The 1970 census shows that, for the first time since the first census of Washington Territory was taken in 1853, women outnumber men in the state, but barely. There is a continuation of the trend toward urban living, but two of the state's largest cities actually lose population to their urban fringes. E Everett joins Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma in the list of Washington cities with core populations greater than 50,000. The full effects of the post-World War II baby boom are clear -- the largest age group by far is those 10 to 19 years old, who alone count for nearly 20 percent of the state's total population. And the census itself is changing after the tumult of the 1960s. In the face of growing distrust and resistance from the public, the 66 questions that the 1960 census had submitted to three million selected homes is reduced to 23, and a letter accompanying the questionnaire explains the need for the data requested and emphasizes the confidentiality of responses. But this will not be the end of the troubles. During the 10 years between the 1970 and 1980 censuses, some of the data for the various states and counties will be significantly revised, changes that will appear in the comparative statistics of the 1980 census. Although most changes are minor and not statistically significant, others are more substantial. The data contained in this essay are taken from the original 1970 census, and thus may not agree in all respects with retrospective data shown in the 1980 census.
Population and Growth
The total population of Washington state in 1970 was 3,409,169, an increase of 555,955 (19.5 percent) from the 1960 count of 2,853,214.
The largest 10 of the 39 counties in Washington state by population were:
- King: 1,156,633 (up 23.7 percent from 1960 count of 935,014)
- Pierce: 411,027 (up 27.8 percent from 1960 count of 321,590)
- Spokane: 287,487 (up 3.3 percent over 1960 count of 278,333)
- Snohomish: 265,236 (up 54 percent from 1960 count of 172,199)
- Yakima: 144,971 (down 0.1 percent from 1960 count of 145,112)
- Clark: 128,454 (up 36.9 percent from 1960 count of 93,809)
- Kitsap: 101,732 (up 20.9 percent from 1960 count of 84,176 )
- Whatcom: 81,950 (up 16.5 percent from 1960 count of 70,317)
- Thurston: 76,894 (up 39.7 percent from 1960 count of 55,049)
- Cowlitz: 68,616 57,801 (up 18.7 percent from 1960 count of 57,801)
In the 1970 census, Benton County dropped from the top 10 most populous counties and Thurston County was added.
Population Distribution: Urban and Rural
"Urban population" includes all persons living in urbanized areas and in places of 2,500 inhabitants or more outside of urbanized areas.
"Urbanized areas" are communities with an incorporated "central place" with a population of 50,000 or more, or incorporated cities of 25,000 or greater population which, combined with contiguous places of any size (but with a density of at least 1,000 people per square mile) attain a total population of at least 50,000.
"Urban fringe areas" are incorporated places with at least 2,500 inhabitants that border urbanized areas.
"Other urban areas" are unincorporated areas of 2,500 people or greater.
The urban population in 1970 was 2,476,468 (72.6 percent of total population, up from 68.1 percent in 1960).
- Population of urbanized areas and urban fringe areas: 1,873,418 (55 percent of total state population)
- Population of other urban areas: 603,050 (17.7 percent of total population)
In Washington, four cities qualified as urbanized areas by having a "central place" with a population greater than 50,000. (Although the population of Bellevue increased from 12,809 in the 1960 census to 61,102 in 1970 (a 377 percent increase), it was counted in the census as "an urban fringe" area and not as an urban area with a central city.)
The populations of the four urbanized areas were:
- Seattle: 530,831 (4.7 percent decrease over 1960 population of 557,087). In 1970, Seattle was the 22nd largest city in United states, down from 19th in 1960.
- Spokane: 170,516 (6.1 percent decrease over the 1960 count of 181,608). In 1970, Spokane was the 80th largest city in the United States, down from 68th in 1960.
- Tacoma: 154,581 (4.5 percent increase over the 1960 count of 147,979). In 1970, Tacoma was the 89th largest city in the United States, down from 84th in 1960.
- Everett: 53,622 (33 percent increase over the 1960 count of 40,304). Everett did not make the list of the country's 100 most populous cities.
The five largest "other urban areas" in Washington state in 1970 were:
- Yakima: 45,588
- Vancouver: 42,493
- Bellingham: 39,375
- Bremerton: 35,307
- Longview: 28,373
Population Characteristics: Sex
In the 1970 census, females outnumbered males in Washington for the first time since counts were started in 1853, although by only 21,675 (0.64 of total population)
- Female population 1970: 1,715,422 (50.3 percent, up .6 percent from 1960)
- Female population 1960: 1,418,177 (49.7 percent)
- Male population 1970: 1,693,747 (49.7 percent, down .6 percent from 1960)
- Male population 1960: 1,435,037 (50.3 percent)
There were roughly equal numbers of men and women up through age 65, at which point female longevity became statistically significant. In the category of persons age 65 and older, women outnumbered men by 44,015 (183,038 to 139,023).
