Real estate · County · Washington
Real estate businesses in King County, WA
The real estate businesses in King County, WA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,630 of 2,229 scored counties
#30 of 35 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 4,948
- 253 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 3,892
- +9.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $20.7B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $22,002 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 97
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.6
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,344,939
- +3.1% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in King County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of King County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in King County comes to about $20.7B a year: $22,002 per household, 32% above the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 3% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
King County has 4,948 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 5% of them, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 52.6, 37% above the U.S. rate of 38.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in King County was 3,892 in 2023, up 9.0% from 2019. That is one for every 242 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Another 11,609 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 37 SBA-backed loans worth $10.1M have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in King County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of King County grew 3.1%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For real estate businesses, King County has a Groundwork market score of 40 (lower middle): #1,630 of 2,229 scored counties and #30 of 35 scored counties in Washington.
How King County compares
The same measures for Washington and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | King County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.6 | 42.1 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 97 | 108 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 242 | 317 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.0% | +13.5% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.1% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $22,002 | $19,779 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $124,746 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3,571 → 3,892+9.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 21,407
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11,609Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,948253 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4,780The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 37
- Amount
- $10.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in King County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in King County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,344,939+3.1% since 2020
- Households
- 941,054
- Median age
- 38.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 2,116 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,081
- Median household income
- $124,746+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $176,807
- Median home value
- $859,900
- Jobs located here
- 1,503,962
- Daytime population
- 2,645,877Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in King County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of King County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Washington, with King County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, WA | 87 | 6 | 12.4 | 314 | +9.7% | #2 of 2,229 |
| 2Douglas County, WA | 78 | 15 | 9.4 | 451 | +8.0% | #46 of 2,229 |
| 3Franklin County, WA | 77 | 26 | 8.7 | 491 | +5.6% | #64 of 2,229 |
| 4Skamania County, WA | 77 | 7 | 13.9 | 312 | +5.2% | #69 of 2,229 |
| 5Asotin County, WA | 75 | 12 | 12.6 | 317 | +1.0% | #100 of 2,229 |
| 6Klickitat County, WA | 73 | 14 | 14.2 | 285 | +6.6% | #140 of 2,229 |
| 7Pacific County, WA | 69 | 17 | 15.5 | 249 | +3.6% | #230 of 2,229 |
| 8Stevens County, WA | 66 | 40 | 20.6 | 190 | +6.6% | #348 of 2,229 |
| 9Adams County, WA | 66 | 15 | 23.9 | 161 | +4.3% | #355 of 2,229 |
| 10Grant County, WA | 62 | 77 | 21.8 | 181 | +6.3% | #505 of 2,229 |
| 30King County, WA | 40 | 4,948 | 52.6 | 97 | +3.1% | #1,630 of 2,229 |
Other business types in King County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in King County, WA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 4,948 real estate businesses in King County. 253 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 3,892 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 9.0% from 2019. Official counts list 11,609 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in King County, WA spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $20.7B a year, or $22,002 per household. That is 32% above the U.S. average (an index of 132, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 4,948 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 3% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 941,054 households in King County and national spending patterns by income.
How does King County, WA compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
King County has 52.6 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 97, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, King County would have about 4,780, against 4,948 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 242 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is King County, WA growing?
Population estimates put King County at 2,344,939 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 941,054 households. Median household income in King County is $124,746, 55% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.4%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. King County scores 40 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,630 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in King County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in King County
Screening a site or an acquisition in King County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of King County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.