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Seattle

#92 largest metro areaNorth America

In United States

Metro population
4,018,000
0.048% of world population
Archive estimate
Annual growth
+1.15%
About 127 people a day
Archive estimate
Density
684/km²
5,872 km² metro area
City proper
780,995
Within the administrative boundary
GeoNames

About Seattle

With a metropolitan population of 4,018,000 and a city-proper population of 780,995, Seattle ranks among North America's major urban centers. The city proper, situated at 56 m elevation, maintains a population density of 684 people per km², supporting steady growth at 1.2% annually. Founded in 1851, Seattle is served by four nearby airports: King County International Airport (BFI), Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Seattle Paine Field International Airport (PAE), and Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW).

Katie Wilson leads the city as mayor. The metropolitan region's significant size reflects decades of regional development and continued in-migration.

This summary is AI-generated from the statistics on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.

Key Facts

Country
United States
Continent
North America
World rank
#92 of 140
Share of country
1.2%
Founded
1851
Leadership
Katie Wilson
Elevation
56 m
Coordinates
47.606, -122.332

Airports

Scheduled-service airports within 100 km, nearest first.

  • King County International Airport - Boeing FieldBFI

    9 km from the city centre

  • Seattle–Tacoma International AirportSEA

    18 km from the city centre

  • Seattle Paine Field International AirportPAE

    34 km from the city centre

  • Tacoma Narrows AirportTIW

    42 km from the city centre

Source: OurAirports, matched by distance.

Compared with the World's Largest Cities

Metropolitan population against the fifteen largest metro areas.

  1. Tokyo37.4M
  2. Delhi32.9M
  3. Shanghai29.2M
  4. São Paulo22.6M
  5. Dhaka22.5M
  6. Mexico City22.3M
  7. Cairo22.2M
  8. Mumbai21.7M
  9. Beijing21.5M
  10. Osaka19M
  11. New York18.9M
  12. Karachi17.1M
  13. Kinshasa17.1M
  14. Chongqing16.9M
  15. Lagos15.9M
  16. Seattle4.02M
Metro populations are archive estimates; boundaries differ between national statistical agencies.
Seattle compared with the fifteen largest metropolitan areas
NameMetro population
Tokyo37.4M
Delhi32.9M
Shanghai29.2M
São Paulo22.6M
Dhaka22.5M
Mexico City22.3M
Cairo22.2M
Mumbai21.7M
Beijing21.5M
Osaka19M
New York18.9M
Karachi17.1M
Kinshasa17.1M
Chongqing16.9M
Lagos15.9M
Seattle4.02M

Population Trend in United States

No free source publishes metropolitan population back to 1950, so the parent country's series is shown instead.

0100M200M300M400M1950197520002025205020752100projected →
This is United States's national population, not Seattle's. The legacy city series this page previously carried was generated by scaling the current figure, so it has been dropped rather than presented as history. Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024.
United States population, 1950 to 2100
YearPopulation
1950154,202,680
1960180,274,555
1970207,796,339
1980229,858,655
1990253,373,387
2000281,484,131
2010311,062,790
2020339,436,159
2030355,649,881
2040370,209,316
2050380,846,910
2060388,918,394
2070398,218,088
2080407,079,816
2090414,457,640
2100421,278,889

Other Major Cities in United States

14 more cities in our dataset.

Nearest Major Cities

Closest cities in our dataset by great-circle distance.

Seattle Population FAQ

What is the population of Seattle?

Seattle's metropolitan area has about 4,018,000 people, making it the 92nd largest metro area in our dataset of 140 major cities.

What is the difference between Seattle's city and metro population?

About 780,995 people live within the city proper, while the wider metropolitan area holds roughly 4,018,000. Metro figures include surrounding commuter areas that fall outside the city's administrative boundary.

Is Seattle growing or shrinking?

Seattle is growing at +1.15% a year.

What share of United States's population lives in Seattle?

Seattle's metro area holds about 1.2% of United States's total population.

How densely populated is Seattle?

Seattle has roughly 684 people per km² across a metro area of about 5,872 km².

Which airports serve Seattle?

The nearest major airports are King County International Airport - Boeing Field (BFI), Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Seattle Paine Field International Airport (PAE).

Which country is Seattle in?

Seattle is in United States, in North America.

Explore More Cities

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