Population Characteristics: Age
In 1970 there were 957,731 children 14 years of age or younger in Washington, a jump of 65,598 (7.4 percent) from the 1960 count of 892,133.
The median age for all persons in Washington state in 1970 was 27.5 years, meaning that one-half of all persons were older than that and one-half were younger.
The median age for males in 1970 was 26.7 years, and the median age for females was 28.4.
The population distribution by age in 1970 was:
- Under 5 years: 280,875
- 5-9 years: 329,044
- 10-19 years: 680,072
- 20-29 years: 535,638
- 30-39 years: 375,046
- 40-49 years: 397,375
- 50-59 years: 356,232
- 60-69 years: 245,409
- 70-79 years: 147,196
- 80 and over: 66,357
Population Characteristics: Race
The racial makeup of Washington state in 1970 remained overwhelmingly white, with 3,251,055 (95.4 percent) white residents and only 158,114 (4.6 percent) minorities, of whom 71,308 (2.1 percent of total population) were classified as "Negro." By way of contrast, in the 2000 census 81.8 percent of the state's total population was white, and 18.2 percent belonged to minority groups. The percentages given below may not total exactly 100 percent due to rounding.
Male population by race, 1970:
- White: 1,612,802 (95.2 percent of male population, 47.3 percent of total population)
- Negro: 37,837 (2.2 percent of male population, 1.1 percent of total population)
- Japanese: 20,335 (1.2 percent of male population, 0.6 percent of total population)
- Indian: 16,678 (.98 percent of male population, 0.5 percent of total population)
- Filipino: 11,462 (0.68 percent of male population, 0.34 percent of total population)
- Chinese: 9,201 (0.54 percent of male population, 0.27 percent of total population)
- Other: 12,422 (0.73 percent of male population, 0.36 percent of total population)
Female population by race, 1970:
- White: 1,638,253 (95.5 percent of female population, 48.1 percent of total population)
- Negro: 33,471 (1.95 percent of female population, 0.98 percent of total population)
- Indian: 16,708 (0.97 percent of female population, 0.49 percent of total population)
- Japanese: 11,423 (0.67 percent of female population, 0.34 percent of total population)
- Filipino: 4,942 (0.29 percent of female population, 0.14 percent of total population)
- Chinese: 4,400 (0.26 percent of female population, 0.13 percent of total population)
- Other: 6,225 (0.36 percent of female population, 0.18 percent of total population)
The racial makeup of Washington state's three largest cities was:
Seattle (total population 530,831)
- White: 463,870 (87.4 percent of total city population, down from 91.6 percent in 1960)
- Negro 37,868 (7.13 percent of total city population, up from 4.8 percent in 1960)
- Japanese: 9,986 (1.88 percent of total city population)
- Chinese: 6,261 (1.18 percent of total city population)
- Filipino: 5,830 (1.1 percent of total city population)
- American Indian: 4,123 (0.78 percent of total city population)
- Other 2,893: (0.54 percent of total city population)
Spokane: (total population 170,516)
- White: 165,339 (97 percent of total city population, down from 97.5 percent in 1960)
- Negro 2,161 (1.27 percent of total city population, down from 1.3 percent in 1960)
- American Indian: 1,419 (0.83 percent of total city population)
- Japanese: 985 (0.58 percent of total city population)
- Chinese: 149 (0.09 percent of total city population)
- Filipino: 99 (0.06 percent of total city population)
- Other 364: (0.21 percent of total city population)
Tacoma: (total population 154,581)
- White: 140,301 (90.76 percent, down from 94.7 percent in 1960)
- Negro: 10,436 (6.75 percent, up from 4.0 percent in 1960)
- American Indian: 1,703 (1.10 percent of total city population)
- Japanese: 820 (0.53 percent of total city population)
- Chinese: 165 (0.11 percent of total city population)
- Filipino: 464 (0.03 percent of total city population)
- Other: 692: (0.45 percent of total city population)
In 1970 the Census Bureau was struggling to categorize persons of Hispanic heritage, a task complicated by the fact that such persons may be of any race. For purposes of this census, the bureau adopted the term "persons of Spanish language" to refer to those of Hispanic derivation. This descriptor was to prove problematic and was changed in later years. In 1970, "persons of Spanish language" were not counted separately at the city level, but were included in the "White" count.
