The 2000 U.S. Census reveals that every county in the state of Washington sees an increase in population since the previous census in 1990. Some cities and towns show dramatic population growth, while others show slight declines. The total population of Washington state in 2000 is 5,894,143, an increase of 1,027,474 (21.11 percent) from the 1990 count count of 4,866,669.There are minor discrepancies in some numerical counts as data has been refined subsequent to the census, but these are not statistically significant.
Population and Growth
Population growth is composed of two major components -- natural increase and net migration. The natural increase in population (births less deaths) is the more stable component of population growth. Migration into and out of Washington is more volatile, and is to a great degree dependent upon the economic conditions within the state relative to the rest of the nation.
The natural increase and net migration that combined to account for Washington state's population growth between 1990 and 2000 were:
- Number of births 787,518
- Number of deaths 404,816
- Net migration (incoming minus outgoing) 644,772
- Total Increase 1,027,474
In 2000, the largest of the 39 counties in Washington state by population were:
- King 1,737,034
- Pierce 700,820
- Snohomish 606,024
- Spokane 417,939
- Clark 345,238
- Kitsap 231,969
- Yakima 222,581
- Thurston 207,355
- Whatcom 166,814
- Benton 142,475
In terms of population growth measured by percentage increase in population, the five fastest- growing counties from 1990 to 2000 were:
- Clark 45.0 percent
- San Juan 40.3 percent
- Grant 36.3 percent
- Franklin 31.7 percent
- Pend Oreille 31.6 percent
Measured by numerical population growth, the fastest-growing counties from 1990 to 2000 and the number of new residents in each were:
- King 229,729
- Snohomish 140,396
- Pierce 114,617
- Clark 107,185
- Spokane 56,606
In 2000, the largest cities in Washington by population were:
- Seattle 563,374
- Spokane 195,629
- Tacoma 193,556
- Vancouver 143,560
- Bellevue 109,569
- Everett 91,488
- Federal Way 83,259
- Kent 79,524
- Yakima 71,845
- Bellingham 67,171
- Lakewood 58,211
- Kennewick 54,693
- Shoreline 53,025
- Renton 50,052
- Redmond 45,256
Population Characteristics: Sex
In the 2000 census, women barely outnumbered men in Washington, 2,959,821 (50.2 percent) to 2,934,300 (49.8 percent).
Broken down into age groups, the effect of female longevity is clearly seen. While males outnumber females in the 1-64 age groups, the higher mortality rate for men in later years tips the overall balance slightly in favor of females:
- Age 0-20: 968,269 males, 921,994 females (+46,275 males)
- Age 21-64: 2,049,787 males, 2,013,235 females (+36,552 males)
- Age 65+: 362,323 males, 460,987 females (+98,664 females)
Population Characteristics: Race
Drilling down into the data, the 2000 census provided the following racial breakdown of the state's population among the 5,680,602 persons who characterized themselves as belonging to a single race:
- White: 4,821,823 (81.8 percent)
- Black or African American: 190,267 (3.2 percent)
- American Indian or Alaska Native: 93,301 (1.6 percent)
- Asian: 322,335 (5.5 percent)
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 23,953 (0.4 percent)
- Other races: 228,923 (3.9 percent)
An additional 213,519 (3.6 percent) of the state's total population in 2000 characterized themselves as belonging to two or more racial classifications.
It should be noted that people of Hispanic/Latino extraction, who may be of any race, are counted both in the racial group to which they belong and as a separate, multi-racial group:
- 2000 Hispanic/Latino population: 441,509 (7.5 percent of the total state population)
- 1990 Hispanic/Latino population: 214,570
- Net increase Hispanic/Latino population 1990-2000: 226,939 (105 percent)
Between 1990 and 2000, the ancestral groups (other than Hispanic) that led the state in population growth as measured by numerical and percentage increase were:
- 1990 Subsaharan African population: 5,915
- 2000 Subsaharan African population: 28,660 (384.5 percent increase)
- 1990 Ukrainian population: 10,814
- 2000 Ukrainian population: 30,057 (177.9 percent increase)
- 1990 Arab population: 8,908
- 2000 Arab population: 15,141 (70.0 percent increase)
- 1990 West Indian population: 3,658
- 2000 West Indian population: 5,779 (58.0 percent increase)
- 1990 Russian population: 41,369
- 2000 Russian population: 63,136 (52.6 percent increase)
Population Characteristics: Age
Reflecting the effect of the post-World War II baby boom, the 2000 census data demonstrated that Washington's population was aging. The top four age groups in population count statewide were:
- 40-44 491,137 (8.3 percent of total population)
- 35-39 483,950 (8.2 percent of total population)
- 45-49 454,223 (7.7 percent of total population)
- 30-34 437,478 (7.4 percent of total population)
In the 20 years between 1980 and 2000, Washington's median age increased from 29.8 years to 35.3 years.
