Seattle’s population rebounded from its brief pandemic dip with a vengeance according to the latest population estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM). The Emerald City set a new OFM high of 762,500 as of April 1, 2022, which is an increase of 20,100 residents (+2.7%) from the previous April. Far outpacing the suburbs, Seattle accounted for two-thirds of King County’s annual population growth — tallied at 30,650 (+1.3%) by OFM.
Snohomish County saw an increase of 9,500 residents (+1.1%) and Pierce County grew by 9,200 residents (+1.0%) in the OFM estimates. That means 84-square-mile Seattle alone outgrew both Snohomish and Pierce County put together, which account for 4,000 square miles. Overall, Washington State grew by 97,425 residents (+1.3%) year-over-year, according to the OFM. With the 7,864,400 figure this year, the state appears on pace to exceed eight million Washingtonians by 2024.
Seattle’s jump in population puts a damper on narratives about center cities dying and suburbs being all the rage for tenants and homebuyers. Several prominent pundits got it wrong it turns out. The latest figures match the pre-pandemic pattern of Seattle taking the lion’s share of the county’s population growth. Slow growth in several suburban cities also seems linked to their anemic zoning and reticence to embrace housing growth, particularly when it comes to apartments in high-demand neighborhoods.
