Milford's Population Grew Slightly in Last 10 Years

The population of Milford grew slightly over the past decade, by fewer than 1,000 people, to 25,055, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

The overall growth, about 3 percent, includes a near-doubling in the population of Hispanic residents. In 2000, people who identified themselves as Hispanic on the Census form made up slightly less than 5 percent of the town's population. In the 2010 Census, that proportion grew to 9 percent.

In 2010, according to the Census, the Milford population is broken down as follows: 21,621 white; 584 black ; 68 American-Indian; 584 Asian; 5 Native Hawaiian; 1,462 other races; 731 two or more races; 2,249 Hispanic or Latino.

The statistics show gains across all ethnic and racial groups, except for the white population, which dropped slightly, by 3 percent. 

Among the three largest racial or ethnic groups in Milford, the white population fell from 22,421 to 21,621 in 2010; the Hispanic or Latino population grew from 1,129 to 2,249 in 2010; and the black population grew from 344 to 584.

The  numbers did not surprise Robert Tremblay, Milford Superintendent of Schools. For years, he said, a demographic shift has been taking place in the town schools. The most recent years, he said, included large enrollments of students from Ecuadorian families, as well as Arabic-speaking students from Egypt.

"We've noticed a demographic shift," he said.

Because the Census is a self-reported form, a person can check off how to describe themselves.

Racial and ethnic data are among the reams of information collected once every 10 years by the Census. The agency released data for Massachusetts Tuesday afternoon.

The Milford statistics are broken down into a community data report, available by searching the Census website under American FactFinder section, and selecting the Milford Community Data Profile (CDP).