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King County · Washington

Federal Way, WA

Highline College at Federal Way puts a campus population into Federal Way’s workday.

Population

103,000

1% more from 2021 to 2026

Family households

64.8%

±2 points at 90% confidence

Local jobs

32,624

3% more from 2018 to 2023

Median income

$86,909

±$3,723 at 90% confidence

City overview

The forces shaping Federal Way now.

A campus city

Highline College at Federal Way puts a campus population into Federal Way’s workday.

65% of households are estimated to be families. Highline College at Federal Way adds a postsecondary population that is not visible in the public-school count.

Highline College at Federal Way bring commuters, renters, and daytime customers into Federal Way with needs unlike a conventional workforce. Student and staff counts are the next useful measure.

Households: ACS 2024 · public-school locations: OSPI 2025–26

The local economic engine

Healthcare supplies 25% of the jobs inside Federal Way.

Federal Way contains 32,624 workplace jobs. Healthcare accounts for 25% of them. Retail is next at 18%.

Hospital capacity, shift-worker transportation, and health-sector hiring will affect Federal Way more directly than a conventional office cycle.

Workplace jobs: 2023

The housing divide

61% of Federal Way renters are cost-burdened—34 percentage points above owners.

61% of measured renter households are cost-burdened, compared with 27% of measured owners. 45% of occupied homes are rentals.

Owners and renters are not experiencing the same Federal Way market: 61% of renters are burdened versus 27% of owners. Lower-cost vacancies help determine who can stay.

ACS 2024 five-year estimates

The commute that shapes the city

Federal Way sends its largest stream of resident workers to Seattle.

24% of observed resident job destinations are in Seattle, followed by Tacoma at 9%. Only 12% are inside Federal Way.

Current GTFS schedules 14,250 weekday stop departures at 337 stops inside Federal Way; that supply still needs to be tested against the route to Seattle, the largest outside job destination. Schedule supply is not ridership.

Workplace flows: 2023 · commute modes: ACS 2024

The trajectory

Federal Way added residents and jobs; employment moved faster.

Federal Way’s population rose 1% from 2021–2026; its workplace job count rose 3% from 2018–2023. The source periods differ because the two series are released on different schedules.

The opportunity in Federal Way is to connect the two gains: more residents can support local commerce, while more nearby jobs can shorten some trips now led outside the city by Seattle. Housing and mobility decide whether that happens.

Population: 2021–2026 · jobs: 2018–2023

People

Who lives here—and which households shape demand?

The typical household estimate is 2.8 people. 65% are estimated to be family households, while 26% are estimated to be people living alone.

Average household size

2.8

±0.1 people at 90% confidence

Median age

37.4

±1.0 years at 90% confidence

Living alone

26%

±3 points at 90% confidence

Bachelor’s degree+

31%

Among residents age 25 and older. ±2 points at 90% confidence

Population composition

Who lives here

Estimated share of all Federal Way residents. Each percentage uses the city’s total population as its denominator.

White, non-Hispanic35% ±2 pts

Hispanic / Latino, any race20% ±2 pts

Black, non-Hispanic18% ±2 pts

Two or more races, non-Hispanic8.2% ±1 pts

Filipino4.1% ±0.8 pts

Korean3.6% ±0.7 pts

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic2.9% ±0.8 pts

Vietnamese2.2% ±0.6 pts

Chinese, except Taiwanese1.6% ±0.5 pts

Asian Indian0.9% ±0.4 pts

Afghan0.7% ±0.5 pts

Another race, non-Hispanic0.5% ±0.3 pts

Mongolian0.4% ±0.4 pts

American Indian / Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.4% ±0.2 pts

Two or more Asian groups0.3% ±0.2 pts

Laotian0.3% ±0.2 pts

Cambodian0.2% ±0.2 pts

Japanese0.2% ±0.1 pts

Pakistani0.2% ±0.2 pts

Taiwanese0.2% ±0.1 pts

Other Asian, not specified0.1% ±0.2 pts

Hmong0.1% ±0.2 pts

Thai0.1% ±0.1 pts

Indonesian<0.1% ±0.1 pts

Burmese<0.1% ±0.1 pts

Nepalese<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Bangladeshi<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Uzbek<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

0% published estimate: Okinawan, Other East Asian, Malaysian, Mien, Singaporean, Other Southeast Asian, Bhutanese, Sikh, Sri Lankan, Other South Asian, Kazakh, Other Central Asian, Other Asian, specified. Zero is not proof that no residents identify with that group.

ACS 2020–2024 · 5-year estimates

Dataset: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates · tables B03002 and B02015
Period: 2020–2024
Geography: Federal Way Census place
Definition: Race and Hispanic/Latino origin are self-reported Census concepts. Hispanic/Latino may be of any race; the broad display uses non-Hispanic race categories plus Hispanic/Latino of any race.
Method: Every percentage is shown with its 90% margin of error. Detailed Asian estimates use the Asian-alone universe and are divided by the city population for display.

Open the official source ↗

Work

What powers the local economy—and how dependent is it?

Healthcare & Social Assistance accounts for 25% of jobs located in Federal Way. The city’s job base changed +11% between 2010 and 2023.

Housing

What kinds of homes exist—and where is pressure showing?

55% of occupied homes are estimated to be owner-occupied and 45% rented. The estimates suggest 61% of renter households and 27% of owner households spend at least 30% of income on housing.

