Demographics
| City of Seattle Population by year[45] |
|
| 1900 | 80,671 |
| 1910 | 237,194 |
| 1920 | 315,312 |
| 1930 | 365,583 |
| 1940 | 368,302 |
| 1950 | 467,591 |
| 1960 | 557,087 |
| 1970 | 530,831 |
| 1980 | 493,846 |
| 1990 | 516,259 |
| 2000 | 563,374 |
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 563,374 people, 258,499 households, and 113,400 families residing in Seattle. The racial makeup of the city was 67.1 percent White, 16.6 percent Asian, 9.7 percent African American, 2.38 percent from other races, 1.00 percent Native American, 0.50 percent Pacific Islander, and 4.46 percent from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.3 percent of the population.[46] Seattle has seen a major increase in legal and illegal immigration in recent decades. The foreign-born population increased 40 percent between the 1990 and 2000 censuses.[47] Hispanics are believed to be the most rapidly growing ethnic group in Washington, with an estimated increase of 10 percent just from 2000 to 2002, though they have tended to settle outside the city, in rural areas where agricultural jobs are abundant.[48] The percentage of Seattle's population that identifies as gay or lesbian is estimated to be 12.9 percent, the second highest among the largest 50 cities in the U.S. behind San Francisco, California.[49]
The median income for a household in the city is $45,736, and the median income for a family is $62,195. Males have a median income of $40,929 versus $35,134 for females. The per capita income for the city is $30,306. 11.8 percent of the population and 6.9 percent of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 13.8 percent are under the age of 18 and 10.2 percent are 65 or older.[citation needed]
It is estimated that King County has 8,000 homeless on any given night, and many of those live in Seattle. Up to 14 percent of Seattle's homeless are children and young adults. Despite many blemishes in Seattle's treatment of homeless citizens, local charities have made attempts to lower the ballooning homeless population.[citation needed] 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.[50]
In 2006, after growing by 4,000 citizens per year for the previous 16 years, regional planners expect the population of Seattle to grow by 200,000 people by 2040. However, Mayor Nickels supports 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.[51]In 2006, the Seattle City Council 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 shows that Seattle has one of the highest GLB populations per capita. With 12.9% of the city being gay, lesbian, or bisexual, the city ranks 2nd of all the major US cities. The Seattle metropolitan area also ranks 2nd of all major metropolitan areas with 6.5% being GLB.[52]
In 2005, Men's Fitness magazine named Seattle the fittest city in the United States.[53] Seattle is routinely in the top 5.