Washington - Facts and Figures. GENERAL INFORMATION Capital Statehood Olympia November 11, 1889 the 42nd state State nickname Name for residents State motto The Evergreen State Washingtonians Alki (By and by) Abbreviation WA LAND Total area 184,666 sq km 71,300 sq mi Rank among states in total area Land area 19th 172,445 sq km 66,581 sq mi Highest point Mount Rainier 4,392 m/14,410 ft Forested land as a share of total area 51.1 percent (2002) Federally owned land as a share of land area 30.8 percent (2002) PEOPLE Population Rank among states in population Ten-year population growth Population density 6,468,424 (2007 estimate) 14th 21.1 percent (1990-2000) 37 persons per sq km (2006 estimate) 96 persons per sq mi (2006 estimate) Urban population 82 percent (2000) Largest cities (by population) Seattle 582,454 (2006) Tacoma 196,532 (2006) Spokane 198,081 (2006) V ancouver 158,855 (2006) B ellevue 118,186 (2006) Ethnic groups Whites 81.8 percent (2000) Asians 5.5 percent (2000) Blacks 3.2 percent (2000) Native Americans 1.6 percent (2000) Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders 0.4 percent (2000) Mixed heritage or not reporting 7.5 percent (2000) Hispanics (of any race) 7.5 percent (2000) HEALTH AND EDUCATION Life expectancy Infant mortality rate 76.8 years (1989-1991) 6 deaths per 1,000 live births (2004) Residents per physician 377 people (2005) Residents per hospital bed 572 people (2005) Share of population not covered by health insurance Number of students per teacher (K-12) Government spending per student (K-12) Share of students attending private school Share of people over age 25 with high school diploma 11.8 percent (2006) 19.3 (2003) $8,755 (2002-2003) 7.7 percent (1999) 89 percent (2006) GOVERNMENT State government Governor Christine Gregoire (term ends January, 2009) Legislature Senate, 49 members House of Representatives, 98 members National representation Members of the U.S. Senate 2 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives 9 Electoral votes 11 ECONOMY Gross state product (GSP) Income per capita GSP by economic sector Agriculture, forestry, and fishing $294 billion (2006) $35,017 (2004) 2 percent (2004) Industry Construction 4.8 percent (2004) Manufacturing 8.8 percent (2004) Mining 0.1 percent (2004) Transportation and utilities 3.8 percent (2004) Services Finance, insurance, and real estate 20.9 percent (2004) G overnment Information technology 14.2 percent (2004) 8 percent (2004) Retail trade 7.2 percent (2004) Wholesale trade 6.2 percent (2004) Other services 23.7 percent (2004) Employment Number of workers 3,327,000 (2006 estimate) Unemployment rate 5 percent (2006 estimate) Share of workers in unions 19.1 percent (2005) ENERGY, COMMUNICATIONS, AND TRANSPORTATION Electricity production Share from geothermal, solar, and wind Share from hydroelectric 2.1 percent (2005 estimate) 70.7 percent (2005 estimate) Share from nuclear 8.1 percent (2005 estimate) Share from thermal 19.1 percent (2005 estimate) Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 149 newspapers per 1,000 people (2006 estimate) Share of households with Internet access 62.3 percent (2003 estimate) Number of library books circulated per resident Length of highways 10.1 books per person (2002) 134,189 km (2005) 83,381 mi (2005) Length of interstate highways 1,230 km (2005) 764 mi (2005) Length of railroad tracks 5,116 km (2004) 3,179 mi (2004) Airports 13 (2007) SOURCES The Association of American Railroads (www.aar.org), Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.doc.gov), Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), Census Bureau (www.census.gov), Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov), Federal Aviation Administration (www.faa.gov), Federal Highway Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov), Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us), General Services Administration (www.gsa.gov), National Agricultural Statistics Service (www.usda.gov/nass), National Center for Education Statistics (nces.ed.gov), National Center for Health Statistics (www.cdc.gov/nchs), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (www.ntia.doc.gov). Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
