It doesn’t take long for most new Seattle residents to be warned of a certain social phenomena in the region: The Seattle Freeze.
Whether or not you believe the freeze is fact or fiction, regular new arrivals to the city have fanned its lore. Over the past decade, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro population has grown by nearly 11%. Tech job growth, outdoor access, and other draws have fueled waves of movers to the Seattle area.
Transplants now make up a higher share of Seattle metropolitan area residents than Washington locals. For example, 40% of King County residents were born in Washington state. Pierce and Snohomish counties are about 50/50.
The population boom, mostly fueled by migration patterns, has transformed neighborhoods across the metropolitan area. Glossy tech offices replaced the warehouses of South Lake Union. Bothell, home to UW’s satellite campus, has densified and surpassed a population of 50,000. The number of housing units in suburban Snohomish county grew 17% from 2010-2023.
But it’s not all Californians seeking to escape their own high housing costs. The movers driving Seattle’s population growth are different today than they were 10 years ago.
Rising international migration trends
Over the past four years, Seattle’s population has fallen from domestic migration alone, but international arrivals are picking up the slack. From 2020-2024, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue’s population grew 4% due to international migration, making it one of the fastest rates in the nation.
Seattle is joined by many other metros in the U.S., where international arrivals have helped populations rebound from COVID-era drops.
Seattle’s tech scene has made it an attractive destination for workers on H-1B Visas. Since 2020, the program has approved tens of thousands beneficiaries in Washington state, largely for Microsoft and Amazon.
Higher education is another draw for international arrivals. Across all campuses, University of Washington’s international enrollment is 13%. It is one of the biggest international student populations in the nation according to the Institute for International Education.
However, these types of visas face uncertainty during President Trump's second term.
Internationally, people from Asia made up the greatest share of international movers from 2018-2022. The Census doesn’t break down international moving data beyond the continent level, but other datasets on the foreign-born population across time periods show India, Mexico, and mainland China are the most common countries of origin for the region’s foreign-born population.
“One thing that's somewhat of a truism in migration research is that migration networks are really important for determining origin destination flows,” said Sara Curran, director of University of Washington’s Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology.
Migration networks aren’t always family but are interpersonal links that help someone moving from abroad feel confident about finding community and opportunities. These flows can help create vibrant international neighborhoods that become hubs for communities and local businesses.
They can also support other cultural exports that enrich a city’s cultural offerings like a major league cricket team or American outposts of international restaurants.
