The Seattle metropolitan area includes the city of Seattle, Washington; King County, Washington; and several surrounding cities and counties in the Puget Sound area. According to the United States 2000 Census, the CMSA has a population of 3,554,760, making it the 13^th largest United States metropolitan area.

As defined by the United States Census Bureau, the Seattle—Tacoma—Bremerton, WA consolidated metropolitan statistical area (CMSA) is made up of the following primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSAs):

• Bremerton, WA PMSA
  • Kitsap County: west of Seattle, separated from the city by Puget Sound; connected to Seattle by ferry and to Tacoma by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
• Olympia, WA PMSA
  • Thurston County: southwest of Seattle, at the south end of Puget Sound
• Seattle—Bellevue—Everett, WA PMSA
  • King County: Seattle and its immediate vicinity
  • Snohomish County: north of Seattle
  • Island County: northwest of Everett, encompassing Whidbey and Camano Islands in Puget Sound
• Tacoma, WA PMSA
  • Pierce County: south of Seattle

See also Greater Puget Sound for a roughly coterminous area.

Complete listings of the cities in the immediate area can be found in the county listings above. The following list is a subset of the full list:

• Bellevue
• Bremerton
• Burien
• Mercer Island
• Issaquah
• SeaTac
• Federal Way
• Redmond
• Renton
• Kent
• Des Moines
• Tukwila