Population increases in Washington, Idaho

Washington state has grown 8.6 percent since 2000, according to new data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau, while Idaho’s population has zoomed 13.3 percent.

Washington increased from 5.8 million residents in the 2000 Census to 6.3 million estimated on July 1, 2006.

Of those, 1.5 million were under 18 and 4.1 million were 18 to 64. There were 738,000 who were 65 and older, 7.6 percent of the population, compared to 12 percent nationwide. The largest single age group was 45 to 49 year olds, who made up 502,000 Washingtonians.

The median age in Washington climbed from 35.3 years in 2000 to 36.7 years in 2006 estimates.

The state had 3.189 million males in 2006 (median age 35.8), and 3.206 million females (median age 37.8) in 2006. Both groups were about a year older than the 2000 census found.

In Idaho, the Census data show Idaho’s population is getting not only bigger, but also older, and that men continue to outnumber women in every age group under 50.

The estimates show Idaho added more people the past six years than the combined populations of Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Nampa.

The bureau estimates the state’s 2006 population at 1,466,465, an increase of 172,512 people, or 13.3 percent, from the roughly 1.29 million tallied during the last major census in 2000.

Idaho has typically been one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, said Alan Porter, census data manager with Idaho Commerce and Labor. The trend is expected to continue, he said.

“We’re basically following the overall pattern that was happening in the 1990s,” Porter said.

Even during the national recession years of 2001 and 2002, when many states saw declines, Idaho continued to grow, Porter said. Further boosting population is a relatively high birth rate and a relatively low death rate, he said.

The data also reinforce a variety of demographic trends, including the state’s tendency to become older.

Statistics show the state’s median age in 2006 at 34.2, up from 34.1 a year ago and 33.2 compared to 2000.

The age bracket between 15 and 44 is Idaho’s most concentrated, with an estimated population of more than 615,000, according to bureau figures. At the opposite ends of the spectrum, the census estimates the state has 112,963 residents younger than age 5 and 23,384 residents age 85 and older.

Men continue to outnumber women in all age brackets under 50. But women make up the majority in the years beyond, and by greater percentages with age. The average age for men in Idaho is 33.2, up from 32.2 in 2000; for women the average age is 35.2, up from 34.2 in 2000.