Living in Federal Way.

Between Seattle and Tacoma, with light rail downtown and a beach park on Puget Sound.

A lake with a beach and a dock in Federal Way, with Puget Sound beyond the trees

Life in Federal Way

Federal Way sits between Seattle and Tacoma on Puget Sound. The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden and the Pacific Bonsai Museum share the former Weyerhaeuser campus.

Getting to Seattle

Since December 2025, Link light rail has run from Federal Way Downtown Station north to SeaTac and Seattle.

Schools

Federal Way Public Schools serves the city. Check with the district for the schools at a specific address.

Weekends

Dash Point State Park has more than 3,300 feet of saltwater shoreline and miles of forest trails.

Federal Way
by the numbers.

99,493 people live in Federal Way, with a median age of 37.4. The median household earns $86,909 a year.

People: 99,493
Median age: 37.4
Median household income: $86,909
Median home value: $552,800

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Figures are for the city limits.

Who lives
in Federal Way.

Age

Under 1012%
10 to 1711%
18 to 248%
25 to 4430%
45 to 6424%
65 to 749%
75 and over6%

Education, adults 25 and over

No high school diploma11%
High school27%
Some college23%
Associate degree9%
Bachelor’s degree21%
Graduate degree10%

Men and women

Men 51%Women 49%

Density and degrees

People per square mile: 4,460
Adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher: 31%

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Figures are for the city limits.

Schools
in Federal Way.

Public schools with a Federal Way address. The district’s boundary map shows which school serves a specific home.

Adelaide Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–51635 SW 304th St, 980234.2
Brigadoon Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–53601 SW 336th St, 980234.0
Enterprise Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–535101 5th Ave SW, 980234.0
Green Gables Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–532607 47th Ave SW, 980235.5
Lake Grove Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–5303 SW 308th St, 980232.9
Mark Twain Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–52450 S Star Lake Rd, 980032.3
Mirror Lake Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–5625 S 314th St, 980031.9
Nautilus K-8 SchoolFederal Way School DistrictK–81000 S 289th St, 980036.1
Olympic View Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–62626 SW 327th St, 980232.8
Panther Lake Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–534424 1st Ave S, 980033.6
Rainier View Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–53015 S 368th St, 980032.5
Sherwood Forest Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–534600 12th Ave SW, 980235.0
Silver Lake Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–51310 SW 325th St, 980234.8
Twin Lakes Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–54400 SW 320th St, 980237.5
Wildwood Elementary SchoolFederal Way School DistrictPK–52405 S 300th St, 980034.0

Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2023–24. State score: Washington School Improvement Framework 2025, OSPI, all students, on a 1–10 scale. A dash means the state did not publish a score for the school. Online and alternative programs are not listed.

Places to see
in Federal Way.

Dash Point State Park
A 398-acre state park on Puget Sound with more than 3,300 feet of shoreline and 11 miles of forest trails.
Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden
A 22-acre woodland garden among native conifers, with the largest collection of rhododendron species in the world.
West Hylebos Wetlands Park
A 120-acre park of peat bog and forest in the middle of the city. A boardwalk loop of about a mile and a half winds through it.
Dumas Bay Sanctuary
A 20-acre city park on Dumas Bay, about a mile from Dash Point. A short gravel path through the trees leads down to the beach.