Seattle median household income after inflation, 2015-2025

What this chart asks

Has the typical Seattle household's income kept up with local prices?

Why it is shown this way

• A line shows the rise to 2021 and the decline after it.
• The metro line is shown beside the city so readers can see the drop is mostly a city pattern.
• The y axis does not start at zero, to show changes of a few thousand dollars; the axis is labeled.

Chart annotations

These markers provide relevant context for interpreting the chart. Their timing or position does not, by itself, establish causation.

No 2020 ACS 1-year estimate

2020

Why this is marked: Explains the gap: the Census Bureau did not release standard 2020 1-year estimates.

Data and accessibility

Download chart data · Open accessible table · Download PNG · Download SVG

Dataset seattle-median-income-inflation, analysis real-median-series

Sources

This chart draws on the sources of the dataset versions it visualizes.

Seattle median household income adjusted for inflation, 2015-2025

1. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2015 1-year estimates, table B19013 (median household income) Median household income and 90% margin of error for Seattle city, WA (place 5363000) and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area (CBSA 42660), 2015, in 2015 inflation-adjusted dollars. Retrieved through the Census Data API (dataset acs/acs1, variables B19013_001E and B19013_001M).

   Retrieved November 2, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Allowed; the Census Bureau asks to be cited.

   Reliability: Government. The American Community Survey samples about 3.5 million addresses a year; 1-year estimates are published only for areas with 65,000 or more people. Every estimate carries a 90% margin of error.

2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 1-year estimates, table B19013 (median household income) Median household income and 90% margin of error for Seattle city, WA (place 5363000) and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area (CBSA 42660), 2019, in 2019 inflation-adjusted dollars. Retrieved through the Census Data API (dataset acs/acs1, variables B19013_001E and B19013_001M).

   Retrieved November 2, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Allowed; the Census Bureau asks to be cited.

   Reliability: Government. The American Community Survey samples about 3.5 million addresses a year; 1-year estimates are published only for areas with 65,000 or more people. Every estimate carries a 90% margin of error.

3. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2021 1-year estimates, table B19013 (median household income) Median household income and 90% margin of error for Seattle city, WA (place 5363000) and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area (CBSA 42660), 2021, in 2021 inflation-adjusted dollars. Retrieved through the Census Data API (dataset acs/acs1, variables B19013_001E and B19013_001M).

   Retrieved November 2, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Allowed; the Census Bureau asks to be cited.

   Reliability: Government. The American Community Survey samples about 3.5 million addresses a year; 1-year estimates are published only for areas with 65,000 or more people. Every estimate carries a 90% margin of error.

4. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 1-year estimates, table B19013 (median household income) Median household income and 90% margin of error for Seattle city, WA (place 5363000) and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area (CBSA 42660), 2022, in 2022 inflation-adjusted dollars. Retrieved through the Census Data API (dataset acs/acs1, variables B19013_001E and B19013_001M).

   Retrieved November 2, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Allowed; the Census Bureau asks to be cited.

   Reliability: Government. The American Community Survey samples about 3.5 million addresses a year; 1-year estimates are published only for areas with 65,000 or more people. Every estimate carries a 90% margin of error.

5. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 1-year estimates, table B19013 (median household income) Median household income and 90% margin of error for Seattle city, WA (place 5363000) and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area (CBSA 42660), 2023, in 2023 inflation-adjusted dollars. Retrieved through the Census Data API (dataset acs/acs1, variables B19013_001E and B19013_001M).

   Retrieved November 2, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Allowed; the Census Bureau asks to be cited.

   Reliability: Government. The American Community Survey samples about 3.5 million addresses a year; 1-year estimates are published only for areas with 65,000 or more people. Every estimate carries a 90% margin of error.

6. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table B19013 (median household income) Median household income and 90% margin of error for Seattle city, WA (place 5363000) and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area (CBSA 42660), 2024, in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars. Retrieved through the Census Data API (dataset acs/acs1, variables B19013_001E and B19013_001M).

   Retrieved November 2, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Allowed; the Census Bureau asks to be cited.

   Reliability: Government. The American Community Survey samples about 3.5 million addresses a year; 1-year estimates are published only for areas with 65,000 or more people. Every estimate carries a 90% margin of error.

7. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year estimates, table B19013 (median household income) Median household income and 90% margin of error for Seattle city, WA (place 5363000) and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area (CBSA 42660), 2025, in 2025 inflation-adjusted dollars. Retrieved through the Census Data API (dataset acs/acs1, variables B19013_001E and B19013_001M).

   Retrieved November 2, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Allowed; the Census Bureau asks to be cited.

   Reliability: Government. The American Community Survey samples about 3.5 million addresses a year; 1-year estimates are published only for areas with 65,000 or more people. Every estimate carries a 90% margin of error.

8. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, All items in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (series CUURS49DSA0) Annual-average consumer price index for the Seattle area, 2015-2025, used to convert incomes to 2025 dollars.

   Retrieved November 2, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Allowed; BLS asks to be cited.

   Reliability: Government. BLS collects Seattle-area prices every other month. The October 2025 collection was cancelled by the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

9. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, All items in U.S. city average (series CUUR0000SA0) Annual-average national consumer price index, used as an alternative deflator.

   Retrieved November 2, 2026. Public domain (U.S. government work). Allowed; BLS asks to be cited.

   Reliability: Government. The headline national CPI-U. The October 2025 value was not collected because of the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

Limitations

• Each point is a survey estimate with a margin of error of about $4,000 to $6,000 for the city and $1,000 to $2,000 for the metro; the line does not show it.
• 2020 has no standard ACS 1-year estimate and is shown as a gap. 2016-2018 are not plotted, so the 2015-2019 segment is a straight join.
• The Seattle-area CPI is used for both lines.