Home value profile

What owner-occupied homes are worth

Owner estimates from the 2020–2024 American Community Survey—not listings, recorded sales, or appraisals. The final Census band is open-ended: $2 million and above.

Median estimate$553k±13668.0 at 90% confidence

Middle half of homes$389k–$701kLower to upper quartile of owner estimates

Luxury-home concentration1%≈158 homes · estimated at $2M+

Under $500k41%

$500–749k42%

$750–999k11%

$1–1.49M5%

$1.5–1.99M1%

$2M+1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year tables B25075–B25078. Values cover owner-occupied homes only and do not measure current asking prices or recent purchase prices.

Owner-occupied

55%

±2 points at 90% confidence

Renter cost-burdened

61%

Spending 30% or more of income on gross rent. ±7 points at 90% confidence

Owner cost-burdened

27%

Spending 30% or more on selected owner costs. ±3 points at 90% confidence

Homes authorized, 2025

136

Permit authorizations—not construction starts or completed homes.

Permit activity: U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, final annual estimate for 2025. Housing units authorized are not starts or completions.

Mobility

Where do residents need to go—and who has a real alternative to driving?

Current transit schedules include 337 stops and 14,250 weekday stop departures inside Federal Way. The 2020–2024 ACS separately estimates how workers usually commuted; it does not count every transit trip or describe today's schedule.

Weekday departures

14,250

Scheduled stop departures in the current covered-feed snapshot—not riders.

Transit stops

337

Matched inside city limits; nearby cross-border stops are separate.

Top outside workplace

Seattle

24% of observed resident job destinations in 2023 LODES.

Work inside the city

12%

Share of observed resident job destinations located in the same city in 2023 LODES.

City boundary and regional context● nearby ● work destinations

Daily life

Community institutions and local activity

Public schools, libraries, pharmacies, and listed everyday places show part of the local inventory inside Federal Way; taxable sales show the scale and direction of local commercial activity. Residents also use places across city lines, so a boundary count is not the same as access.

Civic life

Federal Way only became a city in 1990.

Federal Way voters elect the mayor separately from the council. The mayor leads city administration, while the council adopts laws, policy, and the budget—so executive accountability sits directly with an elected office.

Government form

Mayor–Council

The mayor is separately elected to lead administration.

Mayor listed

Jim Ferrell

The separately elected chief executive.

Council representatives listed

Current directory entries; vacancies or updates can make this differ from authorized seats.

Incorporated

1990

Code city under Washington law.

Structure, meetings, and current officials: Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC), checked 2026-09-08. Election administration and certified results: the county election offices listed above. Confirm live agendas and officeholders at the source.

Change

What is changing the city’s trajectory?

Population and jobs do not always move together. Reading both helps distinguish a growing employment center from a city whose households are increasingly tied to opportunities elsewhere.

Residents

103,000

1% more from 2021 to 2026

Local jobs

32,624

3% more from 2018 to 2023

Retail trade, 2023–2024

−0.4%

Nominal taxable-sales change; not adjusted for inflation.

Data & details — selected comparable metrics across 82 places

Local jobs

LODES

32,624

Higher than 75% of places

Long-run job change

LODES

+11%

Higher than only 13% of places

Weekday transit departures

GTFS snapshot

14,250

Higher than 81% of places

Multifamily permitting

Census BPS

Near a 15-year low

Recent annual pace compared with this city's own 2010–2025 record

2BR Fair Market Rent

HUD, county-level

$2,549

FY2027 HUD program benchmark; chart shows FY2020–FY2027 history. Shared across this HUD metro area—not a place-specific market rent.

Work — sector breakdown

Share of local jobs by sector · LODES · workplace location, not resident industry

Healthcare & Social Assistance25% (8,158)

Retail18% (5,745)

Education (includes academia/research)12% (3,970)

Hospitality11% (3,670)

Construction / Real Estate8% (2,611)

Logistics / Industrial6% (1,803)

Finance5% (1,741)

Professional Services (partial technology proxy)4% (1,346)

Administrative & Support Services4% (1,232)

Other3% (1,126)

Government (Public Administration)2% (724)

Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)1% (363)

Information (partial technology proxy)0% (135)

Where Federal Way's workforce lives (inbound)

LODES OD — commuting flows into local jobs

Federal Way

24.2%

Tacoma

15.8%

Kent

7.6%

Auburn

7.1%

Seattle

6.2%

Federal Way, WA

The forces shaping Federal Way now.

Highline College at Federal Way puts a campus population into Federal Way’s workday.

Healthcare supplies 25% of the jobs inside Federal Way.

61% of Federal Way renters are cost-burdened—34 percentage points above owners.

Federal Way sends its largest stream of resident workers to Seattle.

Federal Way added residents and jobs; employment moved faster.

Who lives here—and which households shape demand?

Who lives here

What powers the local economy—and how dependent is it?

Jobs by sector

Historical employer snapshot

What kinds of homes exist—and where is pressure showing?

What owner-occupied homes are worth

The housing mix we can estimate confidently

Where do residents need to go—and who has a real alternative to driving?

Where resident workers go

How residents usually get to work

About how long does it take to get where people go?

Community institutions and local activity

Places for everyday needs in Federal Way

2 public-library branches inside Federal Way

The schools inside Federal Way.

Federal Way sits near the regional middle for retail activity per resident.

Federal Way only became a city in 1990.

When does the Federal Way council meet?

Where to check Federal Way election results.

What is changing the city’s trajectory?