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An editorial illustration of Maple Valley, Washington
King County · Washington

Maple Valley, WA

Maple Valley is growing faster as a workplace than as a home base.

Population
29,340
2% more from 2021 to 2026
Family households
80.9%
±5 points at 90% confidence
Local jobs
6,188
27% more from 2018 to 2023
Median income
$152,885
±$14,437 at 90% confidence
City overview

The forces shaping Maple Valley now.

01
The trajectory

Maple Valley is growing faster as a workplace than as a home base.

Maple Valley’s population rose 2% from 2021–2026; its workplace job count rose 27% from 2018–2023. The source periods differ because the two series are released on different schedules.

With jobs moving 25 points faster than population, Maple Valley is likely to rely more on inbound workers. The practical test is whether those workers can reach—or afford to live near—the expanding workplaces.

Population: 2021–2026 · jobs: 2018–2023
02
The local economic engine

Education is Maple Valley’s largest industry, at 27% of local jobs.

Maple Valley contains 6,188 workplace jobs. Education accounts for 27% of them. Hospitality is next at 16%.

Enrollment, public budgets, and campus growth are part of Maple Valley’s economic outlook—not just its education story.

Workplace jobs: 2023
03
The housing choices

84% of Maple Valley’s homes are detached houses.

84% of homes are detached houses; attached homes and two-to-four-unit buildings together make up 7%.

With 84% of Maple Valley homes detached, aging in place or entering the city becomes harder when a full house is the wrong size or price.

ACS 2024 five-year estimates
04
The commute that shapes the city

Maple Valley sends its largest stream of resident workers to Seattle.

20% of observed resident job destinations are in Seattle, followed by Kent at 10%. Only 9% are inside Maple Valley.

Current GTFS schedules 698 weekday stop departures at 28 stops inside Maple Valley; 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
05
The family infrastructure

Families are 81% of households, making Maple Valley’s 5 public-school sites consequential infrastructure.

81% of households are estimated to be families. Maple Valley contains 5 public-school locations, but attendance boundaries may also send resident students across the city line.

Maple Valley’s 5 public-school locations cannot measure quality or available seats. They do make enrollment change, grade-level capacity, safe routes, and the location of new homes part of the same local question.

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

Who lives here—and which households shape demand?

The typical household estimate is 3.0 people. 81% are estimated to be family households, while 14% are estimated to be people living alone.

Average household size
3.0

±0.1 people at 90% confidence

Median age
36.7

±1.2 years at 90% confidence

Living alone
14%

±3 points at 90% confidence

Bachelor’s degree+
50%

Among residents age 25 and older. ±4 points at 90% confidence

Population composition

Who lives here

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

White, non-Hispanic68% ±3 pts
Two or more races, non-Hispanic9.0% ±2 pts
Asian Indian6.5% ±2 pts
Hispanic / Latino, any race5.0% ±1 pts
Filipino2.6% ±1 pts
Chinese, except Taiwanese1.9% ±0.8 pts
Korean1.6% ±0.7 pts
Black, non-Hispanic1.6% ±1.0 pts
Two or more Asian groups1.1% ±0.6 pts
Another race, non-Hispanic0.8% ±0.6 pts
American Indian / Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.3% ±0.2 pts
Japanese0.3% ±0.2 pts
Vietnamese0.3% ±0.2 pts
Laotian0.2% ±0.3 pts
Nepalese0.2% ±0.3 pts
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.2% ±0.3 pts
Pakistani0.2% ±0.3 pts
Mongolian0.2% ±0.3 pts
Indonesian0.1% ±0.2 pts
Taiwanese0.1% ±0.1 pts
Cambodian0.1% ±0.1 pts
Afghan<0.1% ±0.1 pts
Thai<0.1% ±0.1 pts
Other Asian, not specified<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

0% published estimate: Hmong, Okinawan, Other East Asian, Burmese, Malaysian, Mien, Singaporean, Other Southeast Asian, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Sikh, Sri Lankan, Other South Asian, Kazakh, Uzbek, 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
Maple Valley 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?

Education (includes academia/research) accounts for 27% of jobs located in Maple Valley. The city’s job base changed +166% between 2010 and 2023.

Jobs by sector

Workplace jobs inside the city—not the industries of residents who commute elsewhere.

