Seattle ranked fourth among large cities for growth last year

During the 2010s, Seattle was the fastest-growing big city in the United States, posting staggering growth rates year after year. While those boom times are likely behind us, the latest numbers show Seattle is still expanding at a moderately strong pace, even if it has cooled off from the previous year.

Seattle's population increased by nearly 11,600, or 1.5%, from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The city's population reached a record 784,800, and it remained the 18th-most populous U.S. city.

When I wrote about this data last May, I reported that Seattle grew by around 16,800 people and had a growth rate of 2.2% in 2024. But the Census Bureau has now revised those figures downward. The new numbers show an increase of roughly 13,800 and a growth rate of 1.8%. It is routine for the Census Bureau to revise population data one year later.

Even with a slower rate than last year, Seattle's growth remains strong compared to other large northern cities. Seattle ranked fourth for growth among the 50 largest U.S. cities and was the only large city outside the Sunbelt with a growth rate of 1% or higher.

Charlotte ranked first with a 2.2% growth rate, followed by Fort Worth at 1.9% and Atlanta at 1.6%. Raleigh, N.C., was fifth at about 1.5%, just slightly behind Seattle.

These figures represent a slowdown among the nation's 50 largest cities. Only three grew faster last year than the year before: Portland, Atlanta and San Francisco.

Portland lost population in 2024. Last year, the Rose City grew, but not by much, adding 700 people for a growth rate of 0.1%.

Fifteen of the 50 cities experienced losses last year, including the three largest cities: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Memphis had the largest rate of decline, at -0.7%.

In terms of numeric gains, Charlotte ranked highest among all U.S. cities, adding about 20,700 people. Seattle ranked fifth for numeric growth.

Remarkably, the city that ranked fourth for numeric growth last year among all cities was a place you may not have heard of: Celina, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. It added 12,700 people - more than Seattle - bringing its population to around 64,400.

New York, which ranked first for numeric growth in 2024, saw the largest loss among all U.S. cities this time, dropping by roughly 12,200 people.

Unfortunately, the census data does not provide the components of population change for cities, meaning we do not know how much of Seattle's growth was due to domestic migration, international migration and natural change (births minus deaths).

However, county-level data released by the Census Bureau earlier this year showed international migration as the main driver of growth in King County, while domestic migration resulted in a net population loss. It is likely that international migration also drove most of Seattle's growth.

Washington's fastest-growing city last year was Leavenworth, increasing its population by nearly 500 to a total of 3,400, a remarkable growth rate of 15.9%.

A few smaller cities in King County grew faster than Seattle last year. Woodinville was a standout, with a 5.4% population increase. Kirkland also showed strong growth at 3%, as did Shoreline at 1.7%. Bellevue's population increased by about 1,200, or 0.8%, bringing its total population to about 154,200.

Tacoma, the state's third-largest city, grew by about 1,900 people, or 0.8%, bringing its total population to 229,800. That steady increase continued to narrow the gap between Tacoma and Spokane, which added only about 500 people, bringing its population to 230,800.

As always, Seattle was Washington's largest city, and Krupp in Grant County was its smallest, holding steady with a population of just 45.

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