At first opportunity nearly 5 percent of Seattleites identify themselves as multiracial.
The fraction of Seattleites identifying themselves as multiracial in 2000, 4.5 percent, is almost twice the national average. Large urban areas in the West and Northeast are more likely to have high percentages of self-identified multiracial people than are places with less racial diversity and lower intermarriage rates. The US Census Bureau does not recommend comparing 2000 race data with that for 1990 if the percent identifying themselves as multiracial is this high. In previous censuses people were required to select only one race.
Click here to view a larger version of the graph:
Seattle's Racial Diversity in 2000
Nearly three quarters of Seattleites are white.
Seventy percent of Seattleites identified themselves as white in the 2000 Census. Another 3.3 percent identified themselves as white and another race.
People of Asian descent comprise Seattle's second largest racial group.
Thirteen percent of Seattleites selected Asian to identify themselves in the 2000 census. Another 1.9 percent indicated that they were of more than one race including Asian. Likewise, in King County 11 percent chose Asian as their race and another 1.7 chose Asian as well as another race to identify themselves. In Washington State a much smaller 5.5 percent identified themselves as Asian and an additional 1.2 percent listed Asian along with another race. In the US 3.6 percent of the population is of Asian descent and another 0.6 percent of the population identified themselves as at least two races including Asian.
Chinese outnumber other groups of Asian origin in Seattle.
The largest group of Asian descent in Seattle is Chinese followed by Filipino, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, and Asian Indian.
Seattle has lower percent of blacks than U.S.
Seattle's population includes 8.4 percent who identified themselves as African American or black; another 1.4 percent selected black in combination with one or more other races. The proportions of the populations of King County and Washington State that are black are smaller than Seattle's at 5.4 percent and 3.2 percent respectively. Twelve percent of the U.S. population is black. People who chose black or African American as well as one or more other races to describe themselves accounted for another 1.1 percent of King County, 0.8 percent of Washington State, and 0.6 percent of the US population.
Native American and Alaskan natives contribute to city's diversity.
One percent of Seattle’s 2000 population chose Native American or Alaska Native to describe them. Another 1.1 percent of the population chose Native American or Alaska Native as well as at least one other race.
Seattle's percent Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders is five times national rate.
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders was selected by 0.5 percent of Seattle's 2000 population to identify themselves. Samoans formed the largest group followed by Native Hawaiians and Guamanian or Chamorros. Another 0.4 percent, nearly 5,000 people, chose Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander along with one or more other races.The category "Some other race" was chosen by 2.4 percent of Seattleites in the 2000 census.
OTHER INFORMATION ON POPULATION TRENDS:
