Wealthy, Educated and Segregated: Census Data Reveals Face of DC Region

• December 15th 2010

by Mark Wellborn

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Thanks to several years of prosperity, many areas surrounding DC proper represent some of the wealthiest and most educated counties in the country, according to recently released Census data analyzed by The Washington Post.

For example, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties and Falls Church all have median household incomes above $100,000. Those same three areas, along with Arlington, Howard and Montgomery counties and Alexandria make up one-third of the places in the country where more than half of residents have at least a bachelor’s degree, according to The Post.

The recently released Census data also revealed a number of other interesting statistics about the area. In terms of family make-up, the data showed that Loudoun County is filled with “traditional family” households while “nuclear families” represent less than 1 in 10 households in the District.

The Post also referenced an analysis done by William Frey of the Brookings Institution which showed that, despite having neighborhoods where the demographics has shifted notably in recent years, DC proper is still almost as segregated as it was ten years ago:

“In Washington, Frey found that the average white person lives in a neighborhood that is 63 percent white, the average black person lives in a neighborhood that is 79 percent African American and the average Hispanic person lives in a neighborhood in which one out of four neighbors is Hispanic. That represents a small but noticeable improvement since 2000.”

For a more in-depth look at Census data, check out this amazing map created by The New York Times.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/wealthy_educated_and_segregated_census_data_reveals_new_face/2765.