From projo.com
 |  |
Rhode Island news
5.24.2001 08:05
Census: Number of unwed couples in county up 73% in 10 years
By ELIZABETH ABBOTT
Journal Staff Writer
If you're not married, but you share a home with someone, you are not alone in Washington County.
Not anymore.
According to census data released yesterday, the number of unmarried people living together as couples jumped 73 percent over the last decade, from 3,016 people in 1990 to 5,224 in 2000.
This reflects both a national and a statewide trend. In Rhode Island, the number of unmarried partners jumped 78 percent over the last 10 years, to 46,360 people. Nationally, the increase was 71 percent.
The data do not indicate how many people in this category are gay. But, according to a spokesperson for the Alternatives to Marriage Project, a Boston-based nonprofit organization, this information will be released by the U.S. Census Bureau in a few weeks.
The enormous jump didn't surprise Dorian Solot, who founded the Alternatives to Marriage Project three years ago with her long-term mate, Marshall Miller. They field calls all the time from unmarried couples all over the country, she said.
"From our perspective, the numbers of people cohabiting are huge," Solot said.
Generally, these people fall into three categories; couples who are planning to marry, long-term unmarried heterosexual couples and gay couples, she said. It's time for politicians to realize that a growing number of people are choosing cohabitation, and to plan public policy accordingly, Solot said.
In another census category -- female head of household -- local census figures also reflect state and national trends. In short, this category is growing.
Washington County saw a 24 percent increase in the number of female heads of households over the last 10 years, from 3,551 to 4,413, according to the census data. Statewide, the increase was 34.6 percent. Of the 4,413 in Washington County, 2,588 said they had children under the age of 18.
Similarly, the number of "nonfamily households" jumped significantly in Washington County, just as it did throughout Rhode Island. Statewide, the inincrease was 20 percent, but Washington County saw a 32 percent hike in this category, from 11,274 to 14,887.
There was one category in which Washington County bucked the state and national trends: the region did not see a significant increase in its minority populations in the last decade. In 2000, whites made up 95.9 percent of the population, compared with 96.6 percent in 1990.
The region's black population grew slightly over the last 10 years, from 1,058 people to 1,132, or 0.9 percent of the total population. Washington County's Hispanic population also saw a rise, from 1,062 to 1,780.
But, even with this increase, Hispanics still account for only 1.5 percent of the region's total population.
By comparison, Hispanics statewide saw their numbers grow from 45,752 to 90,820 in the past decade. Much of that growth was in Central Falls, Pawtucket and Providence. In Providence, minorities now constitute the majority for the first time in the state's history.
Below are census figures for the nine towns that make up Washington County.
BLOCK ISLAND
New Shoreham grew in the same areas as the rest of the towns in Washington County over the last decade, including median age and the numbers of those who identify themselves as belonging to a minority, but the numbers of those over 65 dropped slightly, at least by percentage.
This is such a tiny town, a difference of just a few people results in a larger change in percentage than it would in a larger community. For that reason, percentage comparisons are not as significant as they are elsewhere.
But the latest census figures do show that New Shoreham got older, with half the population 43 years old or older and half younger. That compares with 39.8 years old a decade ago.
The figures also show the minority population, which is still small, edging up a fraction of a percentage point, to 2.2 percent of the island's 1,010 population.
Those over 65 increased by 18 people, to 175, but as a percentage, they dropped by 2.5 percent of the population.
CHARLESTOWN
The population here on average is older than other towns in Rhode Island, with a median age of 40.8 years, compared with the statewide median of 36.7.
Of the town's 7,859 people, about 17.6 percent are 62 years old or older. This represents a 28 percent increase in the number of people in this age group since 1990.
The Hispanic population more than doubled in the past 10 years, from 37 people to 87. But at 1.1 percent of the total population, Charlestown's Hispanic community, up from 0.6 percent in 1990, is still a small minority.
Other minority communities saw incremental increases from 1990, with African Americans making up 0.7 percent of the population and Asians making up 0.6 percent of the population.
The number of American Indians decreased from 103 people to 99, but they still make up 1.3 percent of the town's population.
The town also saw an increase in the percentage of permanently occupied housing and a decrease in the percentage of housing used only occasionally or during holidays.
Of 4,797 houses, 30.8 percent are used during holidays. In 1990, of 4,256 houses, 36.2 percent were used for the same purpose.
EXETER
Two ethnic groups grew quickly in this 6,000-person town between 1990 and 2000: Koreans and Hispanics.
