Two-pronged growth: Survey finds more in El Paso learn English

by Adriana Gómez Licón \ El Paso Times
Posted: 12/15/2010 12:00:00 AM MST

Census Bureau estimates find that some areas on the East Side are growing dramatically. A neighborhood just north of Horizon city grew from 18,000 to 29,000 since 2000. (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)
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During the past decade, El Paso has been a county of contrasts.

The last release from the U.S. Census Bureau before the 2010 Census results come in show El Paso's two sides.

Poverty overall has grown in the past 10 years, and child poverty has increased even faster. Median income for households has dropped from $40,000 to $35,000.

Yet in El Paso County, where growth is "moderate," educational levels are slowly rising, as are home values, homeownership and English language skills.

The director of the Texas State Data Center, Lloyd Potter, said El Paso's slight growth is the exception in the shrinking West Texas.

But the county, Potter said, falls behind in education when it's compared with other parts of the state and country.

Key findings the 2005-2009 estimates of the U.S. Census Bureau are:

Since 2000, home values in El Paso have increased $11,600, to $95,200.

Median household income fell $4,723, to $35,249. The poverty rate grew from 24 percent to 27 percent. Child poverty increased from 32 percent to 37 percent since 2000.

The percentage of Spanish speakers has remained steady, from 71.2 percent in 2000 to the current 72.7 percent. But 45 percent of the 492,000 non-native speakers know English now, up from 41 percent of the 455,000 in 2000.

The rate of people with high-school diplomas has grown from 66 percent to 70 percent since 2000. Also, more people - 19 percent - now have college degrees than in 2000, when 17 percent had completed university studies.

Fewer in El Paso are married and have children. Less than 27 percent of households are married couples with children now, compared with more than 33 percent of households in 2000.
For the first time, the U.S.

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Census factoids about your city and region

Census Bureau drilled down details of towns, cities, American Indian reservations and other places of less than 20,000 population. Before, people needed to wait 10 years for comprehensive information on small neighborhoods.
From this year on, the bureau will release five-year estimates on an annual basis.

The statistics come from the American Community Survey, a longer census form that only a sampling of the population has to fill out.

"Local communities can make more updated decisions on investments in their community rather than looking at data every ten years," said Jenna Arnold, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Census Bureau at the Dallas regional office.

Arnold calculates 15 million households are taken into consideration for the five-year estimates. She said the U.S. Census Bureau interviewed one out of 10 people for the survey in the past five years.

Mathew McElroy, El Paso city planner, said officials look into the American Community Survey results to make decisions on transit planning, redevelopment and zoning.

But it will be the first time cities can pin down needs in specific neighborhoods.

"We'll figure out areas in decline and in need of some sort of incentive," McElroy said.

Based on neighborhood results, areas on the East Side are growing dramatically.

For example, a neighborhood just north of Horizon City grew from 18,000 to 29,000 people since 2000. There, the average home price is $17,200 higher than the average price in El Paso.

The median value in this booming subdivision is $112,400.

In addition, 84 percent of the people in the area also known as Paseos del Este are homeowners, compared with 64 percent in El Paso.

Another area where values have gone up is Santa Teresa.

The average home price there has skyrocketed from $114,000 to $160,000 in the past decade, according to the Census Bureau. More than 75 percent of Santa Teresans are homeowners.

Adriana Gómez Licón may be reached at agomez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6129.

What are these numbers?

The U.S. Census Bureau released detailed estimates of places smaller than 20,000 people. These are not the 2010 Census results. The bureau compiled statistics during the past five years from responses of the American Community Survey, a longer form the bureau calculates from about 15 million households surveyed.

Smaller places will not have to wait 10 years to get the census results from now on. Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau will be releasing these five-year estimates.

To search an El Paso Times database to find statistics of your community, go to www.elpasotimes.com. Find a variety of topics such as educational attainment, median income, home values and how they have changed since 2000 in towns, villages, reservations, colonias and cities in the states of Texas and New Mexico.

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