Federal Way, Washington Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Federal Way, WA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A
Health Above average
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B
Income Around average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Federal Way | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 99,921 | 7,801,159 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 4212.7 | 109.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.67% | 1.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.3 | 36.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 36,027 | 3,058,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Federal Way grew by 16.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 99,921 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Federal Way is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.8% of residents. That is 0.5 points below Washington as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 21,989 22.0% +0.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 22,779 22.8% -0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 20,317 20.3% +0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 14,956 15.0% -1.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Washington, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.2% of the people living in Federal Way and men 50.8%.
- Women 49.2% Washington 49.7%
- Men 50.8% Washington 50.3%
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Economy
Federal Way has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Federal Way | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $88,690 | $98,224 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.12% | 5.64% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Federal Way is about 10% lower than in Washington.
Housing
| Metric | Federal Way | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $637,454 | $485,016 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,759 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 55.8% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Federal Way is about 29.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,797 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Federal Way spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 253 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Federal Way | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.3 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.6 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 253 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,832 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.9% | 19.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 44,049 | 10,119 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,325 | 1,525 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Federal Way is 30 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Washington.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Federal Way has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Federal Way | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.0% | 35.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.74 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Health
Federal Way has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Federal Way | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.1 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.4% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.5% | 16.4% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Federal Way, Washington.
How big is Federal Way, Washington by population?
About 99,921 people live in Federal Way, Washington, in 36,027 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 38.3, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Federal Way, Washington mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Federal Way, Washington has 4,213 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 49 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Federal Way, Washington an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 7.2 times the median household income ($637,454 against $88,690), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,797 a month takes about 24% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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