New Census Data Show Redmond Has Highest Daytime Population Bump in U.S.

Redmond at 10 a.m. is a very different place from Redmond at 8 p.m., as new census data on daytime population growth affirm.

Redmond tops the list of percentage increase in daytime population among cities with 50,000 or more people. Its residence population of 52,124 (from 2010 census) swells to 110,195 during the day for an increase of 111 percent.

A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau directly attributes the bump to large employers like Microsoft—a connection that's fairly obvious to anyone who has seen the steady line of cars exiting SR 520 in Overlake during peak morning hours. 

Redmond was followed in the daytime population ranking by Greenville, S.C., and Alpharetta, Ga. Palo Alto—also home to a well-known tech company—came in at fourth on the list, with a daytime increase of 82.5 percent.

The city of Seattle, by comparison, grows from 595,240 to 752,827 during daytime working hours, meaning its total spike is larger than Redmond's but the overall percentage growth—26 percent—is much smaller. 

Over the past several years, Redmond officials have touted efforts intended to draw more residents to the city's urban areas, including the new downtown park and Redmond Central Connector. The re-development of the former Group Health property in Overlake has also been billed as way to encourage more Microsoft workers to live close to campus.

---

Does Redmond's daytime spike poses any problems for the city? What could officials do to better accommodate the local workforce? Tell us in the comments section.

---

Related coverage:
Redmond is 6th-fastest growing city in Washington
Redmond's relationship with Microsoft presented in new multimedia project
Census data show growth of minorities in Redmond