Eleven years ago, Koreans accounted for five of the town's 17 Asian people. By last year, the number of people identifying themselves as Asian or part Asian had grown to 64, and 25 of them were Korean.
Exeter's Hispanic population, too, more than doubled, from 30 people to 77. Though the numbers of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans each grew, the largest part of the expansion came in the number of people who identified themselves as "Other Hispanic or Latino," which jumped from 13 to 40.
Like many other cities and towns, Exeter's population aged. Here, the median age increased from 33.1 to 38.1.
HOPKINTON
In this town of 7,836, the racial minority population grew from 1.4 percent of residents to 3.2 percent. Half of the 151-person increase came from people identifying themselves as more than one race, an option that became available for the first time in last year's census.
The combinations used were not available yesterday, but 68 residents identified themselves as part white, 40 as part American Indian and 25 as part black. Seven people identified themselves as part Asian, and four chose Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander along with another race or races.
Among minorities who checked only one race, the black population grew from 19 people to 48, and the Asian population doubled, from 17 people to 34.
NARRAGANSETT
This town generally followed the trends in Washington County, but not to the same extent.
Where the number of people who identify themselves as living with a significant other to whom they are not married increased 73 percent countywide over the past 10 years, the percentage increased only half that much in Narragansett, or 37 percent.
There are now about 200 more people in town in that group, according to the latest census, or 750, compared with 546 a decade ago.
One category that is growing in the county -- female head of household -- is bucking the trend in Narragansett, at least a little bit. Although they increased numerically from 518 to 598, female heads of households decreased as a percentage of Narragansett's population by a fraction of a percentage point.
Like the rest of Washington County, the number of people who classify themselves as belonging to a minority is increasing, but again, not by much in this town.
Racially, Narragansett, like the county, saw an increase in minorities over the last 10 years. But the minority percentage is still less than the county as a whole -- 4.2 percent in town compared with 5.2 percent throughout Washington County.
The town is getting older, too. The median age is up to 36.4 years. That means half the town is older and half is younger. That compares with 31.2 years a decade ago.
And those 65 and older now make up 13.6 percent of the town, compared with 10.9 percent 10 years ago.
NORTH KINGSTOWN
The population here grew by 2,540 over the last decade, to a total of 26,326 people, according to census data released yesterday. The total number of households grew from 8,695 to 10,154.
The town's racial makeup has remained roughly the same. In 1990, 96.9 percent of the town's population was white, compared with 95.7 reported in the 2000 census.
But there were shifts within the town's minority communities. The number of blacks in 1990 was 310. In 2000, 256 people said they were black, but another 137 reported they were black in combination with another ethnicity, for a total of 393.
The town's Hispanic population nearly doubled, from 253 people in 1990 to 465 people in 2000. But even with this increase, they still make up only 1.8 percent of the total population.
The sizable jump in the number of Hispanics reflects what happened statewide. In Rhode Island during the '90s, Hispanics saw their numbers grow from 45,752 to 90,820.
The number of female heads of households, with no husbands present, increased from 889 in 1990 to 1,029 in 2000. But their numbers as a percentage of the total population has remained about the same, or roughly 10 percent.
The number of unmarried people living together as couples jumped from 768 to 1,064, reflecting both a statewide and national trend. But families where there is a married couple comprised the bulk of the town's population in 2000, or 58.6 percent.
RICHMOND
Despite some growth in the population of ethnic minorities in Richmond, the town still has the second-lowest percentage of minorities in Washington County, with only 3 percent of a total population of 7,222. Only New Shoreham has a smaller percentage.
Richmond saw its greatest increases in the number of Hispanics, which grew from 48 people to 89, or 1.2 percent of the population; and the number of American Indians, which grew from 46 people to 66, or 0.9 percent of the population.
Richmond's residents are slightly younger than the statewide average, with a median age of 36.2 years.
As a percentage of its total population Richmond has a higher percentage of children than neighboring communities. About 27.9 percent of the population -- 2,014 people -- is less than 18 years old, compared with 21.8 percent in Charlestown, 25.7 percent in Hopkinton, 22.5 percent in South Kingstown and 23.5 percent in Westerly.
Moreover, 43.2 percent of Richmond's 2,537 households have at least one child under 18 years of age. The statewide number is 32.9 percent.
The average household size is 2.84 people, compared with 2.47 across the state. Of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns, Richmond's average household size is the second-highest, behind only West Greenwich, which has an average household size of 2.9 people.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN
Founded by European settlers in the 1600s, South Kingstown reported the second-largest minority population of any Rhode Island town, after Middletown. There are 31 towns in the state.
