The
center of population of the state of Washington in 2010 was located in eastern King County (). King County's own center of population was located on
Mercer Island (). As of the fourth quarter of 2021, the median home value in King County was $817,547, an increase of 19.6% from the prior year. In 2021 King County experienced its first population decline in 50 years.
Racial and ethnic composition since 1960 2020 census As of the
2020 census, there were 2,269,675 people, 917,764 households, and 537,466 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 20.1% were under the age of 18 and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 36.9 years. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.1 males. 96.7% of residents lived in urban areas and 3.3% lived in rural areas. There were 917,764 households in the county, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.7% of the population. The population density was . There were 851,261 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 68.7%
White (64.8%
Non-Hispanic White), 6.2%
African American, 14.6%
Asian, 0.8%
Pacific Islander, 0.8%
Native American, 3.9% from other races, and 5.0% from
two or more races. Those of
Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.9% of the population. Of the 789,232 households, 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.5% were non-families, and 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 37.1 years.
Native American tribes King County is home to two federally-recognized tribes, the
Muckleshoot tribe and the
Snoqualmie Indian Tribe tribe, and other unrecognized groups. The Muckleshoot Indian Reservation is located southeast of Auburn and is home to a resident population of 3,606 as of the 2000 census. The Snoqualmie tribe's casino property was federally recognized as their reservation in 2006, however few tribe members live near the reservation.
Religion According to statistics from 2010, the largest religious group in King County was the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, with 278,340 members worshipping at 71 parishes, followed by 95,218
non-denominational Christian adherents with 159 congregations, 56,985
LDS Mormons with 110 congregations, 25,937
AoG Pentecostals with 63 congregations, 25,789
ELCA Lutherans with 68 congregations, 24,909
PC-USA Presbyterians with 54 congregations, 18,185
Mahayana Buddhists with 39 congregations, 18,161
UMC Methodists with 50 congregations, 14,971
TEC Episcopalians with 35 congregations, and 12,531
ABCUSA Baptists with 42 congregations. Altogether, 37.6% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, King County had 944 religious organizations, the eighth most of all U.S. counties.
Homelessness King County has the third largest population of
homeless or unsheltered people in the United States according to the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The agency's January 2023 report, based on the
point-in-time count system, estimates 14,149 people in the county have experienced homelessness; the
King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) adopted a different methodology based on the number of people seeking services and estimated that 53,532 people in the county had been homeless at some point in 2022. According to a survey collected by service providers for the county government, 68.5 percent of respondents said they last had stable housing in King County and 10.8 percent had lived elsewhere in the state. Approximately 57 percent of the homeless population counted by HUD in King County was classified as unsheltered, either living in vehicles, encampments in public spaces, or other places. The number of unsheltered individuals increased significantly in the late 2010s, leading to clearing of encampments and other structures by local governments. The county has 5,115 emergency
shelter beds and
tiny house villages, of which 67 percent are in the city of Seattle. According to data from the KCRHA, since late 2022 over 90 percent of shelter beds have been occupied on a consistent basis. Additional shelters, parking lots, and encampment sites are operated by charity organizations and churches in the area; during severe weather events such as heat waves and cold snaps, local governments open additional shelter spaces, but these often reach capacity. In 2021, a total of $123 million was spent on homelessness services by local governments in King County, including cities and the regional authority. ==Economy==