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CITY

Burien

Washington · 51,859 residents (2025 est.) · 10.0 sq mi
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The short version

With 51,513 people, Burien is a city in Washington. The population has risen by half since 2000, adding 19,632 people. That puts it in the top 10% of US cities for household income. The typical home is worth $638,800, having more than tripled since 2000. There are 5,131 people per square mile. 26% of residents were born outside the United States.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.4
US median: 38.9
Average education
33% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 104%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
51,513
+62%since 2000
from 31,881 in 2000
51,859 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
5,131 / sq mi
+64%since 2009
from 3,124 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
40.4
+5%since 2000
from 38.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
10.0 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
22K30K39K47K55K19902000201020202024Burien
202452K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.4%(2,766)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(2,773)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.9%(3,061)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.5%(3,326)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.7%(2,937)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.2%(6,306)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4416%(8,217)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5414.3%(7,387)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.7%(6,527)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.8%(5,048)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.3%(2,223)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(942)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$91,318
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,577 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$49,093
+107%since 2000
from $23,737 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
61.9%
+31.3 ptssince 2009
from 30.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.9%
+3.4 ptssince 2000
from 9.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.453
−4%since 2010
from 0.472 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.1%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade10.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance9.1%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical8.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Retail trade7.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services4.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.5%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Public administration1.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$638,800
+104%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $172,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,782
+47%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $666 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
56.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2000
from 56.4% in 2000
43.4% rent
Vacancy rate
7.5%
+2.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.59 people
+7%since 2009
from 2.43 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
26.4%
−6.1 ptssince 2009
from 32.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
50.1%
+2.6 ptssince 2009
from 47.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
7.0
+12%since 2009
from 6.3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
71
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic71.5%(22,799)
Black5%(1,587)
Hispanic / Latino10.7%(3,397)
Asian7%(2,219)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic45.7%(23,537)
Black7.6%(3,914)
Hispanic / Latino24.2%(12,452)
Asian15.3%(7,894)
Other7.2%(3,716)
Diversity Score
87
+28%since 2009
from 68 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican12.7%(6,538)
Central American7.9%(4,080)
Honduran3.5%(1,807)
Salvadoran2.7%(1,394)
Guatemalan1.2%(621)
Puerto Rican0.5%(274)
Dominican0.4%(205)
Nicaraguan0.3%(169)
Bolivian0.3%(158)
Spaniard0.3%(144)
Colombian0.3%(141)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Cuban0.2%(122)
Panamanian0.2%(89)
Peruvian0.1%(62)
Chilean0.1%(50)
Asian origin
Vietnamese7%(3,624)
Filipino2.4%(1,242)
Cambodian1.5%(795)
Korean0.6%(332)
Chinese0.6%(323)
Japanese0.5%(268)
Laotian0.3%(174)
Nepalese0.1%(50)
Burmese0.1%(48)
Hmong0.1%(44)
Thai0.1%(37)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Kazakh0.1%(33)
Mien0%(19)
Pacific Islander origin
Fijian0.4%(206)
Samoan0.4%(195)
Chamorro0.1%(73)
Tongan0%(10)
Ancestry
German11.4%(5,885)
English9.7%(5,002)
Irish9.4%(4,835)
Italian4%(2,053)
Norwegian2.8%(1,458)
Swedish2.7%(1,414)
American2.7%(1,413)
Scottish2%(1,015)
French1.6%(825)
Ethiopian1.5%(765)
Polish1%(540)
+ 38 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.7%(380)
Russian0.7%(342)
Dutch0.6%(329)
Kenyan0.5%(256)
Welsh0.4%(195)
Arab0.4%(194)
Ukrainian0.3%(180)
British0.3%(164)
Greek0.3%(162)
Swiss0.3%(162)
Somali0.3%(151)
Finnish0.3%(136)
Armenian0.3%(133)
Romanian0.2%(119)
Czech0.2%(109)
Austrian0.2%(105)
Croatian0.2%(104)
Canadian0.1%(69)
Hungarian0.1%(68)
Portuguese0.1%(67)
Lebanese0.1%(62)
West Indian0.1%(60)
Haitian0.1%(60)
Iranian0.1%(48)
Nigerian0.1%(48)
Belgian0.1%(47)
Bulgarian0.1%(47)
Lithuanian0.1%(47)
Slovak0.1%(45)
Ghanaian0.1%(34)
Iraqi0.1%(33)
Slovene0.1%(28)
Brazilian0%(10)
Syrian0%(7)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
33.2%
+12.0 ptssince 2000
from 21.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
85.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2000
from 84.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
11.5%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 5.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.7 min
+62%since 2000
from 16.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
61.2%
−10.7 ptssince 2009
from 71.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
12.4%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 11.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
5.6%
−4.2 ptssince 2009
from 9.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
18.6%
+16.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.1%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.9%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 10.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
7.0%
−1.2 ptssince 2011
from 8.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
67.7%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 69.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 77.0% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.4%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 11.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
38.9%
+8.8 ptssince 2009
from 30.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
51.5%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
48.5%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
26.1%
+5.4 ptssince 2009
from 20.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.1%
−5.8 ptssince 2009
from 10.9% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
13.3%
+0.6 ptssince 2012
from 12.7% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
10.4%
−7.4 ptssince 2013
from 17.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
92.9%
+9.3 ptssince 2017
from 83.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.8%
+2.6 ptssince 2020
from 93.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.6%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 85.1% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
66.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2016
from 65.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
17.3%
−1.9 ptssince 2016
from 19.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40%(8,988)
Married47.7%(10,705)
Widowed1.8%(397)
Divorced10.5%(2,367)
Women 15+
Never married30.6%(6,254)
Married48.2%(9,870)
Widowed7.6%(1,552)
Divorced13.6%(2,780)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
10.4%
−7.4 ptssince 2013
from 17.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
54.9%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 52.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
10.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 10.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
15.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 15.1% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
23.1%
−2.4 ptssince 2020
from 25.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
64.3%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 61.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.0%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 37.9% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)26.5%(553)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)20%(418)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era31.9%(665)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.7%(118)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2.4%(50)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,085 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Compare Burien to nearby cities

BURIEN VS
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Home value$645,200+1%
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BURIEN VS
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BURIEN VS
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BURIEN VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Burien, Washington?

Burien, Washington has about 51,513 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Burien, Washington?

The typical household in Burien, Washington earns about $91,318 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Burien, Washington expensive?

In Burien, Washington, the median home is worth about $638,800, and the typical rent is about $1,782 a month.

How educated are people in Burien, Washington?

About 33.2% of adults age 25 and over in Burien, Washington hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Burien, Washington?

About 12.9% of people in Burien, Washington live below the federal poverty line.

Has Burien, Washington grown since 1990?

Yes, Burien, Washington has grown since 1990. The population has added about 26,424 residents, a change of about 105 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →