From projo.com
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Rhode Island news
5.25.2001
Census shows surge in school-age population
• Lincoln, for example, had a whopping 60-percent increase in children 10 to 14 years old between 1990 and 2000.
Journal Staff Writer
With five of the Blackstone Valley's six towns grappling with how and where to build new schools, the latest set of figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau will be no surprise.
The new numbers, broken down by age groups, show the region has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of children, especially of elementary school age.
Across the valley, in the preschool, newborn-to-4-year-old group, the number of children went down 1 percent, mostly because of a big drop in Pawtucket.
But in the elementary school bracket -- children 5 to 9 years old -- the population increased by 16 percent valleywide. For 10- to 14-year-old middle schoolers, it went up 23 percent.
The poster child for the trend was Lincoln. Between 1990 and 2000, it had the biggest percentage increase in total popualtion, a 15-percent jump to 20,898.
The number of Lincoln children 10 to 14 years old surged 60.7 percent between 1990 and 2000, the census shows, and the number of those 5 to 9 years old increased as well, by 34 percent.
Lincoln's surge was the most dramatic, but the trend held to lesser degrees in urban, suburban and rural-residential towns.
In Cumberland the 5- to 9-year-old group went up 22.1 percent and the 10-14 years olds expanded by 29 percent.
It was the same story in urbanized Pawtucket, where the 5- to 9-year-old group increased by 15.1 percent and their 10- to 14-year-old cohorts advanced by 24.3 percent.
The geographically smaller towns saw their school-aged populations increase, too.
In Central Falls, the 5- to 9-year-old group increased by 15.1 percent, the 10- to 14-year-olds by 24.3 percent.
North Smithfield started its boomlet younger, with a 13.9-percent jump in its newborn to 4-year-p;d preschool population and a 9.2-percent jump in its 5- to 9-year-olds.
Even Woonsocket, where the overall population had dropped 1.5 percent over the last decade, saw a youth movement. In that city, the number of 5- to 9-year-olds grew by 9.5 percent and the number of 10- to 14-year-old went up by 10.7 percent.
While those youngsters are in town now, the census figures indicate that once they reach their 20s and early 30s, many of them will move out.
Just as all the Blackstone Valley's towns had a increase in their school-aged population, their young-adult segments almost universally experienced decreases.
For the young-adult age groups, particularly 20- to 24-year-olds (an 18-percent drop in the six communities) and 25- to 34-year-olds (a 17-percent decline), the trend was down.
Just as it was the best example of the youth movement, Lincoln was likewise the best case to show the exodus of the young. From 1990 to 2000, the census showed that the number of people in town aged 20 to 24 dropped by 24.3 percent. That held true for those 25- to 34-year-olds too, where the number went down 13.6 percent.
But it switched back up again when people reached their late 30s. Lincoln's population aged 35 to 44 went up 33 percent over the decade and the 45- to 54-year-old group swelled by 56 percent.
Only North Smithfield saw a drop in its 35- to 44-year-old segment between 1990 and 2000, where the population declined by 2.3 percent. But the 45- to 54-year-olds took up the slack, bulging by 43.6 percent.
The 45- to 54-year-olds were robust across the board, with increases ranging form Pawtucket's 37.5-percent jump to Lincoln's 56.1 surge.
Census shows surge in school-age population
• Lincoln, for example, had a whopping 60-percent increase in children 10 to 14 years old between 1990 and 2000.
Journal Staff Writer
With five of the Blackstone Valley's six towns grappling with how and where to build new schools, the latest set of figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau will be no surprise.
The new numbers, broken down by age groups, show the region has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of children, especially of elementary school age.
Across the valley, in the preschool, newborn-to-4-year-old group, the number of children went down 1 percent, mostly because of a big drop in Pawtucket.
But in the elementary school bracket -- children 5 to 9 years old -- the population increased by 16 percent valleywide. For 10- to 14-year-old middle schoolers, it went up 23 percent.
The poster child for the trend was Lincoln. Between 1990 and 2000, it had the biggest percentage increase in total popualtion, a 15-percent jump to 20,898.
The number of Lincoln children 10 to 14 years old surged 60.7 percent between 1990 and 2000, the census shows, and the number of those 5 to 9 years old increased as well, by 34 percent.
Lincoln's surge was the most dramatic, but the trend held to lesser degrees in urban, suburban and rural-residential towns.
In Cumberland the 5- to 9-year-old group went up 22.1 percent and the 10-14 years olds expanded by 29 percent.
It was the same story in urbanized Pawtucket, where the 5- to 9-year-old group increased by 15.1 percent and their 10- to 14-year-old cohorts advanced by 24.3 percent.
The geographically smaller towns saw their school-aged populations increase, too.
In Central Falls, the 5- to 9-year-old group increased by 15.1 percent, the 10- to 14-year-olds by 24.3 percent.
North Smithfield started its boomlet younger, with a 13.9-percent jump in its newborn to 4-year-p;d preschool population and a 9.2-percent jump in its 5- to 9-year-olds.
Even Woonsocket, where the overall population had dropped 1.5 percent over the last decade, saw a youth movement. In that city, the number of 5- to 9-year-olds grew by 9.5 percent and the number of 10- to 14-year-old went up by 10.7 percent.
While those youngsters are in town now, the census figures indicate that once they reach their 20s and early 30s, many of them will move out.
Just as all the Blackstone Valley's towns had a increase in their school-aged population, their young-adult segments almost universally experienced decreases.
For the young-adult age groups, particularly 20- to 24-year-olds (an 18-percent drop in the six communities) and 25- to 34-year-olds (a 17-percent decline), the trend was down.
Just as it was the best example of the youth movement, Lincoln was likewise the best case to show the exodus of the young. From 1990 to 2000, the census showed that the number of people in town aged 20 to 24 dropped by 24.3 percent. That held true for those 25- to 34-year-olds too, where the number went down 13.6 percent.
But it switched back up again when people reached their late 30s. Lincoln's population aged 35 to 44 went up 33 percent over the decade and the 45- to 54-year-old group swelled by 56 percent.
Only North Smithfield saw a drop in its 35- to 44-year-old segment between 1990 and 2000, where the population declined by 2.3 percent. But the 45- to 54-year-olds took up the slack, bulging by 43.6 percent.
The 45- to 54-year-olds were robust across the board, with increases ranging form Pawtucket's 37.5-percent jump to Lincoln's 56.1 surge.
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