Chesterfield Census Data Tells a Story

November 2, 2011

West News Magazine

Census Data Revals Numbers on Rise in Chesterfield-all Kinds of Numbers

^{by Marcia Guckes}

Behind the doors of homes in the city of Chesterfield, 13 percent of the people are speaking a language other than English. A decade ago, only 10 percent were speaking a foreign language. That is according to the most recent data from the 2010 census released by the U.S. Census Bureau in October.

The language most likely to be spoken in those homes is some form of Chinese or Indian because the second largest population group living in Chesterfield is Asian. That group has increased from 5.6 percent of Chesterfield's population to 8.6 percent in 2010.

Besides languages spoken, the census data gives a glimpse into many factors that make up the lives of Chesterfield residents. The bureau has data on information ranging from the size of the population, to highest educational degree attained, to how many people drive to work alone.

An overall look at the data paints a picture of Chesterfield as a city with a population of 47,484 people who are mostly white, female, 46.6 years old, and live in their own home with a median household income of more than $96,000.

A comparison of the data from the 2010 census to the 2000 census shows that the city has changed a little over the past decade. It has gotten bigger, older and richer.

The city's population has grown 1.5 percent from 46,802 people in 2000. Chesterfield residents have gotten a little older, with the median age changing from 41.8 to 46.6 years old. And the median household income has increased by more than $12,000 - from $83,802 in 2000 to $96,367 in 2010.

However, some things in Chesterfield have stayed the same over the past 10 years.

The city's population in 2010 remains mostly white (86.5 percent), female (52.2 percent), and is comprised of people who live in their own homes (81.9 percent).

These numbers are mostly good news for Chesterfield, according to the city's Assistant City Administrator for Community Services & Economic Development Libbey Malberg-Tucker.

She said the city uses the census data several ways.

"We use the census data to help market the community," Malberg-Tucker said. "When we're marketing to businesses that are trying to find workers, we can show them that it's a highly-educated workforce that they can find here."

The census data backs that claim up with numbers showing that of Chesterfield residents who are 25 years or older almost all have a high school diploma (96.3 percent) and more than half have a bachelor's degree or more advanced degree (62.8 percent).

Census data shows also that most of Chesterfield's workforce is professionally employed in management, financial operations, and sales occupations.

Malberg-Tucker said the city also uses census data in developing various programs for the community.

"We know we have a large young population, but now we're beginning to see the growth in the 55 and up category," Malberg-Tucker said. "So we're working now on a survey to determine the needs of the community and what kind of programming the city can help provide as far as continuing education, bus trips and tours, estate planning and those types of things."

The census data does show that over the past decade, the number of Chesterfield residents younger than the age of 19 has dropped by almost 1,000 people from 12,399 in 2000 to 11,421 in 2010. Meanwhile the 55-plus crowd has increased by more than 4,600. In 2000, the census bureau counted 12,350 residents aged 55 and older. In 2010 that number grew to 16,974.

Malberg-Tucker said the price of housing in Chesterfield is probably one of the reasons for the age shift.

"Probably the price of homes makes it a little more difficult for young families to live here," she said. "It has been discussed (by city officials) the fact that affordable housing is practically non-existent here, but on the flipside is that the price of land that developers would have to buy to build affordable housing ... the numbers just don't work for them."

Although the number of houses and apartments available in Chesterfield has increased by more than 2,300 since 2000, the median price for a house has increased by more than $100,000. Census data show that the median price of a house in 2000 was $238,300 and jumped to $343,500 by 2010. Compare that to the 2010 median price for a house in Missouri at $134,500, and it is easy to see that Malberg-Tucker is probably correct in her assessment of why Chesterfield's preschool population is decreasing.