brief: U.S. Geological Survey takes a closer look at Glacier Peak eruption potential |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/oct/02/in-brief-us-geological-survey-takes-a-closer-look/ |work=The Spokesman-Review |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The summit of Mount Rainier is the tallest point in Washington at {{convert|14,411|ft|m}} above mean sea level;<ref name="PSRC-Economic"/> it has 26 glaciers that are visible from much of the region's lowlands.<ref name="KQED-Volcanoes"/><ref name="HL-RainierNP">{{cite web |last=Norberg |first=David |date=October 13, 2020 |title=Mount Rainier National Park |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/21111 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> To the west of the metropolitan area is Puget Sound, which forms the second-largest saltwater estuary in the United States and is part of the Salish Sea.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 3, 2022 |title=Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound |url=https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pcmsc/science/coastal-habitats-puget-sound |publisher=United States Geological Survey |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref>

;Principal cities<ref name="OMB-2023"/> * Seattle * Tacoma * Bellevue * Kent * Everett * Renton * Auburn * Redmond * Lakewood

;Other cities<ref>{{cite web |year=2023 |title=Washington City and Town Profiles |url=https://mrsc.org/research-tools/washington-city-and-town-profiles |publisher=Municipal Research and Services Center |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em| * Arlington * Bainbridge Island * Beaux Arts Village * Bonney Lake * Bothell * Brier * Buckley * Burien * Covington * Des Moines * Duvall * Enumclaw * Edmonds * Federal Way * Gig Harbor * Gold Bar * Granite Falls * Issaquah * Kenmore * Kirkland * Lake Forest Park * Lake Stevens * Lynnwood * Maple Valley * Marysville * Mercer Island * Mill Creek * Monroe * Mountlake Terrace * Mukilteo * Newcastle * Normandy Park * North Bend * Orting * Puyallup * Sammamish * SeaTac * Shoreline * Silverdale * Snohomish * Snoqualmie * Stanwood * Sultan * Sumner * Tukwila * Woodinville * Woodway }}

===Indian reservations===

The Seattle metropolitan area is home to nine federally recognized tribes that belong to the indigenous Coast Salish peoples:<ref name="PSRC-Tribes"/>

* Muckleshoot Indian Tribe * Nisqually Indian Tribe * Port Gamble Band of S'Klallam Indians * Puyallup Indian Tribe * Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe * Snoqualmie Indian Tribe * Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians * Suquamish Indian Tribe * Tulalip Tribes

The tribes have sovereign governments that have authority over their enrolled members and the Indian reservations that were established in the region.<ref name="PSRC-Tribes">{{cite web |title=Tribes |url=https://www.psrc.org/about-us/tribes |publisher=Puget Sound Regional Council |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The reservations were created through treaties with the federal government that were not consistently honored and often combined several tribes together;<ref>{{cite news |last=Breda |first=Isabella |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Duwamish recognition fight underscores plight of treaty tribes |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/duwamish-recognition-fight-underscores-plight-of-treaty-tribes/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> they were also open to settlement by non-Indians.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kapralos |first=Krista J. |date=August 22, 2008 |title=Tribal members, non-Indians live in the shadow of luxury |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/business/tribal-members-non-indians-live-in-the-shadow-of-luxury/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

===Military installations===

{{As of|2023}}, the Puget Sound region had nearly 105,000 U.S. Department of Defense and Washington National Guard personnel, including active duty, guard and reserve members of the military, and civilian workers at United States Armed Forces bases.<ref name="DOD-Spending">{{cite report |author1=Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation |author2=Federal Research Division |date=October 2023 |title=Defense Spending by State, Fiscal Year 2022 |pages=112–113, 126 |url=https://oldcc.gov/sites/default/files/defense-spending-rpts/OLDCC_DSBS_FY2022_FINAL_WEB_October2023.pdf |publisher=United States Department of Defense |accessdate=January 28, 2024 |archive-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128220916/https://oldcc.gov/sites/default/files/defense-spending-rpts/OLDCC_DSBS_FY2022_FINAL_WEB_October2023.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=State Fact Sheets: Washington |url=https://www.repi.mil/Portals/44/Documents/State_Packages/Washington_ALLFacts.pdf |date=September 2023|publisher=United States Department of Defense |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> Major facilities in the area include Joint Base Lewis–McChord in Pierce County, the largest military base on the West Coast with over 25,000 active duty soldiers;<ref>{{cite news |last=Ashton |first=Adam |date=July 16, 2015 |title=JBLM retains combat brigades, but loses 4 smaller units |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/military/article26888839.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> Naval Station Everett in Snohomish County; and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Island County.<ref name="DOD-Spending"/><ref name="Talton-Military">{{cite news |last=Talton |first=Jon |date=September 26, 2014 |title=Military is big business in state, but at what cost? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/military-is-big-business-in-state-but-at-what-cost/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The Kitsap Peninsula—part of the Seattle CSA—is home to Naval Base Kitsap, which includes the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton and Naval Submarine Base Bangor,<ref name="Talton-Military"/> site of the third-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world with more than 1,100 warheads for submarines.<ref>{{cite news |last=Malone |first=Patrick |date=March 12, 2022 |title=What Russia's nuclear escalation means for Washington, with world's third-largest atomic arsenal |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/times-watchdog/what-russias-nuclear-escalation-means-for-washington-state-home-to-the-globes-third-largest-atomic-arsenal/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The U.S. Coast Guard is under military command in time of war, and it routinely supports Defense Department missions, including escorting ballistic missile submarines to and from Bangor.<ref>{{citation|publisher=United States Government Accountability Office|title=Coast Guard: Information on Defense Readiness Mission Deployments, Expenses, and Funding|date=September 15, 2021|url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-104741.pdf}}</ref> U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District (formerly District 13) headquarters are on the Seattle waterfront, and it is home to all U.S. icebreakers. {{As of|2025}}, the base was being expanded to include three new Polar Security Cutters.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=KING-TV|location=Seattle|title=Coast Guard begins work on ‘polar security’ base, eyes 54 acres of Seattle waterfront|first= Dalton |last=Day|date=November 13, 2025|url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/coast-guard-seattle-waterfront-polar-security-base/281-f448e11c-619a-4bbf-8817-a7bf0fc15a06}}</ref>

The region also has several major companies that serve as defense contractors for the U.S. military, comprising most of Washington's $6.9 billion awarded in fiscal year 2022. The largest contractors in the Seattle area include Boeing, PacMed, and Microsoft.<ref name="DOD-Spending"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Rivera |first=Ray |date=September 30, 2001 |title=State's huge military presence gains visibility with mobilization |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20010930&slug=nwmilitary30m |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The Veterans Health Administration has 110,000 enrolled patients in the Puget Sound region, which includes a large population of retirees.<ref>{{cite news |last=Reicher |first=Mike |date=May 22, 2021 |title=Thousands of military and veterans' COVID-19 vaccinations aren't in Washington state data, hindering pandemic response |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/times-watchdog/thousands-of-military-and-veterans-covid-19-vaccinations-arent-in-state-data-hindering-pandemic-response/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 28, 2024}}</ref>

==Demographics== {{USCensusPop |1870=4128 |1880=11616 |1890=123443 |1900=189518 |1910=464659 |1920=601090 |1930=706220 |1940=775815 |1950=1120448 |1960=1428803 |1970=1832896 |1980=2093112 |1990=2559164 |2000=3043878 |2010=3439809 |2020=4018762 |estimate=4145494 |estyear=2024 |footnote=Calculated from county totals;<ref>{{cite web |title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref><br />U.S. Census estimates<ref name="CBSA-Estimates">{{cite web |date=March 2025 |title=Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals: 2020–2024 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=March 13, 2025}}</ref> }}

As of the 2020 census, there were 4,018,762 people in the three counties that form the Seattle metropolitan area, which comprises 52 percent of Washington's population.<ref name="Census2020-DP1">{{cite web |date=August 2021 |title=DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=310XX00US42660&d=DEC+Demographic+Profile |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=July 2, 2021 |title=What exodus? Seattle and Washington kept growing during pandemic; see how each county fared |page=A1 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/covid-slowed-but-didnt-stop-population-growth-in-seattle-washington-hits-7-7m-residents/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> It is the 15th largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and among the fastest-growing in the country.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gutman |first1=David |last2=Shapiro |first2=Nina |date=August 12, 2021 |title=Seattle grew by more than 100,000 people in past 10 years, King County population booms, diversifies, new census data shows |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-grew-by-more-than-100000-people-in-past-10-years-kent-among-fastest-growing-cities-new-census-data-shows/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The overall population density was {{convert|685|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. The population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female with a median age of 37.2 years old.<ref name="Census2020-DP1"/>

The racial makeup of the metropolitan area was 60.1% White, 15.4% Asian, 6.1% Black, 1.1% Native American or Alaska Native, 1.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 11.0% from two or more races, and 5.3% from other races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race formed 11.2% of the population.<ref name="Census2020-DP1"/> From 2010 to 2020, the non-Hispanic White population of the Seattle metropolitan area declined from 68 percent to 58 percent—the largest decline in the U.S.<ref name="Brookings-2020Census">{{cite web |last=Frey |first=William H. |date=April 21, 2022 |title=A 2020 Census Portrait of America's Largest Metro Areas: Population growth, diversity, segregation, and youth |pages=10–14 |url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/A-2020-Census-Portrait-of-America_s-Largest-Metro-Areas_-Populati.pdf |publisher=Brookings Institution |accessdate=March 9, 2024}}</ref> The region also has a large Asian American population that was among the fastest-growing in the country between 2010 and 2020.<ref name="Brookings-2020Census"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Saldanha |first=Alison |date=October 3, 2023 |title=How WA's Asian demographics have changed dramatically |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/the-2010s-radically-changed-washingtons-asian-demographics-new-data-shows/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 9, 2024}}</ref>

There were 1,564,432 total households in the metropolitan area at the time of the 2020 census, of which 47.8% included a married couple, 8.1% included an unmarried cohabiting couple, 19.7% had a single male with no spouse or partner, and 24.4% single female with no spouse or partner. Out of all households, 29.8% had people under the age of 18 and 25.3% had people 65 years or older.<ref name="Census2020-DP1"/> Approximately 18.3% of household residents were opposite-sex spouses, while 0.3% were same-sex spouses.<ref name="Census2020-DP1"/>

According to a 2022 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 17 percent of adult residents in the Seattle metropolitan area identified as LGBTQ.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 27, 2022 |title=One in six residents don't identify as straight or heterosexual |url=https://www.psrc.org/about-us/media-hub/proud-and-present-seattle-metro-area |publisher=Puget Sound Regional Council |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The region has one of the highest percentages of same-sex couples in the United States at 1.3 percent of households in the metropolitan area {{as of|2022|lc=y}};<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=December 9, 2022 |title=WA among top 10 states with highest concentration of same-sex couples |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/wa-among-top-10-states-with-highest-concentration-of-same-sex-couples/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> in 2023, Seattle itself had 3.2 percent of households with same-sex couples—the highest percentage in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=February 27, 2025 |title=Seattle takes No. 1 spot for share of households with same-sex couples |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattle-takes-no-1-spot-for-share-of-households-with-same-sex-couples/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref>

===Counties===

King County is the largest of the three counties in the metropolitan area with 2,269,675 people in 2020, or 56 percent of the population of the Seattle area.<ref name="OFM-2023">{{cite report |author=Forecasting & Research Division |date=September 2023 |title=State of Washington 2023 Population Trends |pages=12–13, 15–16 |url=https://www.ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/dataresearch/pop/april1/ofm_april1_poptrends.pdf |publisher=Washington State Office of Financial Management |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+Counties in the Seattle metropolitan area |- !County !2020 census<ref name="OFM-2023"/> !2010 census<ref name="OFM-2023"/> !Change !Area !Density |- |King County | {{change|invert=on|2269675|1931249}} |{{convert|2115.56|sqmi|abbr=on}} |{{Pop density|2188649|2115.56|sqmi|km2|prec=0}} |- |Pierce County | {{change|invert=on|921130|795225}} |{{convert|1669.51|sqmi|abbr=on}} |{{Pop density|921130|1669.51|sqmi|km2|prec=0}} |- |Snohomish County | {{change|invert=on|827957|713335}} |{{convert|2087.27|sqmi|abbr=on}} |{{Pop density|827957|2087.27|sqmi|km2|prec=0}} |- |- class="sortbottom" style="background:#fbfbbb" |'''Total''' | {{change|invert=on|4018762|3439809|bgcolour=#fbfbbb}} |{{convert|5869.72|sqmi|abbr=on}} |{{Pop density|4018762|5869.72|sqmi|km2|prec=0}} |}

===Religion=== {| class="wikitable collapsible" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center; float:right; margin:1em" |+ Religious affiliation among Seattle-area adults (Pew Research Center) |- ! scope="col" | Religious composition ! scope="col" | 2024<ref>{{cite web |date=February 26, 2025 |title=Religious Landscape Study: People in the Seattle metro area |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/metro-area/seattle-wa/?selectedYear=2024 |publisher=Pew Research Center |doi=10.58094/3zs9-jc14 |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> ! scope="col" | 2014<ref>{{cite web |date=November 3, 2015 |title=Religious Landscape Study: Adults in the Seattle metropolitan area |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/metro-area/seattle-metro-area/ |work=Religion & Public Life Project |publisher=Pew Research Center |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419144330/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/metro-area/seattle-metro-area/ |archive-date=April 19, 2022 |accessdate=November 10, 2015}}</ref> |- | align="left" | '''Christian''' |'''44%''' |'''52%''' |- | align="left" |  —Evangelical Protestant |21% |23% |- | align="left" |  —Mainline Protestant |9% |10% |- | align="left" |  —Black Protestant |1% |1% |- | align="left" |  —Catholic |11% |15% |- | align="left" | '''Non-Christian faiths''' |'''11%''' |'''10%''' |- | align="left" |  —Jewish |1% |1% |- | align="left" |  —Muslim |2% |< 1% |- | align="left" |  —Buddhist |4% |2% |- | align="left" |  —Hindu |1% |2% |- | align="left" | '''Unaffiliated''' |'''44%''' |'''37%''' |- | align="left" |  —Atheist |9% |10% |- | align="left" |  —Agnostic |14% |6% |- | align="left" |  —Nothing in particular |21% |22% |- | align="left" | Don't know |1% |1% |}

The Seattle metropolitan area has one of the largest populations of people in the United States who identify as nonreligious.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sillman |first1=Marcie |last2=O'Connell |first2=Kate |date=May 26, 2015 |title=Don't Believe In God? Move To Seattle |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/dont-believe-god-move-seattle |publisher=KUOW |accessdate=February 29, 2024}}</ref> A 2024 Household Pulse Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 64 percent of adults in the area do not attend religious services more than once a year, the highest percentage among large U.S. metropolitan areas.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=February 29, 2024 |title=Seattle is the least-religious large metro area in the U.S. |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattle-is-the-least-religious-large-metro-area-in-the-u-s/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 29, 2024}}</ref> According to the Pew Research Center's 2023–24 U.S. Religious Landscape Study, the Seattle area was tied with Portland for the highest share of people without a religious affiliation at 44 percent. The share of non-religious people in the area had increased since the 2014 edition of the Pew study, while the share of people who identified as Christian declined from 52 percent to 44 percent.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=March 7, 2025 |title=Seattle ties as the least religious U.S. metro area in new study |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattle-ties-as-the-least-religious-u-s-metro-area-in-new-study/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref>

===Income and wealth===

The cost of living in the Seattle area ranks among the highest in the United States among urban areas, particularly for housing, services, and retail goods.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=February 17, 2023 |title=Just about everything in Seattle is more expensive than the U.S. average |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/just-about-everything-in-seattle-is-more-expensive-than-u-s-average/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> In 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that median household income for residents of the Seattle metropolitan area was $101,700, an 8.2 percent increase from 2019. It is the fourth-highest figure for any metropolitan area in the United States, behind San Jose, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=October 10, 2022 |title=Seattle jumps to fourth-highest household income among large metros |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattle-jumps-to-fourth-highest-household-income-among-large-metros/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimated that the per-capita income of a Seattle metropolitan area resident was $92,113 in 2022;<ref>{{cite web |date=November 16, 2023 |title=Per Capita Personal Income in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (MSA) |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SEAT653PCPI |work=Federal Reserve Economic Data |publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> the previous year, the region ranked tenth in the U.S. for per-capita income.<ref>{{cite news |last=Saldanha |first=Alison |date=March 6, 2023 |title=Is Washington a rich state? That depends where you look |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/is-washington-a-rich-state-that-depends-where-you-look/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

The area is home to several of the wealthiest people in the United States and the world by net worth. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos both held the title of world's richest person, as determined by ''Forbes'', while living in the Eastside city of Medina.<ref>{{cite news |last=Geraldo |first=Renata |date=November 3, 2023 |title=With Bezos headed to Miami, a look at WA's richest people |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/with-bezos-headed-to-miami-a-look-at-was-richest-people/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 19, 2024}}</ref><ref name="CNBC-Medina">{{cite news |last=Clifford |first=Catherine |date=June 25, 2019 |title=The Seattle suburb where Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates both live is running out of money |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/25/medina-wash-home-to-jeff-bezos-and-bill-gates-running-out-of-money.html |work=CNBC |accessdate=February 19, 2024}}</ref> Another Eastside suburb, Sammamish, has a median household income of $201,370—the second-highest among cities in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilligan |first=Chris |date=May 22, 2023 |title=These Are the 10 Wealthiest Cities in the U.S. |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/richest-cities-in-the-us |work=U.S. News & World Report |accessdate=February 19, 2024}}</ref>

===Housing and homelessness=== {{see also|Homelessness in Seattle}}

The Seattle area has a housing shortage that has contributed to affordability issues in the early 21st century, particularly due to demand outpacing construction of new units.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=August 6, 2022 |title=Housing shortage has spread across Pacific Northwest, new study shows |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/housing-shortage-has-spread-across-pacific-northwest-new-study-shows/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The metropolitan area had the seventh highest number of new units built among large cities in 2016, of which 63 percent were in multifamily buildings.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Mike |date=March 16, 2017 |title=Seattle region ranks near top of nation for new housing, so what's with the soaring prices? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/seattle-region-ranks-near-top-of-nation-for-new-housing-so-whats-with-the-soaring-prices/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The state legislature passed a new housing law in 2023 that allows for medium-density units in areas of all cities that supersede local zoning regulations; the new law could allow for 75,000 to 150,000 new units in the region, but exempts certain pre-existing homeowner associations and other contract-based communities.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gutman |first1=David |last2=Beekman |first2=Daniel |date=April 23, 2023 |title=WA's new ban on single-family zoning exempts some of Seattle's wealthiest neighborhoods |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/was-new-ban-on-single-family-zoning-exempts-some-of-seattles-wealthiest-neighborhoods/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 5, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=Josh |date=June 5, 2023 |title=How will 'missing middle' zoning impact Seattle housing? |url=https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/06/how-will-missing-middle-zoning-impact-seattle-housing |work=Crosscut.com |accessdate=February 5, 2024}}</ref> {{As of|April 2023}}, the median price for a single-family home was $722,000 and the median rent for a one-bedroom unit is $1,505 across the metropolitan area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Groover |first=Heidi |date=May 4, 2023 |title=Seattle-area housing market kicks off spring season with a whimper |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/seattle-area-housing-market-kicks-off-spring-season-with-a-whimper/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Groover |first=Heidi |date=May 19, 2023 |title=Seattle-area rents hold steady after pandemic-fueled spikes |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/seattle-area-rents-hold-steady-after-pandemic-fueled-spikes/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> In King County, an estimated 309,000 new units are needed by 2044 to handle anticipated growth.<ref>{{cite news |last=Groover |first=Heidi |date=October 2, 2023 |title=Thousands of new homes needed across King County |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/thousands-of-new-homes-needed-across-king-county/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> As of the 2020 census, the Seattle metropolitan area had 1,650,246 total housing units, of which 94.8% were occupied. Of the 85,814 vacant units, 41.1% were for rent, 4.4% were rented but not occupied, 10.1% were for sale, 5.1% had been sold but not yet occupied, and 16.9% were designated for seasonal or recreational use.<ref name="Census2020-DP1"/>

