King County’s Changing Demographics Investigating Our Increasing Diversity Chandler Felt, Demographer King County Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget Office of Law Enforcement Oversight, April 1, 2016

A note on sources Decennial Census: 1990, 2000, 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) –Most recent detailed data, Reliability of data –ACS accuracy is not so good Margins of Error

King County Population Growth, King County now more than 2 million people Gained 300,000 persons Gain: more than population of Tacoma Population grew 11%, while job numbers remained flat ( ) Data we’re reporting are from 2010 Census and American Community Survey

The region’s population is becoming increasingly diverse: ,

The region’s population is becoming increasingly diverse: 2000

The region’s population is becoming increasingly diverse: 2010

Population diversity: compare King County to the U.S.

Appearance of Equity At a glance, King County outperforms the U.S. on socio-economic indicators

A Closer Look Income by Race & Place

How did we get into this complex pattern of disparity?

20 years of King County growth: increase is mostly persons of color

Nearly half of King County kids are children of color

Where is our growth coming from? Only half of population growth is from natural increase – our own children Before 1990, migration – e.g. California Between , immigration – - All parts of Asia - Latin America - Eastern Europe - Africa - Some from these regions, via US states

More than half of our recent growth is immigration

Immigrants arrive from all over the world

Refugee population in King County Numbers steady until recently South King has majority

Increasing numbers speak other languages

King County residents speak 170+ different languag es

Spanish speakers in King County by census tract Highest category: 18% - 37% speaking Spanish Spanish speakers are widely distributed

Chinese languages in King County Highest category: 10% - 47% speaking Chinese. Evenly split between Cantonese, Mandarin Also widely distributed, Seattle and Eastside

African languages in King County Highest category: 10% - 17% speaking languages including Amharic, Tigrinya, Somali. Clustered in Seattle and SW King County

Household types have changed little since single persons remain the largest category

King County Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity: Updated data

Income distribution: where’s the middle class? KC-income Cats07updt

Updated Income Distribution: where’s the middle class now?

Increasing Income Inequality – a more accurate portrayal

Poverty rates increased, especially in the suburbs: Poverty Rates,

Number of Persons Below Poverty,

Children below poverty, countywide: number has doubled since 1990

King County Kids Below Poverty by Race: 2008 and 2013 Before and “after” the Great Recession. Note largest increases were among Latino and multi-race children.

Unincorporated King County: a dwindling share

Continuing shift into cities

The Sheriff serves a quarter of King County

KCSO Service Area Ethnicity

Some demographic characteristics, Uninc KC; Contract cities Population of Youth ages 15 – 24: –30,000 / 11.8%; 32,000 / 11.6% Language spoken at home: –41,000 / 17%; 68,000 / 27% Foreign-born population: –35,000 / 14%; 57,000 / 21% Median household income: –About $89,000; about $78,000

What future trends can we expect? Continuing population growth in King County. Continuing increase in diversity of cultures. Perhaps increasing disparity between communities. Growth in Seattle and the suburban cities - with the greatest changes in the suburbs. Continuing shift from unincorporated into cities –(buffered for Sheriff by contracts with some cities)

Thank you ! Questions…? - Chandler Felt, Demographer -King County Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget -Seattle, WA (206) 263 – 9693

Leftovers Not in presentation, but available in case other issues come up in Q&A

Number of Foreclosures Grew Dramatically During and After the Recession

A Closer Look Graduation Rates by Race & Place difference of 29.8% 84.8 % 55.0 %

Numbers of persons below poverty: now primarily in the suburbs

Housing Affordability In many areas, half of households were paying 30% or more of their incomes for housing in Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Note: ACS estimates contain margins of error and differences between neighborhoods shown in map may not be statistically significant.

Persons of color are widely distributed across the county

“Food deserts” – no nearby grocery stores