Few Questions About Seattle (Bellevue, Redmond: middle-class, fit in, condos)

[Jumpman023]

Hi all,

I'm a native PNWer (grew up in Oregon) that eventually wants to come back to the great NW in a few years after gaining some experience in a different city. Seattle seems like a perfect fit for me and I was wondering if you all would be willing to answer a couple of quick questions for me.

1. What are Seattle's major industries besides Tech? I will be working in finance/accounting and am interested in working in either hardware (maybe software as well) or biotech (this is more interesting to me than regular tech, particularly if it deals with pharmaceuticals) and I was wondering how big Seattle is in these areas (I obviously know it's huge for software)?

2. What income would be necessary to be in the "upper middle class" or "lower upper class" category for someone in Seattle assuming one has a family of 4 in a safe neighborhood with good schools to support, and leads a fairly minimalist lifestyle with inexpensive tastes in cars, etc.? I'm just trying to get a feel for how expensive Seattle is relative to SF, LA, etc.?

3. If I'm looking for a more cosmopolitan/corporate-oriented Portland, is Seattle a good feel in vibe? I like the Oregon feel (outdoors-oriented, healthy eating, laid back, mild weather year-round, clean, etc.) but rue how few multinational companies have opportunities there and how it feels counter-corporate vs business-friendly. Is Seattle a good fit in this regard?

Thanks in advance!

[DevanXL]

Originally Posted by Jumpman023

Hi all,

I'm a native PNWer (grew up in Oregon) that eventually wants to come back to the great NW in a few years after gaining some experience in a different city. Seattle seems like a perfect fit for me and I was wondering if you all would be willing to answer a couple of quick questions for me.

1. What are Seattle's major industries besides Tech? I will be working in finance/accounting and am interested in working in either hardware (maybe software as well) or biotech (this is more interesting to me than regular tech, particularly if it deals with pharmaceuticals) and I was wondering how big Seattle is in these areas (I obviously know it's huge for software)?

2. What income would be necessary to be in the "upper middle class" or "lower upper class" category for someone in Seattle assuming one has a family of 4 in a safe neighborhood with good schools to support, and leads a fairly minimalist lifestyle with inexpensive tastes in cars, etc.? I'm just trying to get a feel for how expensive Seattle is relative to SF, LA, etc.?

3. If I'm looking for a more cosmopolitan/corporate-oriented Portland, is Seattle a good feel in vibe? I like the Oregon feel (outdoors-oriented, healthy eating, laid back, mild weather year-round, clean, etc.) but rue how few multinational companies have opportunities there and how it feels counter-corporate vs business-friendly. Is Seattle a good fit in this regard?

Thanks in advance!

Retail is large here with Costco, REI, and Nordstroms, based in the area. Boeing obviously still has a major influence on the area. Bellevue is becoming one of the start up capitals of america and alredy has major presence of larger multinational corporations. Can't tell you much about the hardware industry, still alarge presence but Software dominates the market as of now. Are you planning to live in the city itself or the outlying suburbs?

[Hemlock140]

While the cost of living is lower than the major CA cities, it's high. With a family of 4, to have a fairly frugal but comfortable "upper middle class" lifestyle I would say family income of $125,000. The median where I live is $135,000 and homes are at about $500,000. There are less expensive areas
farther out but then you have a horrendous commute to job centers like Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond. While the high tech is mostly Seattle, Redmond and Bellevue, most biotech is in the South Lake Union of Seattle.

Seattle, and WA in general are business-friendly if you are a big company and they want to keep you here. For small business, not so much, with a business and occupation tax based on gross revenue, whether or not you made a profit.

[Ira500]

1. Biotech's pretty big around here:
Seattle Office of Economic Development - Seattle's Key Industries - Life Sciences
Aerospace continues to be big around here. Boeing still employs a zillion people. They lost some when the corporate headquarters relocated to Chicago, but they still do a lot of manufacturing of airplanes around here.
My daughter in law, an engineer, used to work for T-Mobile. She worked with the phone manufacturers on design. Is that hardware? HTC has their American headquarters here, as does Nintendo. The University of Washington is a very large employer. Microsoft employs many, and Amazon is hiring like crazy.
2. Houses cost a lot of money here, especially for upper middle class/lower upper class. Gasoline is lower priced than California, but higher than Portland. If you were to choose to buy a house within the Seattle city limits, in neighborhoods where the schools are very good and other upper middle class folks live, a large enough house in decent shape is going to be in the 500k-1 million dollar range. That would also be true on the eastside(Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah).
Up north, Edmonds has very good schools, and house prices are a little lower. Generally, you'll get more house for the money a little further out.
3. Seattle does feel like a more corporate sister of Portland, but in a way nicer because of Puget Sound. Great hiking and outdoor recreation. Some people criticize the Seattle city council for being too left wing. And Seattle certainly does have it's share of anti corporate lefties. The independent coffee place is always busier than the Starbucks two doors down. At the same time, Seattle appears to be doing very well economically these days. Many multinationals have a presence in Seattle or across the lake in Bellevue. It sounds to me that Seattle fits what you're looking for.

[flyingsaucermom]

I'm not sure I would say $125k is upper middle class here.. not when you've got a family of 4. It really depends on what you plan to do with that $125k.

[purplerain112]

$125K = upper middle class??? If you want to purchase a property in Bellevue today and still have a upper middle class lifestyle for a family of 4, $250K is more realistic.

[beautifulseattlehomes]

I think Purplerain is spot on. Seattle is an expensive city and while it isn't NY, LA, SF expensive it is a lot more expensive than most other cities in the USA. And yes it is much more corporate and far less crunchy than Portland. More jobs, more multinationals just equals a more serious business city as a whole. The cost of living here ,which is rapidly rising, is a huge driver of that. Even 15 years ago, Seattle felt more laid back and relaxed. Not so much anymore though I am not lamenting that. Just contrasting it with Portland and how it has changed over the years.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by purplerain112

$125K = upper middle class??? If you want to purchase a property in Bellevue today and still have a upper middle class lifestyle for a family of 4, $250K is more realistic.

I have to argue that a bit, unfortunately there is no real hard definitions for economic "class". There are still single family homes in Bellevue under $300,000, and condos under $200,000, same in other suburbs and even in Seattle if you look. There are plenty of people with 2 kids living a comfortable lifestyle with a home and 2 nice cars making $100-135,000.

[zberch]

Originally Posted by purplerain112

$125K = upper middle class??? If you want to purchase a property in Bellevue today and still have a upper middle class lifestyle for a family of 4, $250K is more realistic.

First the poster is talking about Seattle not bellevue. If a family makes $125k your in the top 20% income bracket. You can easily afford a $500k house, two cars, college funds, vacations. People live in these bubbles of wealth and think they are normal its pretty crazy.

[purplerain112]

Originally Posted by zberch

First the poster is talking about Seattle not bellevue. If a family makes $125k your in the top 20% income bracket. You can easily afford a $500k house, two cars, college funds, vacations. People live in these bubbles of wealth and think they are normal its pretty crazy.

You forgot to take private school tuition into account for two kids in Seattle. That's easily 2~5K a month? There are plenty of people making 250K gross/year but still need to be frugal in order to have a decent saving and put kids through colleges. A 400K~500K single family home in a better school district in Seattle or Bellevue would either be super tiny or a tear down. I am not sure what kind of bubble people are living in to think making $125K pre-tax can afford to be upper-middle-class. Do they have kids and own a home AND thinking about the future? I know people whose incomes in the 250K+ category certainly FEEL they are just middle class in this area. The median household income data is almost always not accurately representing the age group the OP is in.