Seattle continued to grow more racially diverse in 2024, led by a significant increase in the city’s Asian population, new census data shows. And if the trend continues, the city will no longer have one majority race within the next decade.
The estimated number of Asian people residing in Seattle increased by about 10,600 from 2023, hitting 139,100 in the most recent federal report. Asian people made up nearly 18% of Seattle’s population in 2024, up about 1 percentage point from the year prior.
Seattle had the fourth-highest percentage of Asian residents among the nation’s 50 most populous cities, and the four highest are all on the West Coast. San Jose, Calif., was No. 1 at about 42%, followed by San Francisco and Sacramento, Calif.
The share of Seattle residents who are white fell by nearly 2 percentage points, from 58.7% in 2023 to 56.9% in 2024. That’s a large decline in percentage terms for a single year.
Even so, numerically, Seattle’s white population was essentially unchanged, estimated at about 444,600 in 2024, only slightly higher than the 443,300 estimate the year before. But at the same time, Seattle’s total population jumped from about 755,100 to roughly 781,000, thus shrinking the share of the population that is white.
Seattle’s racial diversity in 2024
Seattle’s white population has declined from its 2019 high of 473,100, but has remained essentially flat since 2022.
Among the 50 largest cities, Seattle ranked seventh-highest for the share of its population that was white, and it was one of just 12 cities where white residents still make up the majority. The others were Portland; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Omaha, Neb.; Mesa, Ariz.; Virginia Beach, Va.; Louisville, Ky.; Minneapolis; Denver; Kansas City, Mo.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Raleigh, N.C.
The estimates for the Hispanic, multiracial and Black populations of Seattle were all higher in 2024, although the changes weren’t large enough to be statistically significant, given the survey’s margin of error.
The Hispanic population grew by about 5,100 to roughly 71,100, representing about 9% of the city’s total. The number of multiracial people grew by about 5,000, reaching roughly 66,000, or around 8%. And Seattle’s Black population also increased, up about 4,800 to roughly 52,500, or nearly 7%.
Most big cities no longer have a single racial or ethnic majority. Only 20 of the 50 largest cities do. In addition to the 12 white-majority cities, five had Hispanic majorities — El Paso, Texas; Miami; San Antonio; Bakersfield, Calif.; and Fresno, Calif. — and three had Black majorities — Detroit; Memphis, Tenn.; and Baltimore. None of the nation’s 50 largest cities has an Asian majority, though San Jose comes closest.
Last year, I reported that Portland was no longer the “whitest” major U.S. city, a distinction the Rose City held for many years. Portland fell to No. 2 behind Colorado Springs in 2023. But in 2024, Portland’s white population rebounded, recording the highest share of white residents among large cities, at 65%, ahead of Colorado Springs. Detroit, at about 12% white, had the lowest share.
Detroit also had the highest share of Black residents, at roughly 73%, while Mesa had the lowest, at under 3%.
As noted, San Jose had the highest share of Asian residents, at nearly 42%, while El Paso had the smallest, at just over 1%.
El Paso was also the most Hispanic large city, at more than 81%, while Atlanta had the lowest Hispanic share, at about 7%.
Tulsa, Okla., has the highest share of multiracial residents among the 50 largest cities, at just under 10%, while El Paso ranked last.
King County’s second-largest city remained more racially diverse than Seattle. In 2024, Bellevue’s population was estimated at about 154,400. Roughly 75,400 residents — nearly 49% — were Asian, while about 50,100 — or 33% — were white.
Several other King County cities in the census data — including Renton, Federal Way, Auburn, Sammamish, and Kent — also had no single racial or ethnic majority group.
Kirkland, like Seattle, remained a white-majority city, at about 58%.
The data comes from the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey.
Gene Balk / FYI Guy: gbalk@seattletimes.com. Gene Balk is a columnist at The Seattle Times, where he writes about local demographics and other data for his FYI Guy column.