Several years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, Seattle still has fewer workers and lighter foot traffic than it did before 2020. The city has undergone significant changes, from increased number of homeless encampments and widespread tech layoffs to a rising cost of living.
Even with these challenges, people continue to move to Seattle. According to 2024 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, approximately 51,800 Seattle residents aged one and older moved from another state or country that same year. That figure represents just under 7% of the city’s estimated 773,000 residents. In 2019, around 47,800 residents (6%) moved to Seattle from outside Washington state.
Most newcomers came from other states. 5.3% of Seattle residents relocated from another state, while just 1.4% moved from abroad.
Among the 50 largest U.S. cities, Seattle ranks third for its share of recent out-of-state movers. Only Boston (6.9%) and Washington, D.C. (9%) ranked higher. However, Washington, D.C., is a unique case: because it is not located in a state, anyone moving there from anywhere in the country is automatically classified as relocating from another state.
Boston’s ranking is largely influenced by its large student population. The city has the highest share of college-enrolled residents among major U.S. cities, and many of those students come from out of state, boosting Boston’s overall share of movers.
It’s also important to note what this data does—and does not—capture. The figures reflect only current Seattle residents and where they lived one year earlier. They do not account for how many people moved out of the city or whether departures have increased.
This post was based on information found on The Seattle Times.
