City's population might be stagnant, but demographics are rapidly changing... (Pittsburgh: low income, 2015)

[eschaton]

From today's Post-Gazette...

Highlights:

1. Real median income (after inflation) climbed 6.5% in the city from 2015 to 2016, as opposed to 2.6% across the whole metro (nationally, the increase was 2.4%. This increase as the 17th largest in the country out of the top 100 cities.

2. Although the city remains poorer than the region as a whole, the poverty rate within the city is falling more rapidly than the metro at large, down 3.8% in one year.

3. The proportion of residents holding a Bachelor's degree in the city has risen by 30.9% since 2000.

4. The proportion between 25 and 34 has also risen, up 23.4%. Both these outpace the nation as a whole and the metro area. This meant 11,000 new young adults were living in the city - the only major demographic group to grow in Pittsburgh during this time period. This also explains to a great extent why we have a rental crunch with a stagnant population.

5. The city is now the 18th most educated in the country (out of the top 100) when looking at the proportion of those 25 and older with college degrees.

6. The foreign-born population has edged up slightly from 6.1% of the population in 2010 to 8.8% in 2016. This has been largely driven by a gain in 5,000 Asian-born residents.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

This is great info, thanks for posting. I think #1 is a big one when it comes to tax revenue, though I would like to see how the mean income changed (report is on median). Same tax rate generating more tax revenue is a big deal considering the funding challenges this city has faced.

[Paul2421]

these are all great stats. thank you for the share!

[eschaton]

I was curious because the Post-Gazette didn't report upon it what happened with the black population in Pittsburgh. As I thought, it is shrinking, in both numeric terms and as a percentage. In 2010 the City of Pittsburgh had 79,710 black residents, and it is now down to an estimated 69,010 - a loss of 10,700 (or roughly 13%) in only six years. The percentage of Pittsburgh's population that is black also fell, from 25.9% to 22.7%.

At the current rate of decline, Pittsburgh's black population will be down to only 20.3% of the total population in 2020, presuming overall population growth is stagnant. If we actually end up increasing a bit by 2020 in total population, the amount could easily slip below one in five.

[Paul2421]

let's keep in mind though median household income in the city is 44k

[Geeo]

I read the P-G article and, while the change is evident in the city, the numbers really took me by surprise. Things like this can happen rapidly. Where only a decade ago we were lamenting an aging population, these stats show a pretty dramatic reverse over the last few years in age, income and other demographics. I knew we had a high education rate in the city, but I didn't know it was this high.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Paul2421

let's keep in mind though median household income in the city is 44k

The City's median household income almost certainly will stay somewhat below regional averages - and its poverty level will almost certainly stay above county averages. This is because college and graduate students who do not live in dorms count as "households" and tend to have very low income (or none at all if they rely on mommy and daddy to pay all the bills). That's why back in 2010, for example, Central Oakland had a poverty rate of 64.8% - and even tony Shadyside a rate of 19.3%.

[Copanut]

Wouldn't all the yuppies moving back to the city and displacing the poor to the 'burbs skew the stats?

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The City's median household income almost certainly will stay somewhat below regional averages - and its poverty level will almost certainly stay above county averages. This is because college and graduate students who do not live in dorms count as "households" and tend to have very low income (or none at all if they rely on mommy and daddy to pay all the bills). That's why back in 2010, for example, Central Oakland had a poverty rate of 64.8% - and even tony Shadyside a rate of 19.3%.

oh i understand for sure. it just keeps it in perspective. a graduate taking a job at upmc for 50k is going to raise this stat. it isn't necessarily only the high tech jobs.

[bradjl2009]

Wow this is great news overall. A few posters have been saying that even if the population isn't rising, the city has been experiencing significant demographic changes over the last ten years. I don't see why it shouldn't continue over time as well.