Westlake Census Data Show Nearly 1,300 Residents Living in Poverty

WESTLAKE, OH - Nearly, 1,300 residents are living in poverty conditions according to the US Census Bureau. Last month, the US Census Bureau released its five-year collection of data for the American Community Survey. The data examines everything from median household income to average resident education.

About 5 percent of residents are living in poverty in Westlake.

According to the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive 14, "the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty."

Employment numbers for the city are solid. Sixty-two percent of residents, 16 and older, are currently employed. Most of them work in the private sector, with 13,803 residents (84 percent) working for private companies. Then, 1,720 workers are employed in the federal, state, or local government. Finally, 5.4 percent of Westlake workers are self-employed.

The largest industry for Westlake residents is educational services, health care, and social assistance. Roughly a quarter of the work force, 24.8 percent, is employed in those industries.

The majority of residents are in management positions, 54.9 percent. The second most widely held position is sales, with 24.8 percent of residents working in that position. More than 4,000 residents are working in various sales positions.

The median household income in Westlake is $76,449. About 6 percent of households have an income of less than $15,000. Men are making $72,827 on average in the city. Women make $51,709 on average in the city.

Other Numbers

The majority of residents in Westlake are members of families. Slightly more than half of the residents are part of a traditional, married-couple family. About 9 percent are members of "other families" as the US Census says. The "other families" category includes female-led households, with no husbands (3 percent).

The makeup of Westlake is largely American-born citizens. Only 9 percent of residents hail from another country. The majority of the immigrants, 62.6 percent, are from Asia. The second largest immigrant group is from Europe, 23.8 percent.

Westlake citizens tend to be well-educated. More than 50 percent of residents have at least a Bachelor's degree. Of that 50 percent, 21 percent have a professional or graduate degree. Only 4 percent of residents have not completed high school.

You can dig into the rest of the data, here. The Community Profile also covers how people get to work, the average age of a Solon resident, and how people power their homes, among other factors.

Photo from Crocker Park