The number of blacks, Asians and Hispanics all increased slightly during the last decade.
At the same time, the percentage of whites dipped to 91.1 percent, from 93.4 percent in 1990.
According to the census, 859 Asians make up 3.1 percent of the town's 27,921 residents. Hispanics account for 1.8 percent of the population, or 493 people.
Blacks and American Indians or Alaskan natives each account for 1.6 percent of the town's residents.
Residents are getting older. The median age increased to 33.6 years, from 27.7 years in 1990.
The landscape changed, too.
The population boom -- the town is one of the fastest-growing in the state -- produced a jump in the number of houses, condominiums, mobile homes and apartments, to 11,291 units, an increase of nearly 1,500 homes and apartments.
Families fill many of them. The percentage of family households -- people related by marriage, birth and adoption -- is 69 percent. Statewide, families make up 65 percent of all homes.
More people are staying year-round, rather than keeping a house for a few months in the summer. According to the census figures, the percentage of seasonal or recreational homes fell to 15.3 percent, from 20.3 percent.
WESTERLY
Led by people of Chinese descent and American Indians, the minority population in this 23,000-person town is growing, from 2.1 percent of residents in 1990 to 4.8 percent last year.
According to the latest census, Westerly's racial minority population was the fifth-largest, by percentage, among those in Rhode Island's 31 towns -- up from 10th in 1990.
Westerly's Chinese population more than doubled -- from 160 people to 359 -- and included nearly half the Chinese people in the county last year. The town's American Indian population grew substantially, as well, from 79 people to 130.
The census does not consider an Hispanic background to be part of a person's race, but it does count the number of people identifying themselves as having one. Local Mexicans more than doubled, from 30 to 77, and the Puerto Rican population grew from 68 people to 111.
Like Washington County as a whole, Westerly saw dramatic growth in the number of unmarried couples living together; 1,126 people reported living in as such last year, up from 424 in 1990. Last year, the group accounted for 2.5 percent of Westerly residents.
With staff reports from Ron Cassinelli, Paul Davis, Andrew Goldsmith, Alex Kuffner and Joseph R. LaPlante.
Census: Number of unwed couples in county up 73% in 10 years
By ELIZABETH ABBOTT
Journal Staff Writer
If you're not married, but you share a home with someone, you are not alone in Washington County.
Not anymore.
According to census data released yesterday, the number of unmarried people living together as couples jumped 73 percent over the last decade, from 3,016 people in 1990 to 5,224 in 2000.
This reflects both a national and a statewide trend. In Rhode Island, the number of unmarried partners jumped 78 percent over the last 10 years, to 46,360 people. Nationally, the increase was 71 percent.
The data do not indicate how many people in this category are gay. But, according to a spokesperson for the Alternatives to Marriage Project, a Boston-based nonprofit organization, this information will be released by the U.S. Census Bureau in a few weeks.
The enormous jump didn't surprise Dorian Solot, who founded the Alternatives to Marriage Project three years ago with her long-term mate, Marshall Miller. They field calls all the time from unmarried couples all over the country, she said.
"From our perspective, the numbers of people cohabiting are huge," Solot said.
Generally, these people fall into three categories; couples who are planning to marry, long-term unmarried heterosexual couples and gay couples, she said. It's time for politicians to realize that a growing number of people are choosing cohabitation, and to plan public policy accordingly, Solot said.
In another census category -- female head of household -- local census figures also reflect state and national trends. In short, this category is growing.
Washington County saw a 24 percent increase in the number of female heads of households over the last 10 years, from 3,551 to 4,413, according to the census data. Statewide, the increase was 34.6 percent. Of the 4,413 in Washington County, 2,588 said they had children under the age of 18.
Similarly, the number of "nonfamily households" jumped significantly in Washington County, just as it did throughout Rhode Island. Statewide, the inincrease was 20 percent, but Washington County saw a 32 percent hike in this category, from 11,274 to 14,887.
There was one category in which Washington County bucked the state and national trends: the region did not see a significant increase in its minority populations in the last decade. In 2000, whites made up 95.9 percent of the population, compared with 96.6 percent in 1990.
The region's black population grew slightly over the last 10 years, from 1,058 people to 1,132, or 0.9 percent of the total population. Washington County's Hispanic population also saw a rise, from 1,062 to 1,780.
But, even with this increase, Hispanics still account for only 1.5 percent of the region's total population.
By comparison, Hispanics statewide saw their numbers grow from 45,752 to 90,820 in the past decade. Much of that growth was in Central Falls, Pawtucket and Providence. In Providence, minorities now constitute the majority for the first time in the state's history.