Education (includes academia/research)27%
Hospitality16%
Retail13%
Construction / Real Estate10%
Healthcare & Social Assistance8%

Historical employer snapshot

Official city employment and business structure; no ranked employer table · Historical employer snapshot · 2021–2023 planning analysis. The source is older than the current employer publication window; headcounts are historical, not current.

Amazon distribution centerabout 170 associates + 190 contract drivers (2022) · 2021–2023 planning analysis

City of Maple Valley Economic Development Technical Appendix ↗. Headcounts change faster than Census employment totals.

Housing

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

83% of occupied homes are estimated to be owner-occupied and 17% rented. The firmer current signal is construction intent: 2 homes were authorized in 2025, versus a recent pace of about 15 per year.

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$725k±19675.0 at 90% confidence
Middle half of homes$573k–$900kLower to upper quartile of owner estimates
Luxury-home concentration0%≈0 homes · estimated at $2M+
Under $500k13%
$500–749k41%
$750–999k35%
$1–1.49M10%
$1.5–1.99M1%
$2M+0%

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.

The housing mix we can estimate confidently

This describes the existing stock. It does not imply that one building type is preferable.

Detached houses84%
Attached houses5%
2–4 unit buildings2%
5+ unit buildings8%
Other1%
Owner-occupied
83%

±5 points at 90% confidence

Owner cost-burdened
24%

Spending 30% or more on selected owner costs. ±5 points at 90% confidence

Homes authorized, 2025
2

Permit authorizations—not construction starts or completed homes.

Residential buildings, 2025
2

One building can contain one home or many housing units.

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 28 stops and 698 weekday stop departures inside Maple Valley. The 2020–2024 ACS separately estimates how workers usually commuted; it does not count every transit trip or describe today's schedule.

Weekday departures
698

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

Transit stops
28

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

Top outside workplace
Seattle

20% of observed resident job destinations in 2023 LODES.

Work inside the city
9%

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

Where resident workers go

Top observed workplace destinations. 9% work inside Maple Valley.

Seattle20%
Peak drive: 45–80 min
Kent10%
Peak drive: 25–50 min
Bellevue8%
Peak drive: 40–70 min
Renton8%

The strongest outside connection is Seattle. Employer or corridor changes there can alter everyday life in Maple Valley, even when nothing changes inside the city boundary.

How residents usually get to work

Citywide ACS 2020–2024 estimates describe workers’ usual commute—not every trip made today.

Drive alone
70%

Share of workers usually driving alone. ±6 points at 90% confidence

Work from home
24%

Share of workers usually working from home. ±3 points at 90% confidence

Use public transit
0.6%

Usual commute mode—not all transit trips. ±0.4 points at 90% confidence

Commute 45+ minutes
36%

Share of workers with a one-way commute of at least 45 minutes. ±5 points at 90% confidence

For someone choosing a home in Maple Valley, the practical test is the trip to Seattle, the leading outside workplace destination in the published flows. These citywide shares cannot show whether that trip works from a particular address.

Typical drive times

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

Work destinations are selected from observed resident job flows. These are broad, reviewed planning ranges from representative parts of Maple Valley—not live-traffic or door-to-door predictions.

Starting area
Downtown Seattle employment core

Seattle is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Maple Valley, representing 18% of matched resident jobs from this city.

45–90 minWeekday morning peak
Details

Highway-dominant corridor: distance converted with a reviewed 1.25x circuity factor and an assumed 45 km/h peak-effective / 70 km/h off-peak effective speed, then widened and rounded to a broad band. The morning inbound peak is shown; the evening outbound return is assumed to fall within the same broad band.

Kent employment area

Kent is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Maple Valley, representing 9% of matched resident jobs from this city.

25–50 minWeekday morning peak
Details

Local arterial-dominant corridor: distance converted with a reviewed 1.40x circuity factor and an assumed 28 km/h peak-effective / 42 km/h off-peak effective speed, then widened and rounded to a broad band. The morning inbound peak is shown; the evening outbound return is assumed to fall within the same broad band.

Maple Valley employment area

Maple Valley is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Maple Valley, representing 8% of matched resident jobs from this city.

5–20 minWeekday morning peak
Details

Local arterial-dominant corridor: distance converted with a reviewed 1.40x circuity factor and an assumed 28 km/h peak-effective / 42 km/h off-peak effective speed, then widened and rounded to a broad band. The morning inbound peak is shown; the evening outbound return is assumed to fall within the same broad band.

