Bellevue Census Data: Despite Shifts in Ethnic Backgrounds, Ages and Families Largely the Same

While Washington state got a bit older in the past 10 years, it would appear that Bellevue's median ages for men and women hasn't appeared to change very much at all in the past 10 years, according to a new release of 2010 Census data.

In many of the demographics measured by the U.S. Census last year, Bellevue remained stable despite its nearly 12 percent growth over the past 10 years.

However, Bellevue saw its adult demographic shift, with slight growth in the percentage of people aged 25-34 and a two percentage point decrease in the percentage of people aged 34-45, according to the U.S. Census numbers.

Last year, the median age of men in Bellevue was 36.4 years (up slightly from 36.3 in 2000) and the median age for women was 40.4 years (up slightly from 39.9 in 2000). The median age of all people in Bellevue in 2010 was 38.5, up from 38.2 in 2000.

The average Bellevue household size also remained stable, with the average household size at 2.41 people (slightly larger than 2000's 2.37 household size) and an average family size of 2.97 people (almost unchanged from 2000's 2.93 people). Families made up 63.8 percent of households in Bellevue, which was almost the same as in 2000.

However, one of the most noticable ways that the face of Bellevue has changed over the past few years is in racial demographics, with nearly at least a .

In other data released by the U.S. Census bureau Wednesday night, statewide, women continue to live longer than men, households stayed about the same size or shrank slightly, and we had a smaller proportion of children in our homes and a larger proportion of other relatives living with us. And the state's racial makeup changed as well, with the Indian and Mexican populations growing significantly statewide.

Bellevue continues to have smaller households and smaller family sizes than the state as a whole, according to the U.S. Census numbers, and the median age tends to be older than in the rest of the state.

Here’s a look at the numbers:

• In Washington state, the median age was 37.3 in 2010, up from 35.3 in 2000.
• The percentage of males to females was the same, 49.8 percent to 50.2 percent.
• The median age for males was 36.2 and 38.3 for females last year, up from 34.4 for males and 36.3 for females in 2000.
• The average household size was 2.51 people, nearly flat from 2.53 in 2000.
• The average family size was 3.06, about the same as 3.07 in 2000.

But looking at households, families made up 64.4 percent in 2010, down from 66 percent 10 years ago.

And of those family households, those with their own children under 18 dropped from 32.7 percent to 29.1 percent.

At the same time, the proportion of other relatives living in households jumped considerably. In 2000, the Census counted 236,631 "other relatives" living in all households, or 4 percent of the population. Ten years later, that grew to 349,380, or 5.2 percent -- a 30 percent jump in the proportion. However, in Bellevue, the percentage of families with "other relatives" stayed about the same, with 4.1 percent of families living with other relatives in 2010 and 3.9 percent of families living with other relatives in 2000.

In 2000, there were 236,631 households with other relatives. Ten years later, there were 349,380.

Our age groups have shifted, too. Children made up smaller percentages of the population in all age groups for the state.

For example:

• The percentage of preschoolers shrank slightly, from 6.7 percent in 2000 to 6.5 percent in 2010.
• The percentage of 5- to 14-year-olds shrank from 14.6 percent to 12.9 percent.
• And 15- to 19-year-olds shrank from 7.3 percent to 6.9 percent.
• Also losing ground was the percentage of 25- to 44-year-olds.

On the growth side, the percentage of 20- to 24-year-olds rose, as did older age groups.

Those 85 and older rose 39 percent, from 84,085 in 2000 to 117,271 last year.

The Census also looked at people’s racial and ethnic backgrounds. Of people who considered themselves one race and Asian, the proportion of people of Indian descent grew the greatest, more than doubling from 23,992, or 0.4 percent of the population, in 2000 to 61,124, or 0.9 percent, last year. Other Asian groups grew more slowly, with the population of Japanese descent actually shrinking, from 35,985, or 0.6 percent, in 2000 to 35,008, or 0.5 percent, in 2010.

Among people who identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino, those of Mexican descent grew the most, nearly doubling from 329,934, or 5.6 percent of the population, in 2000 to 601,768, or 8.9 percent, last year.

Other data released Wednesday:
King County:
Median age: 37.1 (2000: 35.7)
Males 49.8 percent, females 50.2 (2000: unchanged)
Median age by gender: males 36.3, females 37.9 (2000: males 34.9, females 36.6)
Average household size: 2.40 (2000: 2.39)  
Average family size: 3.05 (2000: 3.03)