DEMOGRAPHICS OF SEATTLEAccording to the Washington State Office of Financial Management, Seattle had a population of 602,000 as of April 1, 2009. In the 2000 census interim measurements of 2006, there were 258,499 households and 113,400 families residing in the city.
According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, the racial composition of Seattle was as follows:
* White: 71.3% (Non-Hispanic Whites: 68.4%)
* Black or African American: 8.0%
* Native American: 0.9%
* Asian: 13.2%
* Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.4%
* Some other race: 2.2%
* Two or more races: 4.0%
* Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 5.
According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, English was by far the most commonly spoken language at home; approximately 78.9% of residents over the age of five spoke only English at home. Spanish was spoken by 4.5% of the population; people who spoke other Indo-European languages made up 3.9% of the population. People who spoke Asian languages at home made up 10.2% of the population. People who spoke other languages made up 2.5% of Seattle's population.
Seattle has seen a major increase in immigration in recent decades; the foreign-born population increased 40% between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. At nearly four percent, Greater Seattle has the highest concentration of Multiracial Americans of any major metropolitan area in the United States. The Chinese population in the Seattle Area has origins in China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan. The earliest Chinese Americans that came in the late 19th and early 20th century were almost entirely from Guangdong province. The Seattle area is also home to a high Laotian and Cambodian population. In addition, the city is home to over 30,000 Somali immigrants.
As of 1999, the median income of a city household was $45,736, and the median income for a family was $62,195. Males had a median income of $40,929 versus $35,134 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,306 11.8 percent of the population and 6.9 percent of families are below the poverty line. Of people living in poverty, 13.8 percent are under the age of 18 and 10.2 percent are 65 or older.
It is estimated that King County has 8,000 homeless people on any given night, and many of those live in Seattle. In September 2005, King County adopted a "Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness", one of the near-term results of which is a shift of funding from homeless shelter beds to permanent housing.
In 2006, after growing by 4,000 citizens per annum for the previous 16 years, regional planners expected the population of Seattle to grow by 200,000 people by 2040. However, Mayor Nickels supported plans that would increase the population by 60 percent, or 350,000 people, by 2040 and is working on ways to accommodate this growth while keeping Seattle's single-family housing zoning laws. The Seattle City Council later voted to relax height limits on buildings in the greater part of Downtown, partly with the aim of increasing residential density in the city center.
A 2006 study by UCLA indicates that Seattle has one of the highest LGBT populations per capita. With 12.9 percent of citizens polled identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, the city ranks second of all major US cities, behind San Francisco and slightly ahead of Atlanta and Minneapolis.[196] Greater Seattle also ranks second among major US metropolitan areas, with 6.5 percent being LGBT.
According to the 2000 U.S. census interim measurements of 2004, Seattle has the fifth highest proportion of single-person households nationwide among cities of 100,000 or more residents, at 40.8 percent.
According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, the racial composition of Seattle was as follows:
* White: 71.3% (Non-Hispanic Whites: 68.4%)
* Black or African American: 8.0%
* Native American: 0.9%
* Asian: 13.2%
* Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.4%
* Some other race: 2.2%
* Two or more races: 4.0%
* Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 5.
According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, English was by far the most commonly spoken language at home; approximately 78.9% of residents over the age of five spoke only English at home. Spanish was spoken by 4.5% of the population; people who spoke other Indo-European languages made up 3.9% of the population. People who spoke Asian languages at home made up 10.2% of the population. People who spoke other languages made up 2.5% of Seattle's population.
Seattle has seen a major increase in immigration in recent decades; the foreign-born population increased 40% between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. At nearly four percent, Greater Seattle has the highest concentration of Multiracial Americans of any major metropolitan area in the United States. The Chinese population in the Seattle Area has origins in China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan. The earliest Chinese Americans that came in the late 19th and early 20th century were almost entirely from Guangdong province. The Seattle area is also home to a high Laotian and Cambodian population. In addition, the city is home to over 30,000 Somali immigrants.
As of 1999, the median income of a city household was $45,736, and the median income for a family was $62,195. Males had a median income of $40,929 versus $35,134 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,306 11.8 percent of the population and 6.9 percent of families are below the poverty line. Of people living in poverty, 13.8 percent are under the age of 18 and 10.2 percent are 65 or older.
It is estimated that King County has 8,000 homeless people on any given night, and many of those live in Seattle. In September 2005, King County adopted a "Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness", one of the near-term results of which is a shift of funding from homeless shelter beds to permanent housing.
In 2006, after growing by 4,000 citizens per annum for the previous 16 years, regional planners expected the population of Seattle to grow by 200,000 people by 2040. However, Mayor Nickels supported plans that would increase the population by 60 percent, or 350,000 people, by 2040 and is working on ways to accommodate this growth while keeping Seattle's single-family housing zoning laws. The Seattle City Council later voted to relax height limits on buildings in the greater part of Downtown, partly with the aim of increasing residential density in the city center.
A 2006 study by UCLA indicates that Seattle has one of the highest LGBT populations per capita. With 12.9 percent of citizens polled identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, the city ranks second of all major US cities, behind San Francisco and slightly ahead of Atlanta and Minneapolis.[196] Greater Seattle also ranks second among major US metropolitan areas, with 6.5 percent being LGBT.
According to the 2000 U.S. census interim measurements of 2004, Seattle has the fifth highest proportion of single-person households nationwide among cities of 100,000 or more residents, at 40.8 percent.