King County has the third largest population of homeless or unsheltered people in the United States according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).<ref name="Times-Clearing">{{cite news |last=Patrick |first=Anna |date=June 30, 2023 |title=Seattle's encampment clearings receive mixed results: poll |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/seattles-encampment-clearings-receive-mixed-results-poll/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 28, 2024}}</ref> The agency's January 2023 report, based on the point-in-time count system, estimates 14,149 people in the county have experienced homelessness;<ref>{{cite report |date=December 2023 |title=The 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness |page=20 |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |publisher=United States Department of Housing and Urban Development |accessdate=January 28, 2024}}</ref> the King County Regional Homelessness Authority adopted a different methodology based on the number of people seeking services and estimated that 53,532 people in the county had been homeless at some point in 2022.<ref name="Times-Clearing"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Kim |first=Greg |date=June 8, 2023 |title=What's going on with the Regional Homelessness Authority? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/whats-going-on-with-the-regional-homelessness-authority/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 28, 2024}}</ref> According to a survey collected by service providers for the county government, 68.5 percent of respondents said they last had stable housing in King County and 10.8 percent had lived elsewhere in the state.<ref>{{cite news |last=Patrick |first=Anna |date=July 6, 2023 |title=Where are King County's homeless residents from? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/where-are-king-countys-homeless-residents-from/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref> Approximately 57 percent of the homeless population counted by HUD in King County was classified as unsheltered, either living in vehicles, encampments in public spaces, or other places.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Love |first1=Hanna |last2=Hadden Loh |first2=Tracy |date=December 7, 2023 |title=Homelessness in US cities and downtowns |url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/homelessness-in-us-cities-and-downtowns/ |publisher=Brookings Institution |accessdate=January 28, 2024}}</ref> The number of unsheltered individuals increased significantly in the late 2010s, leading to clearing of encampments and other structures by local governments.<ref>{{cite news |last=Coleman |first=Vernal |date=May 31, 2018 |title=Annual homeless count reveals more people sleeping outside than ever before |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/new-homeless-count-in-king-county-shows-spike-in-number-of-people-sleeping-outside/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Beekman |first1=Daniel |last2=Brownstone |first2=Sydney |date=July 6, 2019 |title=On way to long-term changes, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan quietly clears homeless camps |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/on-way-to-long-term-changes-seattle-mayor-jenny-durkan-quietly-clears-homeless-camps/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref>

The county has 5,115 emergency shelter beds and tiny house villages, of which 67 percent are in the city of Seattle.<ref name="Times-Burden">{{cite news |last=Kim |first=Greg |date=March 5, 2023 |title=Does Seattle bear the burden of King County's homelessness? Kinda |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/does-seattle-bear-the-burden-of-king-countys-homelessness-kinda/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 28, 2024}}</ref> Additional shelters, parking lots, and encampment sites are operated by charity organizations and churches in the area;<ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Lynn |date=September 20, 2015 |title='Desperately needed': Church provides safe parking spaces for homeless |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/eastside/desperately-needed-safe-parking-spaces-for-homeless/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 28, 2024}}</ref> during severe weather events such as heat waves and cold snaps, local governments open additional shelter spaces, but these often reach capacity.<ref>{{cite news |last=Patrick |first=Anna |date=January 23, 2024 |title=Cold weather emergency highlights homelessness system's flaws |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/cold-weather-emergency-highlights-homelessness-systems-flaws/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 28, 2024}}</ref> In 2021, a total of $123 million was spent on homelessness services by local governments in King County, including cities and the regional authority.<ref name="Times-Burden"/> The regional authority's five-year plan, released in 2023, estimates that $8 billion in capital costs would be required to build and staff 18,205 new units of temporary and transitional housing to address the homelessness crisis.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kim |first=Greg |date=January 26, 2023 |title=Ending homelessness in King County will cost billions, regional authority says |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/ending-homelessness-in-king-county-will-cost-billions-regional-authority-says/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 28, 2024}}</ref>

The January 2023 point-in-time survey conducted in Pierce County identified 2,148 people who were experiencing homelessness, of whom 59 percent were in shelters and 21 percent were unsheltered—either outdoors or in vehicles.<ref>{{cite news |last=Most |first=Becca |date=January 22, 2024 |title=More people experienced homelessness in Pierce County last year. Will 2024 be better? |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article284320333.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2023 Homeless Point-In-Time Count Results |url=https://www.piercecountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/127882/V9PIT-Count-infographic-2023 |publisher=Pierce County Human Services |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref> The city of Tacoma has 1,225 shelter beds and 137 permanent housing units {{as of|2022|lc=y}}; the city government plans to temporarily increase shelter capacity while transitioning to more permanent and long-term housing for homeless people.<ref>{{cite news |last=Moomey |first=Liz |date=November 7, 2022 |title=Tacoma sets goals to end homelessness. Here's the city's plan for the next 5 years |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article268284602.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref> In Snohomish County, 1,285 homeless individuals in 1,028 households were identified in the January 2023 survey; of them, 594 were in shelters and 691 were unsheltered.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tall |first=Jonathan |date=May 3, 2023 |title=Homelessness in Snohomish County at highest since 2012, count finds |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/homelessness-in-snohomish-county-at-highest-since-2012-count-finds/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref> Approximately 1,500 students in the Everett School District, the county's largest school system, were identified as homeless in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gates |first=Sophia |date=November 10, 2023 |title=To escape homelessness, Everett mother navigates a labyrinth |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/to-escape-homelessness-everett-mother-navigates-a-labyrinth/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref> The county has 683 year-round shelter beds and increases capacity during inclement weather; the county government purchased two former motels in 2022 to provide an additional 130 rooms.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goldstein-Street |first=Jake |date=November 15, 2022 |title=Snohomish County lacks shelter capacity to participate in state program |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomish-county-lacks-shelter-capacity-to-participate-in-state-program/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 29, 2024}}</ref>

==Economy== [[File:Port of Seattle from Columbia Center, 2022.jpg|thumb|right|The Port of Seattle, part of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, is a major container port and trade hub]]

The region had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $566.74 billion in 2023, the tenth-highest in the United States and fastest-growing among large cities.<ref name="FRED-GDP"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Basnet |first=Neetish |date=December 5, 2024 |title=Seattle tops the nation for GDP growth |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2024/12/05/fastest-metro-growth-gdp.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=December 11, 2024}}</ref> The Seattle area also had a GDP per capita of $128,316 in 2022, the third-highest figure among large metropolitan areas in the United States, behind San Jose and San Francisco.<ref>{{cite news |last=Basnet |first=Neetish |date=December 21, 2023 |title=Seattle ranks among US's most productive metros, GDP data shows |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2023/12/21/gdp-seattle-2023.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> {{As of|October 2024}}, the largest employment sector is professional and business services, with approximately 388,700 employees, followed by trade, transportation, and utilities (361,100), education and health services (317,200), and government (279,300). A total of 2.13 million jobs are available in non-farm sectors in the Seattle metropolitan area; the unemployment rate was 4.4% in October 2024 and 4.2% in October 2023.<ref name="BLS-Summary">{{cite web |date=December 3, 2024 |title=Seattle Area Economic Summary |url=https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/summary/blssummary_seattle.pdf |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |accessdate=December 11, 2024}}</ref> The average weekly wage was $2,188 across the metropolitan area in early 2024, compared to $1,527 nationally.<ref name="BLS-Summary"/> The region has some of the highest hourly minimum wages in the United States that exceed the state's minimum of $16.66; {{as of|2025|lc=y}}, the minimum wage is $20.24 in Everett for large employers, $20.76 in Seattle, and $21.10 in Tukwila.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sundell |first=Allison |date=December 24, 2024 |title=How Seattle, Washington minimum wage is changing in 2025 |url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle-washington-minimum-wage-2025/281-65631cea-0ce5-40b1-acc8-5604c1bf60c7 |publisher=KING 5 News |accessdate=February 3, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hyde |first=David |date=January 1, 2024 |title=Seattle now has highest minimum wage of any major city in the United States |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-now-has-highest-minimum-wage-of-any-major-city-in-the-united-states |publisher=KUOW |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

Seattle is noted for its technology industry, which developed in the late 20th century and grew significantly with the development of Microsoft and Amazon.<ref>{{cite news |last=Judd |first=Ron |date=January 7, 2016 |title=The secret of Seattle's success? Innovation, resilience...and a little bit of dumb luck |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/the-secret-of-seattles-success-innovation-resilience-and-a-little-dumb-luck/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The industry has 290,000 workers based in the Seattle area, ranking second nationally behind the San Francisco Bay Area, and comprises 13 percent of the regional workforce;<ref>{{cite news |last=Saldanha |first=Alison |date=August 31, 2023 |title=Seattle remains a top town for tech talent, but there's a catch |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/seattle-remains-a-top-town-for-tech-talent-but-theres-a-catch/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Saldanha |first=Alison |date=May 15, 2023 |title=How tech jobs in WA are growing despite layoffs in Seattle area |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/how-tech-jobs-in-wa-are-growing-despite-layoffs-in-seattle-area/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> from 2005 to 2017, Seattle was one of five metropolitan areas that had 90 percent of the new technology jobs created in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Telford |first=Taylor |date=December 9, 2019 |title=Explosion of U.S. tech jobs concentrated in just five metro areas, study finds |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/12/09/explosion-us-tech-jobs-concentrated-just-five-metro-areas-study-finds/ |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> Amazon is the largest private employer in the region, having grown from fewer than 5,000 local employees in 2009 to approximately 60,000 in 2020;<ref>{{cite news |last=Long |first=Katherine Anne |date=January 3, 2021 |title=Amazon surpasses Boeing as Washington's biggest employer. Here's what that means for how we live. |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-surpasses-boeing-as-washington-states-biggest-employer/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> Microsoft, the second-largest tech employer in the region with 57,000 employees {{as of|2021|lc=y}},<ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Paul |date=June 23, 2022 |title=At Microsoft, a back-to-office 'normal' may not happen this year |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/at-microsoft-a-back-to-office-normal-may-not-happen-this-year/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> has several subsidiary video game studios in the region. The Eastside is also home to game developers and distributors Valve, Bungie, and Nintendo of America.<ref>{{cite news |last=Vansynghel |first=Margo |date=November 5, 2023 |title=Seattle area's booming but buggy video game industry tries to level up |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/video-games/seattle-areas-booming-video-game-industry-tries-to-level-up/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> Since the late 2000s, the area has also become home to satellite offices for Silicon Valley companies such as Google, Meta, and Salesforce.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wingfield |first=Nick |date=June 2, 2011 |title=Bay Area Technology Firms Put Down Roots in Seattle |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303745304576357764272422044 |work=Wall Street Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=May 4, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wingfield |first=Nick |date=October 8, 2015 |title=Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/technology/seattle-in-midst-of-tech-boom-tries-to-keep-its-soul.html |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> Seattle has historically had few venture capital firms to invest in startups until the 2010s with the advent of new companies founded by alumni of older tech companies in the area;<ref>{{cite news |last=Chen |first=Elaine |date=August 10, 2020 |title=Venture Capitalists Target Seattle as Startup Ecosystem Grows |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/venture-capitalists-target-seattle-as-startup-ecosystem-grows-11597051800 |work=Wall Street Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> in the early 2020s, several Seattle-area startups were labeled unicorns with a valuation of at least $1 billion.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cook |first=John |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Meet the unicorns: A look at the Seattle-area startups that boast valuations over $1 billion |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2022/meet-the-unicorns-a-look-at-the-15-seattle-area-startups-that-boast-valuations-over-1-billion/ |work=GeekWire |accessdate=February 8, 2024}}</ref>

The region also has a large aerospace industry that is dominated by Boeing, historically the largest employer in Washington state with 60,244 workers {{as of|2022|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gates |first=Dominic |date=January 27, 2023 |title=Boeing added 15,000 jobs in 2022, with more hiring ahead |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-is-growing-again-15000-net-jobs-added-last-year-10000-more-in-2023/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> The company has major commercial jetliner assembly plants in Everett and Renton alongside testing facilities in Seattle and smaller component manufacturers in other areas.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilma |first=David |date=February 10, 2001 |title=Seattle Neighborhoods: Georgetown — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/2975 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref><ref name="HL-Boeing">{{cite web |last=Kershner |first=Jim |date=September 8, 2015 |title=Boeing and Washington's Aerospace Industry, 1934–2015 |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/11111 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> The Boeing Everett Factory is the world's largest building by volume and is the assembly site of the 747, 767 and 777 programs, including their variants, alongside most 787s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gates |first1=Dominic |last2=Long |first2=Katherine Anne |last3=Roberts |first3=Paul |date=September 30, 2020 |title=Everett, region brace for economic impact of Boeing's decision on 787 line |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-leaders-meet-thursday-to-decide-fate-of-everetts-787-line/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> The company was headquartered in Seattle until its move to Chicago in 2001; in subsequent years, widebody production of the 787 was moved to Charleston, South Carolina.<ref name="HL-Boeing"/> The Seattle region is also home to several startup electric aircraft and component manufacturers, including Eviation and MagniX, who emerged in the 2010s.<ref>{{cite news |last=McIntosh |first=Andrew |date=May 14, 2019 |title=Washington's fledgling electric aviation industry is fueled by cooperation |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2019/05/14/washingtons-fledgling-electric-aviation-industry.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> The decade also saw the establishment of several space technology companies in the area, including Kent-based Blue Origin, Vulcan Aerospace, Kuiper Systems, and satellite offices for SpaceX;<ref>{{cite news |last=Wingfield |first=Nick |date=July 29, 2016 |title=The Silicon Valley of Space Start-Ups? It Could Be Seattle |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/science/seattle-space-flight-innovation-center.html |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Times-Space">{{cite news |last=Pulkkinen |first=Levi |date=February 27, 2022 |title=Space industry booming around Puget Sound |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/space-industry-booming-around-puget-sound/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref> the industry has 13,000 jobs in the Puget Sound region {{as of|2022|lc=y}}, a two-fold increase since 2018.<ref name="Times-Space"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Boyle |first=Alan |date=February 22, 2022 |title=Washington state's space industry doubles its economic impact in just four years |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2022/washington-states-space-industry-doubles-its-economic-impact-in-just-four-years/ |work=GeekWire |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref>

The region is a major hub for international trade and handles most of Washington's exports, which totaled $78 billion in 2018, through three major seaports on Puget Sound.<ref name="Talton-2019">{{cite news |last=Talton |first=Jon |date=May 3, 2019 |title=The Seattle-area economy punches above its weight — and that's a huge strength |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/economy/the-seattle-area-economy-defies-an-easy-peg-and-thats-a-huge-strength/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> The Northwest Seaport Alliance was formed in 2015 to enable cooperation between the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma, rival public ports situated {{convert|32|mi|km}} apart.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dougherty |first=Carter |date=January 19, 2017 |title=Why Seattle and Tacoma, Maritime Rivals, Merged Their Ports |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-19/why-seattle-and-tacoma-maritime-rivals-merged-their-ports |work=Bloomberg News |department=CityLab |url-access=subscription |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> The two ports combine to form the seventh-largest container port in the United States and has the second-largest concentration of warehouse space on the West Coast.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 17, 2023 |title=One Hundred Ports 2023 |url=https://lloydslist.com/one-hundred-container-ports-2023 |work=Lloyd's List |accessdate=March 9, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Murray |first=Brendan |date=February 17, 2021 |title=Seattle Is a Rarity Among U.S. Ports: It Has Room for More Ships |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-17/seattle-is-a-rarity-among-u-s-ports-it-has-room-for-more-ships |work=Bloomberg News |url-access=subscription |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> The independent Port of Everett is a smaller port but handles exports of a similar value to Seattle and Tacoma due to its proximity to the Boeing Everett Factory.<ref>{{cite news |last=Podsada |first=Janice |date=July 3, 2018 |title=By export value, Everett's 'quiet' port surpasses Seattle's |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/business/by-export-value-everetts-quiet-port-surpasses-seattles/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> Other maritime industries in the area include shipbuilding and commercial fishing,<ref name="PSRC-Economic"/> particularly boat fleets based in Seattle that travel annually to the northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea near Alaska.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bernton |first=Hal |date=January 4, 2021 |title=North Pacific fishing crews on edge about what they'll find this month, after a tough 2020 of small fish and COVID-19 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/skinny-small-fish-and-covid-19-made-2020-a-difficult-year-for-north-pacific-pollock-fleet/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bernton |first=Hal |date=October 21, 2023 |title=A struggle to dodge salmon in pursuit of a massive pollock bounty |url=https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2023/10/13/a-struggle-to-dodge-salmon-in-pursuit-of-a-massive-pollock-bounty/ |work=Anchorage Daily News |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref>

