Federal Way, WA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Washington·Federal Way

King County · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue · population 100,252

Federal Way, WA
Image: Wikipedia · Federal Way, Washington
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
55
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Federal Way stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $603,936
1-year -1.6%
5-yr CAGR +3.7%
vs 5-yr peak -2.6%
Population -0.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2025-02$604k$273k$397k$521k$645k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
80/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,922/mo$1,482$1,766$2,049202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent120122100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 26.2
Rent

At a 26.2 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Federal Way for most shorter holds. The premium you pay to own would take many years of rent savings to recoup, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and opportunity cost on the down payment.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
42 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
57 · w22%
Distance from peak
74 · w18%
Population growth
42 · w16%
Rent YoY
49 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
78 · w10%
Long thesis

Federal Way has held up across the cycle: home values at $603,936 with +3.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Federal Way's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Federal Way

Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, with an estimated population of 100,252. It anchors the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area. The median home value in Federal Way is $603,936 as of 2026-04, down 1.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.7% annual growth (-2.6% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Federal Way average $1,922 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+0.6%). The composite momentum score is 55 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -2.6% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
○The data is the data: Federal Way has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Federal Way (Wikipedia)

Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States and part of the Seattle metropolitan area. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 census. Federal Way is the 10th most populous city in Washington and the fifth most populous in King County.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorJim Ferrell
Area23.72 sq mi
Elevation417 ft
EstablishedFebruary 28, 1990
Motto"It's all within reach","Centered on opportunity"
Density4374.49/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Things to see in Federal Way(Economy and attractions)

  • Weyerhaeuser
  • Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden
  • Bonsai
  • World Vision International
  • Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center
  • Wild Waves Theme & Water Park
  • Seattle
  • Six Flags
  • Jacksonville, Florida
  • The Commons at Federal Way
  • State Route 99
  • Interstate 5

+18 more on Wikipedia.

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for King County right now.

NWS active alerts (WA)Washington Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. King County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Federal Way

14 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Marine Hills$850,208-1.3%
2Campus Highlands$751,729-1.0%
3Buenna$742,024-1.8%
4Adelaide$717,310-2.1%
5Alderbrook$639,819-3.1%
6Madrona$608,159-2.0%
7Twin Lakes$600,211-2.7%
8Laurelwood$598,318-0.3%
9Steel Lake$577,499-0.8%
10Mirror Lake$533,202+0.1%
11Redondo$475,255-3.3%
12West Campus$462,716-2.7%
13Lake Ota$421,529-5.1%
14Kitts Corner$350,789-2.5%

Cities like Federal Way

Kent, WA55 · StableRenton, WA54 · StableAuburn, WA56 · StableBurien, WA54 · Stable

Run the numbers for Federal Way

ToolCan I afford Federal Way?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Federal Way rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Federal Way to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolFederal Way cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
45° / 35°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
77° / 56°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
152
~42% of year
Annual precip
38″ rain
10″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
High
Earthquake
Very high
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Federal Way listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
75%
Very humid climate
Median household income
$90,400
Washington state median
Top industries (state-level)
Tech (Amazon/MS)Aerospace (Boeing)Agriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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