Population Characteristics: Marital Status and Families
Single men significantly outnumbered single women in the 1970 census, but there were more than four times as many widows as widowers:
Total males over age 14: 1,239,721
- Married: 809,832 (65.3 percent)
- Single: 350,199 (28.3 percent)
- Divorced: 49,506 (4.0 percent)
- Widowed: 30,144 (2.4 percent)
Total females over age 14: 1,280,861
- Married: 814,387 (63.6 percent)
- Single: 263,657 (20.6 percent)
- Widowed: 138,210 (10.8 percent)
- Divorced: 64,107 (5.0 percent)
For purposes of the 1970 census, "family" was defined as comprising two or more individuals who were living together and were related by birth, marriage, or adoption.
- Total number of families in 1970 census: 861,689
- Total families with children under age 18 living at home: 479,077 (55.6 percent)
- Total number of two-parent families: 768,097 (89 percent)
- Total children of two-parent families: 422,393 (55 percent)
Population Characteristics: Education
Education statistics from the 1970 census, based on 1,825,888 Washington residents age 25 and older, listed by years of schooling completed:
- No Schooling completed: 12,946 (0.71 percent)
- Elementary school, one to four years: 27,086 (1.48 percent)
- Elementary school five and six years: 47,081 (2.58 percent)
- Elementary school seven years: 50,732 (2.78 percent)
- Elementary school eight years: 207,575 (11.37 percent)
- High school, one to three years: 321,236 (17.59 percent)
- High school, four years: 661,800 (36.25 percent)
- College, one to three years: 265,140 (14.52 percent)
- College, four years: 121,473 (6.65 percent)
- College, five years or more: 110,819 (6.07 percent)
The median number of grades completed in was 12.4.
Population Characteristics: Employment
In 1970, males over the age of 16 numbered 1,167,097, and of this number 905,207 (77.6 percent) were considered to be in the labor force, although not necessarily employed. Females over the age of 16 numbered 1,212,512, and of this number 493,791 (40.7 percent) were considered to be in the labor force, although not necessarily employed.
Digging deeper, the following picture of the state's 1970 employment emerges:
- Men actually employed: 783,307 (86.5 percent of male work force)
- Men unemployed: 62,503 (6.9 percent of male labor force)
- Men in armed forces: 59,397 (6.6 percent of labor force)
- Women actually employed: 449,756 (91 percent of female labor force)
- Women unemployed: 42,947 (8.7 percent of female labor force)
- Women in armed forces: 1,088 (.3 percent of female labor force)
Of the 1,233,063 men and women workers actually employed in Washington state in 1970, nearly 80 percent were employed in the following trades and professions:
- Clerical and kindred workers: 215,293 (17.5 percent)
- Professional, technical, and kindred workers: 206,359 (16.7 percent)
- Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred workers: 179,705 (14.6 percent)
- Service workers (except private household): 146,080 67,471 (11.6 percent)
- Operatives (manufacturing and other industries): 115,532 (9.4 percent)
- Managers and administrators (non-farm) 112,802 (9.2 percent)
Population Characteristics: Income
"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 in Washington for the year 1969 (as measured by the 1970 census) show huge disparities between the sexes:
Median income for all employed males over age 14: $8,823
- Median income employed white males 14 years and older: $8,885
- Median income employed Negro males 14 years and older: $7,170
- Median income employed male Hispanics 14 years and older: $6,852
Median income for all employed females over age 14: $4,023
- Median income employed white females 14 years and older: $4,028
- Median income employed Negro females 14 years and older: $4,081
- Median income female Hispanics 14 years and older: $2,988
Population Characteristics: Poverty
Poverty levels for purposes of the 1970 census were based on 1969 figures, the last complete year for which income amounts were available. In 1969, 335,597 persons (10.2 percent of the state's population) were living in poverty. Persons over age 65 accounted for 22 percent of all those living in poverty in Washington in 1969, and poverty fell much harder on the minority population:
- Whites below poverty level: 307,842 (9.7 percent of total state white population)
- White families below poverty level: 60,179 (7.2 percent of all white families)
- Negroes below poverty level: 13,835 (21.2 of total state Negro population)
- Negro families below poverty level: 2,568 (16.8 percent of all Negro families)
- Families of Spanish language below poverty level: 2,502 (17.1 percent of all families of Spanish language)
The five Washington counties with the highest percentage of population living in poverty in 1969 were:
- Pend Oreille: 24.3 percent
- Columbia: 23.3 percent
- Yakima: 19.6 percent
- Stevens: 19.5 percent
- Grant: 18.2 percent
The six Washington counties with the lowest percentage of population living in poverty in 1969 were:
- King: 7.5 percent
- Snohomish: 7.6 percent
- Benton: 8.4 percent
- Cowlitz: 8.9 percent
- Kitsap and Clark (tied): 9.1 percent
