Our Changing Population: Center City Utica - 1980 Versus 2010

Utica's Center City is an area that lends itself fairly easily to some simple neighborhood data comparisons. In terms of census geography it has stayed relatively stable, at one time comprising mostly two tracts - Census Tracts 203 and 204. In the Census 2000, these two tracts were combined and renamed as Tract 203. I wanted to take a look at how this high poverty area in the center of downtown Utica has changed in the last 30 years. To do this I took a look at some of the archived 1980 Census data and the 2012 American Communities Survey 5 Year Estimates.

Center City Utica, as I noted before, has remained relatively unchanged in terms of its geographical definition for at least the last 50 years. Below is a simple map showing the area, outlined in red. with a few familiar roads labeled. Genesee Street basically bisects the neighborhood from northeast to southwest.

This area is a heavy mix of businesses and apartments, along with a small number of owner occupied homes as well. Between 1980 and 2010, the area saw a substantial drop in population - it lost about 40% of its population dropping from more than 1,800 to around 1,100. These people were part of about 600 households in 2010, as compared to in 1980 when the 1,800 residents were spread across about 1,000 households.

Most of the residents live in apartments now, as they did in 1980. In both censuses, about 90% of residents were apartment dwellers.

Below is an infographic that compares the age, sex, race, nativity, employment, education, income and poverty levels of those who have found Center City Utica to be their home, in 1980 and in 2010. There are substantial changes in who lives there now as opposed to 30 years ago. Click to enlarge the graphic for easier viewing !

Click to Enlarge