The Seattle metropolitan area in the US state of Washington includes the city of Seattle, King County

King County, Washington

King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....

, Snohomish County

Snohomish County, Washington

Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents , making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King and...

, and Pierce County

Pierce County, Washington

right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...

 within the Puget Sound region

Puget Sound region

The Puget Sound region is an inland area of the Pacific Northwest in Washington , including Puget Sound, the Puget Sound lowlands, and the surrounding region roughly west of the Cascade Range and east of the Olympic Mountains.- History :...

. The U.S. Census Bureau defines the metropolitan area as the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, with an estimated population of 3,344,813 (just under half of Washington's population), making it the 15th largest United States Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Census statistics

As defined by the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the Seattle metropolitan area is made up of the following counties (see Fig. STB):

• Seattle–Bellevue
  Bellevue, Washington
  Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
  
  –Everett
  Everett, Washington
  Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
  
   metropolitan division
  • King County
    King County, Washington
    King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
    
    : Seattle and its immediate vicinity
  • Snohomish County
    Snohomish County, Washington
    Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents , making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King and...
    
    : north of Seattle
• Tacoma
  Tacoma, Washington
  Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
  
   metropolitan division
  • Pierce County
    Pierce County, Washington
    right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
    
    : south of Seattle

Based on commuting patterns, the adjacent metropolitan areas of Olympia

Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...

, Bremerton

Bremerton, Washington

Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...

, and Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, Washington

Mount Vernon is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,743 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Skagit County...

, along with a few smaller satellite urban areas, are grouped together in a wider labor market region known as the Seattle–Tacoma–Olympia Combined Statistical Area

Combined Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...

 (CSA) (See Figure STO). The population of this wider region is 4,087,033—almost two-thirds of Washington's population. The Seattle CSA is the 12th largest CSA in the country. The additional metropolitan and micropolitan areas included are:

• Bremerton
  Bremerton, Washington
  Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
  
  –Silverdale
  Silverdale, Washington
  Silverdale is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, in the United States. The population was 19,204 at the 2010 census.Despite many attempts at incorporation, Silverdale remains an unincorporated community....
  
   metropolitan area
  • Kitsap County
    Kitsap County, Washington
    Kitsap County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after Chief Kitsap of the Suquamish tribe. As of 2011 state estimate, its population was 253,900. Its county seat is at Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton....
    
    : west of Seattle, separated from the city by Puget Sound
    Puget Sound
    Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
    
    ; connected to Seattle by ferry
    Washington State Ferries
    Washington State Ferries is a passenger and automobile ferry service owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation that serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the most used ferry system in the world and the largest passenger and automobile...
    
     and to Tacoma by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
    Tacoma Narrows Bridge
    The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of twin suspension bridges in the U.S. state of Washington, which carry State Route 16 across the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula...
    
    
• Olympia
  Olympia, Washington
  Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
  
   metropolitan area
  • Thurston County: southwest of Seattle, at the south end of Puget Sound
    Puget Sound
    Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
    
    
• Mount Vernon
  Mount Vernon, Washington
  Mount Vernon is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,743 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Skagit County...
  
  –Anacortes
  Anacortes, Washington
  Anacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...
  
   metropolitan area
  • Skagit County
    Skagit County, Washington
    Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Skagit Indian tribe. As of 2010, the population was 116,901. It is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
    
    

• Oak Harbor
  Oak Harbor, Washington
  Oak Harbor is a city located on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington. The population was 22,075 at the 2010 census.Oak Harbor was incorporated on May 14, 1915.-History:Oak Harbor is Whidbey Island's largest incorporated city...
  
   micropolitan area
  • Island County
    Island County, Washington
    Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. In 2010 census, its population was 78,506. Its county seat is Coupeville, while its largest city is Oak Harbor....
    
    : northwest of Everett, encompassing Whidbey
    Whidbey Island
    Whidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
    
     and Camano Island
    Camano Island
    Camano Island is a large island in the Possession Sound portion of Puget Sound, located in Island County, Washington, between Whidbey Island and the mainland. The body of water separating Whidbey Island and Camano Island is called Saratoga Passage. Camano Island is separated from mainland...
    
    s in Puget Sound
• Shelton
  Shelton, Washington
  Shelton is the county seat, of Mason County, Washington, United States. Shelton is the westernmost city on Puget Sound. The population was 9,834 at the 2010 census. In terms of population, the city is ranked 161 out of approximately 500 municipalities in Washington...
  
   micropolitan area
  • Mason County: west of Tacoma and northwest of Olympia

Cities

Major:

• Seattle
• Tacoma
  Tacoma, Washington
  Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
  
  
• Bellevue
  Bellevue, Washington
  Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
  
  
• Everett
  Everett, Washington
  Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
  
  

Other:

• Auburn
  Auburn, Washington
  -Parks:Auburn has an extensive system of parks, open space and urban trails comprising 29 developed parks, 5 undeveloped sites under planning, 2 skate parks, 2 water roatary parks, and over of trails , and almost of open space for passive and active recreation.-Environmental Park:The Auburn...
  
