Where will job centers be in 2040?

King County will continue to be the economic engine of the state

Measured by total employment, King County has the largest economy in the state. It is home to nearly 42 percent of the jobs in Washington, and is expected to see a major influx of new jobs over the next 25 years. King County’s job growth between 2014 and 2040 is projected to outpace population growth— 560,000 new jobs compared to 360,000 new residents.

Jobs in many cities outside Seattle will grow at a very fast pace

This means King County will continue to attract workers from neighboring counties—and that could increase traffic congestion and put more demand on transit to move people to and from work. This map shows where the percentage growth in employment is expected to be highest in King County between 2014 and 2040.

Urban cities will continue to have the most job growth

The five cities in the county that are expected to see the most job growth over the next 25 years include Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, SeaTac and Renton. More than 30 percent of all new jobs are expected to be in these dense urban areas.

Top 5 Cities: 2014-2040 Employment Increase

Population and job growth will affect the way we travel

When population and employment growth are shown together, we can see the results of our region’s emphasis on concentrating people and jobs in regional growth centers and other urbanized areas.

This map shows both the total increase in population and employment (height of the bars), along with the percentage increase (color) for areas around King County. Both population and employment density are important to future transit service, so understanding where major growth is expected is key to developing Metro’s long-range plan. Several areas stand out:

• Seattle’s Center City, including downtown, Capitol Hill/First Hill, South Lake Union and Uptown, will see the largest increase in population and employment in the county.
• Downtown Bellevue is expected to have major growth in population and employment.
• SeaTac will experience substantial job growth and some increase in population.
• Redmond-Overlake is projected to see a major increase in population to complement its existing employment base.
• Central Renton and Issaquah will have substantial increases in both population and jobs.

Many more parts of King County will have density that supports transit

A key aspect in long-range transit planning is identifying areas that have enough population or employment density to support transit. The minimum density needed to support frequent transit service ranges from 6,700 to 10,000 people per square mile and 45,000 to 64,000 jobs per square mile. This map highlights areas that have or will have transit supportive densities in 2014 and by 2040.