Seattle ($52/sqft, 26.4% vacancy) and Washington DC ($58/sqft, 19.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Seattle on talent depth and Washington DC on talent depth.
Seattle ($52/sqft, 26.4% vacancy) and Washington DC ($58/sqft, 19.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Seattle on talent depth and Washington DC on talent depth.
| Metric | Seattle | Washington DC |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Americas | Americas |
| Country | United States | United States |
| Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr) | $52 | $58 |
| Class A rent (local) | 52 USD | 58 USD |
| Vacancy | 26.4% | 19.4% |
| Trend | softening | flat |
| Prime yield | 6.7% | 6.3% |
| Premium flex / seat / month (USD) | $940 | $880 |
| Submarkets covered | 5 | 6 |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 27.1% |
| Metric | Seattle | Washington DC |
|---|---|---|
| Typical term | 10 yrs | 10 yrs |
| Typical rent-free | 16 mos | 14 mos |
| Lease norms | Modified-gross structures with operating-expense pass-throughs. 10-12 year terms standard for trophy. Free rent of 12-18 months and TI of $100-$150/sqft typical on a 10-year deal. | Modified-gross structures with operating-expense pass-throughs over a base year. Federal GSA leases are typically full-service with cap on operating-expense growth. Free rent of 14-18 months and TI allowances of $130-$150/sqft are typical on 10-year private-sector deals. |
| Tax note | 21% federal corporate income tax. No Washington State corporate income tax. Washington B&O tax applies to gross receipts (rates vary by activity). Seattle JumpStart payroll expense tax applies to tenants with $7M+ payroll. | Federal corporate income tax of 21% plus DC franchise tax of 8.25% drives a combined effective rate of about 27%. Class A office tenants are also subject to DC personal property tax on FF&E. |
| Metric | Seattle | Washington DC |
|---|---|---|
| Talent index (0–100) | 92 | 92 |
| Talent note | Deepest cloud, AI, and SaaS engineering talent pool in North America. UW and a deep network of T-1 engineering programs feed. Cost-of-living advantage versus Bay Area is structural. | Deepest federal-services and policy talent pool in the world. Strong legal, lobbying, defense, and consulting concentrations. Tech talent has grown rapidly post-2020 driven by AWS, Amazon HQ2, and federal cloud contracts. |
Seattle: Sound Transit Link light rail (1 Line) extended in 2024 to Lynnwood; East Link to Bellevue / Redmond opening 2025-26. Streetcar serves South Lake Union. King County Metro bus network anchors local commute.
Washington DC: WMATA Metro (six lines) plus VRE and MARC commuter rail. Union Station anchors regional rail. Trophy office clusters all sit within a 5-minute walk of a Metro station.
Seattle is the cheaper Class A market on a USD basis.
Talent indices are tied at 92/100.
Seattle has the lower headline corporate tax (21% vs 27.1%). Local incentives can change the effective rate materially.
Seattle typical term is 10 years with 16 months free; Washington DC runs 10 years with 14 months free.
Seattle: Sound Transit Link light rail (1 Line) extended in 2024 to Lynnwood; East Link to Bellevue / Redmond opening 2025-26. Streetcar serves South Lake Union. King County Metro bus network anchors local commute. Washington DC: WMATA Metro (six lines) plus VRE and MARC commuter rail. Union Station anchors regional rail. Trophy office clusters all sit within a 5-minute walk of a Metro station.
Score Seattle, Washington DC and up to two more markets side-by-side on Class A rent, vacancy, talent, corporate tax, and premium flex pricing — all in USD.
Reviewed by Miriam Hollander — Lead market analyst. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.