Seattle, WA - Office Market Overview
The Seattle, WA, Metropolitan Area includes the Belltown, First Hill, and Pike Market submarkets. With a metropolitan population of nearly 2.9 million, Seattle is a major air and sea port for international trade, and the demand for Class A white-collar office space is driven by an integrated mix of business and industry.
As of mid-2017, the Greater Seattle office market encompasses over 61 million square feet of existing office space in properties larger than 50,000 square feet. As the largest city in both Washington and the Pacific Northwest, the demand for commercial real estate in Seattle continues to grow.
Seattle, WA - Office Inventory Description
A productive mix of both traditional industry and newer cutting-edge businesses such as internet, high-technology and clean energy companies, all contribute to the robust demand for office space in Seattle. With a gross metropolitan product of nearly $250 billion annually, there is continuous demand for white-collar office space in the Seattle metro area. Nearly 78% of the office space in Seattle is Class A or A+, with Class B office product adding another 22% of inventory to the office market.
The Seattle Central Business District office submarket is home to some of the most prestigious office properties in Seattle. Located between I-5 and Puget Sound, this office market in Seattle has Class A office buildings such as the Logan Building on 500 Union Street, the Pacific Building and the Norton Building.
Seattle, WA - Green Office Space
The Russell Investments Center on 2nd Avenue in Seattle is a prime example of a green office building in Seattle. Constructed in 2006, this nearly 1.25-million-square-foot office property boasts a LEED Platinum certification awarded for energy-efficient design, water use reduction, and sustainable site selection.
Of the Top 30 Green Office Markets in the U.S., Seattle ranks 9th for energy-efficient office buildings. While nearly 4% of the office buildings larger than 50,000 square feet are LEED-certified, close to 9% are Energy Star-rated. The National Green Building Adoption Index survey that was conducted in 2017 looked at commercial office buildings in the 30 largest U.S. markets to determine the amount of energy-efficient properties. Including LEED-certified and EPA Energy Star-rated buildings Seattle came in 9th on the list.
Seattle, WA's Top Office-Using Sectors
Aerospace, bio-technology, and Fortune 500 headquarters are just a few of the business sectors that contribute to the demand in the Seattle commercial real estate market for white-collar Class A office space.
- Aerospace – Boeing and Alaska Airlines are two of the most recognized aerospace companies located in Seattle.
- Bio-Technology – Pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Trubion, and ZymoGenetics are just three of the cutting-edge bio-techs in the city.
- Fortune 500 Headquarters – Amazon, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Expeditors International, and Weyerhaeuser are all headquartered in Seattle and provide significant demand for Class A office space in the City.
- Corporate Offices – A large part of the demand for white-collar office space in Seattle comes from the numerous companies that are also based in City, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Infectious Disease Research Institute, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Seattle Demographics
Population
- Total Population688,245
- Male Population(50.2 %) 345,628
- Female Population(49.8 %) 342,617
- Median Age35.70
Income/Financial
- Average Household Income$111,233
- Median Household Income$79,565
- Median Income Under 25$40,715
- Median Income 25-44$91,751
- Median Income 45-64$93,188
- Median Income Over 65$50,405
- Atlantic Demographics
- Ballard Demographics
- Belltown Demographics
- Broadway Demographics
- Central Waterfront Demographics
- Columbia City Demographics
- Eastlake Demographics
- First Hill Demographics
- Fremont Demographics
- Georgetown Demographics
- Haller Lake Demographics
- Harbor Island-Industrial District Demographics
- Interbay Demographics
- International District Demographics
- Lower Queen Anne Demographics
- Maple Leaf Demographics
- Minor Demographics
- North College Park Demographics
- North Queen Anne Demographics
- Pike Market Demographics
- Pioneer Square Demographics
- Seattle Central Business District Demographics
- South Lake Union Demographics
- Stevens Demographics
- University District Demographics
- Wallingford Demographics
- Westlake Demographics
- Yesler Terrace Demographics
News
2019 US Office Pipeline – NYC, the Bay Area and San Francisco Set to Deliver 33 MSF of Office Space
April 10, 2019
Since 2009, the U.S. economy has had more than 110 consecutive months of growth, making this the second longest economic expansion since the Great Depression. After a rather tepid 2017 performance, the U.S. office market gathered some steam in 2018, adding 76 million square feet of new office sp...
E-commerce juggernaut Amazon seems to be reluctant about sticking to its plans. According to a Seattle Times article, the company will no longer occupy the office section of the 982,000-square-foot Rainier Square Tower currently underway in Seattle’s central business district. On February 14th, ...
$24 billion worth of assets changed hands in the top 50 biggest office deals to close in 2018. Google, Disney, Samsung mingled with established top CRE players. Check out the full list and read up on last year’s most notable U.S. office investments.