Typically, I write about data showing a change, trend or something else new happening in Seattle. In this case, though, the story is about something not happening.
Census data shows the number of vehicles in the city has been effectively unchanged for years, even as the number of households has grown.
Because the number of cars has basically plateaued while the number of households has grown, the rate of car ownership has declined. In 2023, which is the latest available census data, there were 127 vehicles for every 100 city households, which is down from about 140 vehicles for every 100 households in 2017.
While overall there were more cars than households in Seattle, the number of city residents living without a car has increased rapidly. In 2023, there were a record 74,100 carless households, representing 20% of all Seattle households. That’s up from 53,200, or 16% of households, in 2017.
The slowing rate of car ownership was not consistent through most of the previous decade. At first, the number of cars owned or leased by city residents grew rapidly as the city’s population increased. In 2010, there were an estimated 388,700 vehicles in Seattle, according to census data. By 2017, that number had jumped to 460,800, a 19% increase, or about 72,000 more vehicles.
And then it suddenly stopped. From 2017 to 2023, the number of cars in Seattle remained effectively unchanged at just over 460,000. In 2023, the estimate was around 463,300.
Of course, it’s not that the city stopped growing, although there was a small population dip at the start of the pandemic, from 2020 to 2021. But overall, from 2017 to 2023, the number of households in the city increased by 35,000, or 11%. There were 364,600 households in Seattle in 2023.
Seattle’s car ‘population’ stalled in 2017
After years of steady growth, the number of vehicles owned or leased by Seattle city residents has barely changed since 2017.
Still, Seattle has a lot of cars. For comparison, in New York City, which is far less car-dependent than Seattle, there were around 60.5 vehicles for every 100 city households in 2023 — that’s less than half Seattle’s ratio.
Homeowners were much more likely to own or lease a vehicle than renters in Seattle. Census data shows among homeowners, there were about 177 vehicles for every 100 households in 2023. Among renters, there were only around 87 vehicles for every 100 households.
Around 9 out of 10 carless homes were rental units in 2023.
Living without a car is certainly doable in Seattle, especially in the highly walkable and transit-rich downtown neighborhoods. But I suspect the ever-increasing cost of living here is the primary catalyst behind the growing number of city residents living without a car.
After all, transportation costs are the second-largest household expense after housing in the U.S., and that’s primarily because of car ownership. Beyond the cost of the vehicle itself, there’s fuel, maintenance and repairs, insurance, parking, registration fees and so on. It makes sense that a growing number of city residents would want to avoid all these expenses.
Non paywalled:
Typically, I write about data showing a change, trend or something else new happening in Seattle. In this case, though, the story is about something not happening.
Census data shows the number of vehicles in the city has been effectively unchanged for years, even as the number of households has grown.
Because the number of cars has basically plateaued while the number of households has grown, the rate of car ownership has declined. In 2023, which is the latest available census data, there were 127 vehicles for every 100 city households, which is down from about 140 vehicles for every 100 households in 2017.
While overall there were more cars than households in Seattle, the number of city residents living without a car has increased rapidly. In 2023, there were a record 74,100 carless households, representing 20% of all Seattle households. That’s up from 53,200, or 16% of households, in 2017.
The slowing rate of car ownership was not consistent through most of the previous decade. At first, the number of cars owned or leased by city residents grew rapidly as the city’s population increased. In 2010, there were an estimated 388,700 vehicles in Seattle, according to census data. By 2017, that number had jumped to 460,800, a 19% increase, or about 72,000 more vehicles.
And then it suddenly stopped. From 2017 to 2023, the number of cars in Seattle remained effectively unchanged at just over 460,000. In 2023, the estimate was around 463,300.
Of course, it’s not that the city stopped growing, although there was a small population dip at the start of the pandemic, from 2020 to 2021. But overall, from 2017 to 2023, the number of households in the city increased by 35,000, or 11%. There were 364,600 households in Seattle in 2023.
Seattle’s car ‘population’ stalled in 2017
After years of steady growth, the number of vehicles owned or leased by Seattle city residents has barely changed since 2017.
Still, Seattle has a lot of cars. For comparison, in New York City, which is far less car-dependent than Seattle, there were around 60.5 vehicles for every 100 city households in 2023 — that’s less than half Seattle’s ratio.
Homeowners were much more likely to own or lease a vehicle than renters in Seattle. Census data shows among homeowners, there were about 177 vehicles for every 100 households in 2023. Among renters, there were only around 87 vehicles for every 100 households.
Around 9 out of 10 carless homes were rental units in 2023.
Living without a car is certainly doable in Seattle, especially in the highly walkable and transit-rich downtown neighborhoods. But I suspect the ever-increasing cost of living here is the primary catalyst behind the growing number of city residents living without a car.
After all, transportation costs are the second-largest household expense after housing in the U.S., and that’s primarily because of car ownership. Beyond the cost of the vehicle itself, there’s fuel, maintenance and repairs, insurance, parking, registration fees and so on. It makes sense that a growing number of city residents would want to avoid all these expenses.