ZIP Code 98003 — Federal Way city, WA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 98003 covers Federal Way, WA in King County with a population of about 52,210.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 36.4 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 253; U.S. House district WA-9; the SEATTLE - TACOMA media market.

Median household income in ZIP 98003 is about $70,800 — about 6% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 14.3%; unemployment rate near 6.5%; 27.7% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 6.0 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Retail trade, and Construction; about 9.2% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 6.0 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $428,500 — about 23% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,506 (about 29% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 47.6% (about 17.8 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 98003 in Federal Way, WA, a household would need roughly $118,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $2,753. That is about 67% above the local median household income ($70,800), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Federal Way city, WA as Very High (composite score 99.7), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (99.5) and wildfire (79.5). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Federal Way city, WA show little to no average snow and around 40.8 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 2,804 for ZIP 98003 (Federal Way city, WA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.