The Seattle metropolitan area is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding

satellites A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotop ...

and suburbs. It contains the three most populous counties in the state— King, Snohomish, and

Pierce Pierce may refer to: Places Canada * Pierce Range, a mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia United States * Pierce, Colorado * Pierce, Idaho * Pierce, Illinois * Pierce, Kentucky * Pierce, Nebraska * Pierce, Texas * Pierce, We ...

—and is considered part of the greater Puget Sound region. The United States Census Bureau defines the metropolitan area as the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA metropolitan statistical area. With an estimated population of 4,102,400 , it is the 15th largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States and is home to over half of Washington's population.

Definition

Downtown_Seattle_seen_from_Bainbridge_Island

As defined by the United States Census Bureau, the Seattle metropolitan area is made up of the following (''see Fig. STB''): * Seattle– Bellevue– Everett metropolitan division **

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

: Seattle and its immediate vicinity ** Snohomish County: north of Seattle * Tacoma metropolitan division ** Pierce County: south of Seattle Based on commuting patterns, the adjacent metropolitan areas of

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

, Bremerton, and Mount Vernon, along with a few smaller satellite urban areas, are grouped together in a wider labor market region known as the ''Seattle–Tacoma'' Combined Statistical Area (CSA) (''See Figure STO''), commonly known as the Puget Sound region. The population of this wider region is 4,686,536—roughly two-thirds of Washington's population—. The Seattle CSA is the 14th largest CSA, and the 13th largest primary census statistical area in the country. The additional metropolitan and micropolitan areas included are: * Bremerton– Silverdale metropolitan area ** Kitsap County: west of Seattle, separated from the city by Puget Sound; connected to Seattle by

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

and to Tacoma by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge *

metropolitan area ** Thurston County: southwest of Seattle, at the south end of Puget Sound * Mount Vernon–

Anacortes Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Skagit County * Oak Harbor micropolitan area **

Island County Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 86,857. Its county seat is Coupeville, while its largest city is Oak Harbor. The county's name reflects the fact that it is compose ...

: northwest of Everett, encompassing Whidbey and Camano Islands in Puget Sound *

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire *Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire *Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfor ...

micropolitan area ** Mason County: west of Tacoma and northwest of Olympia

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there was 4,018,762 people in the area. In 2019 the estimated median income for a household in the Seattle metropolitan area was $94,027. The per capita income was $49,184. Kingcounty-wa

Religion

According to the Pew Research Center's 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Study, the Seattle metropolitan area's religious affiliation is as follows:

Cities

Everett Station and Everett skyline, April 2020

; Major * Seattle * Tacoma * Bellevue * Kent * Everett ; Other * Arlington *

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

* Bainbridge Island *

Beaux Arts Village Beaux Arts () is a town located in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States. It is the smallest municipality in the county, with a population of 299 as of the 2010 census and a land area of 0.1 sq mi. There is no town h ...

* Bonney Lake * Bothell * Bremerton *

Brier Briar, Briars, Brier, or Briers may refer to: * Briar, or brier, common name for a number of unrelated thorny plants that form thicket People * Brier (surname) * Briers, a surname * Briars (surname) Places * Briar, Missouri, U.S. * Bri ...

Buckley Buckley may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Buckley's, a Canadian pharmaceutical corporation * Buckley Aircraft, an American aircraft manufacturer * Buckley Broadcasting, an American broadcasting company * Buckley School (California), ...

Burien Burien ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2020 census, Burien's population was 52,066, which is a 56.3% increase since incorporation in 1993. An annexation in 2010 ...

Covington Covington may refer to: People * Covington (surname) Places United Kingdom * Covington, Cambridgeshire * Covington, South Lanarkshire United States * Covington, Georgia * Covington, Indiana * Covington, Kentucky, the largest American cit ...

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

* Duvall *

Enumclaw Enumclaw ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 12,543 at the 2020 census. The Enumclaw Plateau, on which the city resides, was formed by a volcanic mudflow (lahar) from Mount Rainier approximately 5,700 ye ...

Edmonds Edmonds may refer to: * Edmonds (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the surname) * Edmonds, Washington, a city in Washington, US ** Edmonds station (Washington), a passenger train station in Washington, US * Edmonds station (SkyTra ...

Federal Way Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 census. Federal Way is the tenth-largest city in Washington and the fifth-larges ...

* Gig Harbor * Gold Bar * Granite Falls * Issaquah * Kenmore * Kirkland *

Lake Forest Park Lake Forest Park is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located northeast of Seattle. It was developed in the 20th century as a bedroom community with single-family housing on medium to large-sized lots. Less than 4% of ...

* Lake Stevens *

Lakewood Lakewood may refer to: Places Australia * Lakewood, Western Australia, an abandoned town in Western Australia Canada * Lakewood, Edmonton, Alberta * Lakewood Suburban Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Philippines * Lakewood, Zamboanga del S ...

