Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 34,578.
SeaTac grades D overall, 245th among Washington's 285 graded towns, mostly because of safety and schools. It reports more crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns, including 102 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its public schools trail 79% of Washington towns on state tests and graduation. One bright spot: residents are healthier than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. SeaTac’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Washington’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. SeaTac is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 97% of U.S. towns. Only 32 of Washington’s 397 towns score lower on hazard risk.
Where SeaTac beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
26,909 counted in 2010 and 31,454 in 2020; an estimated 34,578 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 10% since 2020, after 16.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far SeaTac is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for hazard risk (better than 5%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 17,961 in 1980, 31,454 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around SeaTac. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
10 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
11 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
14 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in SeaTac, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in SeaTac.
SeaTac draws workers from Seattle and beyond, has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Washington.
25 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is North Seatac Park, 164 acres with 4.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Seatac Park | 4.7 mi | 164 |
| 2. Grandview Park | 2.2 mi | 38 |
| 3. Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden | 1.1 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Highline School District. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glacier Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 803 | – |
| Tyee High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 644 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
40,916 jobs are based in SeaTac, 3.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 24,162 in 2013 to 40,916.
Most working residents leave SeaTac for work: only 16% work in town. Since 2013, SeaTac has added 16,754 jobs, to 40,916 in 2023. The top destinations are Seattle (31%), Kent (6%) and Renton (6%).
| SeaTac | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 15% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 1,690 to 761 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 19 per 1,000 residents, SeaTac’s property crime rate is above both Washington’s towns (15) and U.S. towns (9.9). SeaTac’s violent crime rate is 2.9 per 1,000 residents. SeaTac reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less.
| SeaTac | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 89% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in SeaTac since 2010.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Washington it is healthier than 51% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
69% of adults had a checkup this year in SeaTac. SeaTac beats the Washington average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 28% of adults have obesity in SeaTac.
| SeaTac | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 10% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 7.8% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | SeaTac | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 20.7% | 24.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 17.6% | 10.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 76.7°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.1°.
SeaTac has mild winters and pleasant summers. The July high in SeaTac is 77°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| SeaTac | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
64.2% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 49.9% across Washington.
47% of SeaTac households own their home.
| SeaTac | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,660 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
17 within 15 miles of the center of SeaTac
About 7 of every 100 SeaTac residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
Where SeaTac’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 towns share a border with SeaTac.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Burien (D) is closest.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SeaTac | #245 | D | C− | D | C− | A− |
| Tukwila | #236 | C− | C− | D− | C+ | A− |
| Kent | #221 | C− | D | D | B− | A− |
| Burien | #243 | D | D | D | C− | A− |
| Des Moines | #235 | C− | D | C− | C− | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
SeaTac grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #245 of 285 in Washington. It grades A− for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 5 years of the area's median household income ($115,177 across the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
