THURSTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT DATA
Census 2000 Thurston County Population by School District
Census 2000 Thurston County School District Population by Age & Gender
Estimate of School-Age Poverty Population, 1995

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OVERVIEW

Since 1790 the U.S. Census Bureau has conducted a national population count, with the most recent available decennial census being Census 2000.  The next is in 2010.  The population censuses provide detailed information about the number of people in the country and where they live.  This information is used extensively by both the public and private sector in making informed decisions affecting many areas of American life.

Every household in the country is asked certain basic demographic and housing questions.  This data is commonly referred to as the "100%" data and was released in 2001 for the 2000 Census.  The equivalent data for the 2010 Census will be released in 2011. 

In previous decennial censuses, a sample of these households was asked additional more detailed questions.  One in six households nationwide received this "long-form" questionnaire.  Beginning in 2005, the Census Bureau has asked similar questions from a sample of households, but with two significant changes: 1) the questions are asked all year around, every year; and 2) the sample size is much smaller, about one household in forty to fifty each year.

The advantage of the new American Community Survey (ACS) is that detailed information about the population (such as education, poverty, migration, commute patterns, income, etc.) is now available every year, instead of just every ten years.

The disadvantage is that the sample size is very small, so the margin of error is large.  Because the sample size is small, small areas need more than one year worth of data to get statistically valid information.  Thus only areas of 65,000 people and above have single-year data (e.g., 2008 for Thurston County).  For areas of 20,000 and above, the data from three-year periods is gathered together (e.g., 2006-2008 for Olympia and Lacey).  For smaller cities, and down to the neighborhood level, the data from five-year periods is gathered together (e.g., 2005-2009 for Yelm, census tracts, census block groups).

The following are some data highlights for Thurston County from both the 2000 Decennial Census and American Community Survey questionnaires.

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THURSTON COUNTY DECENNIAL CENSUS RESULTS

Population

Over the 1990s Thurston County continued to experience significant population growth.  With a total county population of 207,355, there were 46,117 more people residing in the County in the year 2000 than in 1990.  The county's average annual growth rate for the 1990s (2.5%) slowed only slightly as compared to the 1980s (2.6%).

A larger proportion of the county's population lives within city limits (45%) than did so in 1990 (41.6%).  However, much of this change is the result of annexation, that is, of changing city boundaries.  Within the cities, growth has not been evenly distributed over the 1990s.  Lacey added the most new residents over the decade, increasing by 11,947 people.  Yelm by far had the largest population growth rate, growing by 146%.  Significant annexation has occurred in both of these communities.

Age characteristics

Overall the county's population is getting older.  Census figures show that in 2000, the median age of the county's population was 36.5 years, up from 33.6 years in 1990.  However, there are some interesting distinctions in the age characteristics between the cities within Thurston county.  For example, Yelm has the youngest population.  Its median age of 30.8 years is significantly lower than the county's median age, while its proportion of children (32%) is significantly higher than the county average (25%).  

Olympia has the most children of any city in the county, however, overall children also make up the smallest proportion (21%) of the city's population. Olympia has the highest proportion of those aged 18-64 years (65%), typically considered the working age population.  Tenino, on the other hand,  has the smallest proportion of those aged 18-64 years (56%) and the largest proportion of those aged 65 years and older (14.3%).  The other small cities in the county, Bucoda and Rainier, have the smallest proportion of those aged 65 years and older (8.4% and 8.6% respectively).

Race and Hispanic Origin

The 2000 Census was the first time that respondents were given the option of selecting one or more race categories to indicate their racial identities.  Because of this, the Census 2000 data on race are not directly comparable with data from the 1990 Census or earlier Censuses, and caution must be exercised when interpreting changes in racial composition.  

Nevertheless it is clear that Thurston County is more racially diverse in 2000 than in 1990, reflecting both national and state trends.  Of those reporting a single race, 86% were White.  The Asian population, at 4%, comprised the second largest group.  Those who identified themselves as two or more races made up 4% of respondents.  Race and Hispanic origin are considered two separate and distinct concepts by the federal government.  Demographic trends in the Hispanic population, up from 3% in 1990 to 5% in 2000, also contribute to an increasingly rich social fabric within Thurston County.

Housing Data

Housing units in the county have grown at a slightly faster rate (30%) over the decade than population (28.6%).  Part of the reason for this is a declining household size, which fell from 2.55 persons per household in 1990 to 2.5 in 2000.  Declining household size has important implications for both the type of housing which the population will need in the future, and the amount of land which will be needed for future population growth.

As with population, a larger proportion of the county's housing units are located within city limits (48%) in the year 2000 than in 1990 (45%).  Also reflecting population trends, Lacey added the most new units and Yelm had the highest rate of growth in housing units.  However, these cities had quite different trends in household size.  Yelm saw the sharpest decline in household size (down 7%) of any city in the county, while Lacey actually saw a minor increase (1%) in household size.

Single-family houses continue to make up the bulk of residential housing units in the county, with 12,482 new single family homes added to the county between 1990 and 2000.  Census data shows that multifamily units made up 23% of the county's housing stock in 2000, up from 20% in 1990.  On the other hand, manufactured homes showed a decline in their share of all housing units in the county, dropping from 16% in 1990 to 13% in 2000. 

Median and Per Capita Income

Census 2000 data shows that Thurston County's median household income for 1999 was $46,975.  This is approximately $1,200 above the statewide average and is a change from the 1990 census when the county's median household income was slightly lower than the statewide average. 

Lacey has the highest median household income of any city in the county.  Tumwater, however, has the highest median family income and per capita income while Olympia ranks second on those measures.

In the past, the south county cities and towns have had a substantially lower median income than the north county cities. However, the Census 2000 data shows that for median household income, Rainier ranks third among the county's cities.  Of the smaller towns, Yelm has the highest median family income.