Seattle

People

In 1990, the population of Seattle was 516,259, of which 75.3 percent were white, 11.2 percent Asian, 10.1 percent black, and 1.4 percent Native American. Hispanics (both white and black) accounted for 3.6 percent of the population. The population estimate for 1997 was 536,600, and the estimate for 2010 was 580,591.

The population of the Seattle Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area was reported as 2,033,128 in 1990 and estimated at 2,268,126 for 1997. The region's racial composition was listed by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1996 as 85.7 percent white; 8.5 percent Asian/Pacific Islander; and 4.6 percent black. The percentage of residents of Hispanic origin (an ethnic rather than a racial designation) was 3.7 percent.

Seattle has the second-highest percentage of baby boomers of any major U.S. city—31.5 percent (surpassed only by Denver, which has 32.8 percent).