Seattle has officially crossed the 800,000 population milestone for the first time in its history. According to the latest population estimates released by the state Office of Financial Management (OFM) on Friday, Seattle’s population is now estimated at 816,600 residents as of April 1, 2025. This year marks the fifth consecutive year that the city’s growth rate has exceeded 2%, solidifying Seattle’s status as one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.
Despite this impressive growth, some of Seattle’s single-family zones have experienced a decline in population over the past three decades. These zones have traditionally occupied about two-thirds of the city’s residential land, while housing development has predominantly concentrated in designated urban centers where apartment construction is permitted.
As of April 2024, the OFM estimated Seattle’s population at 797,700, indicating a remarkable annual increase of 18,900 residents, or a growth rate of 2.4% compared to the previous year. Notably, more than half of King County’s overall population increase of 33,600 new residents occurred within Seattle.
Other cities in the Puget Sound region also saw population growth, albeit at generally slower rates than Seattle. Bellevue’s population rose from 155,000 to 158,000, marking a 1.9% increase. Tacoma’s population grew from 225,100 to 228,400, reflecting a 1.5% growth rate. Lynnwood also saw an increase, expanding from 74,390 to 75,640 residents for a 1.7% gain.
Cities benefiting from recent light rail expansions experienced particularly robust growth. Redmond’s population surged from 80,040 to 82,380, a gain of 2.9%, while Shoreline’s population jumped from 61,910 to 63,740, nearly a 3% increase. The Sound Transit 2 Line reached the outskirts of Redmond in spring 2024, extending into Downtown Redmond in May, and the Lynnwood Link extension brought 1 Line service to Shoreline in the fall of 2024.
In contrast, some cities in the region experienced population declines or stagnation. Everett’s population decreased from 114,800 to 114,700, while Kent’s population fell from 140,400 to 140,100, resulting in a loss of 300 residents. The Urbanist has noted that Seattle has captured a significant share of the region’s growth over the past decade, including when the city first surpassed the 700,000 mark in 2017. This trend is somewhat unusual in the context of the American preference for suburban expansion, as Seattle continues to lead its metropolitan area in population growth.