  
• Bainbridge Island
  Bainbridge Island, Washington
  Bainbridge Island is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, and the name of the island in Puget Sound on which the city is situated...
  
  
• Bothell
  Bothell, Washington
  Bothell is a city located in King and Snohomish Counties in the state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 33,505 as of the 2010 census...
  
  
• Brier
  Brier, Washington
  Brier is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is bordered by Mountlake Terrace to the west, Lynnwood to the north, Bothell to the east, and the King County line to the south...
  
  
• Burien
  Burien, Washington
  Burien is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle. As of the 2010 Census, Burien's population is 33,313, which is a 2.9% increase since incorporation. Annexation in 2011 has increased the cities population to about 45,000....
  
  
• Des Moines
  Des Moines, Washington
  Des Moines is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 29,673 at the 2010 census. Property within the city has been the subject of land buyouts because of noise from aircraft landing or taking off from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport two miles to the north of...
  
  
• Edmonds
  Edmonds, Washington
  Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Edmonds has a view of Puget Sound and both the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Range. The third most populous city in Snohomish County after Everett and Marysville, the population was 39,709 according to the 2010 census...
  
  
• Federal Way
  Federal Way, Washington
  Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. Federal Way is located between Seattle and Tacoma. Its western boundary is Puget Sound. It is bordered by Des Moines on the north, Kent, unincorporated King County, and Milton on the east and Tacoma and Fife on the south...
  
  
• Issaquah
  Issaquah, Washington
  Issaquah is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 30,434 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the State of Washington to be ranked....
  
  
• Kenmore
  Kenmore, Washington
  Kenmore is a city in King County, Washington, United States, along the northernmost shores of Lake Washington...
  
  
• Kent
  Kent, Washington
  Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...
  
  
• Kirkland
  Kirkland, Washington
  Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Seattle on the Eastside . The population was 48,787 at the 2010 census makes it the 9th largest city in King County and the 20th largest city in the state...
  
  
• Lake Forest Park
  Lake Forest Park, Washington
  Lake Forest Park is a city in King County, Washington, United States, just north of Seattle. A bedroom community by design, most of the city consists of single-family housing on medium to large-sized lots, with an emphasis on retaining the natural features of the landscape...
  
  
• Lake Stevens
  Lake Stevens, Washington
  Lake Stevens is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States that surrounds the lake bearing the same name. It is southeast of Marysville, north of the city of Snohomish, and east of Everett...
  
  
• Lakewood
  Lakewood, Washington
  Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 58,163 at the 2010 census.-History:Lakewood was officially incorporated on February 28, 1996. Historical names include Lakewood Center and Lakes District...
  
  
• Lynnwood
  Lynnwood, Washington
  Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 35,836 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest in Snohomish County and twenty-ninth largest in Washington State. The city is a mix of urban, suburban, small city, crossroads and bedroom community to many...
  
  
• Marysville
  Marysville, Washington
  Marysville is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 60,020 at the 2010 census. Marysville is known as "The Strawberry City" due to the large number of strawberry farms that once surrounded the city in its earlier days. Over the past decade, and continuing...
  
  
• Mercer Island
  Mercer Island, Washington
  Mercer Island is a city in King County, Washington, United States and the name of the island in Lake Washington on which the city sits. The population was 22,699 at the 2010 census....
  
  
• Mill Creek
  Mill Creek, Washington
  Mill Creek is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located approximately 20 miles north-northeast of downtown Seattle and is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The 2010 census population as of 18,244...
  
  
• Mountlake Terrace
  Mountlake Terrace, Washington
  Mountlake Terrace is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It lies east of Edmonds, Washington, south of Lynnwood, Washington, and west of Brier, Washington. Its southern boundary runs along the King County line. Interstate 5 runs north-south through the city, and services the city...
  
  
• Puyallup
  Puyallup, Washington
  Puyallup, Washington is a city in Pierce County, Washington about five miles east of Tacoma. The population was 37,022 at the 2010 Census. Named after the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans, Puyallup means "the generous people."-History:...
  
  
• Poulsbo
  Poulsbo, Washington
  Poulsbo is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the fourth largest city in Kitsap County and one of the main suburbs of Seattle in the Kitsap area. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census....
  
  
• Redmond
  Redmond, Washington
  Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
  
  
• Renton
  Renton, Washington
  Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
  
  
• Sammamish
  Sammamish, Washington
  -Surrounding cities and communities:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,104 people, 11,131 households, and 9,650 families residing in the city. In 2007, the population is expected to pass 40,000....
  
  
• SeaTac
  SeaTac, Washington
  SeaTac is an American city in southern King County, Washington, and an outlying suburb of Seattle, Washington. Incorporated in February 1990, the City of SeaTac is ten square miles in area and has a population of 26,909 according to the 2010 census...
  
