Key Points
- Seattle and Tacoma were the fastest-growing cities in Washington in the latest April 1, 2026 population estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management.
- Seattle added 6,800 residents and reached 823,400, while Tacoma added 2,600 residents and reached 231,000.
- Pasco, Kennewick, Richland and Vancouver also ranked among the state’s biggest population gainers.
- Washington state’s population rose to 8,176,300, an increase of 61,200 residents.
- King County grew by 13,000 residents to 2,424,700, with Seattle accounting for just over half of that growth.
- The growth rate in Seattle slowed sharply compared with the previous year, falling to 0.8% from 2.4%.
Seattle (Evening Washington News) July 2, 2026 — Seattle and Tacoma led Washington’s city population growth in the latest state estimates, as both cities continued to add residents even as the overall pace of growth slowed across the state.
As reported by the staff of The Urbanist, Seattle added 6,800 residents and grew to 823,400, while Tacoma added 2,600 residents and reached 231,000, equal to a 1.1% growth rate.
The report said the data came from new April 1, 2026 population estimates released by the Washington State Office of Financial Management.
Which cities posted the biggest gains?
The strongest gains were not limited to Puget Sound, according to the report. Pasco added 2,570 residents, making it the third-largest gainer in the state, while Kennewick added 1,430 and Richland added 1,360.
Vancouver also appeared among the six largest gainers, with 1,900 additional residents. The ranking placed Seattle, Tacoma, Pasco, Vancouver, Kennewick and Richland among the top population gainers in Washington for the year.
What do the county and state figures show?
King County grew by 13,000 residents to a total estimated population of 2,424,700, with Seattle accounting for just over half of that increase. Statewide, Washington added 61,200 residents and reached 8,176,300, according to the same estimates.
The report also said the latest growth marked a clear slowdown from the previous year. Seattle’s 0.8% increase over 2025 was roughly three times slower than the 2.4% growth rate recorded in the prior annual update, when the city added 18,000 residents.
Why does the slowdown matter?
The slowdown matters because it shows that Washington is still growing, but at a less vigorous pace in its largest urban centres.
The city and county figures suggest that growth remains concentrated in a few areas, while other parts of the state are contributing more of the overall gains than before.
The state and city estimates together also point to a more geographically mixed pattern of expansion, with the Tri-Cities and Vancouver making notable contributions alongside Seattle and Tacoma.
That pattern may matter for planning around housing, transport and local services, since population gains are arriving in several different parts of the state rather than only in Seattle’s core.
Background of the development
The latest figures build on a broader trend of Washington continuing to add residents after the state crossed eight million people in earlier estimates.
Earlier data reported by Axios said Washington’s population rose 0.9% over the previous year and ranked seventh among the states for growth.
Seattle has also remained one of the country’s stronger major-city performers in recent Census reporting.
KIRO 7 reported that Seattle gained 11,572 residents between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025, ranking fifth among U.S. cities with populations of 20,000 or more.
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What could this mean for residents?
For Seattle and Tacoma residents, continued growth can keep pressure on housing, transit and public services even if the pace is slower than before.
For people in the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, the numbers suggest those areas may face more demand for roads, schools and local planning as they absorb larger shares of state growth.
For Washington as a whole, the figures suggest that population gains remain broad enough to support economic activity, but uneven enough to require different local responses across regions.
