Update: Census Data Show Growth of Minorities in Redmond

New data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau show Redmond has become more ethnically diverse in the past 10 years.

People who identify as white currently make up 65 percent of the city's total population, down from 79 percent in 2000. Meanwhile, Asians are now 25 percent of Redmond's total population, up from 13 percent in 2000. The Asian population was 13,733 in 2010, up from 5,893 in 2000.

The data also point to an increase in the city's population of Blacks/African Americans and those who identified as Hispanic or Latino. The population of Native Americans and Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders remained nearly constant, while the number of people who identify with more than one race rose from 3.1 percent of the total population in 2000 to 4 percent in 2010.

Redmond Mayor John Marchione said the increase in the city's minority population is indicative of a healthy job market and the community's overall appeal.

“I think that shows what a great community Redmond is, that a variety of people are deciding to live here,” he said.

Redmond's population as a whole increased nearly 20 percent between 2000 and 2010. The city's population rose from 45,256 in 2000 to 54,144 in 2010, an increase of 8,888, or 19.6 percent.

Marchione said he thinks the amount of growth in the city has been healthy.

“That’s a nice steady level of growth  — it’s not overwhelming,” he said. "It shows we’re adding more housing units. Part of our mission is to get a balance between the housing and the number of jobs here.”

Despite the growth, Redmond's rank as one of the state's most populous cities actually fell, from 15th in 2000 to 18th in 2010. The six most-populous Washington cities remained unchanged. They are, respectively: Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue and Everett.

City Council President Richard Cole said he thinks Redmond has done an adequate job keeping up with the growth but acknowledged that more work still needs to be done. In particular, Cole said he would like to see infrastructure improvements, such as the addition of park facilities, in the city's southern end.

“We could always do more. The cost of infrastructure is (high), and I think we’ve pretty well managed it to the best of our ability,” he said. "We’re pedaling as fast as we can.”

At the county level, King County is still home to the most people: 1,931,249 in 2010, up from 1,737,034 in 2000. That change represents an 11.2 percent increase in population.

Statewide, Washington’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, versus 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.

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.