The city has a major coffee retail industry that developed in the 1970s and 1980s and spawned several chains that remain headquartered in Seattle, including Starbucks and Tully's Coffee.<ref>{{cite web |last=Holden |first=Brad |date=July 26, 2023 |title=The History of Coffee in Seattle |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/22750 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> Seattle had the third-most coffee shops per capita in 2019 among U.S. cities, including independent shops and other roasters.<ref>{{cite news |last=Savransky |first=Becca |date=January 14, 2020 |title=Seattle is a haven for coffee lovers. But it doesn't top the list for most coffee shops per capita |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Seattle-coffee-per-capita-Starbucks-Boston-DC-list-14971822.php |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The city proper serves as the headquarters for other major companies in various industries, including online travel agency Expedia and wood producer Weyerhaeuser. National retailers REI and Nordstrom were also founded in Seattle and remain headquartered in the area.<ref name="Talton-2019"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Brewster |first=David |date=April 24, 2008 |title=What made the Seattle style of business a success |url=https://crosscut.com/2008/04/what-made-seattle-style-business-success |work=Crosscut.com |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> Bellevue is home to the head offices of truck manufacturer Paccar, telecom network T-Mobile US, and clothing retailer Eddie Bauer.<ref name="Talton-Bellevue">{{cite news |last=Talton |first=Jon |date=January 2, 2022 |title=The history — and destiny — of Seattle's relationship with Bellevue is marked by connection and competition |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/the-history-and-destiny-of-seattles-relationship-with-bellevue-is-marked-by-connection-and-competition/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> Warehouse retailer Costco is headquartered in Issaquah and has more than a dozen locations in the Seattle area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitman |first=Victor |date=November 3, 2023 |title=Passion for Costco stands the test of shaky economy. Will it last? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/passion-for-costco-stands-the-test-of-shaky-economy-will-it-last/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> The region has several large shopping centers that range from traditional enclosed malls like Alderwood Mall and Westfield Southcenter to newer outdoor designs such as University Village and Redmond Town Center.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tu |first=Janet I. |date=December 15, 2016 |title=Malls are not dead (at least in Seattle, where they are changing to remain vibrant and popular) |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/malls-are-not-dead-at-least-in-seattle-where-they-are-changing-to-remain-vibrant-and-popular/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Paul |date=December 26, 2019 |title=As the region's malls fight for shoppers, Redmond Town Center may get new owners |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/retail/as-the-regions-malls-fight-for-shoppers-redmond-town-center-may-get-new-owners/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 27, 2024}}</ref> While suburban areas have had few retail vacancies since the COVID-19 pandemic, Downtown Seattle has had a slower recovery with a vacancy rate of nearly 14 percent as of late 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Paul |date=November 19, 2023 |title=Businesses are making big bets in downtown Seattle, despite it all |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/businesses-are-making-big-bets-in-downtown-seattle-despite-it-all/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 30, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Basnet |first=Neetish |date=January 29, 2024 |title=Regional retail market 'healthy' even as downtown Seattle recovery lags |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2024/01/29/downtown-seattle-retail-recovery-lags.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=January 30, 2024}}</ref> In the retail grocery sector, the most popular supermarket chains in the region are owned by Kroger (Fred Meyer and QFC) and the Albertsons Companies (Albertsons, Safeway), alongside warehouse retailers like Costco.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=October 18, 2022 |title=Grocery chain merger would affect majority of Seattle-area households |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/grocery-chain-merger-would-affect-majority-of-seattle-area-households/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref>

===Tourism=== [[File:Pike Place Market overhead view, May 2018 - zoomed.jpg|thumb|right|Aerial view of Pike Place Market, the most-visited tourist attraction in Seattle]]

The Seattle area is a tourist destination, especially during the summer months, for domestic and international visitors. The metropolitan area's tourism industry employed 209,000 residents in early 2020, later reduced to 181,000 by 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name="Talton-Tourism">{{cite news |last=Talton |first=Jon |date=May 27, 2022 |title=Tourism is coming back, whether Seattle likes it or not |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/tourism-is-coming-back-whether-seattle-likes-it-or-not/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref> In 2022, an estimated 33.9 million visitors in Seattle and King County spent $7.4 billion;<ref>{{cite press release |date=March 30, 2023 |title=Visit Seattle Releases 2022 Visitation Data At Annual Meeting |url=https://visitseattle.org/press/press-releases/2023-annual-meeting/ |publisher=Visit Seattle |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref> the region had reached a peak of 41.9 million visitors in 2019.<ref name="NYTimes-Tourism">{{cite news |last=Laskin |first=David |date=September 1, 2022 |title=In Seattle, It's Almost Normal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/travel/things-to-do-seattle.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref> Pike Place Market in Downtown Seattle, a large public market with more than 220 shops and restaurants,<ref name="Times-Visiting">{{cite news |last=McCullough |first=Sarah-Mae |date=November 29, 2023 |title=What to do in Seattle? Here's where locals take their out-of-town guests |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/visiting-seattle-here-are-the-top-things-to-do-according-to-readers/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref> draws 10 million annual visitors and is among the most-visited tourist attractions in the world.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 10, 2014 |title=The World's Most-visited Tourist Attractions |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/landmarks-monuments/worlds-most-visited-tourist-attractions |work=Travel + Leisure |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref> Other major attractions in Seattle include the Space Needle, the Seattle Center Monorail, Seattle Great Wheel, the Amazon Spheres, the Seattle Underground Tour, and the historic Pioneer Square neighborhood.<ref name="Talton-Tourism"/><ref name="NYTimes-Tourism"/> The city is also home to three cruise ship terminals operated by the Port of Seattle that serve excursions through the Inside Passage to Alaska.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kiley |first=Brendan |date=July 17, 2021 |title=Cruise ships have returned to Seattle — is that a good thing? Here's a primer on the issues facing the cruise industry |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/cruise-ships-have-returned-to-seattle-is-that-a-good-thing-heres-a-primer-on-the-issues-facing-the-cruise-industry/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref> An estimated 1.8 million passengers visited Seattle on 291 departures during the 2023 summer season with an estimated economic impact of $900 million.<ref>{{cite press release |date=November 9, 2023 |title=Port of Seattle Completes Record-Setting 2023 Cruise Season |url=https://www.portseattle.org/news/port-seattle-completes-record-setting-2023-cruise-season |publisher=Port of Seattle |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fonseca |first=Camilo |date=June 28, 2023 |title=With cruise season in full swing, Seattle reaps benefits |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/economy/with-cruise-season-in-full-swing-downtown-seattle-reaps-benefits/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref>

The region has several convention centers that are able to host large events, such as trade shows, fan conventions, corporate meetings, and conferences. The first portion of the Seattle Convention Center (formerly the Washington State Convention Center) was built over Interstate 5 and opened in 1988;<ref>{{cite news |last=Brunner |first=Jim |date=January 5, 2009 |title=Does convention center really need to grow again? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/does-convention-center-really-need-to-grow-again/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> it expanded to a second building in 2023 to meet growing demand for event space in Downtown Seattle.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gutman |first=David |date=January 23, 2023 |title=Seattle's massive $2B convention center finally opens after delays |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattles-massive-2b-convention-center-finally-opens-after-delays/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The convention center can hold simultaneous events and has over {{convert|1.5|e6sqft|sqm}} of exhibition and meeting space.<ref>{{cite news |last=Berg |first=Nate |date=February 8, 2023 |title=Seattle's new convention center is unusually tall |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90843348/seattles-new-convention-center-is-unusually-tall |work=Fast Company |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> Its largest annual events include PAX West (formerly the Penny Arcade Expo), Emerald City Comic Con, Sakura-Con, and the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, which each attract over 10,000 attendees.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ormsby |first=Katie |date=February 2, 2010 |title=Showing signs of better times: First convention shows of season see bigger crowds |page=A11 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2010954348_conventionshows02.html |work=The Seattle Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628154444/http://old.seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2010954348_conventionshows02.html |archive-date=June 28, 2018 |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> Smaller convention centers in the area include the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, the Lynnwood Event Center, and the Greater Tacoma Convention Center.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=February 16, 2005 |title="All the bells and whistles" at new convention center |page=H6 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/all-the-bells-and-whistles-at-new-convention-center/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bach |first=Ashley |date=December 23, 2006 |title=Meydenbauer Center back on track after hard times |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/meydenbauer-center-back-on-track-after-hard-times/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref>

The areas outside of Seattle proper attract fewer tourists and draw largely from local and regional visitors. In Snohomish County, a majority of visitors in 2019 were from Western Washington and included a large number from within the metropolitan area.<ref name="Herald-Tourism2019">{{cite news |last=Podsada |first=Janice |date=July 3, 2019 |title=Snohomish County tourists: Who they are, what they do here |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/business/tourism-snapshot-some-facts-you-might-not-have-known/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref> Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the county's largest tourist attraction was the Future of Flight Aviation Center adjacent to Paine Field, which offered tours of the nearby Boeing Everett Factory and drew 300,000 annual visitors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Podsada |first=Janice |date=August 5, 2022 |title=Paine Field was county's No. 1 tourist attraction. Not now |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/business/paine-field-was-countys-no-1-tourist-attraction-not-now/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref> Pierce County had 8.8 million visitors in 2021 and estimated that they spent a total of $1.4 billion.<ref>{{cite press release |date=May 6, 2022 |title=Tourism recovery begins, but work remains for Pierce County to regain ground lost to the pandemic |url=https://www.traveltacoma.com/articles/post/tourism-recovery-begins-but-work-remains-for-pierce-county-to-regain-ground-lost-to-the-pandemic/ |publisher=Travel Tacoma |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref> Mount Rainier National Park, located mostly in the county, had 2.3 million visitors in 2022—primarily between July and September.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sailor |first=Craig |date=April 26, 2023 |title=Sign up to drive into Mount Rainier National Park? There is a plan under consideration |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article274751206.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=February 12, 2024}}</ref>

==Government and politics==

The Seattle MSA comprises three counties, nine federally recognized tribes, and 77 municipalities classified as cities or towns, each with their own governments.<ref name="Metropolis">{{cite web |date=April 2009 |title=Metropolitan Regions Working Paper, Second Edition |pages=80–83 |url=https://www.metropolis.org/sites/default/files/metropolitan-region-09-version-larga.pdf |publisher=World Association of the Major Metropolises |accessdate=January 30, 2024}}</ref> These include 39 municipalities in King County, 23 in Pierce County, and 20 in Snohomish County; several cities also extend beyond the borders of a single county.<ref name="MRSC-2007">{{cite report |date=October 2007 |title=A History of Washington's Local Governments: Washington State Local Governance Study Commission Report (Update) |pages=8–11, 80, 88–89, 107 |url=https://mrsc.org/getmedia/7E7C9A95-3503-4DBB-88BA-F88F6CD54E92/W3LGSCD.aspx |publisher=Municipal Research and Services Center |accessdate=January 30, 2024}}</ref> Approximately 71 percent of Puget Sound region residents live in an incorporated city or town; the rest are in unincorporated areas under the direct jurisdiction of counties, which act as the local government.<ref name="PSRC-Budget">{{cite web |date=July 2022 |title=Biennial Budget and Work Program, Fiscal Years 2022–2023 (July 2021–June 2023) |pages=4, 6–8, 11–13 |url=https://www.psrc.org/media/6887 |publisher=Puget Sound Regional Council |accessdate=January 30, 2024}}</ref><ref name="King-Services">{{cite web |title=Services |url=https://kingcounty.gov/en/legacy/services.aspx |publisher=King County |accessdate=February 8, 2024}}</ref> These developed unincorporated areas generally lie within the urban growth areas for existing cities that could annex them or in county-designated areas that would allow communities to vote for incorporation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dunn |first=Kayla J. |date=April 12, 2023 |title=Paine Field, housing crunch are hot-button issues at annual update |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/paine-field-housing-crunch-are-hot-button-issues-at-annual-update/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 30, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Driscoll |first=Matt |date=June 25, 2016 |title=Is the county secretly creating a 'City of Pierce' from unincorporated areas? |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/matt-driscoll/article85400907.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=January 30, 2024}}</ref> The incorporated city and town governments vary between mayor–council and council–manager systems, the latter using a council-appointed city manager to handle administration.<ref>{{cite web |title=City and Town Forms of Government |url=https://mrsc.org/explore-topics/organization/cities/city-and-town-forms-of-government |publisher=Municipal Research and Services Center |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref>

All three counties have a home rule charter and are led by an elected county executive and a county council with members representing geographic districts.<ref name="MRSC-County">{{cite web |title=County Forms of Government |url=https://mrsc.org/explore-topics/organization/counties/county-forms-of-government |publisher=Municipal Research and Services Center |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Graf |first=Tyler |date=October 18, 2014 |title=Spotlight on Clark County charter vote |url=https://www.columbian.com/news/2014/oct/19/spotlight-on-charter-vote-clark-county/ |work=The Columbian |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref> The elections for the county executive and council, along with other major offices, are held in even-numbered years for Pierce County and odd-numbered years in King and Snohomish counties.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Joseph |date=June 27, 2022 |title=King County considers moving most elections to even years |url=https://crosscut.com/politics/2022/06/king-county-considers-moving-most-elections-even-years |work=Crosscut.com |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Mike |date=November 8, 2022 |title=Proposal to move some King County elections to even-numbered years leads |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/proposal-to-move-some-king-county-elections-to-even-numbered-years-leads/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref> The county governments are responsible for various duties for all residents that are generally delegated to other elected and appointed officials, including the assessor, clerk, coroner and medical examiner, prosecuting attorney, and treasurer.<ref>{{cite web |title=County Elected and Appointed Officials |url=https://mrsc.org/explore-topics/officials/roles/county-officials |publisher=Municipal Research and Services Center |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref> These duties include organization of elections and voter registration, enforcement of land use regulations, management of vital records, property assessment, tax collection, public health, and building inspections.<ref name="King-Services"/><ref name="Times-CountyBudget">{{cite news |last=Ervin |first=Keith |date=March 13, 2008 |title=County budget outlook dims |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/county-budget-outlook-dims/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref> The counties also manage the criminal justice system, including the superior and district courts, public defenders, and jails.<ref>{{cite news |last=Green |first=Sara Jean |date=March 10, 2020 |title=Jails and courthouses across Washington look for ways to protect employees, jurors and inmates from coronavirus |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/jails-and-courthouses-across-washington-look-for-ways-to-protect-employees-jurors-and-inmates-from-coronavirus/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref>

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC), the designated metropolitan planning organization for the Seattle MSA and Kitsap County, has voluntary membership from 82 municipalities, four tribes, four public ports, and six public transit operators.<ref name="PSRC-Budget"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Member Organizations |url=https://www.psrc.org/about-us/member-organizations |publisher=Puget Sound Regional Council |accessdate=January 30, 2024}}</ref> It maintains a long-range plan for population growth, economic development, and regional transportation that is overseen by an executive board and general assembly of all members.<ref name="Metropolis"/><ref name="PSRC-Budget"/> The organization also distributes state and federal funding for projects within the four-county area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Lynn |date=June 21, 2016 |title=Regional council warns 5 King County towns they're growing too fast |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/eastside/regional-council-warns-5-king-county-towns-theyre-growing-too-fast/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 30, 2024}}</ref> Other inter-county organizations include special districts and regional authorities for conservation, transit, libraries, and firefighting; {{as of|2007|lc=y}}, there are over 220 special purpose districts in the Seattle metropolitan area.<ref name="MRSC-2007"/> Tax rates are set by local governments and can vary due to contributions to special districts; the combined sales tax ranges from 8.1% in parts of Pierce County to 10.6% in several Snohomish County cities, the highest rate in the state.<ref>{{cite news |last=Baumbach |first=Jenelle |date=December 27, 2023 |title=3 Snohomish County cities have highest sales tax rate in state |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/3-snohomish-county-cities-have-highest-sales-tax-rate-in-state/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 2, 2023 |title=Local sales tax & use tax rates and changes, Q1 2024 |url=https://dor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/Q124_LSU_Flyer.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Revenue |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref>

The Seattle MSA is part of seven congressional districts (the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th) that each elect a member of the United States House of Representatives.<ref name="CDMap">{{cite map |date=February 2022 |title=2022 Adopted Congressional Map |url=https://rdcext.blob.core.windows.net/public/2-Individual%20Districts/2022%20Congessional%20District%20Maps/Reduced%20CD%20PDFs/2022%20Adopted%20Congressional%20Map%20Full.pdf |at=[https://rdcext.blob.core.windows.net/public/2-Individual%20Districts/2022%20Congessional%20District%20Maps/Reduced%20CD%20PDFs/2022%20Adopted%20Congressional%20Map%20Inset%201.pdf Puget Sound inset] |publisher=Washington State Redistricting Commission |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The boundaries are redrawn every 10 years by the state's independent redistricting commission based on the results of the decennial census.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brunner |first=Jim |date=September 14, 2011 |title=Panel unveils redistricting maps |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/panel-unveils-redistricting-maps/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The 8th district is the only one to span all three counties, taking the rural eastern portions and including areas east of the Cascade Mountains.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brunner |first=Jim |date=October 27, 2022 |title=Rep. Kim Schrier, challenger Matt Larkin battle for control of Congress |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/rep-kim-schrier-and-challenger-matt-larkin-battle-for-control-of-congress |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> According to the 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index, six of the congressional districts lean towards Democratic candidates while the 8th district is even between both major parties.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 12, 2022 |title=2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List |url=https://www.cookpolitical.com/pvi-map-and-district-list |publisher=The Cook Political Report |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> In the state legislature, the metropolitan area is part of 28 districts that each elect two House members to a two-year term and one senator to a four-year term.<ref name="Legislature-Members">{{cite map |date=October 2023 |title=2023 Statewide Legislative District Map with Legislative Members |url=https://leg.wa.gov/LIC/Documents/EducationAndInformation/2023%20state%20district%20maps%20and%20members.pdf |publisher=Washington State Legislature |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sowersby |first=Shauna |date=May 24, 2022 |title=Here are the legislative districts statewide where candidates will run unopposed |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/election/article261652387.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> By the 2021 session, almost all legislative districts in the region were represented solely by Democrats in the Senate and House, with the exception of exurban districts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Camden |first=Jim |date=November 24, 2020 |title=In 1991 more than one-third of Washington was represented in the Legislature by two parties. In 2021? Hardly any. |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/nov/24/few-swing-legislative-districts-left-as-local-race/ |work=The Spokesman-Review |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> According to a 2022 marketing survey by Nielsen, the Seattle metropolitan area is tied for the eighth highest percentage of adults who favored the Democratic Party, at nearly 55 percent—an 11-point increase from a similar survey conducted in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=October 27, 2023 |title=Data shows Seattle area is more liberal than ever |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/data-shows-seattle-area-is-more-liberal-than-ever/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The area also decides most statewide elections due to their large population, which has contributed to an unbroken line of Democratic governors since 1984.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=November 27, 2012 |title=In West's 'Democratopolis,' Winning an Election With Only 8 of 39 Counties |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/us/politics/in-washington-state-victory-with-8-of-39-counties.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

==Education==

Public K–12 education is managed by local school districts that are governed by elected boards and overseen by two of the state's nine regional educational service districts.<ref name="OSPI-Financing">{{cite report |author=School Apportionment and Financial Services |date=November 2015 |title=Organization and Financing of Washington Public Schools |pages=1–2, 5–7 |url=https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2022-12/organizationfinancing2015.pdf |publisher=Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref> The Puget Sound Educational Service District covers 35 school districts and 416,000 students in King and Pierce counties, along with Bainbridge Island in Kitsap County, and includes 40 percent of the state's student population.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cornwell |first=Paige |date=January 12, 2017 |title=Region's school districts ask legislators to fix $228M 'levy cliff' |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/puget-sound-educators-ask-legislators-to-fix-228m-levy-cliff/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref> The Northwest Educational Service District encompasses 35 school districts in northwestern Washington, including all 14 in Snohomish County.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gruben |first=Mallory |date=February 18, 2023 |title=A perfect storm soaking school district budgets with red ink |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/a-perfect-storm-soaking-school-district-budgets-with-red-ink/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |date=February 10, 2020 |title=Washington State K–12 School Districts |scale=1 inch = 25 miles |url=https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2022-12/SchoolDistrictsESDs-17x11_2020.pdf |publisher=Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction |accessdate=February 26, 2024}}</ref> The public school districts are primarily funded by allocations from the state government and local property tax levies that are approved by voters.<ref name="OSPI-Financing"/>

