Community Corner

Lakewood Will Double-Check Census Numbers

Data showing small decline in population questioned by city, which stands to lose money.

While Washington state’s population rose about 14 percent in the past decade, reaching 6,724,540 in 2010, the number of people living in Lakewood dipped from 58,211 to 58,163 (48 fewer people, less than one-tenth of 1 percent) according to the U.S. Census Bureau figures that were released this week.

Fewer people means less money for the city, so it began conducting a thorough investigation this week into the validity of the census numbers. The project is spearheaded by information systems manager Lane A. DeLarme.

"My fear is these numbers are fine," DeLarme said. "We're going block by block to see if things match up."

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Each person counted in the census is worth $1,400 per year to state and local governments. If 100 people are miscounted then a city could lose $1.4 million over 10 years. DeLarme said Lakewood has done well in landing grants, but a miscalculation of people could mean a chunk of money the city doesn't receive.

DeLarme said the city believes there are more people here than the Census has reported.

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The City worked with the Census to develop accurate population statistics by using resources like the Lakewood Post Office and building permits to round out the master address file. The City began cleaning up the address base in 2005, he said.

The City appealed Census figures in 2000 and the new decade's findings may point toward another appeal. However, it has to be clear there are homes that haven't been counted that should have been counted, DeLarme said.

"If the numbers were higher, it would give us a leg up in getting more grant money in the future," he said.

Cities like Bonney Lake and Renton have annexed new land and filled it with housing and have experienced substantial growth as a result. Lakewood, on the other hand, is built up and contained by bordering cities like Steilacoom, Tacoma and University Place. Still, those cities haven't experienced a reduction in population size.

Western State Hospital — which tallies its own figures — reported 250 fewer residential patients compared to 2000, DeLarme said. He added there are trailer park developments in areas like Woodbrook that have gone under due to code violations.

Lakewood is known as a transient community, or a place people live for a short period of time before relocating. A strong military presence contributes to the "here one year, gone the next" reputation.

The Echelon apartment development on the corner of Steilacoom Drive and Lakewood Drive, conversely, is one of the few new housing developments in Lakewood and has more than 250 units and is 99 percent occupied since opening this past January.

"We are going to focus on spots that seem to have an undercount," he said.

Patch will follow up with story about the city's findings in about a month.

Racial figures statewide and in Lakewood

The state is slightly more diverse, with 77 percent of the population identifying themselves as white, vs. 82 percent in 2000. In Lakewood, 59.3 percent, or 34,506, are white.

The Hispanic and Latino population grew the fastest, rising 71 percent to about
three-quarters of a million people. That group makes up about 11 percent of the
state’s population, up from 7.5 percent in 2000.

Same is true for Lakewood, as the Hispanic and Latino size represents 15.3 percent of the city's population size (8,877) and nearly doubled (4,941) in a decade from 8.5 percent.

Among people who identified themselves as one race, the population of native
Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders in the state grew the fastest, up 69 percent; Asians rose 49 percent; blacks grew 26 percent; American Indian and Alaska natives grew 11 percent; and the white population rose just under 8 percent. People who identified themselves as “Some Other Race” rose 53 percent.

Lakewood's white population dropped 4,391 from 2000 to 31,438. The black population fell 422 from 6,890 a decade ago. Asians dropped just slightly from 5,144 in 2000 to 5,116 in 2010. American Indian and Alaska Native size grew by 413 from 1,032 in 2000. Lastly, the Pacific Islanders size decreased from 1,445 (2.5 percent) in 2000 to 1,032 (1.8 percent) in 2010.

Pierce County’s population grew 13.5 percent from 2000 to 2010.




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