From projo.com
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Rhode Island news
5.23.2001 08:05
Census snapshot: A young, eclectic city
• The latest demographic figures from the 2000 census also show the demand for affordable apartments in Providence exceeds the supply.
BY KAREN A. DAVIS
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE
-- Today's average city resident is younger, more diverse and more likely to live in a household that was once labeled "nontraditional" than the average resident in 1990.
In addition, those looking to rent an apartment in the city will find it much more difficult and costly to do so. Over the last 10 years, the amount of vacant units available for rent dropped from 10.4 percent in 1990 to 6.1 percent last year.
Such were the findings, according to the latest demographic figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The most recent statistics provide a more detailed snapshot of the city's population than the census figures released in March.
Recent figures confirmed what housing officials and apartment seekers already knew: the demand for decent, affordable housing is far greater than the supply, said Chris Barnett, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation.
One of the reasons for the increased demand for housing is that more households have been created in the city over the last 10 years, than in previous decades.
As was the case with many urban areas, Providence experienced a population decrease in past census reports. However, the 2000 census showed that the city's population grew about 8 percent, to 173,618.
The total number of households also grew, from 58,905 in 1990 to 62,389 last year, according to census figures.
In past decades, Barnett said, the average household had 4.5 people -- including two parents. Now, "very often there are two households being created by parents who never married or divorced."
In Providence, the number of family households -- in which related people live -- grew from 35,025 to 35,859, an increase of more than 800 households over the last 10 years.
The number of married couple families decreased from 21,636 to 19,883; the number of female householders, no husband present, increased from 10,842 to 12,769.
The percentage of residents who live alone remained about the same -- roughly 32 percent of all households. And the average household size also remained stagnant, at about 2.5 people.
A large portion of the city's growth occurred in the Hispanic community -- which now accounts for 30 percent of the city's population; more modest growth also occurred in the African-American/Black, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native and Pacific Islander communities.
The city's non-Hispanic white population decreased by about 24,000.
As a result, members of minority groups -- or people of color -- now make up about 54 percent of the city's population, making it a "majority minority" city, said Patrick McQuigan, executive director of the Providence Plan.
Since the phrase "majority minority" is contradictory, McQuigan predicts that city leaders are going to have to begin changing their language in order to more accurately reflect the city's ethnic makeup.
Racial composition alone was not the only dramatic change in the city's makeup, McQuigan noted. Age also took center stage in the city's population shift.
While statewide figures indicate more growth in the senior population, that was not the case in the city. In the last 10 years, the city's 60-and-over population decreased, from 27,801 to 22,778.
While the statewide median age jumped from 33.9 to 36.7, in Providence the median age fell from 29.3 to 28.1.
McQuigan noted that about 42 percent of the state's 19-and-under population growth took place in Providence -- where that age group saw an increase of 9,268 youths. The city's 19-and-under population grew from 47,049 in 1990 to 56,317 in 2000 -- a 19.7-percent increase. McQuigan said that a Kids Count survey shows that 76 percent of that youth population are members of minority groups.
Statewide, the 19-and-under population grew by 21,648, from 260,968 to 282,616.
The city School Department has spent much of the last decade trying to accommodate that growth, by building several new elementary schools and adding annexes to buildings. This year, school officials have said, as the students have matriculated through the system, the department now needs additional space for ninth graders.
City officials are planning to add one or two more high schools to the city roster in upcoming months.
McQuigan said his agency -- which uses statistics to chart the city's growth patterns and predict school enrollment -- plans to spend upcoming weeks studying the city's changes at the neighborhood level.
Census snapshot: A young, eclectic city
• The latest demographic figures from the 2000 census also show the demand for affordable apartments in Providence exceeds the supply.
BY KAREN A. DAVIS
Journal Staff Writer
In addition, those looking to rent an apartment in the city will find it much more difficult and costly to do so. Over the last 10 years, the amount of vacant units available for rent dropped from 10.4 percent in 1990 to 6.1 percent last year.
Such were the findings, according to the latest demographic figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The most recent statistics provide a more detailed snapshot of the city's population than the census figures released in March.
Recent figures confirmed what housing officials and apartment seekers already knew: the demand for decent, affordable housing is far greater than the supply, said Chris Barnett, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation.
One of the reasons for the increased demand for housing is that more households have been created in the city over the last 10 years, than in previous decades.
As was the case with many urban areas, Providence experienced a population decrease in past census reports. However, the 2000 census showed that the city's population grew about 8 percent, to 173,618.
The total number of households also grew, from 58,905 in 1990 to 62,389 last year, according to census figures.
In past decades, Barnett said, the average household had 4.5 people -- including two parents. Now, "very often there are two households being created by parents who never married or divorced."
In Providence, the number of family households -- in which related people live -- grew from 35,025 to 35,859, an increase of more than 800 households over the last 10 years.
The number of married couple families decreased from 21,636 to 19,883; the number of female householders, no husband present, increased from 10,842 to 12,769.
The percentage of residents who live alone remained about the same -- roughly 32 percent of all households. And the average household size also remained stagnant, at about 2.5 people.
A large portion of the city's growth occurred in the Hispanic community -- which now accounts for 30 percent of the city's population; more modest growth also occurred in the African-American/Black, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native and Pacific Islander communities.
The city's non-Hispanic white population decreased by about 24,000.
As a result, members of minority groups -- or people of color -- now make up about 54 percent of the city's population, making it a "majority minority" city, said Patrick McQuigan, executive director of the Providence Plan.
Since the phrase "majority minority" is contradictory, McQuigan predicts that city leaders are going to have to begin changing their language in order to more accurately reflect the city's ethnic makeup.
Racial composition alone was not the only dramatic change in the city's makeup, McQuigan noted. Age also took center stage in the city's population shift.
While statewide figures indicate more growth in the senior population, that was not the case in the city. In the last 10 years, the city's 60-and-over population decreased, from 27,801 to 22,778.
While the statewide median age jumped from 33.9 to 36.7, in Providence the median age fell from 29.3 to 28.1.
McQuigan noted that about 42 percent of the state's 19-and-under population growth took place in Providence -- where that age group saw an increase of 9,268 youths. The city's 19-and-under population grew from 47,049 in 1990 to 56,317 in 2000 -- a 19.7-percent increase. McQuigan said that a Kids Count survey shows that 76 percent of that youth population are members of minority groups.
Statewide, the 19-and-under population grew by 21,648, from 260,968 to 282,616.
The city School Department has spent much of the last decade trying to accommodate that growth, by building several new elementary schools and adding annexes to buildings. This year, school officials have said, as the students have matriculated through the system, the department now needs additional space for ninth graders.
City officials are planning to add one or two more high schools to the city roster in upcoming months.
McQuigan said his agency -- which uses statistics to chart the city's growth patterns and predict school enrollment -- plans to spend upcoming weeks studying the city's changes at the neighborhood level.
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