The largest school district in the metropolitan area is Seattle Public Schools, which had 51,000 students enrolled for the 2023–24 school year, a 9 percent decrease from its 2019 peak of 56,000 students.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bryan |first=Claire |date=November 14, 2023 |title=Seattle school closures could hinge on new enrollment, capacity counts |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/seattle-school-closures-could-hinge-on-new-enrollment-capacity-counts/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> The district has 106 schools and over 6,000 staff members;<ref>{{cite news |last=Bryan |first=Claire |date=October 7, 2023 |title=A 'routine' reconfiguration of Seattle schools brings tears, concerns |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/a-routine-reconfiguration-of-seattle-schools-brings-tears-concerns/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref><ref name="SPS-About">{{cite web |title=About Seattle Public Schools |url=https://www.seattleschools.org/about/ |publisher=Seattle Public Schools |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> most students attend their closest neighborhood schools, while option schools are able to enroll students from across the city.<ref name="SPS-About"/> Other large districts with more than 20,000 enrolled students include Lake Washington, Tacoma, Kent, Northshore, Puyallup, and Federal Way.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 13, 2024 |title=Table 47: School Districts Ranked by FTE Enrollment (Report P-223) |pages=430–439 |url=https://ospi.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/2024-02/allpersonnelsummaryreport2023-24.pdf |work=Preliminary School District Personnel Summary Reports 2023–24 School Year |publisher=Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> According to the ''U.S. News & World Report'', the top high schools in the metropolitan area are primarily in the Eastside region, along with specialized industry and technical schools in Tukwila and Lakewood; the highest-ranked school in Washington is the Tesla STEM High School in the Lake Washington School District.<ref>{{cite news |last=Messmer |first=Alyse |date=April 26, 2022 |title=These top high schools in Washington state earned high rankings in national report |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/education/article260777022.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> The smallest school district in the Seattle area is the Index School District, which has 19 students and no high school.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Jordan |date=December 4, 2023 |title=Index, smallest town in Snohomish County, is No. 1 in voter turnout |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/index-smallest-town-in-snohomish-county-is-no-1-in-voter-turnout/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref>

The Seattle area has hundreds of registered private schools that serve over 50,000 students and offer alternative curriculums or religious education.<ref name="Times-PrivateHS">{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Jayda |date=October 19, 2016 |title=Slew of forfeits to Archbishop Murphy spur debate about athletic divide between public, private schools |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/high-school/slew-of-forfeits-to-archbishop-murphy-spur-debate-about-athletic-divide-between-public-private-schools/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bazzaz |first=Dahlia |date=February 18, 2020 |title=Resignation of 2 Seattle area Catholic-school teachers stirs protests over church stance on same-sex relationships |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/sudden-resignation-of-two-seattle-area-catholic-school-teachers-stirs-protests-over-church-stance-on-same-sex-relationships/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=April 2022 |title=PSESD Quick Facts |url=https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1651101268/psesdorg/kouskyqcbrbwilrhthvi/QuickFacts2022web.pdf |publisher=Puget Sound Educational Service District |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> The largest private schools in the area are Cedar Park Christian School and King's Schools, both Christian programs.<ref>{{cite news |last=Basnet |first=Neetish |date=January 26, 2024 |title=Largest Private Schools in the Seattle area |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/subscriber-only/2024/01/26/largest-private-schools-in-the-seattle-area.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=limited |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> Since a state referendum in 2012, charter schools have been approved to operate in the area using public funding while remaining privately-run.<ref>{{cite news |last=Higgins |first=John |date=August 17, 2015 |title=Wave of charter schools debuts with all seats filled |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/wave-of-charter-schools-debuts-with-all-seats-filled/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> These non-district schools are also overseen by the educational service district of their respective region;<ref>{{cite web |date=February 2022 |title=List of Districts and Schools Using the School Module |url=https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/348-642-DistrictsPrivateSchoolsUsingSchoolModule.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Health |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> they are also allowed to participate in the same athletics competitions as public schools under the management of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.<ref name="Times-PrivateHS"/>

===Higher education===

The Seattle area has several universities and colleges that provide post-secondary education and are run by public or private institutions.<ref name="USNews-Colleges">{{cite web |title=Best Colleges in Seattle |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/seattle |work=U.S. News & World Report |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 45 percent of people in the Seattle–Tacoma–Olympia combined statistical area in 2019 had a bachelor's degree or higher—the tenth-highest rate in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 2020 |title=Table 104.95: Number of persons age 25 and over in metropolitan areas with populations greater than 1 million and rates of high school completion and bachelor's degree attainment among persons in this age group, by sex: 2019 |url=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_104.95.asp |work=Digest of Education Statistics |publisher=National Center for Education Statistics |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> This includes a high number of out-of-state adults who reside in the metropolitan area; according to a 2015 Brookings Institution study, 48% of out-of-state adults had a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 35% of in-state adults.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Berube |first1=Alan |last2=Holmes |first2=Natalie |date=November 14, 2016 |title=The metro talent competition: attracting and growing highly educated workers |url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-metro-talent-competition-attracting-and-growing-highly-educated-workers/ |publisher=Brookings Institution |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref>

The oldest and largest public university in the state is University of Washington (UW), which was founded in 1861 and has over 60,000 total students in nearly 500 programs at its three campuses.<ref name="UW-Facts">{{cite web |year=2023 |title=Fast Facts 2023–2024 |url=https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/162/2024/01/05081943/FastFactsPridePoints_2023-2024_a11y.pdf |publisher=University of Washington |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> The {{convert|342|acre|ha|adj=mid}} main campus in Seattle was established in 1895 after moving from Downtown Seattle;<ref>{{cite news |last=Bhatt |first=Sanjay |date=October 3, 2013 |title=UW has big plans for its prime downtown Seattle real estate |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2021960534_mettractxml.html |work=The Seattle Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206233947/http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2021960534_mettractxml.html |archive-date=December 6, 2013 |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> it was joined in 1990 by branch institutions in Bothell and Tacoma that later built permanent campuses in the late 1990s and early 2000s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wadland |first1=Justin |last2=Williams |first2=Charles |date=November 7, 2017 |title=University of Washington Tacoma |url=https://historylink.org/File/20469 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bain |first=Lara |date=April 5, 2005 |title=Chancellor eager to teach at university he helped build |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/chancellor-eager-to-teach-at-university-he-helped-build/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> UW is also a major research university with an annual budget of $10.4 billion and one of the largest employers in the metropolitan area.<ref name="UW-Facts"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Long |first=Katherine |date=January 8, 2015 |title=UW brings $12.5 billion to local economy, study says |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/uw-brings-125-billion-to-local-economy-study-says/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref> The state's second-largest institution, Washington State University, has an Everett branch campus that was established in 2011 after plans for a UW branch campus were shelved amid the Great Recession.<ref>{{cite news |last=Long |first=Katherine |date=August 11, 2017 |title=WSU's new building: 'the biggest thing Everett has ever done in terms of its future' |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/wsus-new-building-the-biggest-thing-everett-has-ever-done-in-terms-of-its-future/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 27, 2024}}</ref>

The area has 17 community colleges and technical colleges that offer two-year degrees and other programs, including transfers to local four-year universities.<ref name="SBCTC-Locations">{{cite web |title=Colleges and Locations Served |url=https://www.sbctc.edu/our-colleges/colleges-locations-served |publisher=Washington Community and Technical Colleges |accessdate=February 29, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Retka |first=Janelle |date=October 13, 2023 |title=WA colleges help transfer students chart a path to four-year degrees |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/wa-colleges-help-transfer-students-chart-a-part-to-four-year-degrees/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 29, 2024}}</ref> Each college is assigned a specific district that also conforms to county boundaries.<ref name="SBCTC-Locations"/><ref>{{cite map |date=June 2019 |title=Washington State College Districts |url=https://www.sbctc.edu/resources/documents/our-colleges/all-college-districts.pdf |publisher=Washington Community and Technical Colleges |accessdate=February 29, 2024}}</ref> {{as of|2023}}, the largest community college in the state was Bellevue College, which has nearly 9,000 full-time students; other colleges with more than 5,000 enrolled students include Pierce College, Green River College, and Highline College.<ref>{{cite news |last=Basnet |first=Neetish |date=December 1, 2023 |title=Community and Technical Colleges in Washington |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/subscriber-only/2023/12/01/community-and-technical-colleges-in-washington.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=limited |accessdate=February 29, 2024}}</ref> The three community colleges in Seattle proper form the Seattle Colleges District, which has over 12,000 total students {{as of|2021|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 9, 2022 |title=Academic Year 2021–22 Enrollment Report |page=2 |url=https://www.seattlecolleges.edu/sites/seattlecolleges.southseattle.edu/files/inline-files/2021-22%20Academic%20Year%20Enrollment%20Report%20final.pdf |publisher=Seattle Colleges District |accessdate=February 29, 2024}}</ref> The area also has several private four-year and two-year institutions that focus on religious or liberal arts programs. These include Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, Pacific Lutheran University, and University of Puget Sound.<ref>{{cite news |last=Long |first=Katherine |date=March 28, 2016 |title=No Washington colleges made list of schools doing the most for low-income students |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/why-no-washington-colleges-made-list-of-schools-that-offer-the-most-help-to-low-income-students/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 29, 2024}}</ref>

==Media== {{main|Media in Seattle}}

The Seattle–Tacoma Designated Market Area, as defined by Nielsen Media Research, includes most of Western Washington and the Wenatchee metropolitan area.<ref>{{cite map |year=2018 |title=Nielsen DMA—Designated Market Area Regions, 2018–2019 |publisher=Nielsen Media Research |url=https://thevab.com/storage/app/media/Toolkit/DMA_Map_2019.pdf |via=Video Advertising Bureau |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> {{as of|2021}}, it is the 12th largest television market<ref>{{cite web |title=2021 Nielsen DMA Rankings |url=https://oaaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/OAAA-2021-NIELSEN-DMA-Rankings-Report.pdf |publisher=Out of Home Advertising Association of America |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> and 11th largest radio market in the United States by population.<ref>{{cite web |year=2022 |title=Radio Market Survey Population, Rankings & Information, Fall 2021 |page=1 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Arbitron/Red-Blue-Books/redbook_fa21.pdf |publisher=Nielsen Media Research |via=World Radio History |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> King County has the majority of the region's television and radio antenna towers, which are concentrated on Seattle's hills or on Cougar Mountain and Tiger Mountain in the Issaquah Alps.<ref>{{cite web |title=DTV Reception Maps |url=https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps |publisher=Federal Communications Commission |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lilly |first=Dick |date=August 11, 1992 |title=City caps height of broadcast towers |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19920811&slug=1506968 |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Virgin |first=Bill |date=December 26, 2007 |title=On Radio: Keep experimenting to get better reception |page=D4 |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/tv/article/on-radio-keep-experimenting-to-get-better-1259844.php |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> In addition to over-the-air television, the region is also served by cable and satellite providers, the largest of which is Comcast Xfinity and Wave Broadband.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lewis |first=Peter |date=June 24, 2013 |title=Seattle to Comcast: Answer the phone! |url=https://crosscut.com/2013/06/seattle-fines-comcast-over-customer-service |work=Crosscut.com |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

All major national television networks have affiliates in the region who also produce local news broadcasts and other programming;<ref name="BC-Stations">{{cite news |last=Malone |first=Michael |date=January 31, 2024 |title=Local News Close-Up: Emerald City Stations Move the Needle |url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/local-news-close-up-seattle-tacoma-wash |work=Broadcasting & Cable |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> these include KOMO 4 (ABC), KING 5 (NBC), KIRO 7 (CBS), and KCPQ 13 (Fox).<ref>{{cite web |title=Digital TV Market Listings: Seattle, Washington |url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=18 |work=RabbitEars |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Levesque |first=John |date=March 22, 1999 |title=KCTS's new digital transmitter helps put city on cutting edge |page=D4 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The Seattle area has two non-profit stations that are members of PBS, the U.S. national public broadcaster: KCTS in Seattle and KBTC in Tacoma.<ref>{{cite web |title=Station Finder |url=https://www.cpb.org/cpb-station-finder/ |publisher=Corporation for Public Broadcasting |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The region's largest Spanish-language television station, KUNS, lost its Univision affiliation in 2023 and was replaced by Bellingham-based KVOS, which did not produce local news content.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shapiro |first=Nina |date=January 9, 2024 |title=WA anchor launches independent Spanish newscast, seeking to fill void |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/wa-anchor-launches-independent-spanish-newscast-seeking-to-fill-void/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> National news television network MSNBC was launched jointly by Microsoft and NBC in 1996; its online news operations were based in Redmond until 2012.<ref>{{cite news |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=July 16, 2012 |title=A Brief History Of MSNBC.com And NBCNews.com |url=https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/a-brief-history-of-msnbc-com-and-nbcnews-com/ |work=AdWeek |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

The largest radio stations in the Seattle area by listenership are primarily music stations, including several owned by national network iHeartRadio, and talk stations with local ownership.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lacitis |first=Erik |date=January 21, 2016 |title=Fan favorite KUBE 93 flips formats and moves to Tacoma |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/kube-93-signs-off-flips-formats-and-moves-to-tacoma/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lacitis |first=Erik |date=January 28, 2022 |title=So long, 'KOMO Country': KOMO Radio sold, gets new name |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/historic-komo-radio-sold-and-gets-new-name-so-long-komo-country/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The first radio broadcasters in Seattle emerged in 1922, including the still-operating KJR, and grew through the decade; several radio broadcasters later established their own television stations following the first local broadcast in Seattle by KING predecessor KRSC-TV in 1948.<ref name="HL-Radio">{{cite web |last=Rousso |first=Nick |date=June 24, 2022 |title=Radio in Washington |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/22494 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Boswell |first1=Sharon |last2=McConaghy |first2=Lorraine |date=August 25, 1996 |title=TV's magical early days |url=https://special.seattletimes.com/o/special/centennial/august/tv.html |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Among the most popular modern stations is KEXP-FM, a non-profit music station that has a worldwide following due to its early use of internet broadcasting.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kiley |first=Brendan |date=April 29, 2022 |title=The many lives of KEXP, now a more diverse, online global phenomenon |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/the-many-lives-of-kexp-now-a-more-diverse-online-global-phenomenon/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The Seattle area has two NPR-affiliated public radio stations: KUOW-FM, founded at the University of Washington in 1952;<ref name="HL-Radio"/> and KNKX-FM, founded at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma as KPLU. An attempted takeover of KPLU by KUOW in 2016 resulted in public outcry and the establishment of KNKX under independent ownership.<ref>{{cite news |last=de Barros |first=Paul |date=August 15, 2023 |title=Peek inside KNKX's new Seattle home by Pike Place Market |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/peek-inside-knkxs-new-seattle-home-by-pike-place-market/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

The region has three major newspapers based in the largest cities of each county: ''The Seattle Times'', the most-circulated newspaper in the Pacific Northwest, is a daily newspaper based in Seattle and had over 75,000 subscribers in 2022;<ref>{{cite news |last=Majid |first=Aisha |date=June 26, 2023 |title=Top 25 US newspaper circulations: Largest print titles fall 14% in year to March 2023 |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/media-audience-and-business-data/media_metrics/top-25-us-newspaper-circulations-down-march-2023/ |work=Press Gazette |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> ''The News Tribune'' in Tacoma has approximately 54,000 subscribers and switched to a three-day publication schedule in 2024;<ref>{{cite news |last=Pedersen |first=Stephanie |date=March 1, 2024 |title=The News Tribune to change print days as digital transition evolves |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article286081926.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> and ''The Daily Herald'' in Everett has 33,500 subscribers {{as of|2022|lc=y}} and prints six editions a week.<ref name="LWV-Newspapers">{{cite web |title=Washington Newspapers in 2004 and 2022 |pages=2–4 |url=https://www.lwvwa.org/resources/Documents/Council2022/Handouts/NEWS.Washington%20Newspapers%20in%202004%20and%202022%20.pdf |publisher=League of Women Voters of Washington |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Podsada |first1=Janice |last2=Cornfield |first2=Jerry |date=December 25, 2022 |title=The end of an era for The Daily Herald's Sunday edition |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/the-end-of-an-era-for-the-daily-heralds-sunday-edition/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Seattle's oldest daily newspaper, the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'', ceased print publication in 2009 and became an online-only outlet.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tate |first=Cassandra |date=March 16, 2009 |title=Seattle Post-Intelligencer (1863-2009) |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/8956 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="AP-Newspapers2009">{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Gene |date=March 13, 2009 |title=Seattle Times still standing, but for how long? |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-seattle-no-newspaper-town-031309-2009mar13-story.html |work=The San Diego Union-Tribune |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The Seattle area also has weekly newspapers in smaller cities, including several owned by Sound Publishing or independent companies;<ref name="BagwellStapilus">{{cite book |last1=Bagwell |first1=Steve |last2=Stapilus |first2=Randy |year=2013 |title=New Editions: The Northwest's Newspapers as They Were, Are, and Will Be |pages=18, 27–30, 33–34 |publisher=Ridenbaugh Press |location=Carlton, Oregon |isbn=978-0-945648-10-9 |oclc=861618089}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Halverson |first=Alex |date=January 17, 2024 |title=Parent company of Everett's Herald newspaper seeks new ownership |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2024/01/16/everett-herald-sound-publishing-black-press-sale.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> other hyperlocal publications, primarily in Seattle neighborhoods, have largely ceased publication in the early 21st century.<ref>{{cite news |last=Westneat |first=Danny |date=April 24, 2021 |title=Stopping the presses, again: The story ends for 2 more century-old Seattle newspapers |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/stopping-the-presses-again-the-story-ends-for-two-more-century-old-seattle-newspapers/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

