Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1850 | 1,201 | — |
| 1860 | 11,594 | +865.4% |
| 1870 | 23,955 | +106.6% |
| 1880 | 75,116 | +213.6% |
| 1890 | 357,232 | +375.6% |
| 1900 | 518,103 | +45.0% |
| 1910 | 1,141,990 | +120.4% |
| 1920 | 1,356,621 | +18.8% |
| 1930 | 1,563,396 | +15.2% |
| 1940 | 1,736,191 | +11.1% |
| 1950 | 2,378,963 | +37.0% |
| 1960 | 2,853,214 | +19.9% |
| 1970 | 3,409,169 | +19.5% |
| 1980 | 4,132,156 | +21.2% |
| 1990 | 4,866,692 | +17.8% |
| 2000 | 5,894,121 | +21.1% |
| 2010 | 6,724,540 | +14.1% |
| 2011 (est.) | 6,830,038 | +1.6% |
| Source: | ||
The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Washington was 6,830,038 on July 1, 2011, a 1.57% increase since the 2010 United States Census.
According to the U.S. Census, as of 2010, Washington has a historical estimated population of 6,724,540 which is an increase of 830,419 or 14.1 percent, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase of 380,400 people, and an increase from net migration of 450,019 people into the state. Washington ranks first in the Pacific Northwest region in terms of population, followed by Oregon, and Idaho. There has historically been a lot of German American, Irish American and English American immigration to what is now the state of Washington. In 1980, the Census Bureau reported Washington's population as 90% non-Hispanic white.
As of 2011, 44.3% of Washington's population younger than age 1 were minorities.
The center of population of Washington in the year 2000 was located in an unpopulated part of the Cascade Mountains in rural eastern King County, southeast of North Bend, northeast of Enumclaw and west of Snoqualmie Pass.
As of the Census 2010, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Metropolitan Area's population was 3,439,809, approximately half the state's total population.
6.7 percent of Washington's population was reported as under five years of age, 25.7 percent under 18 years of age, and 11.2 percent were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.2 percent of the population.
The largest ancestry groups (which the Census defines as not including racial terms) in the state are:
- 20.7% German
- 12.6% Irish
- 12.3% English
- 8.2% Mexican
- 6.2% Norwegian
- 3.9% French
- 3.9% American
- 3.8% Swedish
- 3.6% Italian
- 3.3% Scottish
- 2.5% Scotch Irish
- 2.5% Dutch
- 1.9% Polish
- 1.8-2.0% Russian
There are evident Russian American communities of Western Washington and some Russian immigration into the Seattle area since the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. There's a long history of Russian Americans in the state. In fact, Russianseattle.com (in Russian) and citydata discussed the issue of Russian Americans in Seattle and its suburbs.
Read more about this topic: Washington (state)