The Census Bureau has released its initial findings from the 2020 census, confirming that Washington and the Snoqualmie Valley have grown exponentially over the past decade.

The data, which was released Aug. 12, after pandemic delays, gives the first look at population change between 2010 and 2020. Data for the census was collected between July of 2020 and July 2021.

According to the data, Snoqualmie gained 2,885 residents over the last ten years, for a growth rate of 27%. Snoqualmie had the 13th biggest growth rate in the county, and the 37th largest growth rate in the state.

North Bend also saw significant gains, adding 1,859 residents over the last decade for a growth rate of 32%. This gave the city the ninth biggest growth rate in the county and 32nd largest in the state.

The largest change in population in King County was seen in Kirkland, where the population nearly doubled from 48,787 residents in 2010 to 95,431 residents in 2020. Redmond, Issaquah and Woodinville all grew by over 30%, while Kent and Sammamish grew by over 40%.

Seattle added an additional 161,054 residents for a change of 26% over the last decade.

King County grew by 17%, which made it the fourth fast growing county in the state, behind Franklin, Kittitas and Benton. Franklin County grew the most, at a rate of 24%.

King County added 343,066 new residents, the most of any county. Pierce and Snohomish counties followed behind adding 118,665 and 117,058, respectively. Columbia was the only county to have a population decrease in the last decade, finishing with 30 fewer residents.

Washington state finished the decade with 969,072 new residents for a state population of 7,693,612. The state had a growth rate of 14%. Washington is now the 13th most populous state in the nation.

Diversity

Washington and King County both increased in diversity over the last decade.

One way this change is monitored is through the diversity index, which calculates the chances two people in a population, chosen at random, are from different racial or ethnic groups.

In 2020, King County had a diversity index of 64%, which is up 10% from 2010. Nearly two-thirds of residents were white in 2010, that number is down to 54% in 2020.

The county’s biggest change was seen in Asian and Latino populations, who grew by 5% and 2% respectively. The number of Black residents grew by 0.5% and the number of biracial individuals grew by almost 3%.

The state saw similar changes to the county, with its diversity index rising 10%.

White populations drop nearly 10% over the last decade. About 64% of residents now identified as white, non-Latino.

Asians and Latino populations both saw a 2% increases statewide. They now make up 13% and 9% of the state’s population. Yakima County became the third county in the state where Latinos outnumber whites.

6.6% of residents are biracial, up from 4% in 2010. Black and Native statewide populations both dropped by less than 0.5%.