King County · Washington
Seattle, WA demographics
Population, income and the local tax burden that sits on top of them — sourced from the Census Bureau and the Washington State Department of Revenue.
Quick answer
Seattle, WA has a population of 755,078 and a median household income of $116,068 — about $9,672 a month before tax. That ranks 3 of 94 covered metros by income and 18 of 94 by population.
Population
755,078
City limits, ACS 5-year
Median household income
$116,068
ACS 5-year estimate
Combined sales tax
10.45%
Washington + local
Income rank
#3
of 94 covered metros
Estimated annual sales tax on a median household
A Seattle household at the median income of $116,068 spending roughly a quarter of pre-tax income on taxable retail goods would pay about $3,032 a year in sales tax at 10.45%. This is an illustration, not a filing figure: the taxable share of spending varies with household composition, and Washington exempts or discounts several categories. Washington has no income tax and leans hard on sales tax; Seattle's Sound Transit component funds light rail expansion through 2046.
Method: median household income × 25% taxable share × combined rate. The 25% share is a rough national benchmark from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, not a Seattle-specific measurement.
Sources
What each figure on this page comes from.
- Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
- Source: Washington State Department of Revenue rate tables · rates as published for 2026