Housing Affordability Index for Humboldt County

184 Pages·2009·2.35 MB·English

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Economic Development Strategic Plan
Technical
2004 - 2009
Appendices
City of Arcata
Prepared by:
City of Arcata

Economic Development Strategic Plan

Technical Appendices

Appendix
Baseline Demographic Profile.......................................................................................................A

Economic Development Resources................................................................................................B

Land Use, Businesses and Jobs.......................................................................................................C

Revenue..........................................................................................................................................D

Economic Development Assets......................................................................................................E

Stakeholder Meetings......................................................................................................................F

City of Arcata 1997 Economic Development Strategic Plan Status of Accomplishments
as of April, 2004............................................................................................................................G
Appendix Table of Contents Arcata Economic Development Strategic Plan
City of Arcata

Economic Development Strategic Plan

Technical Appendices
Appendix A
Baseline Demographic Profile

A. INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................A-1
A.1 POPULATION................................................................................................................A-2
A.2 AGE DISTRIBUTION...................................................................................................A-4
A.3 RACE/ETHNICITY........................................................................................................A-7
A.4 INCOME AND POVERTY............................................................................................A-7
A.5 COST OF LIVING........................................................................................................A-10
A.6 HOUSING AFFORDABILITY....................................................................................A-11
Introduction:

The population characteristics of Arcata are useful to analyze to understand the city’s
demographic make-up and its changing profile. Population trends, considered with land use,
business make-up, and other data, point towards specific economic development strategies.
For example, in Arcata, the presence of a large population of highly educated young people
predicts a need for certain business sectors, such as entertainment. Likewise, an aging
population in the future might call for infusion of services in the medical sector.

This section provides an overview of general demographic data only. More detailed labor
force and employment data can be found in Attachment C, where it is used in conjunction
with business and land use data to predict what type of jobs Arcata needs in the future.

Source of Information: In developing this baseline profile and Arcata’s economic
development strategies for the future, several data sources were used. The tables in this
section reflect primarily U.S. Census and California Department of Finance data. In
addition, the City of Arcata General Plan Update 2020 and the City of Arcata Housing
Element 2004 were reviewed for the greater variety of data that they contain that is specific
to Arcata. Key tables form these documents were added, and others were only referenced in
the appropriate place in this section. Those seeking additional data on Arcata population
and other trends are referred to these documents for further information.

Definitions: The U.S. Census defines a household as “all the persons who occupy a housing
unit. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single
room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters.
Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any
other persons in the building and which have direct access from the outside of the building
or through a common hall. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone,
two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who
share living arrangements.”

The U.S. Census defines a family as “consist[ing] of a householder and one or more other
persons living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage,
or adoption. All persons in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as
members of his or her family. A household can contain only one family for census
tabulations. Not all households contain families since a household may comprise a group of
unrelated persons or one person living alone.”

The U.S. Census defines a married-couple family as a “family in which the householder and
his or her spouse are enumerated as members of the same family.” Other family consists of
two classes: Male householder, no wife present is a “family with a male householder and no
spouse of the householder present”, and a female householder, no husband present is a
“family with a female householder and no spouse of the householder present. A spouse is a
Appendix A A-1 Arcata Economic Development Strategic Plan
person married to and living with a householder. This includes persons in formal marriages,
as well as persons in common-law marriages.”

A.1 Population

As shown in Table A.1.1 below, population growth between 1990 and 2000 in Arcata was
slightly less than one percent per year (0.92%), a growth rate that ranged approximately
midway between that of Humboldt County and the State of California. This was slower than
the rate of growth between 1980 and 1990, which was about 2.1 percent per year.

