Where we gather.
III. Who We Are Demographics
www.stlouispark.org
Environmental III. Who We AreStewardship
Photos courtesy of SLP Friends of the Arts
Demographics
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Demographics
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St. Louis Park is an established first ring suburb of 10.8 square miles. In a little more than 115 years, it’s grown from a village of 45 families to a community of 44,569 residents. The housing stock, mostly constructed following World War II, is comprised of 23,172 housing units in 35 neighborhoods.
Residential areas comprise the largest portion of the community. Our community is home to retail stores, restaurants, medical facilities, family-owned businesses, corporations, and churches and synagogues. St. Louis Park has a sound economic base with commercial, industrial and apartment development comprising more than 60 percent of the tax base. Ph
Photo: Carolyn Cleveland / SLP Friends of the Arts
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St. Louis Park has a long-standing tradition of friendliness, community involvement and commitment to excellence, and is aimed at creating a community so special that people will make a conscious choice to make St. Louis Park their lifelong home.
Photo: Marcie Murray / SLP Friends of the Arts
Photo: Abdjo Habia / SLP Friends of the Arts
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Respec
Environmental III. Who We AreStewardship Demographics
Where We Have Been Population Growth Population has fluctuated throughout St. Louis Park’s history responding to economic development cycles. Population in 1950 was 22,644 and this number continued to grow quickly during this period after World War II when St. Louis Park was the fastest growing suburb in the region. Population peaked around 1970, when residents numbered nearly 49,000. This was followed by a population decline of almost 6,000 people over the next decade. In the decades that followed, population as grown steady. The City’s current population is close to 44,600 residents.
*Estimated Photo: Karen Atkinson / SLP Friends of the Arts
Year 1890 1900 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010* 2020* 2030*
Population 499 1,325 2,281 4,710 7,737 22,644 43,310 48,883 42,931 43,787 44,102 47,000 49,300 51,500
Age of Residents Highlights: • Overall, the city’s population grew in the past 10 years by 339 (0.7%) and aged in place. Younger and school aged groups continued their decline while midaged and seniors continued to increase in numbers. • The city’s median age 35.7 is virtually identical to median age in Minnesota (35.4 years) and the Nation (35.3 years), and is just slightly higher than Hennepin County (34.9 years). • The greatest population gains from 1990s to 2000 were in the 45-54 work force age group. It increased by 1,737 (44%). • The 35-44 work force age group also grew by 623 (9%). • The 5-19 school age group increased by 512 (9%) • The 75+ seniors grew substantially by 481 (15%). Photo: Aryeh Schwartz / SLP Friends of the Arts
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• The biggest declines were for the young adult work force, ages 25-34 by -1,213 (-11.50%) and the 65-74 young senior age group by -1,071 (-28.40%).
Source: US Census; Metropolitan Council
Population Growth 1950-2030
Environmental III. Who We AreStewardship Population Statistics Source: US Census
POPULATION
St. Louis Park’s Population in 2000 by Age and Gender 100-104 90-94 80-84 70-74 60-64 50-54 40-44 30-34 20-24 10-14 0-4 3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
POPULATION MALE FEMALE
Source: US Census
Distribution of Residents’ Ages 700
--- MALE --- FEMALE
600 500 400 300 200 100 0 0
5
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100+
Male
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Female
Environmental III. Who We AreStewardship Household Characteristics Household Characteristics St. Louis Park has a high number of households which contain a married couple without children, 24 percent of total households. There are also a large number of single male and female householders, 34 percent. Out of the 20,782 households in the city, a household consisting of a married couple with children represents 3,278 (16%) households, a decline of 5% from 1990 while single mother heads of households represent 1,044 (5%) of the households, an increase of 11% from 1990. A single parent is defined as a parent who is not married or not living with his or her spouse.
St. Louis Park household type & presence of children (under 18 years) Household Type
1990 Number Percent
2000 Number Percent
% Change
Married with own Children
3,445
17%
3,278
16%
-5%
Married without own Children
5,573
28%
4,894
24%
-12%
Single Male with own Children
175
1%
241
1%
38%
Single Male without own Children
289
1%
356
2%
23%
Single Female with own Children
942
5%
1,044
5%
11%
Single Female without own Children
735
4%
749
4%
2%
Single Male
2,198
11%
3,030
15%
38%
Single Female
4,451
22%
4,849
23%
9%
Non-family 2+ Household
2,117
11%
2,341
11%
11%
Total Households
19,925
100%
20,782 100%
4% Source: US Census 2000
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Environmental III. Who We AreStewardship Household Characteristics National trends-demonstrate that family and household size has been decreasing across the U.S. for more than a century. Families are having fewer children. Increases in life expectancy have led to increases in smaller families and households especially the empty nesters and single elderly person households. The 1970s were a decade of “baby boom” children growing up and leaving their families to explore other life adventures. Today the early “baby boomers” are reaching retirement age with an increasing amount of single person households. Compounding this effect in St. Louis Park is the small physical size of the housing units constructed in the years immediately following the Second World War. By 2000, the housing market changed; families of four or more have demanded larger houses. Such single family homes are in short supply in St. Louis Park. A St. Louis Park house that once accommodated families with two or more children is now likely occupied by one or two persons.
