Study: Rockland Growing, Getting Older

A study of Rockland's population projects the county will have 24,000 more residents by 2020, and that over the next decade the county's senior citizen population with rise by 33 percent.

Rockland County today released of the first phase of data for the county's Population Projections project. Cornell University's Program on Applied
Demographics, in conjunction with the county's Planning Department,
has developed population projection figures by age and sex, housing
units, households and householders for Rockland from 2005 to the year
2035, according to County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef.

The project has resulted in a county-endorsed set of projections
for Rockland County, its towns, villages, hamlets and school districts,
informed by recent demographic patterns and local knowledge regarding
Rockland's land use and development.

The Population Projections project was accomplished through the
cooperation of the project's Projections Review Advisory and Technical
Committees, as well as state and regional demographic experts, land-use
and transportation planners and officials, and a panel of local real
estate and economic development experts, Vanderhoef said.

"The projections data will serve as a vital tool in the future planning for Rockland's municipalities, as well as in the county's own planning efforts," said Vanderhoef. "This valuable data will also enable Rockland's service agencies and organizations to better plan for future service needs."

Rockland County Demographer and project manager Michael D'Angelo said these population projections are not associated with the 2010 Census."

"However, new data provided through the 2010 Census may be used in the future to update the county's population projections," D'Angelo said. "At the planning level, we are pleased that this project has created another valuable data resource
that we now have at our disposal."

Results of the Projections Project indicate that Rockland's population
is projected to increase to nearly 320,000 people by 2020. This would be
an increase of almost 24,000 people and 8.1 percent between 2005 and 2020.

This projected increase would include an jump of more than 12,000 in the
number of seniors 65 years old and over and a 33 percent increase in that
population, from around 36,400 to over 48,000 seniors, between 2005 and
2020. This projected increase would also include a nearly 4,000-person
increase in the number of youth under 18 years old and a nearly 5 percent
increase, from about 82,400 to over 86,000 persons, in that population
between 2005 and 2020.

The study also indicates that Rockland's population is projected to
increase to over 343,000 people by 2035. This would be an increase of
49,000 people and 16.6 percent between 2005 and 2035.

This projected increase would include a more than 23,300 person rise in the number of seniors 65 years old and over and a 64 percent increase in that population, from around 36,400 to nearly 60,000 seniors, between 2005 and 2035. This projected increase would also include a more than 16,000-person increase in the number of youth under 18 years old and a more than 19 percent increase, from
82,400 to over 98,000 persons, in that population between 2005 and
2035.

The county-level data is at www.rocklandgov.com (click on "County Offices" then
"Departments" then "Planning then "Population Projections"
(http://www.co.rockland.ny.us/planning/PopulationProjections.htm),
with the sub-county-level data expected to be available online by
September.

Forty percent of the $50,000 cost for the project was funded through
the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council's Unified Planning and Work
Program (UPWP). A portion of the county's staff time on the project
was also reimbursed, Vanderhoef said.