Community Corner
Census Shows Fenton, High Ridge as Family-Oriented Communities
The latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau bear out the two communities as a good place to live with mostly occupied homes and few vacancies..
The latest release of numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau show that Fenton and High Ridge are stable, family-oriented communities with a large percentage of family households and few housing vacancies.
"We just have a lot of things that appeal to families," said Mark Sartors, Fenton city administrator. "People take care of their homes, they are well-maintained and the grass is cut. The neighborhoods, for the most part, are places people want to move to."
There are 1,549 households in Fenton, of which 1,176 (75.9 percent) are occupied by families, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures released today. It's a similar story in High Ridge with 1,688 total households, of which 1,134 are occupied by families.
Find out what's happening in Fenton-High Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The average household size in Fenton is 2.56 people; in High Ridge it's 2.56.
Sartors also said homes in Fenton tend to be more quickly occupied than in some communities, with fewer long-term vacancies. In Fenton, 96.2 percent of the households are occupied; 93.8 percent in High Ridge. There were only 62 (3.8 percent) vacant housing units in Fenton at the time of the 2010 Census, and 112 (6.2 percent) vacant units in High Ridge.
Find out what's happening in Fenton-High Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
One difference between Fenton and High Ridge in today's release of census information, albeit a small one, pertains to gender. Women outnumber the men in Fenton 51.2 percent to 48.8 percent. In High Ridge, the men are in the majority, barely, with a 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent edge.
The median age of men in Fenton is 45.6 years; in High Ridge it's 35.8 years. Women's median age (not that anyone would ask) is 47.6 in Fenton and 38.7 in High Ridge.
The numbers provided by the Census Bureau are detailed and comprehensive including, for example, how many people over 85 years old are in each community (for the record it's 82 people in Fenton, 53 in High Ridge). And there will be pages full of numbers released in the months to come as community profiles are developed for each community in the country.
The latest release is part of an ongoing series of information dumps from the U.S. Census Bureau as it compiles the information from the 2010 census conducted last spring. The earlier release of Missouri data gave basic information about the population of the state and communities within Missouri, broken down by general categories of race and ethnicity. The information also had some basic information about housing capacity and occupancy rates in the state. The information becomes more detailed as the Census Bureau continues to analyze the numbers before releasing the data state-by-state.
Patch will be sifting through the 2010 Census material and providing regular updates of the numbers in the weeks ahead to provide a picture of the Fenton and High Ridge communities.
The chart below is a portion of the latest data released today.
U.S. CENSUS POPULATION/ HOUSEHOLD PROFILES
FENTON ST.LOUIS COUNTY HIGH RIDGE JEFFERSON COUNTY SEX AND AGE % of total
% of total % of total % of total TOTAL POPULATION 4,022 998,954 4,305 218,733 Male population 1,962 48.8% 472,903 47.3% 2,168 50.4% 108,846 49.8% Median age (in years) 45.6 37.9 35.8 36.9 Female population
2,060 51.2% 526,051 52.7% 2,137 49.6% 109,887 50.2% Median age (in years) 47.6
41.6
37.9
38.7
HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE TOTAL HOUSEHOLDS
1,549 404,765 1,688 81,700 Family households (families) 1,176 75.9% 263,423 65.1% 1,134 67.2% 60,031 73.5% Male householder, no wife present 40 2.6% 16,338 4.0% 98 5.8% 4,581 5.6% Female householder, no husband present 117 7.6% 57,653 14.2% 183 10.8% 9,257 11.3% Average household size 2.56 2.42 2.53 2.65 HOUSING OCCUPANCY TOTAL HOUSING UNITS
1,611 438,032 1,800 87,626 Occupied housing units 1,549 96.2% 404,765 92.4% 1,688 93.8% 81,700 93.2% Vacant housing units 62 3.8% 33,267 7.6% 112 6.2% 5,926 6.8% Homeowner vacancy rate (percent) 2.2 2.3 1.8 2 Rental vacancy rate (percent)
5.5 10 14.3 8.7 HOUSING TENURE Occupied housing units 1,549 404,765 1,688 81,700 Owner-occupied housing units 1,344 86.8% 291,937 72.1% 1,432 84.8% 66,836 81.8% Population in owner-occupied housing units 3,545 88.1% 735,572 73.6% 3,549 82.4% 180,656 82.6% Average household size of owner-occupied units 2.64 2.52 2.48 2.7 Renter-occupied housing units 205 13.2% 112,828 256 14,864 Population in renter-occupied housing units 428 10.6% 243,928 24.4% 721 16.7% 36,094 16.5% Average household size of renter-occupied units 2.09 2.16 2.82 2.43
Source: 2010 U.S. Census
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