Population Characteristics: Households
"Household" includes all of the people who occupy a housing unit, whether related or not.
"Family" consists of a householder and one or more people living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. All people in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of his or her family.
"Non-family household" consists of a householder living alone or with nonrelatives only.
"Children" means persons under the age of 18.
- 2000 total households: 2,271,398 (increase of 398,967 over 1990)
- 2000 average household size: 2.53 persons
- 2000 average family size: 3.07 persons
- Married couple households: 1,499,127 (52 percent of all households)
- Married couple households with children: 541,636 (23.8 of all households)
- Female households (no spouse present): 224,618 (9.9 percent of all households)
- Female households (no spouse present) with children: 146,920 (6.5 percent of all households)
- Male households (no spouse present): 91,088 (4.1 percent of all households)
- Male households (no spouse present) with children: 53,781 (2.4 percent of all households)
- Total non-family households: 772,271 (34 percent of all households)
- One-person non-family households: 594,325 (26.2 percent of all households)
- Two or more persons non-family households: 177,169 (7.8 percent of all households)
Population Characteristics: Education
Education statistics from the 2000 census, based on 3,827,507 Washington residents age 25 and older, listed by grades or degrees completed:
- No Schooling completed: 37,417 (1.0 percent)
- Nursery to 4th grade: 17,629 (0.5 percent)
- 5th and 6th grade: 38,426 (1.0 percent)
- 7th and 8th grade: 71,733 (1.9 percent)
- 9th grade: 57,947 (1.5 percent)
- 10th grade: 78,175 (2.0 percent)
- 11th grade: 77,267 (2.0 percent)
- 12th grade, no diploma: 115,742 (3.0 percent)
- High school graduates (including equivalency): 953,544 (24.9 percent)
- College, less than one year: 334,033 (8.7 percent)
- College, one-plus years, no degree: 676,768 (17.7 percent)
- Associate degree: 307,401 (8.0 percent)
- Bachelor's degree: 704,826 (18.4 percent)
- Master's degree: 241,037 (6.3 percent)
- Professional school degree: 76,357 (2.0 percent)
- Doctorate degree: 39,205 (1 percent)
Population Characteristics: Employment
The total potential Washington state labor force (persons over age 16) in 2000 was 2,243,278 males and 2,310,313 females, for a total of 4,553,591.
- Men in labor force: 1,643,385
- Men actually employed: 1,499,629
- Men unemployed: 101,983
- Men in armed forces: 41,773
- Women in labor force: 1,384,349
- Women actually employed: 1,294,093
- Women unemployed: 84,119
- Women in armed forces: 6,137
A little over 50 percent of the 2,793,722 men and women workers actually employed in Washington state in 2000 worked in the following industries:
- Manufacturing: 348,646 (12.5 percent)
- Retail trade: 338,772 (12.1 percent)
- Health care and social assistance: 305,608 (11 percent)
- Educational services: 235,606 (8.4 percent)
- Construction: 194,871 (7 percent)
Population Characteristics: Income
"Per capita personal income" is derived by dividing total state personal income by total population, including non-earners such as children and the retired. The total is not limited to wages, but includes all income earned by Washington households, including wages, self-employment income, interest, dividends, rent, social security, and other transfer payments.
"Average wage" is the average of all wages paid to Washington wage earners, and does not include non-earners or non-wage income.
- 2000 per capita personal income (adjusted to 2008 dollars) $36,481
- 2000 average wage (adjusted to 2007 dollars) $44,032
"Median income" is the midpoint of all incomes. Half of all actual incomes will be above the "median income" figure and half will be below. The statistics for the year 2000 in Washington were:
- Median income for all households: $45,776
- Median income for householder under 25 years $24,481
- Median income for householder 25 to 34 years $43,570
- Median income for householder 35 to 44 years $53,202
- Median income for householder 45 to 54 years $59,445
- Median income for householder 55 to 64 years $51,896
- Median income for householder 65 to 74 years $34,849
- Median income for householder 75 and over $25,659
Population Characteristics: Poverty
There were 47,508 married-couple families and 63,155 other types of families, for a total of 110,663 families living in poverty in Washington state in 1999, which was the last year that poverty was measured for the 2000 census. The total number of individuals living in poverty in 1999 was 612,370. Between 1990 and 1999, the percentage of families living in poverty in the state modestly declined, from 7.8 percent to 7.3 percent.
- Families in poverty, Puget Sound area: 5.8 percent
- Families in poverty, Western Washington outside of Puget Sound area: 8.3 percent
- Families in poverty, Eastern Washington: 10.7 percent
- Decline in family poverty statewide, 1990-1999: .5 percent
- Decline in family poverty Eastern Washington, 1990-1999: 1.2 percent
