Seattle, WA
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| | Overall Rankings | |
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| | Metro Area (out of 45): | |
| | Healthy Housing: 12th | |
| | Prior Rank: 18th | |
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| | Central City (out of 44): | |
| | Healthy Housing: 19th | |
| | Prior Rank: 4th | |
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| | Click here for comparison to prior table. | |
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| | Data source: 2009 American Housing Survey | |
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Location Summary
Positive Findings: Compared to the national average, homes in the Seattle metro area were less likely to have holes in the floors, signs of mice, water leaks from inside and outside, water supply stoppages, flush toilet breakdowns, and rooms with no working electrical outlets. Homes in the central city were less likely to have problems with mice, flush toilet breakdowns, and room heaters being used without a flue. Homes outside the central city were less likely to have mice, water leaks from the outside, water supply stoppages, and rooms with no functional outlets. Seattle-area rental units were less likely to have evidence of mice, water leaks from inside and outside, water supply stoppages, flush toilet breakdowns, room heaters without a flue, rooms with no working electrical outlets, and siding problems. Owner-occupied dwellings were less likely to have holes in the floors, mice, and water leaks from the outside.
Areas for Improvement: Compared to the national average, Seattle-area homes, especially those outside the central city and owner-occupied dwellings, were more likely to have open signs of rats, incomplete plumbing and kitchen facilities, and roofing problems. Homes within the central city were more likely to have signs of rats and roofing problems.
Community Information: The Seattle MSA includes King, Island, and Snohomish counties, Washington. In 2009, the MSA included 1,331,701 occupied dwelling units, 28.4% of which were located in the central city of Seattle. Rankings of the housing stock of the MSA showed an average age and average percentage of rental units of the cities surveyed. The percentage of pre-1940 homes ranked 21st-youngest (10.8%) for the MSA and 23rd-youngest (28.1%) for the central city. The median house age in the Seattle MSA was 1978. The percentage of rental units ranked 25th-least heavily rental (36.8%) for the MSA and 17th-least heavily rental (47.2%) for the central city. Compared to other locations, Seattle had a lower poverty rate. Its poverty rate ranked 5th (9.6%) for the entire MSA and 3rd (12.1%) for homes in the central city.