ZIP Code 98144 — Seattle city, WA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 98144 covers Seattle, WA in King County with a population of about 33,048.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 38.2 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 206; U.S. House district WA-9; the SEATTLE - TACOMA media market.

Seattle, WA sits in a university / college context (near seattle university (2.0 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 98144 is about $94,051 — about 25% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 11.1%; unemployment rate near 3.3%; 62.4% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 28.7 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Professional services, Healthcare, and Retail trade; about 29.2% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 14.0 points above the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $890,400 — about 156% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,652 (about 42% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 46.1% (about 19.3 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 98144 in Seattle, WA, a household would need roughly $245,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $5,720. That is about 160% above the local median household income ($94,051), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Seattle city, WA as Very High (composite score 99.7), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (99.5) and wildfire (79.5). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Seattle city, WA show little to no average snow and around 36.5 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,775 for ZIP 98144 (Seattle city, WA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.