Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 34/100
F
Median home value$552,800
Seattle $717,500
Median rent$1,797/mo
Seattle $2,000/mo
Cost-burdened households42%
Seattle 35%
Federal Way
King County99,493 residentsFederal Way School District
53
C−
Suburbgrade score
46th of 59 Seattle suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
53
Seattle median 59
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Federal Way yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 53 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Federal Way is like to live in, by category
Bars show Federal Way against Seattle. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Within-state proficiency20th pct
Seattle median 70th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.7
Seattle median 18.4
Graduation rate87%
Seattle median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 76/100
B
Housing cost index85
Seattle 100
Eff. tax rate0.82%
Seattle 0.77%
Local sales tax10.40%
Seattle median 10.30%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 42/100
D−
Mean commute32.1 min
Seattle 29.2 min
Under 30 minutes48%
Seattle 55%
Transit stops / sq mi17
Seattle median 8.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 95/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés195
Seattle median 84 · within 2 miles
Groceries16
Seattle median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks104
Seattle median 95 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 43/100
D
Median household income$86,909
Seattle $115,177
Unemployment5.4%
Seattle 4.8%
Professional occupations33%
Seattle 52%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Federal Way yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Federal Way on housing & affordability
Federal Way's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Sammamish24 mi from Federal WayB+ 70 B− Mercer Island18 mi from Federal WayB 75 B Bellevue22 mi from Federal WayC+ 74 B Artondale15 mi from Federal WayC+ 54 C− Issaquah21 mi from Federal WayC 73 B Maple Valley15 mi from Federal WayC 60 C Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Federal Way
Is Federal Way, WA a good place to live?
Federal Way scores 53 out of 100, 46th of 59 Seattle suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Federal Way expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $552,800, 23% below the Seattle median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.82%. $1,797/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Federal Way?
Schools grade D−. The districts serving Federal Way sit at the 20th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 87% graduation rate and a 17.7 student–teacher ratio. Federal Way is served by Federal Way School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Federal Way?
The mean commute is 32.1 min, with 48% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 17 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Federal Way?
Within two miles there are 16 groceries, 195 restaurants and cafés and 104 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Federal Way old or new?
The median home in Federal Way was built in 1984 — close to the Seattle median of 1985. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 52% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.