A Little Baby Boom in Seattle

There must be something in the water for the first time in decades in Seattle; there are suddenly many more children living in the city.

1 minute read

April 16, 2019, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


City Kids

SvetlanaSF / Shutterstock

"Census data show that for the first time in roughly half a century, Seattle’s under-18 population exceeds 100,000. It happened after a sudden bump in the number of city kids — and that’s a little surprising, because it’s something that hasn’t happened in decades," reports Gene Balk.

"The city’s under-18 population peaked in 1960, when the census tallied 167,000 kids," according to Balk. The city's under-18 population stood at 87,000 in 1980, before mostly holding flat until this year.

There's a very large caveat coming: even despite this little baby boom in the city, the share of residents under 18 in Seattle ranks third in the country among large cities. Balk elaborates: "Even with the recent, modest increase in kids in Seattle, only about 16 percent of the population is under 18. Among the 50 largest U.S. cities, that ranks as third lowest. San Francisco and Boston are the two cities slightly lower."

Monday, April 15, 2019 in The Seattle Times

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