Seattle metropolitan area
The Seattle metropolitan area is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding satellites and suburbs. It contains the three most populous counties in the state—King, Snohomish, and Pierce—and is considered part of the greater Puget Sound region. The United States Census Bureau defines the metropolitan area as the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA metropolitan statistical area. With an estimated population of 4,018,598 , it is the 15th largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States and is home to over half of Washington's population. Definition. As defined by  the United States Census Bureau, the Seattle metropolitan area is made up of the following ("see Fig. STB"): Based on commuting patterns, the adjacent metropolitan areas of Olympia, Bremerton, and Mount Vernon, along with a few smaller satellite urban areas, are grouped together in a wider labor market region known as the "Seattle–Tacoma" Combined Statistical Area (CSA) ("See Figure STO"), commonly known as the Puget Sound region. The population of this wider region is 4,686,536—roughly two-thirds of Washington's population—. The Seattle CSA is the 14th largest CSA, and the 13th largest primary census statistical area in  the country. The additional metropolitan and micropolitan areas included are: Demographics. As of the 2020 census there was 4,018,762 people in the area. In 2019 the estimated median income for a household in the Seattle metropolitan area was $94,027. The per capita income was $49,184. Religion. According to the Pew Research Center's 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Study, the Seattle metropolitan area's religious affiliation is as follows: Commerce. The Seattle metropolitan area is home to numerous large scale businesses. Retail giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, REI, Nordstrom, Starbucks, and Costco were founded and continue to be headquartered  in the greater Seattle area. Over the past decade, tech companies began expanding their roots into the Seattle metropolitan area and opening offices on both sides of Lake Washington (Seattle and Bellevue, primarily). These companies, traditionally known for their history in Silicon Valley and the bay area, include Facebook, Salesforce, Google, and Zynga. Transportation. Major airports. The largest airport in the region is Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, an International airport that serves as a commercial hub for Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The other airports in the area are: