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An editorial illustration of Sultan, Washington
Snohomish County · Washington

Sultan, WA

Sultan wants growth to shorten the trip for work, shopping, and basic services.

Population
7,480
39% more from 2021 to 2026
Family households
—
±11 points at 90% confidence · too uncertain for ranking or interpretation
Local jobs
1,105
1% more from 2018 to 2023
Median income
—
±$24,490 at 90% confidence
City overview

The forces shaping Sultan now.

01
The employers behind the economy

Sultan wants growth to shorten the trip for work, shopping, and basic services.

Sultan contains 1,105 workplace jobs. Education accounts for 33% of them. Manufacturing is next at 17%.

The city’s plan prioritizes Main Street, mixed-use centers, youth jobs, medical services, recreation, and small-business retention because residents now leave town for many jobs and purchases. Success would mean more useful destinations and family-wage work—not simply more commercial square footage beside the highway.

Workplace jobs: 2023
02
The trajectory

Population growth outpaced job growth by 38 points in Sultan.

Sultan’s population rose 39% from 2021–2026; its workplace job count rose 1% from 2018–2023. The source periods differ because the two series are released on different schedules.

Sultan is becoming more residential in its regional role. That makes access to Seattle and other employment centers part of its economic health.

Population: 2021–2026 · jobs: 2018–2023
03
The city’s regional role

Sultan has one workplace job for every 6.8 residents.

Sultan has 0.15 workplace jobs per resident—1,105 jobs for 7,480 people. Seattle is the largest observed outside destination for resident workers.

That makes regional access an economic issue: an employer change or a slower commute elsewhere can matter more than activity in Sultan’s own business district.

Jobs and workplace flows: 2023 · population: 2026
04
The commute that shapes the city

Seattle matters more to Sultan’s workday than its own city line does.

16% of observed resident job destinations are in Seattle, followed by Everett at 11%. Only 9% are inside Sultan.

Current GTFS schedules 167 weekday stop departures at 10 stops inside Sultan; 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
People

Who lives here—and which households shape demand?

7,480 residents are counted in the latest official state estimate, 39% more than in 2021. Survey measures appear here only when their uncertainty is small enough to describe the city confidently.

Average household size
2.9

±0.3 people at 90% confidence

Median age
36.7

±4.6 years at 90% confidence

Residents, 2026
7,480

Official annual city estimate from Washington OFM.

Population change, 2021–2026
+39%

Change in official annual city estimates; boundary changes can contribute.

Population composition

Who lives here

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

White, non-Hispanic56% ±8 pts
Hispanic / Latino, any race19% ±8 pts
Asian Indian12% ±8 pts
Two or more races, non-Hispanic6.9% ±5 pts
Black, non-Hispanic1.9% ±2 pts
American Indian / Alaska Native, non-Hispanic1.5% ±1 pts
Cambodian0.6% ±0.9 pts
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.6% ±0.9 pts
Vietnamese0.6% ±0.9 pts
Filipino0.5% ±0.9 pts
Japanese0.2% ±0.3 pts
Hmong0.1% ±0.2 pts
Another race, non-Hispanic<0.1% ±0.2 pts

0% published estimate: Chinese, except Taiwanese, Korean, Mongolian, Okinawan, Taiwanese, Other East Asian, Burmese, Indonesian, Laotian, Malaysian, Mien, Singaporean, Thai, Other Southeast Asian, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Nepalese, Pakistani, Sikh, Sri Lankan, Other South Asian, Afghan, Kazakh, Uzbek, Other Central Asian, Other Asian, specified, Other Asian, not specified, Two or more Asian groups. Zero is not proof that no residents identify with that group.

Some ranges are wide, which is common for smaller populations. Treat small differences as uncertain rather than as a precise ordering.

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
Sultan 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 33% of jobs located in Sultan. The city’s job base changed +16% between 2010 and 2023.

Jobs by sector

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

Education (includes academia/research)33%
Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)17%
Healthcare & Social Assistance10%
Other9%
Hospitality9%

Verified employer anchors

Official city economic-development strategy; no ranked employer table · Current or recent profile · 2024 comprehensive plan. The stated employer vintage is within the current two-year publication window.

The city’s plan prioritizes Main Street, mixed-use centers, youth jobs, medical services, recreation, and small-business retention because residents now leave town for many jobs and purchases. Success would mean more useful destinations and family-wage work—not simply more commercial square footage beside the highway.

The city publishes a detailed business-development strategy, but not a verified ranked employer list or local company headcounts.

City of Sultan 2044 Comprehensive Plan economic-development element ↗. Headcounts change faster than Census employment totals.

Housing

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

The firmer current signal is construction intent: 71 homes were authorized in 2025, versus a recent pace of about 113 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$526k±50727.0 at 90% confidence
Middle half of homes$409k–$649kLower to upper quartile of owner estimates
Luxury-home concentration0%≈0 homes · estimated at $2M+
Under $500k45%
$500–749k51%
$750–999k4%
$1–1.49M1%
$1.5–1.99M0%
$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.

2–4 unit buildings1%
Homes authorized, 2025
71

Permit authorizations—not construction starts or completed homes.

Residential buildings, 2025
71

One building can contain one home or many housing units.

2023–2025 annual pace
113 homes

Average housing units authorized per year across the latest three final annual estimates.

Recent pace vs prior 3 years
−49%

2023–2025 average compared with 2020–2022.