While the number of total households increased by 16.1 percent between 1990 and 2000, the
number of family households decreased by nearly 2.7 percent, meaning fewer people with
children under age 18 are living in Arcata. In contrast, the number of family households
increased by 1.86 percent in Humboldt County, and by nearly 11 percent for the State of
California.
Table A.1.1: Population and Household Data
%Change
City of Arcata 1990 2000 '90-'00
Population 15,197 16,651 9.57%
Households 6,073 7,051 16.10%
Avg. Household Size 2.29 2.16 -5.68%
Family Households
(Families) 2,893 2,815 -2.70%
Avg. Family Size 2.87 2.81 -2.09%
%Change
Humboldt County 1900 2000 '90-'00
Population 119,118 126,518 6.21%
Households 46,420 51,238 10.38%
Avg. Household Size 2.49 2.39 -4.02%
Family Households
(Families) 30,086 30645 1.86%
Avg. Family Size 3.02 2.95 -2.32%
%Change
State of California 1990 2000 '90-'00
Population 29,760,021 33,871,648 13.82%
Households 10,381,206 11,502,870 10.80%
Avg. Household Size 2.79 2.87 2.87%
Family Households
(Families) 7,139,394 7,920,049 10.93%
Avg. Family Size 3.32 3.43 3.31%
*Source: Census 2000

Continuing the trend of a slowing rate of growth in the 1990’s, future growth of Arcata’s
population is currently projected to be one half percent a year (0.50%) from 2005 until 2020.
As shown in Table A.1.2 below, growth appears to be slightly slower than the projections in
Appendix A A-2 Arcata Economic Development Strategic Plan
Arcata's General Plan: 2020, which indicates an anticipated "modest growth rate, up to a
population of around 20,000" by 2020. In practical terms, there will be an additional 1,878
people added to Arcata’s population between 2000 and 2020.

The Humboldt County General Plan Update 2025 anticipates slightly faster 0.63 percent
annual growth rate for Arcata between 2000 and 2025, which is just slightly faster than
Humboldt County as a whole. It is important to note that these projections are based largely
on historical trends, growth is hard to predict more than several years out, and migratory
patterns could change for a variety of economic, demographic, or social reasons.

Table A.1.2: Population Projections
1990 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025
Arcata 15,197 16,651 17,225 * * 18,529 19,500
Humboldt
119,118 127,700 132,500 136,500 139,200 142,100 143,100
County
State of 29.83 34.48 37.48 40.26 42.71 45.82
California million million million million million million
*Projections unavailable.
Source: Census 2000 (Arcata), California State Department of Finance (Table P1 for Humboldt County and
California), and County of Humboldt General Plan Update 2025.

A majority of the population in Arcata lives in non-family households. The distorting effect
of HSU students is evident in comparing table A.1.3 below with County and State data in
tables A.1.4, and A.1.5. Over 60 percent of Arcata households in 2000 were non-family
households, a dramatic increase of 33.2 percent from 1990. The comparable figure for
Humboldt County is 40.2 percent, and 31.1 percent for California.

It is notable that in 2000 only 21.6 percent of all households in Arcata had children under 18
living in them (comparable figures are 31.4 percent for Humboldt County and 39.7 percent
for California).
Table A.1.3: Households by Type, Arcata
1990 2000 % Change
'90-'00
# % # %
Family Households (families) 2,893 47.6% 2,815 39.9% -2.7%
Non-family households 3,180 52.4% 4,236 60.1% 33.2%
Households with individuals under 18 years 1,522 21.6%
Households with individuals
1,096 15.5%
65 years and over
Total households 6,073 100.0% 7,051 100.0% 16.1%
Source: U.S. Census
Appendix A A-3 Arcata Economic Development Strategic Plan
Table A.1.4: Households by Type, Humboldt County
1990 2000 % Change
'90-'00
# % # %
Family Households (families) 30,086 64.8% 30,645 59.8% -7.7%
Non-family households 16,334 35.2% 20,593 40.2% 14.2%
Households with individuals under 18 years 16,094 31.4%
Households with individuals 65 years and over 11,327 22.1%
Total households 46,420 100.0% 51,238 100.0%
Source: U.S. Census
Table A.1.5: Households by Type, State of California
%
1990 2000
Change
# % # % '90-'00
Family Households (families) 7,139,394 68.8 7,920,049 68.9 0.1
Non-family households 3,241,812 31.2 3,582,821 31.1 -0.3
Households with individuals under 18
4,569,910 39.7
years
Households with individuals
2,570,170 22.3
65 years and over
Total households 10,381,206 100.0 11,502,870 100.0
Source: U.S. Census

Additional detailed data on the size, composition and other characteristics of households is
available in the City of Arcata Housing Element, 2004 in Tables HE-10 through HE-14.