Other newspapers include free weeklies ''The Stranger'' and ''Seattle Weekly'', which both ceased regular print publication by 2020;<ref name="BagwellStapilus"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Embuscado |first=Rain |date=November 30, 2021 |title=New Seattle-area arts publication, PublicDisplay.ART, launches |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/new-seattle-area-arts-publication-publicdisplay-art-launches/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> trade and industry publications ''Puget Sound Business Journal'' and ''Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce'';<ref name="AP-Newspapers2009"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Keegan |date=June 12, 2007 |title=Dead-Tree Tiger |url=https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/dead-tree-tiger/ |work=Seattle Weekly |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> and student newspaper ''The Daily of the University of Washington''.<ref name="AP-Newspapers2009"/> The region also has publications in English and other languages for ethnic communities. These include Asian-American publications ''International Examiner'', ''Northwest Asian Weekly'', and the ''Seattle Chinese Post'';<ref>{{cite news |last=Beekman |first=Daniel |date=January 19, 2023 |title=Seattle Chinese Post shuts down, NW Asian Weekly goes online only |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-chinese-post-shuts-down-nw-asian-weekly-goes-online-only/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> and the ''Seattle Medium'' and ''The Facts'', both catered towards the Black community.<ref>{{cite news |last=Greenstone |first=Scott |date=June 18, 2022 |title=Black-led media are seeing a resurgence in Seattle but 'we're so much further back than we used to be' |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/black-led-media-is-seeing-a-resurgence-in-seattle-but-were-so-much-further-back-than-we-used-to-be/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> ''Real Change'', a weekly street newspaper, has been published since 1994 and is sold by homeless and low-income vendors with an estimated annual circulation of 550,000 copies.<ref>{{cite news |last=Doughton |first=Sandi |date=January 10, 2019 |title=Real Change: How Seattle's street newspaper plans to survive in the digital age |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/real-change-how-seattles-street-newspaper-plans-to-survive-in-the-digital-age/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Several digital-only publications emerged in the 2000s and 2010s to provide local news, including ''Crosscut.com'', tech industry publication ''GeekWire'', and hyperlocal outlets Capitol Hill Seattle Blog and West Seattle Blog.<ref>{{cite news |last=Judd |first=Ron |date=March 8, 2018 |title=When local media struggles, so does our democracy |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/when-local-media-struggles-so-does-our-democracy/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Guzman |first=Monica |date=March 15, 2010 |title=New media ventures blossom in Seattle |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/New-media-ventures-blossom-in-Seattle-898829.php |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |accessdate=March 3, 2025}}</ref>

===Libraries===

The Seattle metropolitan area has several local public library systems that are funded primarily by property taxes that are set by voter-approved levies within a designated library district.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 2023 |title=Revenue Guide for Washington Counties |page=12 |url=https://mrsc.org/getmedia/4865001b-1f63-410a-a5ed-8d1ad8d752f3/Revenue-Guide-For-Washington-Counties.pdf |publisher=Municipal Research and Services Center |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> These include library districts that cover most of a county—either through direct annexation or contracted by local governments—or a department of the city government.<ref>{{cite web |title=Library Service Providers Listed by County |url=https://mrsc.org/explore-topics/government-organization/special-districts/library-service-providers-listed-by-county |publisher=Municipal Research and Services Center |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Times-Libraries2006">{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=August 9, 2006 |title=No library cards?! Families' petition spurs Sept. 19 vote |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20060809&slug=woodway09n |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Some cities have opted out of having library systems after voters rejected the proposed property tax to fund services.<ref name="Times-Libraries2006"/> The earliest public libraries in the region were established in the late 19th century by private organizations that were later absorbed into city governments; the first was in Steilacoom in 1858 and was followed by a Seattle organization in 1868.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Charles W. |date=October 1926 |title=Early Library Development in Washington |pages=246–248, 253–255, 258 |journal=Washington Historical Quarterly |volume=17 |issue=4 |publisher=University of Washington |oclc=2392232 |jstor=40475043 |url=https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/WHQ/article/view/7056 |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Several city libraries and local branches were constructed across the metropolitan area with grants from industrialist Andrew Carnegie beginning in 1901.<ref>{{cite web |author=Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation |author-link=Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation |year=1981 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Carnegie Libraries of Washington State |page=3 |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/130ad3ef-833c-4553-8f92-c3e939c7237a |publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> In addition to public libraries, the region also has informal public bookcases (part of the Little Free Library movement) and neighborhood tool libraries that lend tools and materials.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stinchcombe |first=Colleen |date=May 30, 2020 |title=With Washington libraries closed due to coronavirus, Little Free Libraries in Seattle have gained new life |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/with-washington-libraries-closed-due-to-coronavirus-little-free-libraries-in-seattle-have-gained-new-life/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Watson |first=Tom |date=March 21, 2014 |title=Tool libraries equip local do-it-yourselfers |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/tool-libraries-equip-local-do-it-yourselfers/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

The King County Library System is the largest library in the region, with 50 branches and a total circulation of nearly 18.9 million physical and digital items {{as of|2022|lc=y}}.<ref name="Times-Libraries2022">{{cite news |last=Beekman |first=Daniel |date=September 3, 2022 |title=Why Seattle libraries had more than 130 closures this summer |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/why-seattle-libraries-had-more-than-130-closures-this-summer/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="SOS-Libraries">{{cite web |date=September 2023 |title=2022 Washington Public Library Statistical Report |pages=62–63, 74–75 |url=https://apps.sos.wa.gov/_assets/library/libraries/libdev/2022stats.pdf |publisher=Washington Office of the Secretary of State |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> It was established as a rural library district in 1943 and absorbed most of the city-operated systems in King County, with the exception of the Seattle Public Library, by 2012.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bartley |first=Nancy |date=August 19, 2013 |title=Down by the river, a fight over the fate of the Renton Library |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/down-by-the-river-a-fight-over-the-fate-of-the-renton-library/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The independent Seattle system has 27 locations, including its Central Library in Downtown Seattle, and had a 2022 circulation of 11 million items.<ref name="SOS-Libraries"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Heffter |first=Emily |date=January 7, 2012 |title=Library users feel cuts; tax-levy vote coming? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/library-users-feel-cuts-tax-levy-vote-coming/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The Sno-Isle Libraries system serves most of Snohomish and Island counties and has 23 locations that circulated 7.4 million items in 2022;<ref name="SOS-Libraries"/> Sno-Isle does not serve the city of Everett, which operates the two locations of the Everett Public Library.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nash |first=Ashley |date=January 11, 2024 |title=Amid deficit, Everett eyes joining fire authority, Sno-Isle libraries |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/amid-deficit-everett-eyes-joining-fire-authority-sno-isle-libraries/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Pierce County has a county library system with 20 locations that circulated 4.8 million items in 2022 and separate, city-run libraries in Tacoma with eight locations and Puyallup with one location.<ref name="SOS-Libraries"/> In 2016, the King County, Sno-Isle, and Seattle systems were among the three largest libraries in the United States by circulation.<ref name="ALA">{{cite web |year=2019 |title=Library Statistics and Figures: The Nation's Largest Public Libraries |url=https://libguides.ala.org/librarystatistics/largest-public-libs |publisher=American Library Association |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The King County and Seattle systems were also among the heaviest users of digital lending platform OverDrive by circulation worldwide in 2023, each with more than 5 million checkouts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Blatchford |first=Taylor |date=January 19, 2024 |title=King County Library ranks third in the world for digital checkouts |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/king-county-library-ranks-third-in-the-world-for-digital-checkouts/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

==Sports== [[File:OL Reign vs. Washington Spirit - October 6, 2023 - view from southeast.jpg|thumb|right|Seattle Reign FC host a National Women's Soccer League match in 2023 at Lumen Field]] {{main|Sports in Seattle}}

Seattle is home to four current professional major league franchise in men's sports and several defunct teams.<ref name="Times-Expansion">{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Geoff |date=October 11, 2021 |title=Kraken will aim higher in inaugural season than most previous Seattle expansion teams |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/kraken/kraken-will-aim-higher-in-inaugural-season-than-most-previous-seattle-expansion-teams/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer share Lumen Field, an outdoor stadium near Downtown Seattle with a capacity of 69,000 spectators. The stadium will also host several matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bell |first=Gregg |date=February 7, 2024 |title=Seattle will host 6 matches in 2026 FIFA World Cup, including a U.S. game at Lumen Field |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/article285076122.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball play at the adjacent T-Mobile Park, which has a retractable roof and 48,000 seats.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mariners Ballparks |url=https://www.mlb.com/mariners/history/ballparks |publisher=Seattle Mariners |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have played at Climate Pledge Arena on the Seattle Center grounds since it reopened in 2021.<ref name="Times-Expansion"/> Seattle is the only U.S. city to have teams in three professional women's leagues.<ref name="Times-WomensMecca">{{cite news |last=Vesely |first=Sophia |date=December 12, 2025 |title=How Seattle became a mecca for professional women's sports |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/how-seattle-became-a-mecca-for-professional-womens-sports/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 13, 2026}}</ref> The Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association and Seattle Torrent of the Professional Women's Hockey League both share Climate Pledge Arena with the Kraken;<ref name="Times-WomensMecca"/> Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League play at Lumen Field.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bush Bollay |first=Brittney |date=July 5, 2023 |title=Everything a Sports Fan Needs to Know About Visiting Seattle’s Stadiums |url=https://www.thestranger.com/visitors-guide-2023/2023/06/15/79037445/everything-a-sports-fan-needs-to-know-about-visiting-seattles-stadiums |work=The Stranger |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref>

The first major-league sports team from the area was the Seattle Metropolitans, who played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1915 to 1924 and won the 1917 Stanley Cup.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ticen |first=Kevin |date=January 28, 2020 |title=Seattle Metropolitans (1915-1924) |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/20877 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> They were followed by the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association, who entered as an expansion team in 1967 and won the 1979 NBA Finals. The team was relocated to become the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.<ref name="Times-Expansion"/> The Seattle Pilots were the first Major League Baseball team to play in the city, but moved after their lone season in 1969 and were renamed the Milwaukee Brewers.<ref name="Guardian-SB">{{cite news |last=Felt |first=Hunter |date=February 3, 2014 |title=Super Bowl 2014 win marks the end of a long painful stretch for Seattle sports |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/03/super-bowl-2014-win-marks-end-long-painful-stretch-seattle-sports |work=The Guardian |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The 1976 opening of the Kingdome, an indoor multi-purpose stadium funded by the King County government, provided a suitable home for several new professional teams. The original Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League were the first to play at the Kingdome, followed by the new Seahawks in 1976 and Mariners in 1977.<ref name="Times-Expansion"/><ref name="Crosscut-Kingdome">{{cite news |last=Berger |first=Knute |date=December 18, 2020 |title=Mossback's Northwest: The rise and fall of Seattle's Kingdome |url=https://www.cascadepbs.org/culture/2020/12/mossbacks-northwest-rise-and-fall-seattles-kingdome |work=Crosscut.com |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> Fans of these teams became known for their loud and passionate support, which carried over into the new venues that replaced the Kingdome: T-Mobile Park in 1999 and Lumen Field in 2002.<ref name="Crosscut-Kingdome"/><ref name="Guardian-SB"/> The Seahawks won their first Super Bowl in 2014, while the Sounders re-entered the major leagues in 2009 and won several honors, including the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019 and the CONCACAF Champions League in 2022.<ref name="Guardian-SB"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Stejskal |first=Sam |date=May 5, 2022 |title=With Champions League breakthrough, Seattle Sounders stake their claim to title of best club in MLS history |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3295831/2022/05/05/seattle-sounders-concacaf-champions-league/ |work=The Athletic |url-access=subscription |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The Storm were established in 2000 as a sister team to the SuperSonics and have won four WNBA Finals.<ref>{{cite web |last=Drosendahl |first=Glenn |date=May 21, 2019 |title=Seattle Storm (WNBA) |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/20744 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref>

In addition to major league sports, the Seattle area is home to several collegiate athletic programs and minor league teams. The University of Washington's Huskies and Seattle University's Redhawks both have NCAA Division I sanctioning in various men's and women's sports.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 2021 |title=Our Division I Members |url=https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/5/11/our-division-i-members.aspx |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The Seattle Seawolves are members of Major League Rugby and have played at Starfire Sports in Tukwila since their debut in 2018; the rugby union team have won two league championships and played in two more finals.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hanson |first=Scott |date=February 15, 2025 |title=Seawolves enter rugby season with title hopes after taking 2nd in 2024 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/other-sports/seawolves-enter-rugby-season-with-title-hopes-after-taking-2nd-in-2024/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The Minor League Baseball system includes two teams in the region, the Tacoma Rainiers (Triple-A) and Everett AquaSox (High-A), that play in suburban ballparks and are affiliated with the Mariners.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stone |first=Larry |date=May 4, 2021 |title=Rainiers and AquaSox are back, and the thrills are palpable |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/rainiers-and-aquasox-are-back-and-the-thrills-are-palpable/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds are minor league teams that play in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League, a primarily Canadian junior ice hockey league.<ref>{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Geoff |date=December 5, 2018 |title=Can the Seattle area's two WHL major junior teams coexist with the new NHL franchise? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/hockey/can-the-seattle-areas-two-whl-major-junior-teams-coexist-with-the-new-nhl-franchise/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The Tacoma Stars of the Major Arena Soccer League, an indoor soccer league, share the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent with the Thunderbirds.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ruiz |first=Don |date=November 6, 2015 |title=Tacoma Stars shoot for second-season surge |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/soccer/mls/sounders-fc/article43428669.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> The Sounders have a minor league reserve team, the Tacoma Defiance, who play at Starfire Sports in Tukwila.<ref>{{cite news |last=Oshan |first=Jeremiah |date=February 6, 2024 |title=Tacoma Defiance will play at Starfire in 2024 |url=https://www.sounderatheart.com/2024/02/tacoma-defiance-starfire-2024/ |work=Sounder at Heart |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref> Another men's minor league, USL League Two, has six teams based in the Seattle metropolitan area: Ballard FC, Bigfoot FC, Midlakes United, Snohomish United, the Tacoma Stars, and West Seattle Junction FC.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCurdie |first=Taras |date=November 19, 2024 |title=Snohomish United joins USL League Two |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/sports/snohomish-united-joins-usl-league-two/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |date=February 11, 2025 |title=USL League Two announces Divisional Alignment for 2025 |url=https://www.uslleaguetwo.com/news_article/show/1331100 |publisher=United Soccer League |accessdate=March 7, 2025}}</ref>

==Healthcare== {{see also|Medical facilities of Seattle}}

The metropolitan area has 23 hospitals that provide emergency or specialized medical care and are operated by public authorities or private organizations.<ref name="DOH-List">{{cite web |date=November 2023 |title=Trauma Designated Services |url=https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/530101.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Health |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |date=January 2024 |title=WSHA Member Hospitals |url=https://www.wsha.org/wp-content/uploads/WSHA_MemberHospitalsMap_Jan2024.pdf |publisher=Washington State Hospital Association |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Non-profit Catholic organization Providence Health & Services and its subsidiary Swedish Health Services<ref>{{cite web |last=Bolton |first=Dan |date=March 2022 |title=Hospital Mergers in Washington 1986–2017 |page=5 |url=https://ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/dataresearch/researchbriefs/brief105.pdf |publisher=Washington State Office of Financial Management |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> are the largest operator of regional hospitals with seven facilities and over 2,100 combined licensed beds in King and Snohomish counties.<ref name="OIC-Report">{{cite web |author=Health Management Associates |date=November 29, 2023 |title=WA OIC Preliminary Report on Health Care Affordability |pages=18–24 |url=https://www.insurance.wa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/oic-prelim-report-1201123-final_2.pdf |publisher=Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=December 19, 2019 |title=Providence health care workers postpone strike notice |url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/swedish-health-care-strike/281-217f4c4e-84c6-4e54-a69c-91bd301e499b |publisher=KING 5 News |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The UW Medicine system, managed by the University of Washington, comprises several of the largest hospitals in Seattle and a regional network of clinics.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bush |first=Evan |date=May 25, 2020 |title=UW Medicine furloughs 4,000 more workers, citing coronavirus budget hit |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/uw-medicine-furloughs-4000-more-workers-citing-coronavirus-budget-hit/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Locations |url=https://medicine.uw.edu/patient-care/locations |publisher=UW Medicine |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Among them is Harborview Medical Center on First Hill, a 413-bed public hospital and the only Level I trauma center in the state.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zhou |first=Amanda |date=August 12, 2021 |title=Seattle's Harborview Medical Center announces new partnership to train U.S. Army trauma doctors |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/seattles-harborview-medical-center-announces-new-partnership-to-train-u-s-army-trauma-doctors/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gutman |first=David |date=September 14, 2022 |title=Harborview still way over capacity, as long-term care shortage persists |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/harborview-still-way-over-capacity-as-long-term-care-shortage-persists/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Other major healthcare systems in the Seattle area include EvergreenHealth, MultiCare, Overlake Hospital Medical Center, and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health.<ref name="OIC-Report"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bush |first1=Evan |last2=Reicher |first2=Mike |last3=Brownstone |first3=Sydney |date=January 29, 2021 |title='Special invitation only' COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Seattle-area hospitals raise concerns of equity |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/times-watchdog/special-invitation-only-covid-19-vaccination-clinics-at-seattle-area-hospitals-raise-concerns-of-equity/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

The Seattle area also has specialized medical facilities that serve the Pacific Northwest or wider regions of the United States. Seattle Children's Hospital is a major pediatric hospital that serves Washington and four other states;<ref>{{cite news |last=Zhou |first=Amanda |date=September 27, 2022 |title=Seattle Children's emergency department sees 'unprecedented demand,' long wait times |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/seattle-childrens-emergency-department-sees-unprecedented-demand-long-wait-times/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> the area has several hospitals for military members and veterans in the area, including the Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis–McChord and the Department of Veterans Affairs' Puget Sound Health Care System.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Madigan Army Medical Center |url=https://madigan.tricare.mil/About-Us |publisher=Madigan Army Medical Center |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bernton |first=Hal |date=March 15, 2019 |title=In new $122M building, Seattle VA hospital hopes to push frontiers of medicine for PTSD, brain injuries and more |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-va-hospital-on-beacon-hill-expands-with-a-showcase-building-housing-researchers-and-mental-health-services/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> The largest psychiatric hospital in the region is Western State Hospital in Lakewood, which has a capacity of 800 residents; the three-county region has a total of 64 beds at government facilities and is also home to several private behavioral health centers run by Universal Health Services.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jimenez |first=Esmy |date=April 9, 2023 |title=How WA's plan to transform its mental health system has faltered |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/how-was-plan-to-transform-its-mental-health-system-has-faltered/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Daniel |date=October 6, 2019 |title=Free to check in, but not to leave |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/times-watchdog/public-crisis-private-toll-free-to-check-in-but-not-to-leave-washington-mental-health-care/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that about 5.7 percent of annual spending for residents in the Seattle metropolitan area was on healthcare.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 19, 2023 |title=Consumer Expenditures in the Seattle Metropolitan Area — 2021–22 |url=https://www.bls.gov/regions/west/news-release/consumerexpenditures_seattle.htm |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> According to a 2022 estimate by the United States Census Bureau, approximately 5.3 percent of people in the Seattle metropolitan area lack health insurance.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Conway |first1=Douglas |last2=Branch |first2=Breauna |date=September 2023 |title=Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type by Geography: 2021 and 2022 |page=18 |url=https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2023/acs/acsbr-015.pdf |work=American Community Survey Briefs |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> {{as of|2021}}, the largest insurer in the region is Mountlake Terrace-based Premera Blue Cross, followed by Cambia Health Solutions and Kaiser Permanente.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 17, 2022 |title=Health Insurance Competition and Commercial Market Share in Washington State |url=https://www.markfarrah.com/mfa-briefs/health-insurance-competition-and-commercial-market-share-in-washington-state/ |publisher=Mark Farrah Associates |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> Nearly 900,000 people in the tri-county region are enrolled in Washington Apple Health, a no-cost health insurance program managed by the state government under the federal Medicaid system.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 2024 |title=Apple Health data during the unwind |page=5 |url=https://www.hca.wa.gov/assets/free-or-low-cost/apple-health-phe-unwind-enrollment-data.pdf|publisher=Washington State Health Care Authority |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref> An additional 533,000 people in the area were enrolled in Medicare in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 10, 2021 |title=County Medicare trends and variations in Washington: Beneficiaries with Part A and Part B, 2018 |page=12 |url=https://ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/dataresearch/healthcare/medicaretrends/Sec_I_01_part_A_B_num.pdf |publisher=Washington State Office of Financial Management |accessdate=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

