Washington > King County > Burien
Burien, WA
King County · population ~53,470
Population
53,470
↑ 61% since 2010
Jobs
14,278
↑ 5% since 2010
Renters
43%
↓ 4pp since 2009
Median income
$91,318
↑ 76% since 2009 (nominal)
Overview
People
Work
Housing
Mobility
Life
Change
Compare
What stands out
- 1Only 61.9% of households here are family households — well below the regional median (67%).
- 2Renter-occupied housing outnumbers owner-occupied more than is typical here (57% owner-occupied vs. a regional median of 68%).
- 320% of the people who work in Burien commute in from a single place (Seattle) — the largest single commuting relationship measured here.
Key facts
Population
53,470
Jobs
14,278
Renters
43%
Median income
$91,318
Nearby places
Straight-line distance, not drive time
The story so far
Local job base moved from 13,641 in 2010 to 14,278 by 2023, with the pace of change shifting noticeably around 2020 (+1.1%/year before, -1.2%/year after). That trend has since leveled off. Owner-occupancy has risen 4 percentage points since 2009 (52% to 57% by 2024) — measured across non-overlapping ACS survey windows to avoid over-reading a single year's release.
Local jobs, 2010–2023
The numbers
Each row: the current value, its trend over time, and where it falls among all 82 places we cover.
Family households
ACS 5-yr
61.9%
higher than only 33% of places
Owner-occupied
ACS 5-yr
56.6%
higher than only 33% of places
Local jobs
LODES
14,278
higher than 53% of places
Job growth since 2010
LODES
5%
higher than only 5% of places
Weekday transit departures
GTFS snapshot
9,221
higher than 71% of places
Tesla share of local EVs
WA DOL
38%
higher than only 30% of places
Multifamily permitting
Census BPS
85th pctl
vs. this place's own 2010–2025 permitting history (not a cross-place comparison)
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD, county-level
$2,549
FY2020 → FY2027, shared across this HUD metro area — not place-specific
Housing mix
ACS 5-yr — current housing stock, not new permits
Single-family66%
Multifamily (5+ units)34%
Where Burien's workforce lives
LODES OD — commuting flows
Seattle
20.5%
Burien
15.7%
Kent
8.0%
Des Moines
6.8%
Federal Way
5.6%
Life
per place — WA OSPI, OpenStreetMap
Parks26
Schools13
Grocery stores12
Hospitals1
Libraries3
Nearest community site: Hope Christian Community Church (Churches), 0.15 km
Work
Share of local jobs by sector · LODES · workplace location, not resident industry
Education (includes academia/research)20% (2,867)
Healthcare & Social Assistance18% (2,627)
Retail18% (2,609)
Hospitality15% (2,089)
Construction / Real Estate9% (1,222)
Logistics / Industrial5% (691)
Other4% (598)
Administrative & Support Services3% (465)
Government (Public Administration)2% (355)
Professional Services (partial technology proxy)2% (331)
Finance1% (195)
Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)1% (144)
Information (partial technology proxy)1% (85)