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King County sees smallest population growth in 10 years

King County grew by nearly 29,000 people in 2019, which is down from peak annual growth of about 36,000 people six years ago.

Population growth is slowing across the Puget Sound area, including King County, which grew by the smallest amount in a decade.

The U.S. Census Bureau released 2018 census data Thursday, which showed King County grew by 28,934 people, dropping below 32,000 new residents for the first time since at least 2010.

Snohomish and Pierce saw similar trends, each growing by about 3,000 fewer residents than they did in 2017.

Despite the slowdown in growth, King County is still one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. In 2018, it recorded the sixth largest increase in residents than other U.S. counties. When accounting for the over 300,000 people that have moved to King County since 2010, it’s the third fastest growing county over the last decade.

With 2.23 million residents, King County is twice as populous as Pierce (891,299 residents) and Snohomish (814,901) counties.

Overall Washington state grew by 110,159 people in 2018, which is a 1.5 percent increase.

CHART: Population changes in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties

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