Bellevue Fifth Most Populous Washington City; Grew Nearly 12 Percent in the Past Decade

The numbers for the 2010 U.S. Census confirmed that Bellevue is the fifth most populous city in Washington and it outpaced Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma in growth since 2000, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau Wednesday afternoon.

More than 12,500 people moved to or were born in Bellevue in the past decade, according to the numbers collected in 2010.

According to the U.S. Census, the five most populous cities are: Seattle, 608,660; Spokane, 208,916; Tacoma, 198,397; Vancouver, 161,791; and Bellevue with 122,363. Those rankings have been unchanged since the 2000 U.S. Census.

The data also show that Seattle grew by 8.0 percent since the 2000 Census. Spokane grew by 6.8 percent, Tacoma grew by 2.5 percent, Vancouver grew by 12.7 percent, and Bellevue grew by 11.7 percent.

Washington state’s population rose about 14 percent in the past decade, reaching 6,724,540 in 2010. The state is slightly more diverse, with 77 percent of the population identifying themselves as white, vs. 82 percent in 2000.

The Hispanic and Latino population grew the fastest, rising 71 percent to about three-quarters of a million people. That group makes up about 11 percent of the state’s population, up from 7.5 percent in 2000.

Along with the 6.72 million Washington residents, another 28,829 people who call Washington state home live overseas, serving in the military or as federal civilian employees (including their dependents). That boosts the state’s apportionment population to 6,753,369. That’s the figure used to determine how many seats the state gets in the House of Representatives. Based on that number, the state gets one new seat.

Among people who identified themselves as one race, the population of native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders grew the fastest, up 69 percent. Asians grew 49 percent; blacks grew 26 percent; American Indian and Alaska natives grew 11 percent; and the white population rose just under 8 percent. People who identified themselves as “Some Other Race” rose 53 percent.

People who identified themselves as two or more races rose 47 percent. They’re still just a small portion of the population, at about 313,000, or just under 5 percent.

• Bellevue Vacancies Among Highest In State, According to U.S. Census
• Increased Proportion of Bellevue Residents Are of Asian Descent, 2010 Census Shows

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