Readers,
Here’s what I’ve picked up so far from the 2010 U.S. Census. More to come as more becomes available. Rachel Pritchett, reporter
Kitsap County’s race makeup remained virtually unchanged in the
past decade.
According to the 2010 census, 85 percent of Kitsap residents were
Caucasian; 5 percent Asian; 3 percent African American; 2 percent
Native American; 1 percent Pacific Islander; and the remainder were
other races or a combination.
The proportions were almost identical to those in the 2000 census.
Bremerton was the most racially diverse city. Seventy-seven
percent of the population was Caucasian, 7 percent Asian, 7 percent
Hispanic, and 4 percent African American.
Bainbridge Island was the county’s whitest city. Ninety-one percent
of its population was Caucasian, 4 percent Hispanic, 3 percent
Asian and .4 percent African American.
“The cost of housing affects the diversity on the island, because
there’s a connection between income, race and ethnicity,” said Ken
Balizer, executive director of the Housing Resources Board, a group
that works toward greater diversity by providing and maintaining
affordable housing opportunities.
Here’s another tidbit:
Kingston proportionally has the most empty living units. Fifteen
percent of all living units in Kingston were empty.
In Port Orchard, only 7 percent of all its homes had no one living
in them, according to the census.
“In a lot of ways, this area up here is a second-home market,”
explained Carter Dotson, broker/owner of the Windermere office in
Kingston. The tough housing market has meant that fewer people can
buy those second homes, he said. Many of them are waterfront
homes.