* Lynnwood * Maple Valley * Marysville * Mercer Island * Mill Creek * Monroe *

Mountlake Terrace Mountlake Terrace is a suburban city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It lies on the southern border of the county, adjacent to Shoreline and Lynnwood, and is north of Seattle. The city had a population of 19,909 people counted ...

* Mount Vernon * Mukilteo * Newcastle * Normandy Park *

Orting Orting is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,041 at the 2020 census. History The first recorded claims for land in Orting were made in 1854 by William Henry Whitesell, Thomas Headley, Daniel Lane, and D ...

Puyallup Puyallup may refer to: * Puyallup (tribe), a Native American tribe * Puyallup, Washington, a city ** Puyallup High School ** Puyallup School District ** Puyallup station, a Sounder commuter rail station ** Washington State Fair, formerly the Puya ...

Poulsbo Poulsbo ( ) is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the smallest of the four cities in Kitsap County. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census and an estimated 10,927 in 2018. The area was historically in ...

* Redmond * Renton * Sammamish * SeaTac * Shoreline * Silverdale * Snohomish * Stanwood *

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Sumner Sumner may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Sumner, a mountain in the Rare Range, Antarctica * Sumner Glacier, southern Graham Land, Antarctica Australia * Sumner, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane New Zealand * Sumner, New Zealand, seaside sub ...

* Tukwila * Woodinville * Woodway

Commerce

The Seattle metropolitan area is home to numerous large scale businesses. Retail giants such as Microsoft, Amazon,

REI Rei or REI may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Rei, a story arc of the anime ''Higurashi When They Cry'' *Rei, a shapeshifting godlike dragon in the Australian webcomic series ''Vainglorious'' *Rei I, II and III, episodes of ''Neon Genesis Eva ...

, Nordstrom,

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

, and Costco were founded and continue to be headquartered in the greater Seattle area. Over the past decade, tech companies began expanding their roots into the Seattle metropolitan area and opening offices on both sides of Lake Washington (Seattle and Bellevue, primarily). These companies, traditionally known for their history in Silicon Valley and the bay area, include Facebook, Salesforce, Google, and Zynga.

Transportation

Major airports

The largest airport in the region is Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, an

International airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

that serves as a commercial hub for Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The other airports in the area are: * Paine Field (passenger and general) * Boeing Field (passenger and cargo) *

Harvey Airfield Harvey Airfield, also known as Harvey Field , is a privately owned, public-use airport in Snohomish, Washington. The airfield has one asphalt runway, one turf runway, and fourteen hangar bays. It covers an area of approximately . It is home t ...

(general) * Renton Municipal Airport (general)

Major highways

U.S. Route 2 * I-5

Interstate 5 * WA-7

State Route 7 The following highways are numbered 7. For roads numbered A7, see list of A7 roads. Route 7, or Highway 7, may refer to: International * AH7, Asian Highway 7 * European route E07 * European route E007 Afghanistan *Kunduz-Khomri Highway (A7) ...

State Route 9 * WA-16

State Route 16 * WA-18

State Route 18 * I-90

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

State Route 99 International * European route E99 Australia * Springbrook Road, Queensland Canada * British Columbia Highway 99 * Ontario Highway 99 (former) * Saskatchewan Highway 99 China * G99 Expressway India * National Highway 99 (India) I ...

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

State Route 202 * I-405

Interstate 405 * WA-520

State Route 520 * WA-522

State Route 522 * I-605

'' Interstate 605 (proposed)'' * I-705

Interstate 705 Interstate 705 (I-705, Tacoma Spur) is a short Interstate Highway that is a spur route of I-5 located entirely within Tacoma, Washington, United States. The freeway serves as the connector between I-5, Downtown Tacoma, Tacoma's waterfront ...

Mass transit

* Sound Transit, trains, buses, light rail in Puget Sound area * Community Transit, buses in Snohomish County except Everett * King County Metro, buses in King County * Pierce Transit, buses in Pierce County *

Everett Transit Everett Transit is the public transit authority of Everett, Washington, the only city in Snohomish County not to belong to Community Transit. As of 2017, Everett Transit operates 42 buses within Everett on ten routes. Its annual ridership in 2016 ...

, bus service in the city of Everett *

Intercity Transit Intercity Transit is a public transportation agency organized as a municipal corporation in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It serves Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and Yelm: an area of approximately . It operates 21 bus routes, the Dial ...

, bus service in Thurston County *

Mason Transit Authority The Mason Transit Authority (MTA), formerly the Mason County Transportation Authority, is the public transit authority of Mason County, Washington, United States. It operates free bus service within the county, connecting the city of Shelton, Hoo ...

, bus service in Mason County * Seattle Streetcar, streetcar service in the city of Seattle * Seattle Center Monorail

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seattle Metropolitan Area Metropolitan areas of Washington (state)