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Smaller metro area cities get new data

First-of-its-kind U.S. Census survey confirms trends

Among the various planning designations for communities in the seven-county metro region, the developed suburbs have, on average, the highest percentage of people age 65 and up – 15%.

Developing suburbs have the highest share – 33% – of households composed of married couples with children under age 18.

One in five residents of the seven-county metro area is a person of color. One in eight persons over age 5 speaks a language other than English at home.

These are among the findings that emerge from data released recently by the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005-2007 American Community Survey (ACS). The data cover communities with populations of 20,000 or higher, data which were previously available for communities with a population less than 65,000 just once every 10 years.

Now 41 communities in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area have key demographic and household data for comparison and decision-making purposes.

Communities can see emerging trends

With annual data, local governments are able to examine how they are different from neighboring communities and to prepare for emerging issues, said Metropolitan Council Research Manager Libby Starling.

Starling said the data allow municipalities to identify community characteristics and view them through a new lens.

“Elements of the survey show us things that we might not otherwise see,” Starling said.  “The more information we have, the better informed decisions we can make.”  

The ACS collects information from 2.5% of all U.S. households each year in a number of categories, including: demographics, household structure and income, commuting patterns, homeownership and the impact of housing costs on households.

Council analyzes data by type of community

The Council has reviewed and analyzed the survey data according to its area planning designations – central cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul), developed suburbs (those that have all or nearly all of their land developed), and developing areas (those that have a significant amount of undeveloped land).

Starling said the data largely confirm trends that were previously supported by anecdotal evidence. For example, developed suburbs such as Richfield and Roseville show a higher percentage of older residents who have owned their homes for many years. Commuting patterns were also confirmed, including that nearly half of the commuters in many Anoka County communities are traveling at least 30 minutes to work.

Other trends include the following:

• About 75% of metropolitan residents own a home. Though the data were collected prior to the peak of the recent foreclosure crisis, Starling said she expects numbers to stay high because Minnesota has historically had a higher rate of home ownership than other parts of the country.
• Data show a correlation between the percentage of household income devoted to housing costs (known as housing cost burden) and the time spent commuting to work. People may be choosing to live farther from employment and extend their commutes in order to find more affordable housing.
• One in five metropolitan area residents are people of color. Though a large percentage of people of color live in the central cities, the developed communities of Brooklyn Center and Richfield have significant populations of people of color, as does the developing community of Brooklyn Park.
• Central cities have experienced significant turnover and increasing diversity. There are fewer married couples and married couples with young children than developed and developing communities have. In addition, median income is lower in the cities, but this may be due in part to a larger percentage of households where a person is living alone.
• Residents in developed suburbs are older; a lower percentage are children. Developed suburbs have a much higher percentage of households where people are living alone than their developing neighbors. Several developed communities show a low percentage of homeowners with a mortgage.
• Developing communities have high populations of children and married couples. For example, nearly 80% of Andover households consist of married couples. In addition, developing communities show higher household incomes, and few households are composed of only one person. About 36% of households in developing communities also have a second mortgage or home-equity loan.

Data help local planning efforts

Local planning officials use census-related data, such as ACS data, to inform planning-related decisions, and to provide the public with demographic background information about their communities.

Larry Timmerman, senior planner for Washington County, said that census-related data is most often used in general and strategic planning efforts, particularly when the community will need to decide where to devote future resources

Timmerman also noted that it’s helpful when agencies, such as the Met Council, can synthesize the data and provide analysis to focus the data, given the limited planning resources some local governments may have. He said that it’s difficult to survey smaller communities with a reliable level of accuracy, which makes surveys like the ACS and others that can provide accurate data for communities with populations below 20,000 particularly helpful.

In St. Paul, planners use the data to support neighborhood and small-area planning. For example, planners will focus on areas that may be undergoing a significant change – such as the neighborhoods surrounding the Ford plant, proposed stations for the Central Corridor light-rail project, and the 3M site on St. Paul’s East Side, according to Larry Soderholm, planning administrator for the city. In those cases, data will help guide discussions and possible development options.

Communities also use census-related data to compare with other metropolitan communities and for generating demographic profiles, local planning officials say. The availability of timely data for smaller communities may help with forecasting growth, and for grant applications and reports, said Erik Slettedahl, community development specialist for Eagan.

In future years, the ACS will be expanded to include additional information about health insurance, veteran’s services, and marital history. Starling said these pieces of information will provide a more scientific and consistent basis to analyze issues that attract public attention.