Community Coalition on Race Executive Director Nancy Gagnier shares demographics report information about South Orange and Maplewood with the community at the Maplewood Memorial Library on Nov. 9.
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A community forum to discuss the changing demographics of South Orange and Maplewood and the trends that affect these changes was presented by the South Orange-Maplewood Community Coalition on Race on Nov. 9 at the Maplewood Memorial Library.
The report had been presented before both the Maplewood Township Committee and the South Orange Village Board of Trustees in the summer prior to this public presentation.
The Monitoring & Evaluation Committee of the Community Coalition on Race looked at demographic trends in the two towns during the last year to address some growing concerns about changes in the schools and neighborhoods. The goal was to see if, in the middle of the census decade, some insight could be gained into emerging trends in the demographics.
The specific areas analyzed in the report include: overall town diversity, neighborhood integration, housing values, school district demographics, civic life, businesses and social integration.
From these points, the coalition’s study worked to understand what the demographics of the two towns have looked like during the last 20 years, which events have affected these demographics, and if any demographic trends can be used to forecast the two towns’ future demographic profile.
“We started this project because a lot of the information out there is anecdotal, in regards to the children in the schools being mostly white, everyone in the towns going to private schools, and whether the renters are having a profound effect on the school district,” CCR Executive Director Nancy Gagnier said at the event. “We took a look at the numbers so that we could have accurate information about what’s really taking place.”
U.S. Census reports, South Orange-Maplewood School District enrollment, American Community Survey and Home Mortgage Assessment data were all used to compile the information found in the report.
According to the report, after experiencing swift demographic change in the late 1990s, the overall demographics of the towns remained relatively stable between 2000 and 2010. There is now a distinct trend in the increase of white, Asian and Hispanic families moving into the towns and a decrease in the number of black families moving into them.
The report also indicated a clear increase in the white population in the elementary and middle schools that will soon manifest in the high school. While total student enrollment has averaged 6,200 since 1998, during the 2015-2016 school year it was at a high, with 6,752 students. Overall, black enrollment has decreased for 10 consecutive years; between 1998 and 2014, it fell 18 percent. Overall, white enrollment has increased for 10 consecutive years; between 1998 and 2014, it increased 22 percent. Hispanic enrollment has increased over time; the 2014 Hispanic share is higher than the 1998 share in every grade. The growth of Asian total enrollment plateaued in 2011, but is currently rising in the lower grades.
In the area of racial integration, the report found that the two towns experienced dramatic demographic change in the late 1990s that stabilized between 2000 and 2010. The two towns have a higher percentage of black residents than surrounding comparable communities. The report also shows that 23 percent of residents are foreign-born and that 41 percent of that foreign-born group are people of color.
Asian, Hispanic and multiracial groups are showing an increase in population share since the 2010 U.S. Census. Neighborhood integration varies, with two sections of Maplewood showing high concentrations of either white or black residents. The CCR report pointed out that a migration pattern of significance is that black families tend to wait until their children are school-aged to move, whereas white families are more willing to move before they have even had children.
The housing and income data in the report found that, from 1995 to 2005, housing prices in the towns rose more rapidly than in neighboring high-income towns along the NJ Transit Midtown-Direct Line. During the Great Recession of 2008-2009 many area housing prices fell, including within the two towns. Housing prices did not return to pre-recession values, but stayed steady through mid-2015 in the two towns.
The share of mortgage applications submitted by black residents has mostly fallen since 2007. Median household income for black residents in South Orange exceeded that of whites in both towns through 2007. Currently, however, there is a growing income gap between black and white residents in both towns, with the incomes of black households dropping and white households rising.
Some of the conclusions drawn from the report are that the creation of the Community Coalition on Race, the increase of local housing prices, the establishment of the NJ Transit Midtown-Direct Line and the Great Recession have all had an impact on the racial demographics in the two towns during the past 20 years.
Also noted during the participant discussion was that, unlike nearby towns like Chatham and Madison, South Orange and Maplewood have no more buildable land for new houses. Instead, rental properties are being built in the two towns because that is the trend in the housing market right now.
“Twenty years ago the worry in South Orange and Maplewood was ‘white flight,’ but the issue we face today is ‘white re-entry,’” Gagnier said. “There are many affordable housing options for those who make more than $100,000 annually, but not so many for those who make less than that. Our goal now is to figure out how we can stay competitive in attracting and retaining nonwhite populations.”
The full report can be found on the Community Coalition on Race website at www.twotowns.org.