Below are census figures for the nine towns that make up Washington County.
BLOCK ISLAND
New Shoreham grew in the same areas as the rest of the towns in Washington County over the last decade, including median age and the numbers of those who identify themselves as belonging to a minority, but the numbers of those over 65 dropped slightly, at least by percentage.
This is such a tiny town, a difference of just a few people results in a larger change in percentage than it would in a larger community. For that reason, percentage comparisons are not as significant as they are elsewhere.
But the latest census figures do show that New Shoreham got older, with half the population 43 years old or older and half younger. That compares with 39.8 years old a decade ago.
The figures also show the minority population, which is still small, edging up a fraction of a percentage point, to 2.2 percent of the island's 1,010 population.
Those over 65 increased by 18 people, to 175, but as a percentage, they dropped by 2.5 percent of the population.
CHARLESTOWN
The population here on average is older than other towns in Rhode Island, with a median age of 40.8 years, compared with the statewide median of 36.7.
Of the town's 7,859 people, about 17.6 percent are 62 years old or older. This represents a 28 percent increase in the number of people in this age group since 1990.
The Hispanic population more than doubled in the past 10 years, from 37 people to 87. But at 1.1 percent of the total population, Charlestown's Hispanic community, up from 0.6 percent in 1990, is still a small minority.
Other minority communities saw incremental increases from 1990, with African Americans making up 0.7 percent of the population and Asians making up 0.6 percent of the population.
The number of American Indians decreased from 103 people to 99, but they still make up 1.3 percent of the town's population.
The town also saw an increase in the percentage of permanently occupied housing and a decrease in the percentage of housing used only occasionally or during holidays.
Of 4,797 houses, 30.8 percent are used during holidays. In 1990, of 4,256 houses, 36.2 percent were used for the same purpose.
EXETER
Two ethnic groups grew quickly in this 6,000-person town between 1990 and 2000: Koreans and Hispanics.
Eleven years ago, Koreans accounted for five of the town's 17 Asian people. By last year, the number of people identifying themselves as Asian or part Asian had grown to 64, and 25 of them were Korean.
Exeter's Hispanic population, too, more than doubled, from 30 people to 77. Though the numbers of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans each grew, the largest part of the expansion came in the number of people who identified themselves as "Other Hispanic or Latino," which jumped from 13 to 40.
Like many other cities and towns, Exeter's population aged. Here, the median age increased from 33.1 to 38.1.
HOPKINTON
In this town of 7,836, the racial minority population grew from 1.4 percent of residents to 3.2 percent. Half of the 151-person increase came from people identifying themselves as more than one race, an option that became available for the first time in last year's census.
The combinations used were not available yesterday, but 68 residents identified themselves as part white, 40 as part American Indian and 25 as part black. Seven people identified themselves as part Asian, and four chose Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander along with another race or races.
Among minorities who checked only one race, the black population grew from 19 people to 48, and the Asian population doubled, from 17 people to 34.
NARRAGANSETT
This town generally followed the trends in Washington County, but not to the same extent.
Where the number of people who identify themselves as living with a significant other to whom they are not married increased 73 percent countywide over the past 10 years, the percentage increased only half that much in Narragansett, or 37 percent.
There are now about 200 more people in town in that group, according to the latest census, or 750, compared with 546 a decade ago.
One category that is growing in the county -- female head of household -- is bucking the trend in Narragansett, at least a little bit. Although they increased numerically from 518 to 598, female heads of households decreased as a percentage of Narragansett's population by a fraction of a percentage point.
Like the rest of Washington County, the number of people who classify themselves as belonging to a minority is increasing, but again, not by much in this town.
Racially, Narragansett, like the county, saw an increase in minorities over the last 10 years. But the minority percentage is still less than the county as a whole -- 4.2 percent in town compared with 5.2 percent throughout Washington County.
The town is getting older, too. The median age is up to 36.4 years. That means half the town is older and half is younger. That compares with 31.2 years a decade ago.
And those 65 and older now make up 13.6 percent of the town, compared with 10.9 percent 10 years ago.
NORTH KINGSTOWN
The population here grew by 2,540 over the last decade, to a total of 26,326 people, according to census data released yesterday. The total number of households grew from 8,695 to 10,154.
The town's racial makeup has remained roughly the same. In 1990, 96.9 percent of the town's population was white, compared with 95.7 reported in the 2000 census.
But there were shifts within the town's minority communities. The number of blacks in 1990 was 310. In 2000, 256 people said they were black, but another 137 reported they were black in combination with another ethnicity, for a total of 393.
