New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Sept. 23 reflected the dramatic toll of the recession and foreclosures on Santa Maria, and showed the city bucking a national trend on immigration.
According to the Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2008, the foreign-born population of Santa Maria rose from 32 percent in 2007 to 35.3 percent of the general population last year.
Nationwide, the survey indicated the number of foreign-born residents dipped in 2008 for the first time in more than 30 years, from 12.6 percent in 2007 to 12.5 percent of the population.
The survey indicated more Santa Marians born outside the country are becoming U.S. citizens.
Of the estimated 31,794 immigrants living in Santa Maria last year, 23.4 percent claimed to be naturalized citizens, up from 19.9 percent in 2007.
More than three-quarters of the city’s foreign-born population—that’s 76.6 percent—said they weren’t U.S. citizens, down from 80.1 percent the year before. A majority of immigrants, 73 percent, said they had entered the country before the year 2000.
The city’s overall population for 2008 was estimated at 90,051.
Besides demographic data, survey results also reflected the aftermath of the foreclosure crisis on the city’s housing situation, according to the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.
Santa Maria continued an upward trend in average household size, estimated at 3.62 people in 2008, up from 3.13 in 2006 and 3.36 in 2007.
The increase came as no surprise to Santa Barbara County Association of Governments president Michael Powers, who said the numbers are in line with the group’s countywide projections of population growth, figured in 2007 and projected to the year 2030.
Powers said a “fairly robust birth rate” in Santa Maria, compared with other parts of Santa Barbara County, contributed to the larger household numbers. Other Census numbers appear to support that conclusion.
According to the survey, families with children younger than 18 have risen in Santa Maria for three consecutive years, from 71.4 percent of households in 2006, to 78 percent in 2008. Families are also becoming larger than they were in previous years, up to 4.05 persons in 2008 from 3.86 in 2007 and 3.56 in 2006.
Enrollment figures from the Santa Maria-Bonita School District also seem to show that the city is experiencing a youth movement.
According to district spokeswoman Maggie White, the district saw a rise in enrollment from 13,225 in 2008 to 13,742 as of Sept. 14 of this year. Enrollment figures for 2007 were unavailable.
In addition to more recent births, household growth numbers also show the economy has forced more of the city’s residents to move in together to save money, according to SBCAG Regional Analyst Brian Bresolin.
“All those families that have been foreclosed on, they’ll rent units or double up with other families to afford the housing costs.” Bresolin said. “That’s the nature of the times.”
According the survey, the percentage of Santa Marians living with someone other than their spouse or child jumped from 10.5 percent in 2007 to 12.4 percent in 2008.
City spokesman Mark van de Kamp said the city is seeing multiple families living under one roof more often, although solid figures are still being compiled.
Bresolin said the trend should continue—especially among non-relatives—until the housing market fully recovers.
The impact of the foreclosure crisis on the market, not surprisingly, was reflected in median home prices in the Community Survey. Average home values in Santa Maria fell from $482,400 in 2006 to $334,800 in 2008, the data showed.
With Santa Maria’s overall unemployment rate at 13 percent, according to city figures, Bresolin expects the foreclosed homes to be snatched up by out-of-town buyers.
“Housing prices have dropped dramatically, so you might see more first-time buyers,” Bresolin said. “But with that kind of unemployment, local buyers might not be as apt to purchase.”
Lured by cheap home prices, an influx of older residents moving into the city is likely to counteract the growth in young families, he said.
“We’ve seen more retirees moving into Santa Maria than people in the agricultural industry, who tend to have a higher household size,” Bresolin explained. “Agriculture is still really strong in the Santa Maria Valley, I don’t think we’ve lost any jobs in that sector of the economy.” m
Contact Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 1-8, 2009.
