Don’t let the influx of baby strollers on Jamaica Plain streets fool you. JP’s youth population plunged by nearly 1,170 in the past 10 years, while the adult population increased, according to U.S. Census data.
The 6,327 youths 17 and under who called JP home in 2010 marks a nearly 16 percent drop from 2000. As a percentage of JP’s population, youths dropped nearly 3 percent—from almost 20 percent of the population in 2000 to almost 17 percent today.
The Census does not attempt to explain its population counts. But the bottom line seems pretty clear: JP must have fewer and/or smaller families today than it did 10 years ago.
In the same period, JP’s adult population increased by 460, or 1.5 percent. JP’s total population of 37,468 is a 708-person decrease from 2000—a net loss that is statistically all children.
The Census’s American Community Survey data provides more detailed information, but with less accurate counts based on surveys done in 2005-2009. That data estimates that JP’s youth population is spread relatively evenly among various age groups. The age group of under 5 years old is estimated to be the largest group at more than 5 percent of JP’s total population.
JP Population Numbers
Total JP population
2010: 37,468
2000: 38,176
Loss of 708
JP population 18 & older
2010: 31,141
2000: 30,681
Gain of 460
JP population 17 & under
2010: 6,327
2000: 7,495
Loss of 1,168
Source: U.S. Census/Boston Redevelopment Authority