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King County · Washington

Shoreline, WA

Shoreline Community College puts a campus population into Shoreline’s workday.

Population

64,710

9% more from 2021 to 2026

Family households

63.4%

±3 points at 90% confidence

Local jobs

17,383

5% fewer from 2018 to 2023

Median income

$112,751

±$7,851 at 90% confidence

City overview

The forces shaping Shoreline now.

A campus city

Shoreline Community College puts a campus population into Shoreline’s workday.

63% of households are estimated to be families. Shoreline Community College adds a postsecondary population that is not visible in the public-school count.

Shoreline Community College bring commuters, renters, and daytime customers into Shoreline 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 trajectory

More residents and fewer local jobs are pulling Shoreline in opposite directions.

Shoreline’s population rose 9% from 2021–2026; its workplace job count fell 5% from 2018–2023. The source periods differ because the two series are released on different schedules.

Seattle already receives 51% of observed resident job destinations. If the split continues, that outside connection—and the trip it requires—will carry more of the household economy.

Population: 2021–2026 · jobs: 2018–2023

The commute that shapes the city

51% of observed Shoreline resident jobs lead to Seattle; only 8% stay local.

51% of observed resident job destinations are in Seattle, followed by Bellevue at 7%. Only 8% are inside Shoreline.

Current GTFS schedules 21,882 weekday stop departures at 273 stops inside Shoreline; 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 local economic engine

Healthcare leads at 19%, with retail close behind at 18%.

Shoreline contains 17,383 workplace jobs. Healthcare accounts for 19% of them. Retail is next at 18%.

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

Workplace jobs: 2023

The housing divide

A majority of Shoreline renters are cost-burdened, far above the rate for owners.

56% of measured renter households are cost-burdened, compared with 28% of measured owners. 34% of occupied homes are rentals.

Shoreline’s 28-point burden gap makes rental availability a distinct question, not a footnote to citywide affordability.

ACS 2024 five-year estimates

People

Who lives here—and which households shape demand?

The typical household estimate is 2.4 people. 63% are estimated to be family households, while 29% are estimated to be people living alone.

Average household size

2.4

±0.1 people at 90% confidence

Median age

42.9

±1.5 years at 90% confidence

Living alone

29%

±2 points at 90% confidence

Bachelor’s degree+

53%

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

Population composition

Who lives here

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

White, non-Hispanic62% ±3 pts

Hispanic / Latino, any race8.7% ±2 pts

Two or more races, non-Hispanic7.7% ±1 pts

Black, non-Hispanic6.6% ±2 pts

Chinese, except Taiwanese4.4% ±1.0 pts

Filipino2.9% ±0.9 pts

Korean2.1% ±0.7 pts

Vietnamese1.6% ±0.5 pts

Asian Indian1.5% ±0.6 pts

Another race, non-Hispanic0.7% ±0.4 pts

Japanese0.7% ±0.2 pts

Two or more Asian groups0.4% ±0.2 pts

Taiwanese0.2% ±0.1 pts

American Indian / Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.2% ±0.2 pts

Indonesian0.1% ±0.1 pts

Malaysian0.1% ±0.1 pts

Burmese0.1% ±0.1 pts

Thai0.1% ±0.1 pts

Mongolian<0.1% ±0.1 pts

Other Asian, not specified<0.1% ±0.1 pts

Nepalese<0.1% ±0.1 pts

Cambodian<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Hmong<0.1% ±0.1 pts

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Pakistani<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Other South Asian<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

Mien<0.1% ±<0.1 pt

0% published estimate: Okinawan, Other East Asian, Laotian, Singaporean, Other Southeast Asian, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Sikh, Sri Lankan, Afghan, 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: Shoreline 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 19% of jobs located in Shoreline. The city’s job base changed +2% between 2010 and 2023.

Housing

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

66% of occupied homes are estimated to be owner-occupied and 34% rented. The estimates suggest 56% of renter households and 28% 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$811k±18985.0 at 90% confidence

Middle half of homes$605k–$993kLower to upper quartile of owner estimates

Luxury-home concentration4%≈579 homes · estimated at $2M+

Under $500k13%

$500–749k29%

$750–999k34%

$1–1.49M16%

$1.5–1.99M4%

$2M+4%

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

66%

±3 points at 90% confidence

Renter cost-burdened

56%

Spending 30% or more of income on gross rent. ±8 points at 90% confidence

Owner cost-burdened

28%

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

Homes authorized, 2025

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 273 stops and 21,882 weekday stop departures inside Shoreline. The 2020–2024 ACS separately estimates how workers usually commuted; it does not count every transit trip or describe today's schedule.

Weekday departures

21,882

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

Transit stops

273

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

Top outside workplace

Seattle

51% of observed resident job destinations in 2023 LODES.

Work inside the city

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 Shoreline; 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

Shoreline only became a city in 1995.

Shoreline 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

Betsy Robertson

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

Council representatives listed

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

Incorporated

1995

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

64,710

9% more from 2021 to 2026

Local jobs

17,383

5% fewer 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

17,383

Higher than 61% of places

Long-run job change

LODES

+2%

Higher than only 3% of places

Weekday transit departures

GTFS snapshot

21,882

Higher than 93% of places

Multifamily permitting

Census BPS

Faster than usual

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 Assistance19% (3,256)

Retail18% (3,069)

Education (includes academia/research)16% (2,697)

Government (Public Administration)12% (2,007)

Hospitality9% (1,507)

Professional Services (partial technology proxy)6% (1,128)

Construction / Real Estate6% (1,029)

Other6% (1,020)

Logistics / Industrial5% (808)

Administrative & Support Services2% (372)

Finance1% (200)

Information (partial technology proxy)1% (180)

Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)1% (110)

Where Shoreline's workforce lives (inbound)

LODES OD — commuting flows into local jobs

Seattle

26.9%

Shoreline

18.3%

Everett

5.5%

Edmonds

5.2%

Lynnwood

3.8%

Shoreline, WA

The forces shaping Shoreline now.

Shoreline Community College puts a campus population into Shoreline’s workday.

More residents and fewer local jobs are pulling Shoreline in opposite directions.

51% of observed Shoreline resident jobs lead to Seattle; only 8% stay local.

Healthcare leads at 19%, with retail close behind at 18%.

A majority of Shoreline renters are cost-burdened, far above the rate for owners.

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 Shoreline

2 public-library branches inside Shoreline

The schools inside Shoreline.

Shoreline sits near the regional middle for retail activity per resident.

Shoreline only became a city in 1995.

When does the Shoreline council meet?

Where to check Shoreline election results.

What is changing the city’s trajectory?