Homing in on Our Region's Housing Statistics

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) released its annual population estimates this week for the state of Washington and its counties, cities, and towns. The report shows that as of April 1, 2022, the Puget Sound region’s population (King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap counties) is 4,383,300, an annual increase of 52,550. Most of the growth occurred in King County, which added 30,650 over the past year. This is down from the average of 33,800 people per year in King County between 2010 and 2020. Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap counties also saw a smaller population increase than the previous year. For more information, see OFM’s press release.

Please contact data@mbaks.com with questions or feedback. We want to know what data would be useful to you!

Months' Supply of Housing Inventory

As of May 2022

	King County had 0.83 months' supply of inventory (up from 0.55 months' of inventory a year ago).
	Snohomish County had 0.85 months' supply of inventory (up from 0.34 a year ago).

Many industry analysts consider a four-to-six-month level as an indicator of a healthy market.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Median Home Price

May 2022

	The median price of single-family homes and condos was $880,000 in King County and $782,800 in Snohomish County.
	For single-family homes only, the median price in King County rose 14.82%, from $869,975 a year ago to $998,888. The median price in Snohomish County rose 16.93%, from $697,000 to $815,000.
	In Seattle, the median price of single-family homes and condos was $899,475. The median price for single-family homes only was $1,025,500, a 11.59% increase from $919,000 in April 2021.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Building Permit Activity

Jobs

	The seasonally adjusted Washington unemployment rate for May 2022 is 3.9%; for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett, it is 2.7%.
	Construction employment in Washington increased by 800 between April 2022 and May 2022. Total construction employment is 232,400 statewide and 107,600 for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett specifically.

Source: Employment Security Department: WA Employment Estimates (Seasonally Adjusted), May 2022 and Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Population

The Puget Sound region's population as of April 1, 2022 was 4,383,300. Over the past year, the region added 52,550 people, as follows:

Source: Office of Financial Management

Icons made by Freepik from flaticon.com

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) has posted its annual population update, which shows continued growth in the Puget Sound region. As of April 1, 2021, King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties added 66,200 people. According to The Seattle Times, the Seattle metropolitan area, which includes King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, now exceeds 4 million people.

The Builders Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management, and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Download this month's report:

Homing in on Our Region's Housing Statistics

Severe shortages of housing inventory for sale continued in December, with only 0.27 months’ supply (about one week) in King County and 0.20 months’ supply (less than a week) in Snohomish County. This represents a decline from the previous month and year-over-year. The snow and cold temperatures also impacted home sales in December, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Please contact data@mbaks.com with questions or feedback. We want to know what data would be useful to you!

Months' Supply of Housing Inventory

As of December 2021

	King County had 0.27 months' supply of inventory (down from 0.63 months' of inventory a year ago).
	Snohomish County had 0.20 months' supply of inventory (down from 0.26 a year ago).

Many industry analysts consider a four-to-six-month level as an indicator of a healthy market.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Median Home Price

December 2021

	The median price of single-family homes and condos was $749,000 in King County and $679,950 in Snohomish County.
	For single-family homes only, the median price in King County rose 9.46%, from $740,000 a year ago to $810,000. The median price in Snohomish County rose 22.06%, from $573,495 to $700,000.
	In Seattle, the median price of single-family homes and condos was $762,475. The median price for single-family homes only was $839,000, a 4.88% increase from $799,950 in December 2020.

Source: Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Building Permit Activity

Jobs

	The seasonally adjusted Washington unemployment rate for December 2021 is 4.5%; for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett, it is 4.1%.
	Construction employment in Washington increased by 1,300 between November 2021 and December 2021. Total construction employment is 231,400 statewide and 109,200 for Seattle/Bellevue/Everett specifically.

Source: Employment Security Department: WA Employment Estimates (Seasonally Adjusted), December 2021 and Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Population

The Puget Sound region's population as of April 1, 2021 was 4,330,400. Over the past year, the region added 66,200 people, as follows:

Source: Office of Financial Management

Icons made by Freepik from flaticon.com