Downtown Bellevue employment core

Bellevue is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Maple Valley, representing 7% of matched resident jobs from this city.

40–80 minWeekday morning peak
Details

Highway-dominant corridor: distance converted with a reviewed 1.25x circuity factor and an assumed 45 km/h peak-effective / 70 km/h off-peak effective speed, then widened and rounded to a broad band. The morning inbound peak is shown; the evening outbound return is assumed to fall within the same broad band.

Method, review date, and sources

Planning estimate; actual time varies by departure time, route, traffic, weather, incidents, and closures.

Estimates are derived from reviewed origin/destination coordinates using a documented distance-to-time heuristic (circuity factor and assumed effective speed by corridor type and period), then deliberately widened and rounded to a broad band. No live routing or traffic API was called.

Estimates reviewed 2026-09-10. Starting point: selected representative area.

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 Maple Valley; 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.

Local field guide

Places for everyday needs in Maple Valley

Care, errands, food, fitness, and personal services gathered into one browsable directory.

Hospitals0 in cityFind nearby
Explore all hospitals near Maple ValleyOpen
Clinics and urgent care8 listedView all
Emily Lawson, DoMapJoseph Garcia, MdMapKossert EnterprisesMapLake Sawyer ClinicMapLake Sawyer Primary CareMapLake Wilderness Clinic - Primary Care - Valley Medical CenterMapMary Bridge Children's Pediatrics - Maple ValleyMapMultiCareMapExplore all clinics and urgent care in MapsOpen
Pharmacies7 listedView all
Bartell Drugs22117 SE 237TH ST · MAPLE VALLEY, WA 98038-8533MapFred Meyer Pharmacy26520 MAPLE VALLEY BLACK DIAMOND RD SE · MAPLE VALLEY, WA 98038-8394MapQfc Pharmacy #083722131 SE 237TH ST · MAPLE VALLEY, WA 98038-8533MapQfc Pharmacy #83722131 SE 237TH ST · MAPLE VALLEY, WA 98038-8533MapSafeway Pharmacy #147126916 MAPLE VALLEY BLACK DIAMOND RD SE · MAPLE VALLEY, WA 98038-8322MapSafeway Pharmacy #147126916 MAPLE VALLEY BLACK DIAMOND RD SE · MAPLE VALLEY, WA 98038-8322MapWalgreens #1520326705 MAPLE VALLEY BLACK DIAMOND RD SE · MAPLE VALLEY, WA 98038-8390MapExplore all pharmacies in MapsOpen
Coffee11 listedView 8 places
Creative Coffee BrewingMapGravity CoffeeMapJava Java Coffee Co.MapKerriston Coffee RoastersMapMaples CoffeeMapPeet's Coffee & TeaMapRistrettos Coffee & WineMapStarbucksMapExplore all coffee in MapsOpen
Fitness12 listedView 8 places
9Round Kickboxing FitnessMapA Total K9MapThe BuffaloMapFitness 19MapGet Hot YogaMapMaple Valley, WAMapOrangetheory FitnessMapPinnacle Medical WellnessMapExplore all fitness in MapsOpen
Groceries5 listedView all
Emazing Solutions CoMapGoody Goody Deli GroceryMapQFCMapSafewayMapSimple Health ChoiceMapExplore all groceries in MapsOpen
Convenience2 listedView all
7-ElevenMapCircle KMapExplore all convenience in MapsOpen
Restaurants50 listedView 8 places
Alaska N DumplingsMapAsian FusionMapAzafran BistroMapBenjarong Thai CuisineMapBurger KingMapChina LightMapCrockett's Public HouseMapDaVine Whiskey and WineMapExplore all restaurants in MapsOpen
Salons and barbers34 listedView 8 places
AG hair salonMapBella Soul BeautyMapBond Bond Beauty BarMapChocolates, Cherries and BlondesMapCultivate Hair CollectiveMapDelphinium SalonMapDoubleD BraidsMapElite Hair DesignMapExplore all salons and barbers in MapsOpen

Counts reflect current directory records associated with the city, not a complete business census or a measure of access. Large categories show a sample.

Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), snapshot 2026-08-13; Overture Maps Foundation, release 2026-08-19.0; U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (NPPES NPI Registry), snapshot 2026-09-09.

Public library footprint

Maple Valley Library

Floor area shows the scale of the physical branches. Physical circulation is 2024 checkouts—not visits, unique users, or digital borrowing—and people routinely use libraries across city lines.

Branch floor area
10,000 sq ft

All matched branches must report floor area before a city total is shown.

Physical checkouts
203,859

Annual branch activity; not limited to city residents. All matched branches must report before a city total is shown.

Maple Valley LibraryKing County Library System
10,000 sq ft203,859 physical checkouts47 scheduled hours/week

Source: Washington State Library public-library statistics, 2024. System-wide visits, digital circulation, and program attendance cannot be assigned honestly to one branch, so they are not folded into these city totals.

Education footprint

The schools inside Maple Valley.

Institution counts and enrollment will remain separate. A school can serve students from outside the city, and residents may attend a school across the boundary or elsewhere in their district.

Public elementary3
  • Glacier Park Elementary SchoolTahoma School District
  • Lake Wilderness Elementary SchoolTahoma School District
  • Rock Creek Elementary SchoolTahoma School District
Public middle0

None in the current OSPI city-boundary match.

Public high2
  • Tahoma Open DoorsTahoma School District
  • Tahoma Senior High SchoolTahoma School District
Other public programs0

None in the current OSPI city-boundary match.

Public-school names and levels come from OSPI. Private schools, complete IPEDS college coverage, enrollment by level, and graduate destinations are active additions; absence here should not yet be read as “none.”

Retail role

Maple Valley records relatively little retail activity for its population.

Retail sales per resident fall below 65% of the cities tracked by Metroscope. That may mean residents rely more on nearby cities for shopping, but sales records alone cannot prove where they shop.

Retail sales per resident, 2024
$7,925

Higher than 35% of 82 tracked cities.

Change from 2023
+1%

Nominal retail-sales change; inflation can account for some or all of an increase.

See the underlying sales totals
Retail trade, 2024
$232.5M

Sales reported by businesses classified in retail trade.

All taxable sales
$519.6M

Includes taxable activity outside retail trade.

Retail share
45%

Retailing industries’ share of all taxable sales.

Tracked-city median
$10,670

Median retail sales per resident across cities with comparable data.

Civic life

Maple Valley only became a city in 1997.

Maple Valley voters elect the council, which hires a professional city manager to run administration. The mayor is selected from the council, so executive oversight works through the council rather than a separately elected chief executive.

Government form
Council–Manager

The elected council hires and oversees the city manager.

Mayor listed
Sean P. Kelly

Generally selected from the council—not a separately elected executive.

Council representatives listed
7

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

Incorporated
1997

Code city under Washington law.

Where decisions happen

When does the Maple Valley council meet?

Regular meeting schedule listed in the current municipal directory:

2nd & 4th Mon - 7:00pm

Schedules change and special meetings are separate. Check the city site for the live agenda, staff reports, public-comment rules, and video.

Official city site ↗Current officials directory ↗
Election record

Where to check Maple Valley election results.

Regular municipal offices generally return in 2027. Special measures can appear earlier, and charter provisions can differ.

The next data step is city-specific turnout, contested-seat share, ballot measures, and campaign money. Until those are normalized, Metroscope links the official record instead of guessing from partisan elections.

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
29,340

2% more from 2021 to 2026

Local jobs
6,188

27% more from 2018 to 2023

Retail trade, 2023–2024
+1%

Nominal taxable-sales change; not adjusted for inflation.

Data & details — selected comparable metrics across 82 places
Local jobs
LODES
6,188
1,506656,821
Higher than only 19% of places
Long-run job change
LODES
+166%
−3%+166%
Higher than 99% of places
Weekday transit departures
GTFS snapshot
698
19256,385
Higher than only 15% 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
Education (includes academia/research)27% (1,701)
Hospitality16% (993)
Retail13% (776)
Construction / Real Estate10% (615)
Healthcare & Social Assistance8% (481)
Professional Services (partial technology proxy)7% (446)
Logistics / Industrial6% (396)
Other3% (205)
Government (Public Administration)3% (184)
Finance2% (128)
Administrative & Support Services2% (110)
Information (partial technology proxy)2% (103)
Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)1% (50)
Where Maple Valley's workforce lives (inbound)
LODES OD — commuting flows into local jobs
Maple Valley
30.3%
Kent
9.6%
Covington
7.4%
Auburn
5.8%
Renton
4.4%