Population growth in the Puget Sound region is abandoning Seattle — and the numbers don't lie. Sultan, a Snohomish County town of just 7,500 people, grew 45.4 percent between 2020 and 2026, making it the third-fastest-growing city in Washington State. Seattle managed less than 12 percent over the same period — and its pace is now collapsing, from nearly 19,000 new residents in one year to just 6,800 the next.

Sean breaks down what Snohomish County leaders are saying out loud: people are leaving King County for cheaper housing, quieter streets, and local governments that don't treat taxpayers as a revenue source. Under Seattle's progressive leadership — including Katie Wilson's push for a new income tax — the city's affordability and public safety have deteriorated to the point that even the outer suburbs look like the obvious choice.

The migration data tells a story Seattle's political class refuses to acknowledge. Tech employers continue to shrink their local footprint, the city faces a growing budget deficit, and net in-migration across King County is stalling. Meanwhile, Sultan and Stanwood are absorbing the population Seattle is hemorrhaging — not because they're glamorous, but because they're functional.

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