  
• Shoreline
  Shoreline, Washington
  Shoreline is a city in King County, Washington, United States, north of Downtown Seattle bordering the northern Seattle city limits. As of the 2010 census, the population was 53,007, making it the 19th largest city in the state of Washington....
  
  
• Silverdale
  Silverdale, Washington
  Silverdale is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, in the United States. The population was 19,204 at the 2010 census.Despite many attempts at incorporation, Silverdale remains an unincorporated community....
  
  
• Tukwila
  Tukwila, Washington
  Tukwila is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The northern edge of Tukwila borders the city of Seattle. The population was 19,107 at the 2010 census.-History:...
  
  
• Woodinville
  Woodinville, Washington
  Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,938 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is also a much larger population with Woodinville mailing addresses in adjacent unincorporated areas of King and Snohomish counties...
  
  

Major airports

• Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
• Arlington Municipal Airport (Washington)
  Arlington Municipal Airport (Washington)
  Arlington Municipal Airport is a public airport located three miles southwest of the central business district of Arlington, a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is owned and operated by the City of Arlington.- History :...
  
  
• Boeing Field
  Boeing Field
  Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport , is a two-runway airport owned and run by King County, Washington, USA. In promotional literature, the airport is frequently referred to as KCIA, but this is not the airport identifier. The airport has some passenger service, but is mostly...
  
  
• Harvey Airfield
  Harvey Airfield
  Harvey Airfield, a.k.a. Harvey Field, , is a small airport located in Snohomish, Washington. The airfield has one asphalt runway, one turf runway and fourteen hangar bays...
  
  
• Paine Field
  Paine Field
  Paine Field, also known as Snohomish County Airport is a public airport located in unincorporated Snohomish County, between Mukilteo and Everett, Washington...
  
  
• Renton Municipal Airport
  Renton Municipal Airport
  Renton Municipal Airport is located in Renton, Washington, USA. It has a single paved runway, 16/34, which is roughly 5,400' long...
  
  

Major highways

• U.S. Route 2
  U.S. Route 2 in Washington
  U.S. Route 2 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that has a western segment that runs from Everett, Washington, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Washington, it is a state highway that begins at in Downtown Everett. The of US 2 that lie within...
  
  
• Interstate 5
  Interstate 5 in Washington
  Interstate 5 in Washington is a highway in the U.S. state of Washington that extends from its border with Oregon to its border with Canada...
  
  
• State Route 7
• State Route 9
• State Route 16
• State Route 18
• Interstate 90
  Interstate 90 in Washington
  Interstate 90 , a transcontinental Interstate Highway from Seattle, Washington, to Boston, Massachusetts, crosses the state of Washington before crossing the Idaho state line between Spokane and Post Falls...
  
  
• State Route 99
  Washington State Route 99
  State Route 99, abbreviated SR 99, commonly called Highway 99, is a numbered state highway in the U.S. state of Washington extending just under from Fife in the south to Everett in the north, with a gap in Tukwila.-Southern division:...
  
  
• U.S. Route 101
  U.S. Route 101 in Washington
  In the U.S. state of Washington, U.S. Route 101 is the westernmost state highway, serving the Olympic Peninsula. It runs from the Astoria-Megler Bridge north to the cities of Raymond, Aberdeen, Hoquiam, and Forks before turning east at the small community of Beaver to the most northern point of the...
  
  
• State Route 202
• Interstate 405
  Interstate 405 (Washington)
  Interstate 405 in Washington is a stretch of freeway that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila...
  
  
• State Route 520
• State Route 522
• Interstate 605
  Interstate 605 (Washington)
  Interstate 605 is the common designation given to several proposals for a new auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System bypassing Interstate 5 and I-405 in the US state of Washington. Proposals have been heard from since the 1960s, including highways connecting from I-5 all the way to the...
  
   (proposed)
• Interstate 705
  Interstate 705
  Interstate 705 is a short Interstate Highway spur route of Interstate 5 located entirely within Tacoma, Pierce, Washington, United States. I-705 serves as the connector between Interstate 5, Downtown Tacoma, Tacoma's waterfront, North Tacoma, and the Tacoma Dome...
  
  

Mass transit

• Sound Transit
  Sound Transit
  Sound Transit has been the popular name of Washington state's Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority since September 19, 1999. It was formed in 1996 by the Snohomish, King, and Pierce County Councils...
  
  , trains, buses, light rail in Puget Sound
  Puget Sound
  Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
  
   area
• Community Transit, buses in Snohomish County
• King County Metro, buses in King County
• Pierce Transit
  Pierce Transit
  Pierce Transit, in full the Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation, is the public transit authority of Pierce County, Washington. Based in Lakewood, Washington, it was founded in 1979...
  
  , buses in Pierce County