City profile · Washington · Census ACS 2023

Bellevue, WA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Bellevue — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

151,199
Residents
$161,300
Median income
$1,203,100
Median home
$1,472
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Bellevue, WA

Bellevue is a city in Washington with a population of 151,199 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $161,300 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 4.4%. Typical homes in Bellevue are valued around $1,203,100, and the median resident age is 38.3 years. About 71.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 64.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 589 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Rapid Growth), up 46% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 3478.1 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Washington registers 107.0 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,472 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $188 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.0 out of 100 (High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

151,199 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Washington

Median Household Income

$161,300 /yr

Poverty 4.4%

Cost of Living Index

107.0 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Bellevue compare to other US cities?

Where Bellevue sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 96% higher than other cities
Home value 98% pricier than other cities
Median rent 70% pricier than other cities
Safety 11% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Bellevue against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Bellevue, WA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Bellevue, WA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Bellevue, WA — median $161,300/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Bellevue, WA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 71.4%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 4.4%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 64.4%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
151,199
Median Income
$161,300
Median Home Value
$1,203,100
Median Age
38.3
Poverty Rate
4.4%
Labor force participation
64.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
71.4%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
3478.1
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
138.6
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
3339.5
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
33
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
589
housing units authorized
Single-Family
254
detached homes
Multifamily
335
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.9
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 404
2020 333
2021 2,367
2022 452
2023 802
2024 589

Permit volume increased 46% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
47.0%
Carpool
7.3%
Public Transit
5.9%
Walk
4.8%
Work from Home
32.8%
Other
2.2%

Based on 79,331 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Washington — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$85
avg/month
Natural Gas
$48
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$55
avg/month
Total Utilities
$188
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Washington state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Washington state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
107.0
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,472/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
70.0 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Bellevue, WA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Bellevue, WA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Bellevue compares to nearby Washington cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Bellevue) plus the nearest peer cities in Washington, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

WA

Bellevue

161.30% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$161,300
Brackets
151
Selected

WA

Kent

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$13,500
Brackets
135
Selected

WA

Everett

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$11,110
Brackets
111
Selected

WA

Vancouver

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$19,270
Brackets
193
Census ACS 5-year FIPS WA FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Bellevue, WA?

What is the population of Bellevue, WA? +

Bellevue, WA has a population of 151,199 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Bellevue, WA? +

The median household income in Bellevue is $161,300 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Bellevue? +

Bellevue has a cost of living index of 107.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Bellevue, WA safe? +

Bellevue has a total crime rate of 3478.1 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Bellevue, WA? +

The median home value in Bellevue is $1,203,100, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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