On most demographic measures, Seattle usually ranks alongside its peer cities — places like San Francisco, Portland, Washington, D.C., and so on. But here’s a ranking where Seattle finds itself in some different company: the share of children living with two parents.
New 2024 census data shows that among the 50 U.S. cities with the largest under-18 population, Seattle had the second-highest share of kids living with two parents. Interestingly, Seattle was sandwiched between two conservative-leaning, suburban-style cities where traditional family structures are more common: Gilbert, Ariz., and Colorado Springs.
Last year, around 82,000 of Seattle’s 106,000 under-18 residents — that’s around 77% — lived with two parents, a traditional model often called a nuclear family. Seattle’s share of children living in such a family was slightly higher than the U.S. average of 76%…