Figure 5. Comparison of St. Louis Park Household Types 1990 and 2000 100
80
60
11%
11%
Other Non-Family Households
22%
23%
Single Female
15%
Single Male
12%
Other Family Households
16%
Married With Own Children
11% 11%
40
During the 1970s, the average number of persons per household dropped from 3.1 to 2.4. It has continued to decline from 2.16 in the 1990s to 2.08 in 2000. A comparison of the 2000 Census household size shows that St. Louis Park is very low with 2.08 persons per household compared to 2.39 in Hennepin County and 2.52 in Minnesota. By 2007, the Census Bureau and Metro Council estimated that the City population per household has continued to drop down to 2.0 per household.
17%
20
28% 0
1990
24%
Married Without Own Children
2000
Source: US Census 2000
Household Makeup Families with children Families without children 65+ living alone
Other non-family households 0
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1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
Source: US Census 2000
Under 65 living alone
Environmental III. Who We AreStewardship Where We Are Today
Where We Are Today The following table highlights St. Louis Park information compared to Hennepin County, the State and the U.S. Persons per family and household are smaller than the other categories. Income and age are similar to the County, State and U.S., however there is a noticeable smaller percent of households with persons under age 18.
St. Louis Park Demographic Overview
St. Louis Park
Hennepin Co.
Minnesota
U.S.
Population
44,102
1,116,200
4,919,479
281,421,906
Households
22,773
1,087,984
4,783,596
104,819,002
People per household
2.08
2.39
2.52
2.59
Persons per family
2.81
3.07
3.09
3.14
Median household income
$49,260
$51,711
$47,111
$41,994
Per capita income
$28,970
$28,789
$23,198
$21,587
Median age
35.7
34.9
35.4
35.3
% Households with Persons Under 18 yrs
23%
30.5%
34.7%
36%
% Households with Persons 65+ yrs
21.1%
34.8%
21.3%
23.4%
St. Louis Park is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. During the past decades there has been a steady increase. As late as 1970, the racial make-up of St. Louis Park was over 99% white. By 2000, the white population declined to 89% of the total population. This change in racial and ethnic diversity follows national and statewide trends. The State Demographer (2000) noted that 9% of Minnesota’s population identified themselves as non-white and projected an increase to 13% by 2015 and 16% by 2030. A majority of St. Louis Park residents are of German descent. Norwegian and Irish ancestries have strong representation within the city. The city also has a large population of English, French, Polish, and Russian descent. Still, 9,228 (21 percent) residents reported other ancestries in the 2000 census.
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St. Louis Park Racial Diversity 4.4% .4% 3.2% .1% 1.3% 1.7% 88.9%
White Black or African American American Indian and Alaska Native Asian Native Hawaiin and Other Pacific Islander Some Other Race Two or More Races
Source: US Census 2000
Environmental III. Who We AreStewardship Where We Are Headed
Where We Are Headed Population, Households and Employment Projections The Metropolitan Council estimates the population of St. Louis Park at 44,569 in 2006, growing to 51,500 by 2030, a 15.5% increase (6,931 residents). Households are forecasted to continue to grow at a rate of approximately 100 per year from 2000 through 2030, as shown in the table below.
Statewide Trends for the Future
Population, Household, and Employment Projections Year
Population
Households
Employment
2006
44,569
21,403
41,067
2010
47,000
22,000
46,200
2020
49,300
23,000
50,500
2030
51,500
24,000
52,500
The City’s population will continue to grow from 2000 through 2030 by approximately ½ of one percent per year. This represents an increase of 200 to 250 new residents each year. By decade the forecasts are for a slowing of growth at a rate of 6% from 2000 to 2010; 5% from 2010 to 2020; and 4.5% from 2020 to 2030.
• Minnesota’s population and number of households is projected to grow in the coming decades. Households (and housing units) will grow a bit faster than population because the average household size will shrink slightly. The smaller household size results from an aging population, as baby boomers grow older more people will be living in one-person or two-person households. (Minnesota State Demographic Center, August 2007). • The state’s birth rate is projected to rise steadily between now and 2015. Births will be at their highest levels since the baby boom era of 1946-1964. This is because the number of women of childbearing age (20-34 years) is expected to grow by 10 percent during the coming decade (2010-2020). (Minnesota State Demographic Center, August 2007). • Natural increase, the excess of births over deaths, is projected to account for approximately 80 percent of the population growth over the next 30 years. Migration is expected to contribute about 20 percent of the total population growth. In addition, the baby boomers will continue to have healthier, longer life spans (Minnesota State Demographic Center, August 2007). • As the baby boom generation continues to age, the number of married couples without children living at home will grow by 120,700 between 2005 and 2015. The number of couples with children will fall by 24,500 between 2005 and 2015. (Minnesota State Demographic Center, August 2007). • One-person households headed by a person 65 and older are projected to grow by 156,000 between 2010 and 2030. (Minnesota State Demographic Center, August 2007).
Photo: Todd Pernsteiner
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