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What the census data is saying about us

Dec 15, 2010 11:23 am
The US Census Bureau’s American Communities Survey shows that Greene County has the lowest household median income in the entire Hudson Valley region. The 2005 to 2009 report contains estimates in a number of categories of data and officials emphasize that true numbers will be available with the full 2010 census which has yet to be released. We have listed some of what's been found already, including educational achievement, poverty level figures, basic industry and commuing trend data, as well as who's identifying with what, ancestry-wise.



Income data released from the latest surveys show Putnam County at the top in the Hudson Valley, with a median household income of $88,036, Rockland Countyat $82,368, Westchester County at $79,585, Orange County at $69,255, Dutchess County at $68,472, Ulster County at $57,485, Columbia County at $54,573, Sullivan County at $48,586, and Greene County at $46,213.

Population figures for the area were at 62,217 total for Columbia County, with 56,951 listed as white, 3,099 as black, and 1,962 as Hispanic; 292,187 in Dutchess County, with 235,182 white, 27,836 black, and 25,759 Hispanic; 49,071 in Greene County, with 44,369 listed as white, 3,040 as Black and 2,527 Hispanic; 376,548 in Orange County, with 297,557 whites, 36,184 Black and 59,983 Hispanic; 99,111 in Putnam County, where 88,544 are listed as white, 2,193 as black, and 10,000 as Hispanic; 297,298 in Rockland County, with 229,106 white, 33,701 black and 38,500 Hispanic; 75,921 in Sullivan County, with 63,442 white, 6,467 black and 8,900 Hispanic; 181,510 in Ulster County, with 160,559 white, 10,444 black, and 13,237 Hispanic; and finally 949,050 in WEstchester County, where 671,487 are listed as White, 141,378 as Black, and 177,306 as Hispanic.

In terms of education, 27.6 percent of adults in Columbia County had a B.A. or higher, compared to 19.2 percent in Greene County.

Industry-wise, 24.7 percent worked in education, health care, or social assistance in Columbia County, 11.2 percent in retail, 9.9 percent in professions, 9.1 percent in construction, 8.3 percent in public administration, 9 percent in manufacturing, and 5.9 percent in the arts or tourism. In Greene County the breakdown was 24 percent in health, education and social services, 10.7 percent in construction, 10.4 percent in retail, 10.3 percent in the arts or tourism, 9.2 percent in public administration, and 9.7 percent in professional work, which category includes waste management.

20.7 percent of of Greene County's employed worked in government jobs, and 9.7 percent characterized themselves as self-employed. 21.5 percent were employed in government in Columbia County, with 10.4 percent listed as self-employed. Health insurance and full employment figures were not included in the data.

77.3 percent of workers in Columbia County said they drove alone to their place of employment each day, versus 7.9 percent who carpooled, 5 percent who walked, and 2.5 percent who took public transportation. In Greene County, the figures were 79.6 percent driving alone, 9.2 percent carpooling, 3.3 percent walking, and under 1 percent taking public transportation.

Poverty-wise, 12 percent of all in Greene County are listed as living below the poverty level, with 19,5 percent of all kids under the age of 5, 15 percent of everyone under the age of 18, and 65.5 percent of families headed by a single woman with children under the age of 5. In Columbia County, 9.5 percent of all people are living under poverty level, with 14 percent of all children under the age of 18, 7 percent of those under 5 years old, and 24.7 percent of households headed by single women with kids under five at such levels.

7.1 percent of Columbia County families were listed as speaking languages other than English at home, with 2.6 percent speaking Spanish. In Greene County, there was also a 7.1 percent figure for those speaking other than English in their homes, with 3.2 percent speaking Spanish.

In the odd category of Ancestry, which did not include non-European categories other than "Arab," Columbia County saw 7.5 percent of its residents identify themselves as American, 7.4 percent as Dutch, 11.6 as English, 5.7 percent as French, 23.7 percent as German, 19 percent as Irish, 15.9 percent as Italian, and 5.9 percent as Polish. In Greene County, 12.3 percent identify themselves as American, 6 percent as Dutch, 8 as English, 3.5 percent as French, 19.1 percent as German, 20.4 percent as Irish, 18.5 percent as Italian, and 4.2 percent as Polish.

More on all these figures as they come out, and we get to them, over the coming months.
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