Despite much reporting on a population exodus from Washington, Seattle had one of the largest population gains among U.S. cities in 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
For cities with populations of 20,000 or more, Seattle had the fifth-largest growth after it gained 11,572 residents, approximately a 1.5% increase, between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025.
Three Texas cities (Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Celina) and Charlotte, North Carolina were the only cities with a larger population growth. According to the data, Seattle was the only West Coast city among the top 10 for numeric population growth.
According to Census data, Seattle had a population of 784,777 in 2025.
“Big-city growth slowed significantly between 2024 and 2025, with some major hubs even seeing small declines,” Matt Erickson, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division, stated in a press release. “In contrast, midsized cities found a ‘Goldilocks zone’ where domestic and international migration, paired with new housing, helped prevent the sluggish growth seen in small towns and larger metropolitan centers.”
WA county data
International migration drove much of Washington’s population surge as King County gained 28,428 residents from abroad, while also losing 9,070 residents to domestic migration. Snohomish County had a similar population change, gaining 6,325 residents through international migration while losing 525 through domestic migration.
Pierce County had a population growth through both international and domestic migration.
Overall Census findings
Overall, the Census found that there is a widespread national slowdown in population growth and that smaller cities in the outer portions of the same metro area grew more rapidly than the city itself.
“For example, Charlotte, N.C. — the nation’s 14th largest city — gained 20,731 residents between 2024 and 2025, more than any city in the country,” Census data findings read. “However, among cities with a population of 20,000 or more, Charlotte was only the seventh fastest-growing city in its own metro area by percentage increase. The fastest was Fort Mill, S.C. — about 20 miles from downtown Charlotte — which grew by 6.8% to 38,673, ranking 20th nationally. The cities in the metro outranking Charlotte in growth were all mid-sized, with populations ranging from about 25,000 to 70,000.”
New York City’s population declined by 12,196 between 2024 and 2025, the greatest numeric decrease in the nation.
This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
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