The town's Hispanic population nearly doubled, from 253 people in 1990 to 465 people in 2000. But even with this increase, they still make up only 1.8 percent of the total population.
The sizable jump in the number of Hispanics reflects what happened statewide. In Rhode Island during the '90s, Hispanics saw their numbers grow from 45,752 to 90,820.
The number of female heads of households, with no husbands present, increased from 889 in 1990 to 1,029 in 2000. But their numbers as a percentage of the total population has remained about the same, or roughly 10 percent.
The number of unmarried people living together as couples jumped from 768 to 1,064, reflecting both a statewide and national trend. But families where there is a married couple comprised the bulk of the town's population in 2000, or 58.6 percent.
RICHMOND
Despite some growth in the population of ethnic minorities in Richmond, the town still has the second-lowest percentage of minorities in Washington County, with only 3 percent of a total population of 7,222. Only New Shoreham has a smaller percentage.
Richmond saw its greatest increases in the number of Hispanics, which grew from 48 people to 89, or 1.2 percent of the population; and the number of American Indians, which grew from 46 people to 66, or 0.9 percent of the population.
Richmond's residents are slightly younger than the statewide average, with a median age of 36.2 years.
As a percentage of its total population Richmond has a higher percentage of children than neighboring communities. About 27.9 percent of the population -- 2,014 people -- is less than 18 years old, compared with 21.8 percent in Charlestown, 25.7 percent in Hopkinton, 22.5 percent in South Kingstown and 23.5 percent in Westerly.
Moreover, 43.2 percent of Richmond's 2,537 households have at least one child under 18 years of age. The statewide number is 32.9 percent.
The average household size is 2.84 people, compared with 2.47 across the state. Of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns, Richmond's average household size is the second-highest, behind only West Greenwich, which has an average household size of 2.9 people.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN
Founded by European settlers in the 1600s, South Kingstown reported the second-largest minority population of any Rhode Island town, after Middletown. There are 31 towns in the state.
The number of blacks, Asians and Hispanics all increased slightly during the last decade.
At the same time, the percentage of whites dipped to 91.1 percent, from 93.4 percent in 1990.
According to the census, 859 Asians make up 3.1 percent of the town's 27,921 residents. Hispanics account for 1.8 percent of the population, or 493 people.
Blacks and American Indians or Alaskan natives each account for 1.6 percent of the town's residents.
Residents are getting older. The median age increased to 33.6 years, from 27.7 years in 1990.
The landscape changed, too.
The population boom -- the town is one of the fastest-growing in the state -- produced a jump in the number of houses, condominiums, mobile homes and apartments, to 11,291 units, an increase of nearly 1,500 homes and apartments.
Families fill many of them. The percentage of family households -- people related by marriage, birth and adoption -- is 69 percent. Statewide, families make up 65 percent of all homes.
More people are staying year-round, rather than keeping a house for a few months in the summer. According to the census figures, the percentage of seasonal or recreational homes fell to 15.3 percent, from 20.3 percent.
WESTERLY
Led by people of Chinese descent and American Indians, the minority population in this 23,000-person town is growing, from 2.1 percent of residents in 1990 to 4.8 percent last year.
According to the latest census, Westerly's racial minority population was the fifth-largest, by percentage, among those in Rhode Island's 31 towns -- up from 10th in 1990.
Westerly's Chinese population more than doubled -- from 160 people to 359 -- and included nearly half the Chinese people in the county last year. The town's American Indian population grew substantially, as well, from 79 people to 130.
The census does not consider an Hispanic background to be part of a person's race, but it does count the number of people identifying themselves as having one. Local Mexicans more than doubled, from 30 to 77, and the Puerto Rican population grew from 68 people to 111.
Like Washington County as a whole, Westerly saw dramatic growth in the number of unmarried couples living together; 1,126 people reported living in as such last year, up from 424 in 1990. Last year, the group accounted for 2.5 percent of Westerly residents.
With staff reports from Ron Cassinelli, Paul Davis, Andrew Goldsmith, Alex Kuffner and Joseph R. LaPlante.
| ||||
Printer-Friendly VersionMore top stories
Ex-official’s signature still worked
7 disciplined in probe of Wyatt detainee’s death
Most active surveys
Updated Thu 1.8.09
What do you think the General Assembly's priorities should be for 2009?
React to Governor Carcieri's plan to curb R.I.'s budget deficit
Does Jim Rice belong in baseball's Hall of Fame?
With the Patriots out of the playoffs, who are you rooting for to win the Super Bowl?
Most e-mailed in the last 24 hours
