Downtown Seattle
2022 Report Card
LIVE
Residential Population
71% increase since 2010 / 2022 estimate: 104,241
71% increase since 2010 / 2022 estimate: 104,241
WORK
Total Number of Jobs
47% increase since 2010 / 2022 estimate: 341,010
47% increase since 2010 / 2022 estimate: 341,010
SHOP
Brick-and-Mortar Retail Jobs
21% increase since 2010 / 2022 estimate: 10,746
21% increase since 2010 / 2022 estimate: 10,746
PLAY
Dining, Hotel, Recreation, Arts and Entertainment Jobs
2% increase since 2010 / 2022 estimate: 28,038
2% increase since 2010 / 2022 estimate: 28,038
Sources: Esri Community Analyst, Puget Sound Regional Council. The 2022 jobs estimate was derived from data provided by the Puget Sound Regional Council and the Washington State Employment Security Department. Note that data here are for Q1 of each year. The 2013 jobs data were unavailable and were therefore interpolated.
Downtown Seattle Remains the Heart of the City’s Economy
Despite being just 4% of Seattle’s total area, downtown accounts for approximately half of Seattle’s economic activity, including 55% of total jobs, more than 80% of office space, nearly 90% of all hotel rooms and roughly two-thirds of apartment units. Additionally, downtown accounts for more than 50% of the total appraised property value in Seattle, generating hundreds of millions in property taxes. Approximately 57% of the property taxes generated go to fund schools, as well as voter-approved levies supporting veterans and seniors, fire protection and parks.
Downtown as a Percent of the City’s Total
89%
Hotel Rooms
82%
Office Space Inventory
55%
Jobs
49%
Commercial Property Values
37%
Apartment Units
Sources: CoStar, Esri Community Analyst, King County Assessor, Puget Sound Regional Council. All statistics are for the most recent year available from each data source.
Demographic Snapshot
Who Lives Downtown?
Source: Esri Community Analyst
Who Works Downtown?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (https://onthemap.ces.census.gov/).
Who Visits Downtown?
True trade area demographics
True trade area demographics
Source: Placer.ai. The “true trade area” was calculated based on the home locations of the top 60% of visitors who live within 50 miles of downtown.
Data last updated March 2023.