Gene Balk

Columnist at Seattle Times

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Articles

Young adults no longer driving Seattle’s population growth

5 days ago | seattletimes.com | Gene Balk

During the boom years of the 2010s, Seattle was one of the “it” cities for millennials. In their 20s and early 30s, many moved here for jobs, especially in tech. But that wasn’t Seattle’s only draw. It was also the lifestyle, progressive politics, natural beauty and outdoor recreation. The influx of young people helped make Seattle the fastest-growing big city of the decade. That may no longer be the case.
What Starbucks' waning popularity has looked like in its hometown

1 week ago | seattletimes.com | Gene Balk

Starbucks has been struggling of late to retain old customers and attract new ones. Higher prices, increased competition from smaller coffee shops, and a less pleasant customer experience are cited as some of the reasons the chain has seen declining sales and foot traffic. Even in Seattle, the coffee giant’s hometown, it seems a lot of customers have turned their backs on Starbucks.
Gene Balk: Seattle back in Top 5 for growth among major U.S. cities

3 weeks ago | tri-cityherald.com | Gene Balk

May 15-During the 2010s, Seattle was the fastest-growing big city in the U.S., with the city posting strong growth rates year after year. Since the pandemic, though, things have been more up and down. You can put last year in the "up" column. Seattle's population increased by around 16,800, or 2.2%, from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
These baby names are the top in WA for a third year in a row

3 weeks ago | seattletimes.com | Gene Balk

Some day, Oliver and Olivia won’t be Washington’s most popular baby names for boys and girls, respectively. That day is not yet here. The Social Security Administration on Thursday released the 100 most popular baby names of 2024 for each of the 50 states. And in Washington, for the third consecutive year, the male and female names derived from the Latin word for “olive tree” topped the list. There were 354 girls named Olivia born in Washington last year, down slightly from 359 in 2023.
Gene Balk: What new 401(k) data tells us about King County

3 weeks ago | tri-cityherald.com | Gene Balk

May 13-As if most folks in liberal King County needed another reason not to like President Donald Trump, you can add anxiety about the state of their 401(k) retirement plans to the list. Global stock markets took a huge hit in April after Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imported goods. Many Americans refused to look at their 401(k)s and those who did peek saw the sinking value of their retirement plans, which tend to rise and fall with the stock markets.
Seattle back in Top 5 for growth among major U.S. cities

3 weeks ago | seattletimes.com | Gene Balk

During the 2010s, Seattle was the fastest-growing big city in the U.S., with the city posting strong growth rates year after year. Since the pandemic, though, things have been more up and down. You can put last year in the “up” column. Seattle’s population increased by around 16,800, or 2.2%, from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Among the 50 most-populous U.S. cities, Seattle tied with Washington, D.C., for the fourth-highest growth rate.
Why the stock market pain is hitting King County residents particularly hard

3 weeks ago | seattletimes.com | Gene Balk

As if most folks in liberal King County needed another reason not to like President Donald Trump, you can add anxiety about the state of their 401(k) retirement plans to the list. Global stock markets took a huge hit in April after Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imported goods. Many Americans refused to look at their 401(k)s and those who did peek saw the sinking value of their retirement plans, which tend to rise and fall with the stock markets.
Gene Balk: What’s WA’s top problem? Survey shows a new issue has emerged

1 month ago | tri-cityherald.com | Gene Balk

May 5-A new concern has appeared on a list of the top problems facing the state, a survey of Washington adults shows. In a question asking what the most important problem facing the state is, no single problem came anywhere close to reaching a majority among respondents. And most of the top problems identified by respondents are ones we've seen on previous surveys that ask Washingtonians this question.
Seattle has nation’s smallest new apartments, report shows

1 month ago | seattletimes.com | Gene Balk

There are a lot of reasons folks move to Seattle from around the country. Spacious apartments isn’t one of them. Seattle apartments constructed in the past 10 years have an average size of 649 square feet, according to a new report from RentCafe.com, an apartment search website. Among the 100 U.S. cities with the largest number of rental units, Seattle ranks last for average apartment size. Seattle apartments used to be a little bigger. Ten years ago, they averaged 706 square feet.
COVID-19 deaths hit new low in Washington state and drop out of the 10 leading causes - The Daily Chronicle

2 months ago | chronline.com | Gene Balk

It's been five years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, turning our lives upside down. It's not exactly an anniversary anyone wants to celebrate. But there is some good COVID-19 news in Washington: Due to a sharp drop in the number of deaths caused by the virus last year, COVID-19 fell out of the 10 leading causes of death in the state. It's the first time that has happened since the start of the pandemic in 2020.