A.2 Age Distribution

Arcata’s age distribution shown in Tables A.2.1 and A.2.2 on the following page reflect that
it is primarily a “college town.” The percentage of Arcatans who are between the ages of 18
and 24 is approximately three times as large as for the State of California, and should
continue to make up an even more disproportionately large share of the city, since Humboldt
State University has announced that it plans to increase enrollment from about 8,000 in 2004
to 12,000 by 2040, a growth rate of over 1.4 percent per year for the next 36 years, which is
faster than the city’s growth rate.

Householder age data largely confirms the age distribution data showing that Arcata has a
large population of young people. Those between the ages of 15 and 24 make up 25.1
percent of the population of Arcata, compared to only 8.7 percent in Humboldt County and
4.7 percent in California. Considered with Table A.1.3 showing the relative lack of family
households, it appears that much of the household population between 15 and 24 are the
college students between ages 18 and 24.
Appendix A A-4 Arcata Economic Development Strategic Plan
Table A.2.1: Age Distribution
1990 2000
City of Arcata
# % # %
Under 18 2,697 17.75% 2,551 15.32%
18 – 24 4,561 30.01% 5,378 32.30%
25 – 34 2,732 17.98% 2,856 17.15%
35 – 44 1,919 12.63% 1,773 10.65%
45 – 54 995 6.55% 1,741 10.46%
55 – 64 855 5.63% 908 5.45%
65 and over 1,438 9.46% 1,444 8.67%
Total 15,197 100.00% 16,651 100.00%
1990 2000
Humboldt County
# % # %
Under 18 30,607 25.69% 29,413 23.25%
18 – 24 13,224 11.10% 15,662 12.38%
25 – 34 19,493 16.36% 16,016 12.66%
35 – 44 20,261 17.01% 18,679 14.76%
45 – 54 11,473 9.63% 19,861 15.70%
55 – 64 9,429 7.92% 11,111 8.78%
65 and over 14,631 12.28% 15,776 12.47%
Total 119,118 100.00% 126,518 100.00%
1990 2000
State of California
# % # %
Under 18 7,750,725 26.04% 9,249,829 27.31%
18 – 24 3,412,257 11.47% 3,366,030 9.94%
25 – 34 5,686,371 19.11% 5,229,062 15.44%
35 – 44 4,639,321 15.59% 5,485,341 16.19%
45 – 54 2,902,569 9.75% 4,331,635 12.79%
55 – 64 2,233,226 7.50% 2,614,093 7.72%
65 and over 3,135,552 10.54% 3,595,658 10.62%
Total 29,760,021 100.00% 33,871,648 100.00%
*Source: Census 2000
The City of Arcata Housing Element, 2004 provides additional detail on population
projections by age groups (see tables HE-5 and HE-6)

Appendix A A-5 Arcata Economic Development Strategic Plan
Table A.2.2: Age of Householder, 2000*
City of Arcata Humboldt County State of California
# % # % # %
15 to 24 years 1,771 25.1% 4,483 8.7% 538,613 4.7%
25 to 34 years 1,552 22.0% 7,933 15.5% 2,131,308 18.5%
35 to 44 years 1,051 14.9% 10,111 19.7% 2,798,057 24.3%
45 to 54 years 1,105 15.7% 11,612 22.7% 2,388,616 20.8%
55 to 64 years 563 8.0% 6,708 13.1% 1,483,789 12.9%
65 years and over 1,009 14.3% 10,391 20.3% 2,162,487 18.8%
65 to 74 years 443 6.3% 5,194 10.1% 1,114,732 9.7%
75 to 84 years 429 6.1% 3,985 7.8% 809,072 7.0%
85 years and over 137 1.9% 1,212 2.4% 238,683 2.1%
Occupied housing units 7,051 100.0% 51,238 100.0% 11,502,870 100.0%
* Note: Data on age of householder data were not developed in the 1990 census.

