Housing in First Hill at a glance
- Population
- 20,322
- Housing units
- about 12,682
- Median value, owner-occupied homes
- $649,000Seattle: $938,600 (-31%)
- Median gross rent
- $1,910 a monthSeattle: $2,030 (-6%)
- Owner-occupied homes
- 12.3%Seattle: 43.7%
- Homes built before 1980
- 41.2%
- Median year built
- 1992
First Hill is a rental district first. South of Seattle's centre, only 12.3% of households own, ninth-highest among ten sectors, and 9,592 renter households live beside 1,344 owners. Its median value runs 31% below Seattle overall, $649,000, and among its neighbours only Capitol Hill, whose median is $573,000, is lower. Rent is $1,910, 6% under the Seattle level, so the sector costs less to rent and to buy than the city norm, ranking eighth for rent and ninth for value. Its pre-1980 share, 41.2%, ranks ninth of ten, and the middle of its building history falls in 1992. Central Area/Squire Park, by contrast, is worth $962,000, and Cascade/Eastlake $973,000, while First Hill itself holds 12,682 housing units for 20,267 residents. Capitol Hill, the other lower-value neighbour, shares its renter-heavy pattern, with 13.4% owners.
Questions about First Hill
What is the median home value in First Hill, Seattle?
$649,000 for owner-occupied homes, against $938,600 for Seattle as a whole (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary). It is the owners' own estimate of their home's value, not a sale price.
What is the median rent in First Hill?
$1,910 a month in gross rent (rent plus utilities paid by the renter), against $2,030 in Seattle (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Do most people in First Hill own or rent?
Most rent: 12.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 43.7% in Seattle (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Data and method
Data as of: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (retrieved 2026-11-02).
Estimate from the 4 census tracts whose internal point lies within the official boundary: counts are summed, and each median is recomputed from the summed value, rent and year-built brackets (grouped median, linear interpolation). The gap with the city is measured with the same method on the whole city. Boundaries used: City of Seattle GIS, Community Reporting Areas (consulted 2026-11-02).
First Hill is one of the 10 most populous neighborhoods (of 53 community reporting areas) of Seattle: population 20,322 (Community Reporting Areas (2020) - Redistricting Data 1990-2020 (City of Seattle GIS Open Data, 2020 P.L. 94-171 total population)).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25001, B25003, B25034, B25063, B25064, B25075, B25077; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (census tract internal points). City figures: the same survey, published for Seattle as a whole. Home values are owners' estimates, not sale prices.
Near First Hill
The closest sectors of Seattle, by distance between population centres.
Other sectors of Seattle
Five trades, one spot each
Payotte lists one professional per trade in First Hill. No one is listed yet: every spot is open.
- Real estate agentOpen spot
- Mortgage loan officerOpen spot
- Home inspectorOpen spot
- Real estate attorneyOpen spot
- AppraiserOpen spot
Work in one of these trades in First Hill? Ask for your spot.