Cultural Diversity and
Washington Cities

The 1990's was a time of rapid growth in Washington, including the diversity of this state's residents. 2000 Census reports provide a wealth of information about the changing faces of Washington:

• The population of Asian Indians in the state nearly tripled. 
• The Hispanic population grew by 36 percent. 
• An area in north Whatcom County has a higher concentration of people with Russian ancestry than anywhere else in the country, and the Spokane area is not far behind. 
• The ratio of Tukwila residents who claim to have been born in another country rose from 1 in 14 in 1990 to 1 in 4 in 2000. 
• The two cities with the highest percentage of foreign-born residents are Sunnyside and Pasco. Of those who are foreign born, about 90 percent are from Mexico, Central America, South America or the Caribbean. 
• Finally, while the entire state is diversifying to one degree or another, city residents are more diverse than non-city residents. 

Population Demographics by Race/Ethnicity
(chart, pdf, 11 kb)

Search the Census Bureau website for more information at http://www.census.gov/.

The following report presents a snapshot of what cultural diversity issues some Washington cities are most concerned about and what kinds of actions they are taking to address them. For a hard copy of the report, please contact Karen Tanner at (360) 753-4137 or karent@awcnet.org.

• Cultural Diversity in Washington Cities
  (pdf, 293 kb)

2/27/06