26-02-2025
College-educated Americans are still flocking to Seattle
The Seattle area remains among the top destinations where college-educated Americans move when they leave their home county, per the latest census data.
Why it matters: White-collar workers tend to move where the jobs are, and cities compete to attract well-paid professionals and the tax revenue that comes with them.
By the numbers: Among Americans aged 25 and up with a bachelor's degree or higher who moved to a new county in 2023, 1.8% ended up in the Seattle metropolitan area, per the Census Bureau's one-year American Community Survey.
That's the 12th-highest percentage among the country's 100 most populous metro areas, with New York and Washington D.C. topping the list.
Zoom in: Nearly 82,000 adults over 25 with a bachelor's degree or higher moved to the Seattle metro area in 2023, per the survey.
State of play: The Emerald City has historically been among the nation's most educated.
A 2022 Axios-Generation Lab Next Cities Index poll found Seattle was the No. 1 city where college students wanted to move after graduation.
