ah not to spoil the chit chat but demographics are really a batch of crap anymore. The reason is cost of living and the fact that high tax, high service states like WA & CA have as a whole, higher cost for everything due to taxes and government regulation. Even medical cost and the federal government pays more to these states because it cost more to live. WA is right in the mix.

Go to Montana, Texas, Georgia non high tax / service states your housing cost ( outside metro areas ) is lower, as all other things including wages but you don't need as much because you keep more. That is one of the big unsaid rubs in congress. The D's want to break the right to work laws as almost NONE of the new green energy jobs will be located in H&T states, so drive is to get wages and benefits up. I sorta support that but having been union all my life I know it will not work, but that is another story.

So 50k in Seattle gets you one thing, Helena another, New Mexico another. We are not comparable at all due to state & local governments. Want to freak out? Price something in New York.

One other thing. Middle class fled to the burbs, big traffic jams on roads, now they are coming back and cities are ( other than steel belt & NE ) becoming less minority driven and the burbs are getting a larger minority population. Redistricting should be a gun fight!