Census Bureau: Valley Income Above Average
Census Bureau: Valley Income Above Average
San Fernando Valley residents on average are better off, better educated, younger, and spend more of their income on their homes, according to Census Bureau data provided to Congressman Brad Sherman.
The median household income in most of the Valley is $49,612, an amount that is $3,286 more than the national figure, according to the new report. The Valley figure also is greater than the median household income for Los Angeles County ($48,248) and the City of Los Angeles ($42,667).
The preliminary census data examines 1.3 million people who lived in Valley districts represented by Sherman and Congressman Howard Berman in 2005. The Census Bureau will soon issue a report on the entire Valley, which has an estimated total population of about 1.8 million. The preliminary snapshot, available online at www.BradSherman.House.gov, showed that:
* Valley women slightly outnumbered men 661,629 to 659,700.
* The median age was just under 34 years old, compared to 36 for the country as a whole.
* More than 19 percent of people 25 and older had bachelor's degrees, compared to 17 percent nationwide.
* Almost 72 percent of workers over 16 drove to work alone, less than the 77 percent national average.
* There were 734,864 whites (56.8 percent), 123,869 Asians (9.5 percent) and 56,957 blacks or African Americans (4.4 percent). Hispanics and Latinos of all races totaled 653,903 (49.5 percent).
* In the Valley's high-priced housing market, renters occupy almost half of the housing units. Nationally, one-third rent. And almost 45 percent of Valley homeowners with mortgages pay more than one-third of their household income on housing. Nationally, it's 25 percent.
"The Census Bureau has provided an important preview of information that will help community organizations, businesses and all levels of government make better-informed decisions to shape the Valley's future," Sherman said.
The preliminary report covers the more than 72 percent of the Valley population represented by Sherman and Berman. At the request of Sherman and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Census Bureau soon will publish a detailed report that for the first time will compile population and economic information for the entire Valley.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/ca27_sherman/pr061105.html