SeaTac has 3.1 jobs for every working resident: 38,770 people commute in to work
Jobs & income B: better than 58% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #163 of 285 in Washington.
Walkability A+: more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns · #17 of 285 in Washington.
Household incomes here are higher than in 57% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 25 minutes each way (Washington 27, U.S. 26). About one in seven work in SeaTac; the top destination outside it is Seattle (31%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in SeaTac
Stores, warehouses and trucking
66% of the jobs in SeaTac are in trade, transport and utilities, against 29% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
SeaTac has far more jobs than workers
SeaTac has 40,916 jobs, 3.1 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 62,000 people are in town, 80% more than the 35,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
SeaTac has added jobs fast
Jobs based in SeaTac went from 24,162 in 2013 to 40,916 in 2023, +69%. The jobs ↓
SeaTac and Seattle trade workers both ways
Seattle is the top workplace for SeaTac residents (31%) and also where the most people who work in SeaTac come from (12% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What’s behind SeaTac’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, SeaTac is better than 58% of U.S. towns, #163 of 285 in Washington. Job access by car holds SeaTac’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (7.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, SeaTac could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
68% of the jobs in SeaTac pay over $3,333 a month
40,916 jobs are based in SeaTac. Here is what they are, next to the jobs SeaTac’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in SeaTac, 2013 → 2023: 24,162 → 40,916. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
SeaTac nearly doubles on a workday
On a workday 11,235 residents head out to work, 2,146 work right here, and 38,770 people come in from elsewhere.
About 62,000 people are in SeaTac on a workday afternoon, 80% more than live here.
3.1 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where SeaTac’s workers come from
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where SeaTac clocks in
31% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
About 25 minutes each way, about the WA average
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of SeaTac workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 14,054 commuters (the 12% who work from home are left out). Across Washington: 79% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
Half of SeaTac commutes less than 10 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
SeaTac is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, SeaTac is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #17 of 285 in Washington. Both inputs place SeaTac near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 15,885 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 95% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 18% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 38.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 10.6% of SeaTac households have no vehicle (Washington 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 7% of SeaTac’s commuters take a bus or train.
SeaTac is 783rd of 1,287 U.S. towns of 24,000 to 47,000 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of SeaTac, the top three, the last and three more from Washington.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Mercer Island WA | 25,422 | $219K | 3.8% | 3.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 145 | Issaquah WA | 39,423 | $155K | 5.2% | 3.3% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 210 | Edmonds WA | 42,748 | $122K | 3.8% | 4.1% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 781 | Neptune Township NJ | 28,273 | $101K | 10.4% | 8.2% | 10% | B |
| 782 | Post Falls ID | 46,715 | $82K | 11.1% | 3.3% | 22% | B |
| 783 | SeaTac WA | 34,578 | $81K | 9.3% | 7.0% | 16% | B |
| 784 | Monterey CA | 28,953 | $103K | 9.8% | 6.0% | 28% | B |
| 785 | Medina OH | 25,692 | $77K | 8.3% | 5.9% | 17% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,287 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
15% of SeaTac works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Tukwila (6%). Darker towns draw more of SeaTac’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | SeaTac workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SeaTac | – | B | A+ | 25 min | $81,104 |
| Tukwila | 6% | B− | A | 25 min | $78,381 |
| Kent | 6% | B | A | 30 min | $92,302 |
| Burien | 3% | B | A+ | 27 min | $91,318 |
| Des Moines | under 2% | B− | A | 31 min | $92,483 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in SeaTac: questions
What is the median household income in SeaTac?
$81,104 (±$9,991) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in SeaTac?
9.3%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from SeaTac?
25 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in SeaTac work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Seattle (31%, 12 mi), Kent (6%, 5 mi), Renton (6%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is SeaTac walkable?
SeaTac is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.4 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around SeaTac without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. 18% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from SeaTac, from the people who make the trip.
More of SeaTac
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.