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 10 stops and 167 weekday stop departures inside Sultan. The 2020–2024 ACS separately estimates how workers usually commuted; it does not count every transit trip or describe today's schedule.

Weekday departures
167

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

Transit stops
10

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

Top outside workplace
Seattle

16% 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 Sultan.

Seattle16%
Peak drive: 65–110 min
Everett11%
Peak drive: 45–80 min
Monroe11%
Peak drive: 30–60 min
Redmond9%

The strongest outside connection is Seattle. Employer or corridor changes there can alter everyday life in Sultan, 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.

Use public transit
1.2%

Usual commute mode—not all transit trips. ±2 points at 90% confidence

Households without a vehicle
0.8%

Households, rather than workers. ±1 points at 90% confidence

For someone choosing a home in Sultan, 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 Sultan—not live-traffic or door-to-door predictions.

Starting area
Downtown Seattle employment core

Seattle is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Sultan, representing 13% of matched resident jobs from this city.

65–120 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.

Everett employment area

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

45–80 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.

Monroe employment area

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

20–40 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.

Sultan employment area

Sultan is a LODES-selected resident workplace destination for Sultan, representing 7% 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.

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 Sultan; 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 Sultan

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

Hospitals0 in cityFind nearby
Explore all hospitals near SultanOpen
Clinics and urgent care1 listedView all
EvergreenHealth Primary CareMapExplore all clinics and urgent care in MapsOpen
Pharmacies2 listedView all
Invara31111 US-2 · SULTAN, WA 98294MapSultan Pharmacy & Natural Care30231 US 2 · SULTAN, WA 98294-8693MapExplore all pharmacies in MapsOpen
Coffee9 listedView 8 places
The Coffee BoxMapCup Of Sunshine EspressoMapGracie’s PlaceMapK8's On MainMapKellie's KaffeineMapMountain Vista EspressoMapVeda EspressoMapVinaccio CoffeeMapExplore all coffee in MapsOpen
Fitness2 listedView all
JB Fitness Gym 24 Hour AccessMapSultan Visitor's CenterMapExplore all fitness in MapsOpen
Groceries2 listedView all
Mexican Store Dos AmigosMapSultan Red Apple MarketMapExplore all groceries in MapsOpen
Convenience2 listedView all
AMPMMapHoot OwlMapExplore all convenience in MapsOpen
Restaurants16 listedView 8 places
7-11MapBubba's Road HouseMapIxtapa RestaurantMapJD SlicksMapKrispy Krunchy ChickenMapMaria's RestaurantMapMarias Mexican FoodMapPho King GoodMapExplore all restaurants in MapsOpen
Salons and barbers3 listedView all
A Cut AboveMapAbracadabra Salon MapRoute 2 Hair StopMapExplore 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

Sultan 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
4,400 sq ft

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

Physical checkouts
79,139

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

Sultan LibrarySno-Isle Libraries
4,400 sq ft79,139 physical checkouts50 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 Sultan.

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 elementary1
  • Sultan Elementary SchoolSultan School District
Public middle1
  • Sultan Middle SchoolSultan School District
Public high3
  • Open Doors Youth Reengagement (Sultan)Sultan School District
  • Sky Valley OptionsSultan School District
  • Sultan Senior High SchoolSultan School District
Other public programs2
  • Student Services SchoolSultan School District
  • Sultan Virtual AcademySultan School District

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

Sultan records relatively little retail activity for its population.

Retail sales per resident fall below 84% 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
$6,011

Higher than 16% of 82 tracked cities.

Change from 2023
+4%

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

See the underlying sales totals
Retail trade, 2024
$45.0M

Sales reported by businesses classified in retail trade.

All taxable sales
$128.2M

Includes taxable activity outside retail trade.

Retail share
35%

Retailing industries’ share of all taxable sales.

Tracked-city median
$10,670

Median retail sales per resident across cities with comparable data.

Civic life

In Sultan, voters directly choose who runs City Hall.

Sultan 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
Russell Wiita

The separately elected chief executive.

Council representatives listed
6

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

Incorporated
1905

Code city under Washington law.

Where decisions happen

When does the Sultan council meet?

Regular meeting schedule listed in the current municipal directory:

2nd & 4th Thu - 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 Sultan 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
7,480

39% more from 2021 to 2026

Local jobs
1,105

1% more from 2018 to 2023

Retail trade, 2023–2024
+4%

Nominal taxable-sales change; not adjusted for inflation.

Data & details — selected comparable metrics across 82 places
Local jobs
LODES
1,105
1,506656,821
Higher than only 0% of places
Long-run job change
LODES
+16%
−3%+166%
Higher than only 18% of places
Weekday transit departures
GTFS snapshot
167
19256,385
Higher than only 6% 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)33% (360)
Manufacturing (includes, but is not limited to, aerospace)17% (190)
Healthcare & Social Assistance10% (115)
Other9% (100)
Hospitality9% (98)
Construction / Real Estate6% (63)
Government (Public Administration)5% (52)
Retail4% (49)
Professional Services (partial technology proxy)3% (30)
Logistics / Industrial2% (27)
Administrative & Support Services1% (14)
Information (partial technology proxy)1% (7)
Finance0% (0)
Where Sultan's workforce lives (inbound)
LODES OD — commuting flows into local jobs
Sultan
34.7%
Gold Bar
13.6%
Monroe
9.4%
Everett
6.8%
Lake Stevens
5.4%