washington business
a big-picture overview
Let ’ s begin with a big-picture look at how the regions differ in population , income and housing prices .
South Central
Population Changes
647,060 508,095 population growth
From 2000 to 2017 , Washington added 1.4 million residents . Nearly 900,000 of them , 63 percent , showed up in King County and the North I-5 corridor . King County alone now accounts for 29.5 percent of the total state population , further confirmation of the welldocumented urbanization trend .
With the balance of the North I-5 corridor included , the Puget Sound metropolitan region broadly defined is home to 60 percent of Washington residents . The population shares of the other regions range from 3.5 percent ( North Central ) to 9.8 percent ( Southwest ).
All regions in the state , however , show double-digit population growth since 2000 , with the largest percentage growth , 27.4 percent , occurring in South Central Washington , which added nearly 140,000 residents . The Olympic region experienced the slowest growth rate , 15.1 percent , adding 79,000 residents .
regional income
As the chart ( right ) shows , King County , by a wide margin , is the wealthiest region in the state , using per capita personal income ( PCPI ) as the measure . ( PCPI is calculated by dividing personal income from most sources — including wages , dividends , rents , and transfer payments — by the region ’ s population .)
The 2018 King County PCPI of $ 77,213 is 63 percent higher than the $ 47,347 in the North I-5 corridor . But that gap cannot be explained by a recent surge in income . It ’ s a long-standing divide .
In 2000 , King County PCPI of $ 46,074 was 57 percent higher than second-ranking North I-5 region . King County simply grew at a healthy pace from an elevated base . King ’ s 68 percent increase in average income is roughly on par with that of the other regions , a little ahead of North I-5 , Olympic and Southwest , but trailing the 85 percent increase in North Central and 74 percent growth in South Central .
Notice how closely clustered average income is in the six regions outside King County . From the North I-5 high of $ 47,347 to a low of $ 41,114 in the Eastern region , the gap is just over $ 6,000 . While that ’ s not nothing , it also shows less variation than may have been expected .
Looked at another way , most of the state ’ s regional PCPI numbers for 2016 are near where King County stood in 2000 . The disparate wealth of the Seattle metro area is considerable and persistent — and remarkably concentrated .
Eastern
North Central
King County
North I-5
Southwest
Olympic
255,990 213,806
669,120 568,245
712,970 562,661
605,360 526,115
2017 2000
1,792,581
1,792,581
Per Capita Personal Income
South Central
Eastern
North Central
King County
North I-5
Southwest
$ 23,940
$ 25,347
$ 22,733
$ 29,254
$ 27,279
$ 41,555
$ 41,114
$ 42,056
$ 46,074
$ 47,347
$ 44,952
2,153,700
2,266,100
2016 2000
$ 77,213
Olympic
$ 28,044
$ 46,368
32 association of washington business