Ethiopian Population in King County, WA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Ethiopian population in King County, WA is reported at 19,099 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in King County - including Seattle, Seatac, Shoreline, and others - contribute to the Ethiopian population, but the total county figure of 19,099 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Ethiopian residents are distributed in Washington and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Ethiopian population in King County

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  • 1
    Seattle
    Ethiopian population in Seattle is 8,380
    1.13% of Seattle population is Ethiopian
  • 2
    Seatac
    Ethiopian population in Seatac is 2,905
    9.33% of Seatac population is Ethiopian
  • 3
    Shoreline
    Ethiopian population in Shoreline is 1,692
    2.85% of Shoreline population is Ethiopian
  • 4
    Renton
    Ethiopian population in Renton is 892
    0.85% of Renton population is Ethiopian
  • 5
    Kent
    Ethiopian population in Kent is 766
    0.57% of Kent population is Ethiopian

Overview of Ethiopian population in King County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document King County with 19,099 Ethiopian residents (0.84% of 2.3 million total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 99th percentile nationally among counties and 97th percentile within Washington for Ethiopian population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show King County's Ethiopian population of 0.84% surpassing both Washington's state average of 0.34% and the national average of 0.11%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates King County hosts 19,099 Ethiopian residents, constituting 72.8% of Washington's total Ethiopian population of 26,241, creating a demographic concentration where more than half of the state's Ethiopian community resides within a single county—a geographic clustering pattern rarely documented in American demographic research.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows King County maintains 9 Ethiopian Americans per square mile, representing more than twenty-two times Washington's average of 0.39 per square mile, establishing the county as an exceptional concentration center comparable to major metropolitan demographic areas.
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36 Cities in King County Ranked by Ethiopian Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Ethiopian populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Seattle, Seatac, Shoreline, and Renton. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 36 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in King County, WA ranked by Ethiopian population count
Rank by Ethiopian Population
City
Ethiopian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total King County Ethiopian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Seattle 8,380 1.13% 43.88%
2 Seatac 2,905 9.33% 15.21%
3 Shoreline 1,692 2.85% 8.86%
4 Renton 892 0.85% 4.67%
5 Kent 766 0.57% 4.01%
6 Burien 731 1.42% 3.83%
7 Des Moines 661 2.03% 3.46%
8 637 0.64% 3.34%
9 485 2.26% 2.54%
10 327 0.22% 1.71%
11 117 0.50% 0.61%
12 96 0.13% 0.50%
13 62 0.07% 0.32%
14 54 0.26% 0.28%
15 37 0.04% 0.19%
16 28 0.42% 0.15%
17 14 0.05% 0.07%
18 7 0.01% 0.04%
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
19 0 - -
Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in King County, WA by their Ethiopian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Ethiopian population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Ethiopian ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Ethiopian alone, while others identify as Ethiopian along with another race (such as Ethiopian and German).
  • We’ve used the “Ethiopian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Ethiopian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Ethiopian alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Ethiopian .
  2. % of Total King County Ethiopian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Ethiopian population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Ethiopian populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Ethiopian population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Ethiopian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.