SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Hispanics were the largest and fastest-growing minority group in Washington state from 2000 to 2007, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau released Wednesday.

The number of people who claimed Hispanic ethnicity grew by 36.7 percent in that period, from 445,963 to 610,005. That was an increase of 164,042 people from July 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007, the Census Bureau reported.

Hispanics were just under 10 percent of the total population of 6.4 million.

Washington has the biggest number of people of Hispanic descent among states along the Canadian border except for New York, which has 2.6 million Hispanics.

Asians were the second-largest minority group in Washington, growing 28.9 percent from 334,166 to 430,862 in the period. That was an increase of 96,696.

Blacks were the third-largest minority group, growing 17.4 percent from 199,831 to 234,754, an increase of 34,923 people.

The state is also home to 105,515 American Indians and Alaska Natives, up 8.4 percent from 97,311.

The number of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders was 29,993, up 17.8 percent from 25,444.

Non-Hispanic whites are by far the largest racial group, 4.91 million, up 232,930, or 4.9 percent, from 4.68 million in 2000.

Overall, 24 percent of Washington's population is made up of minority groups, compared to 34 percent nationally.

Nationally, Hispanics are 15.1 percent of the total population, the largest minority group.