The region has several local health departments that set and enforce public health regulations and perform other duties to prevent the spread of disease:<ref>{{cite web |title=About the Board of Health |url=https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/about-king-county/about-public-health/board-of-health/about |publisher=Public Health – Seattle & King County |accessdate=March 2, 2024}}</ref> Public Health – Seattle & King County, the Snohomish County Health Department, and Tacoma–Pierce County Health Department are dedicated departments within their respective county governments.<ref>{{cite news |last=Blethen |first=Ryan |date=December 11, 2020 |title=How coronavirus is turning health departments into a lightning rod for political wrath, in Washington and beyond |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/how-coronavirus-thrust-public-health-departments-into-the-political-spotlight-in-washington-state-and-beyond/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 2, 2024}}</ref> In January 2020, the Seattle area detected the first known case of COVID-19 in the United States and within two months had the first deaths from the pandemic in the country; the region's relatively low death rate was credited to actions taken by public health authorities and the use of extensive testing and widespread remote work policies before the rest of the country adopted them.<ref>{{cite news |last=Klemko |first=Robert |date=April 9, 2020 |title=Seattle area used early social distancing, testing, to help begin flattening the coronavirus curve |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-seattle-flattening-curve/2020/04/09/7313b3c0-7689-11ea-85cb-8670579b863d_story.html |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=March 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Mike |date=March 11, 2021 |title=Seattle's Virus Success Shows What Could Have Been |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/us/coronavirus-seattle-success.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=March 2, 2024}}</ref> Seattle is also home to several major health research institutions, including the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Gates Foundation, PATH, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=April 8, 2016 |title=For Some Top Nonprofits, Changing the World Begins in Seattle |page=A10 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/us/bill-gates-foundation-charity.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=March 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Song |first=Kyung M. |date=May 3, 2009 |title=Seattle scientists play big role in hunt for flu clues |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/seattle-scientists-play-big-role-in-hunt-for-flu-clues/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 2, 2024}}</ref>

==Parks and recreation==

The Seattle area has several parks systems managed by different public entities to preserve land and water for conservation and recreational purposes. The largest park system in the region is Seattle's 489 municipal parks, among the largest municipal systems in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Phair |first=Vonnai |date=July 2, 2023 |title=Seattle ranks among top 10 park systems in the country |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-parks-ranks-among-top-10-park-systems-in-the-country/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> The Seattle park system also includes several popular beaches on Puget Sound and Lake Washington as well as community centers with an indoor gymnasiums.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCullough |first=Sarah-Mae |date=July 18, 2023 |title=These are Seattle's best beaches, according to readers |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/these-are-seattles-best-beaches-according-to-readers/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McCullough |first=Sarah-Mae |date=January 2, 2025 |title=Where to find community in Seattle? Readers share their third places |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/culture/where-to-find-community-in-seattle-readers-share-their-third-places/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> There are 19 parks and historic sites in the metropolitan area that are maintained by Washington State Parks;<ref>{{cite web |title=Find Parks: Search Results |url=https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks?field_counties_target_id_entityreference_filter%5B%5D=428&field_counties_target_id_entityreference_filter%5B%5D=439&field_counties_target_id_entityreference_filter%5B%5D=443#ResultsCount |publisher=Washington State Parks |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah recorded 2.1{{nbsp}}million visits in 2023—the second most in the state park system.<ref>{{cite news |last=Murphy |first=Mary |date=June 12, 2024 |title=WA's 10 most popular state parks in 2023 — plus some hidden gems |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/was-10-most-popular-state-parks-in-2023-plus-some-hidden-gems/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> A {{convert|450|mi|km|adj=mid}} network of regional shared trails for bicycles and pedestrians, named Leafline, was developed beginning in the late 20th century by local and county governments. They were primarily rail trails that repurposed unused railroad rights-of-way.<ref>{{cite news |last=Deshais |first=Nicholas |date=April 1, 2025 |title=WA may be getting new highways — for cyclists |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/wa-may-be-getting-new-highways-for-cyclists/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> The Seattle area also has a variety of public and private golf courses, including four municipal facilities in Seattle and several that have hosted PGA Tour events, such as Chambers Bay in University Place (host of the 2015 U.S. Open) and Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hanson |first=Scott |date=June 6, 2019 |title=Seattle considering what to do with 4 public golf courses and 528 acres of green space they cover |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/golf/seattle-considering-what-to-do-with-4-public-golf-courses-and-528-acres-of-green-space-they-cover/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Craig |date=February 9, 2008 |title=2015 U.S. Open: Chambers Bay strikes green |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/other-sports/2015-us-open-chambers-bay-strikes-green/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref>

The federal National Park Service (NPS) and United States Forest Service (USFS) also maintain conservation and recreation areas around the Seattle region. Mount Rainier National Park, located in southern Pierce County, was established in 1899 to protect the area around its namesake volcano and has over 1.6{{nbsp}}million annual visitors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yardley |first=William |date=March 10, 2007 |title=Park Tries to Balance Access and Nature as It Rebuilds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/us/10rainier.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref><ref name="NPS-Visitors">{{cite web |title=Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in: 2024 |url=https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/National%20Reports/Annual%20Park%20Ranking%20Report%20(1979%20-%20Last%20Calendar%20Year) |publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> Washington's two other national parks—Olympic to the west and North Cacades to the north—are within {{convert|150|mi|km}} of the Seattle area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Find A Park: Washington |url=https://www.nps.gov/state/wa/index.htm |publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wood |first=Terry |date=July 29, 2016 |title=What to do in Washington's national parks, from hikes, to drives, to multi-day adventures |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/celebrate-washingtons-national-parks-with-a-hike-a-drive-an-adventure/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> A unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is located in Seattle's Pioneer Square and contains exhibits and displays related to the city's role in the Klondike Gold Rush.<ref>{{cite news |last=Girgis |first=Lauren |date=March 4, 2025 |title=Klondike Gold Rush historic site in Seattle could close, advocates say |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/klondike-gold-rush-historic-site-in-seattle-could-close-advocates-say/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> The Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest, maintained by the USFS, spans the western slopes of the Cascades from the Canadian border to Mount Rainier and includes hiking areas, campgrounds, and trails.<ref>{{cite news |last=Scruggs |first=Gregory |date=March 1, 2025 |title=How Trump's firing of Forest Service staff affects recreation in WA |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/how-trumps-firing-of-u-s-forest-service-staff-affects-recreation-in-wa/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> More than 40{{nbsp}}percent of the national forest is also designated as part of nine federal wilderness areas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest: Forest Management |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mbs/natural-resources/forest-management |publisher=United States Forest Service |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref>

Several cities in the metropolitan area, including Seattle and Bellevue, have the highest rate of adults who regularly engage in physical activity according to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clarridge |first=Christine |date=April 18, 2022 |title=3 WA cities among nation's most physically active |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/3-wa-cities-among-nations-most-physically-active/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> The region has a variety of outdoor activities due to its proximity to the mountains and water, including hiking, kayaking, skiing, backpacking, and camping.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carrick |first=Evie |date=July 31, 2024 |title=This City Was Just Named the Most Outdoorsy in the U.S. — and It's Near Both the Mountains and the Ocean |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/seattle-most-outdoor-friendly-state-in-united-states-8685569 |work=Travel + Leisure |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gerlach |first=Taylor McKenzie |date=May 9, 2024 |title=Where to Be Outdoorsy for the First Time |url=https://www.seattlemet.com/travel-and-outdoors/2024/05/first-time-outdoor-seattle-hike-paddle |work=Seattle Met |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> Local hiking surged in popularity in the 2010s and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 36{{nbsp}}percent of surveyed adults in the Seattle area reporting in 2022 that they had recently hiked.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=June 15, 2023 |title=Seattle's pandemic-era hiking boom may be over |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattles-pandemic-era-hiking-boom-may-be-over/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> The Seattle area has three public ski areas, all in the Cascades, and is near other skiing and snowboarding areas. The largest is Crystal Mountain near Mount Rainier in Pierce County, which has {{convert|2,600|acre|ha}}; it is followed by The Summit at Snoqualmie, located east of Seattle on Interstate 90, and Stevens Pass in Snohomish County.<ref>{{cite news |last=Scruggs |first=Gregory |date=December 9, 2024 |title=How to choose the best Cascade ski hill for you |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/how-to-choose-the-best-cascade-ski-hill-for-you/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> Public and private facilities also offer forms of indoor recreation, including climbing, swimming, racquet or paddle sports, and ice skating.<ref>{{cite news |last=Scruggs |first=Gregory |date=January 5, 2023 |title=Stay active (inside) this winter: A guide to Seattle-area indoor recreation |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/stay-active-inside-this-winter-a-guide-to-seattle-indoor-recreation/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref> Pickleball, a racquet or paddle sport, was invented on nearby Bainbridge Island in 1965 and was played by approximately 8{{nbsp}}percent of adults in the Seattle area according to a 2024 survey.<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=January 22, 2025 |title=It started in WA, but Seattle is not the U.S. pickleball capital |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/it-started-in-wa-but-seattle-is-not-the-u-s-pickleball-capital/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=July 7, 2025}}</ref>

==Transportation== {{see also|Transportation in Seattle}}

===Airports=== [[File:Seatac Worlwind.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Seattle–Tacoma International Airport prior to construction of the third runway]]

The largest airport in the region is Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, a major international airport that serves as a commercial hub for Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines.<ref>{{cite news |last=McIntosh |first=Andrew |date=August 21, 2019 |title=Delta Air Lines is thriving five years into Seattle expansion |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2019/08/21/delta-air-lines-is-thriving-five-years-into.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> It is operated by the Port of Seattle and lies between Seattle and Tacoma; both cities contributed financially to its construction, which was completed in 1944 for military use and later expanded for commercial aviation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dorpat |first1=Paul |last2=Crowley |first2=Walt |date=May 31, 2003 |title=SeaTac — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/4181 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> Sea-Tac served 46 million passengers in 2023 and was the 11th busiest airport in the United States and 28th busiest in the world by passenger volume.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 2024 |title=2023 Airport Traffic Report |pages=31–32 |url=https://www.panynj.gov/content/dam/airports/statistics/statistics-general-info/annual-atr/ATR_2023.pdf |publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |accessdate=November 13, 2024}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, the airport has 91 domestic destinations and 28 international destinations in North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.<ref name="Herald-Airports">{{cite news |last=Podsada |first=Janice |date=July 9, 2023 |title=Paine Field or Sea-Tac? A tale of two prices |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/paine-field-or-sea-tac-a-tale-of-two-prices/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Met-Airports">{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Allison |date=January 26, 2024 |title=Every Nonstop Flight from Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport and More |url=https://www.seattlemet.com/travel-and-outdoors/nonstop-direct-flights-from-sea-seattle-tacoma-international-airport |work=Seattle Met |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

The area's other conventional passenger airport is Paine Field in Everett, {{convert|30|mi|km}} north of Downtown Seattle. The airport is owned by the Snohomish County government and primarily used for general aviation and various industries, including the nearby Boeing Everett Factory. The passenger terminal, operated by a private company, opened in 2019 and serves domestic destinations, primarily in the Western United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Baskas |first=Harriet |date=February 27, 2019 |title=Paine Field: What to expect when 'Seattle's second airport' opens March 4 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2019/02/27/paine-field-seattle-airport/3003698002/ |work=USA Today |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> {{as of|2023}}, Alaska Airlines is the sole airline at Paine Field and serves up to eleven destinations during peak seasons.<ref name="Herald-Airports"/>

Proposals to build a reliever airport for Sea-Tac were investigated in the 1990s prior to the decision to build a third runway at the airport to handle increased traffic.<ref>{{cite web |last=Crowley |first=Walt |date=June 21, 2003 |title=Sea-Tac International Airport: Third Runway Project |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/4211 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The state legislature convened a new commission in 2019 to search for a suitable site for a reliever airport, which could include expansion of Paine Field or construction of an outlying airport by 2040.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gates |first=Dominic |author-link=Dominic Gates |date=November 13, 2022 |title=Seattle needs a new Sea-Tac-sized airport. No one wants it near them |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/seattle-needs-a-new-sea-tac-sized-airport-no-one-wants-it-near-them/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The commission identified four sites in the southern Puget Sound region but was dissolved before a final recommendation due to public opposition to a new airport.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gates |first=Dominic |date=May 15, 2023 |title=WA lawmakers kick hunt for major airport site far into the future |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/wa-lawmakers-kick-hunt-for-major-airport-site-far-into-the-future/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

Limited passenger service is also available from Boeing Field in Seattle, which primarily serves cargo and charter traffic.<ref name="Met-Airports"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Broom |first=Jack |date=April 13, 2011 |title=FAA suspends sleeping air controller at Boeing Field |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/faa-suspends-sleeping-air-controller-at-boeing-field/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> Kenmore Air, a passenger floatplane operator, serves two airports in the area: the Kenmore Air Harbor Seaplane Base on Lake Union in Seattle and Kenmore Air Harbor on Lake Washington in Kenmore.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gates |first=Dominic |date=September 11, 2022 |title=Seaplanes are a Seattle icon. Their pilots are mystified by tragic crash |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/seaplanes-are-a-seattle-icon-their-pilots-are-mystified-by-tragic-crash/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The metropolitan area's other general-use airports include Arlington Municipal Airport in northern Snohomish County;<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitley |first=Peyton |date=April 30, 2003 |title=Arlington owes economic boom to leaders' lofty goals, airport |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20030430&slug=boom30n |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> Bremerton National Airport in Kitsap County;<ref>{{cite news |last=Pritchett |first=Rachel |date=December 28, 2009 |title=Bremerton airport lands MD-80 series jet |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/bremerton-airport-lands-md-80-series-jet/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> the privately owned Harvey Airfield in Snohomish;<ref>{{cite news |last=Bjorkman |first=Eileen |date=February 14, 2014 |title=At Harvey Field, the spirit of aviation's early days lives on |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/business/at-harvey-field-the-spirit-of-aviations-early-days-lives-on/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> and Renton Municipal Airport, adjacent to Lake Washington and the Boeing Renton Factory.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gates |first=Dominic |date=August 2, 2018 |title=Boeing's 737 ramp-up shows signs of strain as unfinished planes pile up in Renton |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeings-737-ramp-up-slows-as-unfinished-planes-pile-up-in-renton/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

===Roads and highways=== {{see also|Street layout of Seattle}}

The Seattle area has a grid-based road system that originates at designated points in each of the three counties; streets and roads are numbered from this origin point with cardinal directions as prefixes or suffixes.<ref name="Times-123Streets">{{cite news |last=Gaudette |first=Karen |date=March 25, 2005 |title=The ABCs and 123s of Eastside streets |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20050325&slug=ontheroad25e |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The origin for the King County grid is 1st Avenue and Main Street in Downtown Seattle; from there, numbers increase outward until they reach the county border and reset.<ref name="Times-123Streets"/><ref>{{cite web |date=November 2020 |title=Street Addresses and Road Names |url=https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/permitting-environmental-review/dper/documents/forms/Street-Addresses-and-Road-Names.ashx |publisher=King County Department of Local Services |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The northernmost street in King County is Northeast 205th Street, which runs along the county line and is known as 244th Street Southwest in Snohomish County.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 17, 2019 |title=Large sinkholes appear on road after water main breaks |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/large-sinkholes-appear-on-road-after-water-main-breaks/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hauptli |first=Jack |date=July 18, 1964 |title=Phooey on Pugetpolis! |page=3 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> Cities are permitted to have separate numbering and naming systems for streets,<ref name="Times-123Streets"/> including retaining older names prior to the harmonization of street numbers following the adoption of a countywide 911 system in the late 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 1989 |title=Proposed Vashon-Maury Island Road Designation Plan |page=4 |url=https://aqua.kingcounty.gov/council/clerk/OldOrdsMotions/Ordinance%2009162.pdf |publisher=King County Building and Land Development Division |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Tucker |first=Rob |date=April 21, 2004 |title=Street names with character? It's a dead |pages=A1, A12 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-street-names-with-chara/140914092/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref>

In addition to streets and roads under the jurisdiction of the local and county governments, the state legislature designates a network of state highways that are maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).<ref>{{cite news |last=Gutman |first=David |date=June 19, 2017 |title=Here's why I-5 is such a mess in Seattle area, and what keeps us moving at all |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/heres-why-i-5-is-such-a-mess-in-seattle-area-and-what-keeps-us-moving-at-all/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=RCW 47.17.001: Criteria for changes to system. |url=https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=47.17.001 |publisher=Washington State Legislature |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> These highways are primarily funded by the state government through a fuel tax and annual fees on vehicle registration that are collected by other departments.<ref>{{cite web |title=2019 County by County Analysis: Return Per Dollar Contributed by Citizens Within Each County |pages=3–7 |url=https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/CountybyCountyReturnPerDollarPerCitizen2019.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gutman |first1=David |last2=Eng |first2=Emily M. |date=December 28, 2018 |title=Where is your King County transportation money going? And what is it costing you? These are the numbers. |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/where-is-your-king-county-transportation-money-going-and-what-is-it-costing-you-these-are-the-numbers/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> Several highways connect beyond the Puget Sound region, including crossings of the Cascade Mountains through mountain passes—of which three have winter access during normal weather.<ref name="Times-Passes">{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=January 6, 2022 |title=Pass closures prevent travel between east and west sides of Washington state |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/pass-closures-prevent-travel-between-east-and-west-sides-of-washington-state/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> Some city streets in the state highway system, such as Aurora Avenue North on State Route 99 (SR 99), have shared jurisdiction or ownership between WSDOT and local governments.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baruchman |first1=Michelle |last2=Groover |first2=Heidi |date=November 6, 2020 |title=After latest pedestrian death, worries persist about traffic safety on Aurora Avenue |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/after-latest-pedestrian-death-worries-persist-about-traffic-safety-on-aurora-avenue/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gutierrez |first=Scott |date=October 30, 2010 |title=Getting There: Should Seattle-Shoreline arterial go on a road diet? |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Getting-There-Should-Seattle-Shoreline-arterial-777335.php |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref>

