King County, Washington has about 3 times the number of people living in it than either Pierce County or Snohomish County. During the years 2000 to 2009, the number of children in King County grew by 10,312. Pierce County has seen an increase of 9,412 children, and Snohomish County, 11,300. (The definition of children are people who are 18 years of age or younger.) During that same time period, King County has seen an increase of twenty to twenty-nine year olds in the amount of 78,376, with Pierce County increasing 9,870, and Snohomish County, 6,682. In the thirty to thirty-nine age range, King County gained 46,739, Pierce County gained 12,410, and Snohomish County increased 24,936.
According to USDA’s Economic Research Service, the population of King County was 1,735,844 in 2000. Pierce County was 700,799 and Snohomish was 605,638. Since 2000, Snohomish County has added about 23% to their total population, Pierce County has grown by 19%, and King County grew by approx. 21%.
What is frightening is the lack of young people living in King County as measured by percentage of the population. According to U.S. Census estimates for 2016, the population of King County is 2,149,970, with 20.6% of the population 18 years old or younger. Pierce County’s estimates for 2016 are 861,312 people with 23.7% 18 years old or younger. Snohomish County’s population estimate is 787,620 with 22.8% 18 years or younger. All of these are below average for our country as a whole. The average for the entire U.S. is approximately 24% children. The City of Seattle has only 15.4%, and Bellevue, 22.8%. Seattle has the second lowest percentage of children living in the city out of the 25 largest U.S. cities.