As of the census of 2000, there were 563,374 people, 258,499 households, and 113,400 families residing in Seattle. The racial makeup of the city was 67.1 percent White, 16.6 percent Asian, 9.7 percent African American, 2.38 percent from other races, 1.00 percent Native American, 0.50 percent Pacific Islander, and 4.46 percent from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.3 percent of the population. 11.3% were of German, 9.1% Irish, 8.1% English and 5.0% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. Seattle has seen a major increase in legal and illegal immigration in recent decades. The foreign-born population increased 40 percent between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. Hispanics are believed to be the most rapidly growing ethnic group in Washington, with an estimated increase of 10 percent just from 2000 to 2002, though they have tended to settle outside the city, in rural areas where agricultural jobs are abundant. The percentage of Seattle's population that identifies as gay or lesbian is estimated to be 12.9 percent, the second highest among the largest 50 cities in the U.S. behind San Francisco, California.

The median income for a household in the city is $45,736, and the median income for a family is $62,195. Males have a median income of $40,929 versus $35,134 for females. The per capita income for the city is $30,306. 11.8 percent of the population and 6.9 percent of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 13.8 percent are under the age of 18 and 10.2 percent are 65 or older.

It is estimated that King County has 8,000 homeless on any given night, and many of those live in Seattle. Up to 14 percent of Seattle's homeless are children and young adults. Despite many blemishes in Seattle's treatment of homeless citizens, local charities have made attempts to lower the ballooning homeless population.[citation needed] In September 2005, King County adopted a "Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness", one of the near-term results of which is a shift of funding from homeless shelter beds to permanent housing.

In 2006, after growing by 4,000 citizens per year for the previous 16 years, regional planners expect the population of Seattle to grow by 200,000 people by 2040. However, Mayor Nickels supports plans that would increase the population by 60 percent, or 350,000 people, by 2040 and is working on ways to accommodate this growth while keeping Seattle's single-family housing zoning laws. In 2006, the Seattle City Council voted to relax height limits on buildings in the greater part of Downtown, partly with the aim of increasing residential density in the city center.

A 2006 study by UCLA shows that Seattle has one of the highest GLBT populations per capita. With 12.9% of the city being gay, lesbian, or bisexual, the city ranks 2nd of all the major US cities. The Seattle metropolitan area also ranks 2nd of all major metropolitan areas with 6.5% being GLBT.

Population
As of the U.S. Census of 2000, there were 563,374 people, 258,499 households, and 113,481 families residing in the city of Seattle. The population density was 2,593.5/km² (6,717.0/mi²). There were 270,524 housing units at an average density of 1,245.4/km² (3,225.4/mi²).

During the day, incoming commuters increase Seattle's population by over 160,000 people. This makes the city's daytime population rise from about 560,000 to over 720,000 according to estimates based on the 2000 Census.

Seattle TrashThe racial makeup of the city in 2004 is 67.1% white, 16.6% Asian, 9.7% Black, 1.0% Native American, 0.9% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. 6.3% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. 11.3% were of German, 9.1% Irish, 8.1% English and 5.0% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.

A trash can in Seattle attempting to have a label in 4 languages: English, Chinese, Vietnamese (incorrectly), and Spanish.

There were 258,499 households out of which 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.7% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.1% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.6% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 38.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,736, and the median income for a family was $62,195. Males had a median income of $40,929 versus $35,134 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,306. 11.8% of the population and 6.9% of families were below the poverty line as were 13.8% were under the age of 18 and 10.2% are 65 or older.

Seattle has seen a major uptick in immigration in recent decades. The foreign-born population increased 40 percent between the 1990 and 2000 census. Although the 2000 census shows only 5.28% of the population as Hispanic or Latino of any race, Hispanics are believed to be the most rapidly growing population group in Washington State, with an estimated increase of 10% just in the years 2000–2002.

Housing and homeless issues
Like most modern urban centers, at any given time, some Seattle residents are homeless. Seattle's relatively mild winters may even lure homeless people from cities with colder winters. It is notoriously difficult to get exact numbers of homeless people, but estimates of Seattle's homeless population put the number somewhere around 6,000 to 8,000 people; up to 1,000 are children and young adults.

In March 2004, Seattle was recognized in a report released by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as one of the seven cities in the United States that are leading the way toward reducing chronic homelessness. (The other cities are Birmingham, Alabama; Boston; Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; and San Diego.) Many of the services cited are funding fairly traditional programs, such as homeless shelters, emergency shelters, low-income housing, and hygiene programs. Also, the Community Psychiatric Clinic in Seattle provides housing for about 5,000 homeless mentally ill clients per year. There are also private shelters, soup kitchens, and food banks. The Seattle Housing Authority also provides 5,300 low-income public housing units for over 24,000 residents. Its first development, Yesler Terrace (1942), was the first public housing development in Washington and the first integrated such development in the country.

But Seattle also has some more innovative programs run by nonprofit groups. Real Change is a street newspaper sold by homeless individuals to provide them an income without panhandling. FareStart provides job training and placement in the food preparation industry and provides food service in the Seattle Central Library. The Homelessness Project, Seattle Youth Garden Works and YMCA's Working Zone help the homeless get training, jobs and housing.

Seattle has also provided some of the locations for the series of homeless encampments known as Tent City. Tent Cities are largely self-policing, with strict regulations, such as no alcohol, no drugs, and segregated areas for families, men, and women.