The state highway system comprises undivided highways as well as controlled-access freeways,<ref name="WSDOT-Map">{{cite WSDOT map |year=2022 |inset=Puget Sound |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> which include several routes on the national Interstate Highway System that cover a total of {{convert|182|mi|km}} in the Seattle metropolitan area.<ref name="WSDOT-Map2014">{{cite WSDOT map |year=2014 |inset=[https://web.archive.org/web/20201105191320/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2017/08/31/highway-map-PugetSound_Full.pdf Puget Sound] |accessdate=February 21, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=October 1997 |title=Urban Areas – 1996 Miles and Daily Vehicle-Miles of Travel |page=1 |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/1996/hm71.pdf |work=Highway Statistics |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> These freeways were built by the state government in the 20th century to conform with standards set by the Federal Highway Administration and are numbered as part of a national scheme.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 30, 2023 |title=Interstate Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/interstate-system/50th-anniversary/interstate-frequently-asked-questions |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Peggy |date=September 9, 1993 |title=Last link of I-90 ends 30-year saga |page=A10 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19930909&slug=1720198 |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The main West Coast freeway, Interstate 5 (I-5), travels through the region and serves the cities of Tacoma, Seattle, and Everett; its busiest section in Downtown Seattle carried 274,000 vehicles on an average day in 2016, while approximately 2.6 billion person miles were traveled on the corridor between Federal Way and Everett in 2017.<ref name="WSDOT-Capacity">{{cite web |date=November 2018 |title=2018 Corridor Capacity Report |pages=12, 31–32 |url=https://wsdot.wa.gov/publications/fulltext/graynotebook/corridor-capacity-report-18.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gutman |first=David |date=June 19, 2017 |title=Can't Washington state ease I-5 traffic? Fixes exist, but most of them are pricey. |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/cant-washington-state-ease-i-5-traffic-fixes-exist-but-most-of-them-are-pricey/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The only east–west Interstate in the area is I-90, which connects Seattle to Bellevue, Issaquah, and Eastern Washington via Snoqualmie Pass.<ref name="Times-Passes"/> I-5 has two auxiliary routes in the region: I-405, which serves the Eastside and functions as a bypass of Seattle;<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=January 3, 2003 |title=Eastside history: I-405 radically altered life east of the lake |page=B3 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20030103&slug=fourohfive03e |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> and I-705, a short spur into Downtown Tacoma that opened in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |last=Szymanski |first=Jim |date=October 16, 1988 |title=Spur is city's link to future |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81130973/spur-is-citys-link-to-future/ A1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81131003/spur-is-citys-link-to-future-part-2/ A12] |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81130973/spur-is-citys-link-to-future/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref>

Other major freeways in the area include SR 16 from Tacoma to the Kitsap Peninsula; SR 18 from Federal Way to Snoqualmie; SR 167 from Puyallup to Renton; SR 509 from SeaTac to Seattle; SR 520 from Seattle to Redmond; SR 522 from Bothell to Monroe; and U.S. Route 2 (US 2) from Everett to Snohomish.<ref name="WSDOT-Map"/><ref name="WSDOT-Map2014"/> Plans for a larger network of freeways and expressways were drawn up in the 1950s and 1960s, but were later cancelled or downsized due to public outcry and budget issues. Among the cancelled projects were the R.H. Thomson Expressway in eastern Seattle, the Bay Freeway in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood, and an outer bypass of the Eastside unofficially named Interstate 605 that was proposed several times.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilmore |first=Susan |date=August 24, 2003 |title=Some freeway plans never went anywhere |page=B1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20030824&slug=bumper24m0 |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The highway system includes several of the longest floating bridges in the world due to the depth of local water bodies and their soft silt, which make conventional bridge designs more challenging.<ref name="Wired-Bridges">{{cite news |last=Marshall |first=Aarian |date=April 19, 2016 |title=What It Takes to Keep a 7,700-Foot Floating Bridge From Doom |url=https://www.wired.com/2016/04/takes-keep-7700-foot-floating-bridge-doom/ |work=Wired |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> Lake Washington has three of the bridges: a pair carries separate directions of I-90, while the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge carries SR 520 and is the world's longest floating bridge at {{convert|7,700|ft|m}}.<ref name="Wired-Bridges"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Gutierrez |first=Scott |date=February 29, 2012 |title=Washington: Floating bridge capitol of the world |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/local/transportation/article/Washington-Floating-bridge-capitol-of-the-world-2971885.php |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The SR 520 floating bridge is one of two toll bridges in the area, along with the eastbound span of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on SR 16, which was constructed with toll revenue.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=August 24, 2022 |title=Tacoma Narrows Bridge tolls will get cheaper this fall |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/tacoma-narrows-bridge-tolls-will-get-cheaper-this-fall/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The toll bridges and the State Route 99 tunnel in Seattle use the Good to Go electronic toll system, which charges based on a transponder or by reading a vehicle's license plate with fees collected by mail.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shumpert |first=Aspen |date=October 6, 2022 |title=Crossing the Narrows Bridge just got cheaper. Here's a rundown of local WSDOT tolls |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/community/gateway/g-news/article266868296.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref>

The region's freeway system includes a network of high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) to encourage use of mass transit and carpools during peak periods;<ref>{{cite news |last=Balk |first=Gene |date=July 26, 2016 |title=Enthusiasm for carpooling stalls amid shifting lifestyles and options for getting around |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/fyiguy-carpool/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> the lanes also include bypasses at ramp meters and special ramps at some interchanges.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ramp meters |url=https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/operations-services/ramp-meters |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Charles E. |date=April 23, 2007 |title=Q&A: Bottleneck near Eastgate; Ramp restrictions |page=B1 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/qa-bottleneck-near-eastgate-ramp-restrictions/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> {{as of|2018}}, {{convert|250|mi|km}} of the planned {{convert|369|mi|km}} in the network have been constructed and carry 38 percent of all freeway miles traveled.<ref name="WSDOT-Capacity"/> it was the third-largest system of HOV lanes among U.S. metropolitan areas in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Booz Allen Hamilton |author2=HNTB |date=December 2008 |title=A Compendium of Existing HOV Lane Facilities in the United States |page=5 |url=https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop09030/fhwahop09030.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090730091444/http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop09030/fhwahop09030.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 30, 2009 |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> A {{convert|40|mi|km|adj=mid}} section of HOV lanes on I-405 and SR 167 are planned to be converted to high-occupancy toll lanes (HOT lanes) by the late 2020s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=June 29, 2018 |title=Fueled by express tolls, state draws big plans for Lynnwood-to-Puyallup corridor |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/fueled-by-express-tolls-state-draws-big-plans-for-lynnwood-to-puyallup-corridor/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The Good to Go system is used to collect tolls for single-occupant vehicles in the lanes and are set by variable demand with a maximum of $15; vehicles carrying three or more people are exempt from the toll with a compatible transponder.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=January 29, 2024 |title=Seattle-area express tolls soon to go as high as $15 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-area-express-tolls-soon-to-go-as-high-as-15/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref>

===Railroads===

The region is served by two Class I railroads primarily used for freight: BNSF Railway, which owns several lines that connect the north–south I-5 corridor and across the Cascade Mountains; and the Union Pacific Railroad, which owns a short section from Tukwila to Tacoma and has operating rights on other BNSF lines.<ref name="WSDOT-RailPlan">{{cite web |date=August 2020 |title=Washington State Rail Plan 2019–2040 |pages=11, 15–16 |url=https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2019-2040-State-Rail-Plan.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref> Amtrak operates intercity passenger trains on these railroads with stations in the Seattle metropolitan area. The ''Cascades'' serves the Portland–Seattle–Vancouver corridor with multiple trips per day; the ''Coast Starlight'' operates daily service to Oregon and California from King Street Station in Seattle; and the ''Empire Builder'' connects the region to Eastern Washington and Chicago.<ref name="WSDOT-RailPlan"/> The ''Cascades'' travels along the Pacific Northwest Corridor, a designated study corridor for potential high-speed rail service.<ref name="WSDOT-RailPlan"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Crawford |first=Tiffany |date=September 14, 2022 |title=B.C. government spends $300K on third study of high speed train to U.S. |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/bc-spends-300k-on-high-speed-train-study |work=Vancouver Sun |accessdate=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

===Mass transit=== [[File:Link Series 1 train on the 2 Line at Wilburton Station - July 2025.jpg|thumb|right|A Link light rail train on the 2 Line in Bellevue]]

The Seattle metropolitan area has seven major transit agencies that provide public transportation across several modes, including buses, light rail, commuter rail, and ferries. Most transit modes in the region use the ORCA card, a smart fare card system introduced in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |date=February 2023 |title=Visitor's Guide to Using Public Transit in the Seattle area |url=https://support.myorca.com/hc/en-us/articles/10743519362317-Visitor-s-Guide-to-Using-Public-Transit-in-the-Seattle-area |publisher=MyORCA |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=May 2, 2022 |title=What you need to know about changes coming to the ORCA fare card system |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/what-you-need-to-know-about-changes-coming-to-the-orca-fare-card-system/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> Fares are discounted for people aged 65 or older or those with disabilities; since 2022, all fares for passengers 18 years old and younger have been waived as part of a state program.<ref>{{cite news |last=Engelson |first=Andrew |date=April 14, 2023 |title=How to get the most out of Seattle public transit |url=https://crosscut.com/news/2023/04/how-get-most-out-seattle-public-transit |work=Crosscut.com |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> According to 2019 estimates from the ''American Community Survey'', approximately 10.7 percent of workers in the Seattle metropolitan area used public transit to commute—the sixth most per capita among the largest metropolitan areas in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Burrows |first1=Michael |last2=Burd |first2=Charlynn |last3=McKenzie |first3=Brian |date=April 2021 |title=Commuting by Public Transportation in the United States: 2019 |page=7 |url=https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/acs/acs-48.pdf |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> The high ridership, particularly for buses in the 2010s, was attributed to subsidized fares and other benefits offered by large employers for commuters.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bliss |first=Laura |date=May 11, 2018 |title=Why Seattle Is America's Bus-Lovingest Town |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-11/seattle-has-a-4-step-plan-to-building-bus-ridership |work=Bloomberg News |department=CityLab |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref>

Sound Transit is a regional authority that manages Link light rail, Sounder commuter rail, and Sound Transit Express buses on freeways.<ref name="ST-Modes">{{cite web |title=Modes of service |url=https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/building-system/modes-service |publisher=Sound Transit |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> It was created in 1993 and has a district that covers {{convert|1,000|sqmi|sqkm}} and 2.9 million people across 50 municipalities.<ref name="SPUR-Transit">{{cite journal |last=Amin |first=Ratna |date=July 31, 2017 |title=Seattle's Big Vision for Transit |url=https://www.spur.org/publications/urbanist-article/2017-07-31/seattles-big-vision-transit |journal=The Urbanist |issue=558 |publisher=SPUR |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> Link, the regional rapid transit system, carried 23.9 million passengers in 2022 on its two lines: the 1 Line from Seattle to SeaTac, and the T Line in Tacoma.<ref name="ST-Modes"/><ref name="APTA-2022">{{cite web |date=March 1, 2023 |title=Public Transportation Ridership Report, Fourth Quarter 2022 |pages=4, 7–9, 35–36 |url=https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022-Q4-Ridership-APTA.pdf |publisher=American Public Transportation Association |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> Sound Transit's major capital projects are funded by several sources, including property taxes and fees on motor-vehicle registrations, that are enabled by ballot initiatives approved by voters in 1996, 2008, and 2016.<ref name="SPUR-Transit"/><ref name="Times-STExpansion">{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=March 2, 2023 |title=Be bolder to get light rail done, expert panel tells Sound Transit |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/be-bolder-to-get-light-rail-done-expert-panel-tells-sound-transit/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref> The light rail system plans to expand to {{convert|116|mi|km}} by 2045 and cover several major corridors at a total cost of $149 billion.<ref name="Times-STExpansion"/> Other local rail systems include the Seattle Streetcar network, which comprises two lines,<ref>{{cite news |last=Kroman |first=David |date=January 19, 2024 |title=Cost estimates soar for potential new downtown Seattle streetcar |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/new-soaring-cost-estimates-for-downtown-seattle-streetcar/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> and the Seattle Center Monorail, a popular tourist attraction that carries 2 million riders annually.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kroman |first=David |date=May 24, 2023 |title=Seattle monorail rides the Kraken wave to higher ridership |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-monorail-rides-the-kraken-wave-to-higher-ridership/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref>

The largest local transit agency is King County Metro, which operates buses, paratransit, vanpools, and rideshare in King County. It also operates an electric trolleybus network in Seattle as well as the city's streetcar system.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=May 11, 2023 |title=King County Metro to reduce bus trips this fall; not enough drivers |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/king-county-metro-to-reduce-bus-trips-this-fall-not-enough-drivers/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> Metro is one of the largest bus agencies in the United States by ridership, carrying 63.6 million annual passengers in 2022.<ref name="APTA-2022"/> Snohomish County has two transit providers: Community Transit, which serves most of the county and also operates commuter express service to Seattle; and Everett Transit, which serves the city.<ref>{{cite news |last=Watanabe |first=Ben |date=December 30, 2019 |title=Everett leaders want closer look at transit finances, merger |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/everett-leaders-want-closer-look-at-transit-finances-merger/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> Other providers include Pierce Transit in Tacoma and Pierce County; Kitsap Transit in Kitsap County;<ref>{{cite map |date=February 2014 |title=Regional Transit Map Book |pages=8, 17 |url=https://aqua.kingcounty.gov/gis/web/Web/VMC/transportation/RTMB/RTMB_all.pdf |publisher=King County GIS Center, Sound Transit |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> and Intercity Transit in Olympia and Thurston County, which operates fare-free.<ref>{{cite news |last=Boone |first=Rolf |date=February 24, 2020 |title=Intercity Transit ridership grows 20 percent in first month of zero-fare bus service |url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article240447351.html |work=The Olympian |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref>

===Ferries=== {{see also|Ferries in Washington (state)}} [[File:MV Suquamish leaving Mukilteo (Feb. 2020).jpg|thumb|right|{{MV|Suquamish}}, an automobile ferry part of the Washington State Ferries fleet, on the Mukilteo–Clinton route]]

The state-run Washington State Ferries system is the largest maritime transit system in the United States and carries both passengers and vehicles as an extension of the state highway system; it also serves as a tourist attraction in addition to its role as a commuter mode.<ref name="R&B-Ferries">{{cite news |last1=Bernstein |first1=Jeri |last2=Gavin |first2=Sharon |last3=Rhodes |first3=Diane |date=May 13, 2020 |title=Sustaining a marine highway system in Washington State |url=https://www.roadsbridges.com/bridges/article/10652725/sustaining-a-marine-highway-system-in-washington-state |work=Roads & Bridges |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Weisstuch |first=Liza |date=August 5, 2022 |title=Ferry tales in the Pacific Northwest |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/08/05/washington-state-ferries-islands-puget-sound/ |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The ferries carried 17.4 million passengers and 8.6 million vehicles in 2022; prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and service cuts, it had carried 25 million annual passengers.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 2023 |title=Washington State Ferries: Fact sheet |url=https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/WSF-FactSheet-January2023.pdf |publisher=Washington State Ferries |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Santos |first=Melissa |date=November 1, 2023 |title=How the country's largest ferry system is going green |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/11/01/seattle-america-electric-ferry-transportation-system |work=Axios |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> The system was created in 1951 after a state takeover of the Puget Sound Navigation Company's main lines in the region.<ref name="R&B-Ferries"/> Colman Dock in Downtown Seattle is the system's main hub and is served by routes from Bainbridge Island and Bremerton.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zhou |first=Amanda |date=November 18, 2022 |title=Seattle's new ferry terminal at Colman Dock opens with upgrades |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattles-new-ferry-terminal-at-colman-dock-opens-with-upgrades/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> Vashon Island has two terminals at opposite ends of the island: the north terminal is used by the Southworth–Vashon–Fauntleroy triangle service that connects east to West Seattle; and the south terminal at Tahlequah is part of the Point Defiance–Tahlequah route from Tacoma.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=December 25, 2021 |title=Crew shortages cancel more Washington State Ferries trips |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/crew-shortages-cancel-more-washington-state-ferries-trips/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> Two routes serve Snohomish County: the Edmonds–Kingston run connects to the Kitsap Peninsula and the Mukilteo–Clinton run travels to Whidbey Island.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Andrea |date=May 8, 2015 |title=State ferries are a budget-friendly way to spend a day at sea |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/life/state-ferries-are-a-budget-friendly-way-to-spend-a-day-at-sea/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The Pierce County government operates the Steilacoom–Anderson Island ferry with automobile service to two island communities in southern Puget Sound.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Shea |last2=Most |first2=Becca |date=June 5, 2023 |title=The Pierce County ferry system is under stress. Island residents just want it to work |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article275123581.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref>

The King County Marine Division operates the King County Water Taxi, a passenger ferry service that connects Downtown Seattle to West Seattle and Vashon Island.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Leslie |date=July 18, 2012 |title=As more use water taxi, some are left behind |url=https://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/news/as-more-use-water-taxi-some-are-left-behind/ |work=Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> The Vashon Island run was formerly a passenger ferry operated by Washington State Ferries from 1990 until 2006, when the state government cut its funding; the county government later acquired the service under a new ferry district.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilmore |first=Susan |date=March 14, 2005 |title=King County Metro eyes passenger-ferry service |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/king-county-metro-eyes-passenger-ferry-service/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The passenger-only Kitsap Fast Ferries system operated by Kitsap Transit connects a terminal near Colman Dock to three terminals on the Kitsap Peninsula.<ref name="Times-Southworth">{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=March 29, 2021 |title=New foot ferry makes the trip to downtown Seattle in 26 minutes |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/new-foot-ferry-makes-the-trip-to-downtown-seattle-in-26-minutes/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 25, 2024}}</ref> Kitsap Transit launched the system's first route, Seattle–Bremerton, in 2017 to provide a faster alternative to the existing state ferry run; it expanded using a fleet of catamarans designed for low wakes.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gutman |first=David |date=July 5, 2017 |title=Bremerton takes another crack at fast ferry service |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/bremerton-takes-another-crack-at-fast-ferry-service/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref> The agency also runs a passenger-only foot ferry between Bremerton and two terminals in Port Orchard using the historic ''Carlisle II'' and other boats.<ref>{{cite news |last=Vosler |first=Christian |date=April 28, 2021 |title=The Carlisle II is back: Century-old ferry ready for riders again after $1.3M overhaul |url=https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2021/04/28/historic-carlisle-ii-ferry-returning-port-orchard-bremerton-route/4864071001/ |work=Kitsap Sun |accessdate=February 16, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Vosler |first=Christian |date=October 24, 2019 |title=Fast ferries: Kitsap Transit looking ahead to Southworth service in 2020 |url=https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/local/2019/10/24/kitsap-transit-looking-ahead-southworth-fast-ferry-service-2020/4078581002/ |work=Kitsap Sun |accessdate=February 16, 2024}}</ref> The Port of Everett runs a seasonal passenger ferry between Everett and Jetty Island in Possession Sound.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tizon |first=Maya |date=July 9, 2023 |title=Port of Everett welcomes back ferry rides to Jetty Island |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/port-of-everett-welcomes-back-ferry-rides-to-jetty-island/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 16, 2024}}</ref> These services are similar to that of the historic Mosquito Fleet, a collective name for passenger ferries operated on Puget Sound from the 1880s to 1920s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=David B. |date=February 2, 2021 |title=Mosquito Fleet |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/869 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=February 13, 2024}}</ref>

