Washington to Oregon

Distance from Federal Way to Salem

Straight-line distance

168.2mi

Federal Way, WA and Salem, OR are 168.2 miles (270.7 km) apart in a straight line. From Federal Way, the shortest path starts out heading SSW (191°).

kilometers
270.7
nautical miles
146.2
heading from Federal Way
191° SSW
heading from Salem
11° N
Federal WaySalem

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Federal Way is from Salem

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Federal Way and Salem is 168.2 miles, 270.7 km or 146.2 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 168.2 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
168.2
Kilometers
270.7
Nautical miles
146.2
Bearing from Federal Way
191.5° SSW
Bearing arriving at Salem
191.0°
Bearing from Salem
11.0° N

Halfway between Federal Way and Salem

The great-circle midpoint is at 46.118262, -122.687824 (46°07'5.74"N 122°41'16.17"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Kelso, WA, with 12,737 residents, 9.5 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Federal Way gets 15 h 57 min of daylight and Salem 15 h 37 min; on December 21, 8 h 28 min and 8 h 47 min. Federal Way is 2.39° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Salem has 1.8 times the population of Federal Way. From July 2020 to July 2024, Federal Way changed by -0.7% and Salem by +2.5%. The trip crosses from Washington into Oregon.

  1. 01Federal Way, WA100,252 (-0.7%)
  2. 02Salem, OR180,406 (+2.5%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Federal Way from Salem?

168.2 miles, 270.7 km or 146.2 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Salem from Federal Way?

SSW. The great-circle path leaves Federal Way on a bearing of 191.5° and arrives at Salem on 191.0°. The return trip starts on 11.0°.

What is halfway between Federal Way and Salem?

The midpoint is at 46.118262, -122.687824. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Kelso, WA, 9.5 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Federal Way and Salem?

Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Federal Way or Salem?

Salem, with 180,406 residents in July 2024 against 100,252 for Federal Way, 1.8 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.