While the above tables show that the population is younger, it is also experiencing aging,
consistent with national trends. In 1990, there were 2.4 times as many youths as elderly
persons in Humboldt County, decreasing to 2.2 in 2000 and projected to drop to 1.2 in 2025.
According to the Humboldt County General Plan 2025 Update, "while the birthrate
continues to fall, [State] Department of Finance projections point toward a rapidly aging
population in Humboldt County. Humboldt County’s median age is projected to rise from
36 to 41 over the next 25 years, while California’s median age is expected to remain stable.

Department of Finance data for Arcata for 2005 to 2020 project that seniors over age 65 will
grow from a population of 1,494 to 1,543, an increase of 6.6 percent over 15 years, or 0.44
percent per year, about the same as the overall Arcata growth rate. We conclude that while
the Arcata population is likely to age (older median age) and continue the trend of fewer
families, the disproportionate growth in seniors over age 65 that is projected for the county
applies largely to areas outside of Arcata.

Given the aging of the population and the projected increases in the student population, by
2020 we anticipate Arcata's age distribution will have somewhat of a bimodal distribution,
with large numbers of college-age and retirement-age residents, and relatively fewer
families with children. The population could be subject to change, however. For example,
Arcata could become a more attractive community for seniors. Arcata’s value as a natural
resource hub could be more highly valued as other locales continue to lose these resources to
sprawl, and consequently more people may move here to capture the quality of life.
Unaffordable housing prices in other areas could lead to an influx of residents. The City
could also annex new areas, increasing the population, although not altering its composition
greatly.

Appendix A A-6 Arcata Economic Development Strategic Plan
A.3 Race/Ethnicity

Tables A.3.1 and A.3.2 below show summary information on racial data for Arcata,
Humboldt County, and California. Arcata and Humboldt County have a similar
race/ethnicity profile, and both are markedly less racially and ethnically diverse than
California as a whole. Most of the decline in the share of white Arcata and Humboldt
County residents can be attributed to the "two or more races" category that was included in
the 2000 census.
Table A.3.1: Race/Ethnicity, 1990
Arcata Humboldt Co. State of California
Race # % # % # %
White 13,923 91.6% 107,881 90.6% 20,524,327 69.0%
Black 185 1.2% 960 0.8% 2,208,801 7.4%
American Indian,
Eskimo, or Aleut 408 2.7% 6,568 5.5% 242,164 0.8%
Asian or Pacific
Islander 409 2.7% 2,315 1.9% 2,845,659 9.6%
Other Race 272 1.8% 1,394 1.2% 3,939,070 13.2%
Total 15,197 100% 119,118 100% 29,760,021 100%

Table A.3.2: Race/Ethnicity, 2000
Arcata Humboldt Co. State of California
Race-2000 # % # % # %
White alone 14,072 84.5% 107,179 84.7% 20,170,059 59.5%
Black or African
American alone 259 1.6% 1,111 0.9% 2,263,882 6.7%
American Indian and
Alaska Native alone 442 2.7% 7,241 5.7% 333,346 1.0%
Asian alone 378 2.3% 2,091 1.7% 3,697,513 10.9%
Native Hawaiian an
Other Pacific Islander
alone 34 0.2% 241 0.2% 116,961 0.3%
Some other race alone 581 3.5% 3,099 2.4% 5,682,241 16.8%
Two or more races 885 5.3% 5,556 4.4% 1,607,646 4.7%
Total 16,651 100% 126,518 100% 33,871,648 100%

A.4 Income and Poverty

A far higher percentage (36.7) of Arcata residents reported income below $15,000 than for
Humboldt County or the State of California. However, the presence of thousands of HSU
students distorts the household income distribution data for Arcata, since there are likely to
be many low-wage and part-time employees among these students.
Appendix A A-7 Arcata Economic Development Strategic Plan