Seattle population continues to grow

It’s not your imagination; Seattle is a little more crowded these days. New research finds the city has grown by nearly 2 percent from 2010 to 2011.

Seattle now has 620,778 people, according to research by On Numbers, the research division of American City Business Journals.

The research finds Seattle was one of seven Western cities to add more than 10,000 people during the two-year period. The others were Phoenix, Denver, San Diego, San Jose, and Portland.

The Franklin County city of Connell, in southeast Washington, grew by the largest percentage last year. Over 1,000 people moved to the small town, swelling its population to 5,276 people from 4,203 just a year earlier, a growth rate of 25.5 percent.

Seattle currently ranks 22nd in U.S. population.