In addition to public operators, several private ferry and excursion services are based in the Seattle area. The Victoria Clipper connects Downtown Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia, via an international passenger ferry.<ref>{{cite news |last=Flynn |first=Caitlin |date=May 12, 2022 |title=The Victoria Clipper is running again. Here's what to do on a Vancouver Island weekend trip |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/the-victoria-clipper-is-running-again-heres-what-to-do-on-a-vancouver-island-weekend-trip/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 16, 2024}}</ref> Argosy Cruises operates sightseeing cruises in Elliott Bay and the Lake Washington Ship Canal; from 2009 to 2021, the company also operated Tillicum Village, a performance and culinary cruise on Blake Island.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kirschman |first=Lindsey |date=December 15, 2021 |title=Seattle's Argosy Cruises ends Tillicum Excursion at Blake Island over pandemic challenges |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/local/seattlenews/article/tillicum-village-excursion-closes-on-blake-island-16704308.php |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |accessdate=February 16, 2024}}</ref>

==Utilities== {{see also|Utilities of Seattle}} [[File:Gorge Dam (36251748603).jpg|thumb|right|The Gorge Dam on the Skagit River, a hydroelectric dam operated by Seattle City Light]]

There are six electric utilities that distribute electricity to customers in a local market within the Seattle metropolitan area.<ref name="PSRC-Report2006">{{cite report |date=May 2006 |title=Chapter 5.1. Population, Employment, and Housing |pages=10.2–10.6 |url=https://www.psrc.org/sites/default/files/2022-02/v2040-deismainvol-ch5.pdf |work=Vision 2020 Draft Environmental Impact Statement |publisher=Puget Sound Regional Council |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> They draw most of their electric power from hydroelectric dams in the Pacific Northwest, along with wind, natural gas, and coal.<ref name="Times-Electricity">{{cite news |last=Zhou |first=Amanda |date=February 13, 2024 |title=How clean is WA's electricity? We lead the country in one way |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/how-clean-is-was-electricity-we-lead-the-country-in-one-way/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Acone |first=Abby |date=August 15, 2023 |title=Power companies around Puget Sound brace for future heat waves, more homes with A/C |url=https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/power-companies-around-puget-sound-brace-for-future-heat-waves-more-homes-with-a-c |publisher=Q13 Fox |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> In 2020, these utilities generated or sold over {{formatnum:{{#expr: 690762 + 21706876 + 9188112 + 6632870 + 4800323 round -3}}}} megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity, of which 52 percent was from hydroelectric sources.<ref>{{cite report |date=August 2023 |title=Washington Electric Utility 2021 Fuel Mix Disclosure Report |pages=57–60, 66–70, 73 |url=https://www.commerce.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2021-FMD-Report-Update.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Commerce |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The largest utility, Puget Sound Energy, is a private company that covers most of King County and portions of Pierce County; {{as of|2022|lc=y}}, it derives half of its electricity from coal and natural gas.<ref name="Times-Electricity"/><ref name="PSE">{{cite web |title=PSE locations |url=https://www.pse.com/en/Customer-Service/pse-locations-2 |publisher=Puget Sound Energy |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The company is one of two non-government providers alongside the Peninsula Light Company, a non-profit cooperative on the Key Peninsula.<ref name="PSRC-Report2006"/><ref>{{cite news |date=May 7, 2021 |title=Three familiar names top election for PenLight electric co-op board |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/community/gateway/g-news/article251156429.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The remaining local providers, Seattle City Light, the Snohomish County Public Utility District, and Tacoma Power, are public utilities who are also members of the Energy Northwest consortium.<ref>{{cite web |title=Powering Our Clean Energy Future |page=3 |url=https://www.energy-northwest.com/whoweare/Documents/EN%20Brochure%202022%20Web.pdf |publisher=Energy Northwest |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> They generate their own electricity and also purchase it from the federal Bonneville Power Administration, which operates 31 hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bernton |first=Hal |date=July 21, 2019 |title=Bonneville, the Northwest's biggest clean-power supplier, faces promise and perils in changing energy markets |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/bonneville-power-the-northwests-biggest-clean-energy-supplier-strains-to-keep-up-its-aging-hydro-system-and-restore-salmon/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The cost of electricity in the metropolitan area is approximately 25 percent below the average for the United States due to its reliance on hydroelectricity;<ref name="Times-PowerBills">{{cite news |last=Saldanha |first=Alison |date=August 21, 2023 |title=Seattle-area power bills rising at fastest rate in a decade |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/seattle-area-power-bills-rising-at-fastest-rate-in-a-decade/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> {{as of|2019|lc=y}}, the average price of electricity ranged from 7.9 cents per kilowatt-hour in Tacoma to 10.2 cents for Puget Sound Energy customers.<ref>{{cite report |date=December 2020 |title=Washington State Electric Utility Resource Planning 2020 Report |pages=80–82 |url=https://www.commerce.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Electric-Utility-Resource-Planning-2020-Report.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Commerce |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref>

The region derives most of its tap water from sources in the Cascade Mountains that are fed by melted snowpack that accumulate during the autumn and winter and fill reservoirs as they melt.<ref name="Times-MountainWater">{{cite news |last=Swanson |first=Conrad |date=February 4, 2024 |title=WA's mountain snow recharges our drinking water, powers our lives. Now it's turning to rain. |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/wa-drinking-water-hydropower-at-risk-as-pnw-snowpack-shrinks/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The water is collected and treated by three major public utilities that distribute it for consumption: the City of Everett manages the water supply for most of Snohomish County, which is derived from Spada Lake on the Sultan River; Seattle Public Utilities serves 1.3 million people in King County and has two major water sources on the Cedar and Tolt rivers;<ref>{{cite press release |date=November 23, 2015 |title=Regional water supply conditions back to normal |url=https://atyourservice.seattle.gov/2015/11/23/regional-water-supply-conditions-back-to-normal/ |publisher=Seattle Public Utilities |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> and Tacoma Public Utilities uses the upper Green River in King County to serve Pierce County and portions of southern King County.<ref name="PSRC-Report2006"/>{{rp|7.6}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Ryan |first=John |date=November 22, 2023 |title=Seattle got dark and rainy again. Do we still need to conserve water? |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-s-dark-and-rainy-again-do-we-still-need-to-conserve-water |publisher=KUOW |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The utilities and other providers also rely on groundwater wells that draw from a series of underground aquifers in the region, but their use has diminished since the mid-20th century.<ref name="PSRC-Report2006"/>{{rp|6.7}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Andrea |date=April 23, 2018 |title=It's the water: Artesian well draws fans from miles around |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/its-the-water-lynnwoods-artesian-well-draws-fans-from-miles-around/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The treatment process generally includes the addition of water fluoridation and the use of chlorine as well as ozone or ultraviolet light disinfection.<ref>{{cite report |date=August 2019 |title=2019 Water System Plan |pages=1{{hyphen}}2, 3{{hyphen}}12 |url=https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/SPU/Documents/Plans/SPUFinal2019_WSP_Volume1.pdf |publisher=Seattle Public Utilities |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Carlton Harrell |first=Debera |date=January 8, 2006 |title=City tasters make sure our tap water tastes like, well, nothing |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/city-tasters-make-sure-our-tap-water-tastes-like-1192137.php |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref>

Wastewater is collected locally and sent through sewers and pump stations to regional treatment facilities to be discharged into local waterways, primarily Puget Sound.<ref name="PSRC-Report2006"/>{{rp|7.4}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Mapes |first=Lynda V. |date=November 27, 2021 |title=Washington state seeks tighter wastewater rules for Puget Sound, but sewage plant operators push back |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/washington-state-seeks-tighter-regulations-of-wastewater-in-puget-sound-but-sewage-plant-operators-push-back/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The combined sewer system in older areas, including most of Seattle, also carries untreated stormwater that is dumped with wastewater during overflow events;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bernton |first1=Hal |last2=Gutman |first2=David |date=December 5, 2019 |title=As costs soar, King County wants to redo water-pollution agreement with state and feds |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/king-county-cites-soaring-costs-climate-change-in-bid-to-redo-water-pollution-agreement-with-state-and-feds/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> cities and utilities have undertaken projects to build separate stormwater tunnels and holding tanks to address the issue.<ref>{{cite news |last=Beekman |first=Daniel |date=June 27, 2023 |title=Machine is done digging Seattle's huge sewage and stormwater tunnel |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/machine-is-done-digging-seattles-huge-sewage-and-stormwater-tunnel/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> Solid waste is collected from curbside bins and dumpsters by local governments or contracted out to companies including Waste Management, Allied Waste, Republic Services, and Recology.<ref>{{cite web |title=Garbage: Collection services for residents and businesses |url=https://kingcounty.gov/en/legacy/depts/dnrp/solid-waste/garbage-recycling/garbage.aspx |publisher=King County |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Curbside Collection |url=https://snohomishcountywa.gov/482/Curbside-Collection |publisher=Snohomish County Public Works |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref> County and city governments also operate collection and distribution sites to sort waste before it is sent to a regional landfill or by rail to a waste-to-energy plant.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zhou |first=Amanda |date=May 6, 2022 |title=Garbage is piled so high, Snohomish County dumps need to close before trash combusts |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/garbage-is-piled-so-high-snohomish-county-dumps-need-to-close-before-it-combusts/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bernton |first=Hal |date=March 4, 2021 |title=Giant landfill in tiny Washington hamlet turns trash to natural gas, as utilities fight for a future |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/turning-trash-to-natural-gas-utilities-fight-for-their-future-amid-climate-change/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref> The curbside collection service also includes recycling pickup, which Seattle began in 1988,<ref>{{cite news |last=Egan |first=Timothy |date=October 24, 1988 |title=Curbside Pickup and Sludge Forests: Some Cities Make Recycling Work |page=A10 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/24/us/curbside-pickup-and-sludge-forests-some-cities-make-recycling-work.html |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref> which is sorted and processed locally and overseas.<ref>{{cite news |last=Doughton |first=Sandi |date=April 26, 2020 |title=With recycling's dirty truths exposed, Washington works toward a cleaner, more sustainable system |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/with-recyclings-dirty-truths-exposed-washington-works-toward-a-cleaner-more-sustainable-system/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref> In 2015, it became mandatory for providers to offer curbside collection of food waste for composting in Seattle after the program was expanded from commercial establishments to all households.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ferdman |first=Roberto A. |date=January 27, 2015 |title=Seattle is now publicly shaming people for putting food in their trash bins |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/01/27/seattle-is-now-publicly-shaming-people-for-putting-food-in-their-trash-bins/ |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref> Various cities in the metropolitan area banned single-use plastic bags and began imposing charges on reusable or paper bags from 2009 onward,<ref>{{cite news |last=Cornwell |first=Paige |date=January 31, 2014 |title=Shoreline latest city to join ban on plastic bags |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/shoreline-latest-city-to-join-ban-on-plastic-bags/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref> ahead of a statewide ban that took effect in 2021.<ref name="Times-Plastic">{{cite news |last=Zhou |first=Amanda |date=December 6, 2021 |title=Want utensils with your takeout order? Next year in Washington state, you'll have to ask for them |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/want-utensils-with-your-takeout-order-next-year-in-washington-youll-have-to-ask-for-them/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 15, 2024}}</ref>

Residential and commercial central heating systems in the metropolitan area are primarily supplied by electricity or natural gas; some denser neighborhoods in Seattle also use steam district heating.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zhou |first=Amanda |date=December 15, 2023 |title=New Seattle law phases out emissions from large buildings by 2050 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/new-seattle-law-phases-out-emissions-from-large-building-by-2050/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Times-Tunnels">{{cite news |last=Scigliano |first=Eric |date=March 14, 2019 |title=In subterranean Seattle, thousands of miles of tunnels, pipes and cables keep the city running |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/in-subterranean-seattle-thousands-of-miles-of-tunnels-pipes-and-cables-keep-the-city-running/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The region historically had the lowest number of households using air conditioning in their homes in the U.S. due to the temperate summer climate. A series of major heat waves in the late 2010s and 2020s contributed to an increase in the number of households with air conditioning from 31 percent to over 53 percent by 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last=Weinberger |first=Hannah |date=December 29, 2022 |title=Seattle is no longer the U.S.'s least air conditioned big city |url=https://crosscut.com/environment/2022/12/seattle-no-longer-uss-least-air-conditioned-big-city |work=Crosscut.com |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Mike |date=June 25, 2021 |title=Air-Conditioning Was Once Taboo in Seattle. Not Anymore. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/us/western-heat-wave.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> Puget Sound Energy provides natural gas to approximately 850,000 residents in the three metropolitan counties but has announced plans to transition to electric heating under new state regulations.<ref name="PSE"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Bernton |first=Hal |date=January 11, 2023 |title=Puget Sound Energy agrees to move more customers from gas to electric heat |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/puget-sound-energy-agrees-to-move-more-customers-from-gas-to-electric-heat/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> Natural gas, primarily sourced from Canada and the Mountain states,<ref>{{cite news |last=DeSilver |first=Drew |date=November 15, 2005 |title=New direction for natural gas: Northwest |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002624331_natgas15.html |work=The Seattle Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109150245/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002624331_natgas15.html |archive-date=January 9, 2007 |accessdate=February 14, 2024 }}</ref> and petroleum are transported through a series of pipelines that travel along the Interstate 5 corridor in Western Washington.<ref>{{cite news |last=Girgis |first=Lauren |date=December 11, 2023 |title=Olympic Pipeline leak released 25,000 gallons of gasoline |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/olympic-pipeline-leak-released-25000-gallons-of-gasoline/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The region is also served by oil refineries that primarily receive crude oil transported by ship from Alaska and train from North Dakota.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gillie |first=John |date=November 25, 2012 |title=Oil boom in center of country resonates on Washington shores |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019765679_oil26m.html |work=The Seattle Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214082155/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019765679_oil26m.html |archive-date=December 14, 2012 |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The refineries in Western Washington produce gasoline and diesel fuel that is primarily used for transportation; prices for gasoline in the Seattle metropolitan area are among the highest in the United States, averaging 45 cents higher than the national average from 2017 to 2021, due to a more limited wholesale market.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bernton |first1=Hal |last2=Villa |first2=Manuel |date=May 9, 2022 |title=Washingtonians pay more for gas than most of the country. Why? |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washingtonians-pay-more-for-gas-than-most-of-the-country-but-why/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref>

The Seattle metropolitan area has several broadband and fiber-optic internet service providers, including AT&T Fiber,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ifasso |first1=Plamedie |title=AT&T expands national network with $5.75 billion purchase |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2026/02/02/at-t-expands-national-network-with-5b-purchase.html |access-date=February 8, 2026 |work=Dallas Business Journal |date=February 2, 2026}}</ref> CenturyLink, Charter Spectrum, Comcast Xfinity, Wave Broadband, and Ziply Fiber;<ref>{{cite news |last=Soper |first=Taylor |date=March 17, 2020 |title=Born from $1.35B deal with Frontier, new internet provider Ziply Fiber gears up for launch |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2020/born-1-35b-deal-frontier-new-internet-provider-ziply-fiber-gears-launch/ |work=GeekWire |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Beekman |first=Daniel |date=May 3, 2015 |title=Seattle activists push for city-run, high-speed Internet service |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-activists-push-for-city-run-high-speed-internet-service/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> approximately 85 percent of households in the metropolitan area had access to broadband internet service in 2014.<ref>{{cite report |last1=Tomer |first1=Adie |last2=Kane |first2=Joseph |date=December 2015 |title=Broadband Adoption Rates and Gaps in U.S. Metropolitan Areas |page=5 |url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/broadband-tomer-kane-12315.pdf |publisher=Brookings Institution |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> Comcast Xfinity has the largest market coverage in the area at an estimated 95 percent of households in 2015 and little overlap with competitors.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Holmes |first1=Allan |last2=Zubak-Skees |first2=Chris |date=April 1, 2015 |title=These maps show why internet is way more expensive in the US than Europe |url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/1/8321437/maps-show-why-internet-is-more-expensive-us-europe-competition |work=The Verge |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> CenturyLink and Ziply additionally operate legacy landline telephone networks respectively inherited from Pacific Northwest Bell and GTE.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pryne |first1=Eric |title=CenturyLink sells Seattle’s Qwest Plaza; Nordstrom inks big lease |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/centurylink-sells-seattles-qwest-plaza-nordstrom-inks-big-lease/ |access-date=February 8, 2026 |work=The Seattle Times |date=April 2, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=FCC orders refunds to long-distance companies |work=The Seattle Times |date=November 30, 1989 |page=C3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Podsada |first1=Janice |title=A new-wave broadband firm dials up Frontier Communications |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/business/a-new-wave-broadband-firm-dials-up-frontier-communications/ |access-date=February 8, 2026 |work=The Everett Herald |date=June 3, 2019}}</ref> The Seattle area is also served by the three major cellular network companies in the U.S., including Bellevue-based T-Mobile US, and has had 5G coverage since the late 2010s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kamb |first=Lewis |date=June 29, 2022 |title=Verizon wins PCMag's best mobile network in Seattle |url=https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/06/29/verizon-wins-pcmags-best-mobile-network-seattle |work=Axios Seattle |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Nickelsburg |first=Monica |date=November 15, 2019 |title=As cities battle feds over 5G rollout, tech leaders worry Seattle will lag behind in new wireless race |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2019/cities-battle-feds-5g-rollout-tech-leaders-worry-seattle-will-fall-short-new-digital-divide/ |work=GeekWire |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> The region is part of five area codes under the North American Numbering Plan: 206 in Seattle; 253 in Tacoma and the southern Puget Sound region; 360 for most of Western Washington; 425 in the Eastside and southern Snohomish County; and 564 as an overlay for the region introduced in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gendron |first=Jared |date=June 16, 2023 |title=As WA grows, it needs more area codes for phone numbers. A new one is coming here |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/article276490251.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref> Area code 206 was originally assigned to all of Western Washington until it was split in the 1990s with the introduction of new local area codes.<ref>{{cite news |last=Virgin |first=Bill |date=March 21, 2017 |title=New area code coming; do you even care? |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/article139537913.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=February 14, 2024}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seattle Metropolitan Area}} {{bots|deny=Citation bot}} Category:Seattle metropolitan area Category:Metropolitan areas of Washington (state)