Washington Heights Lost Kids, Teens Last Decade: Census Data

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Washington Heights is a less populous neighborhood now than it was a decade ago, but it is also an older neighborhood, according to the latest census data.

Between 2010 and 2020, the number of Washington Heights residents under 18 years old dropped by more than 7,280 — from 29,333 to 22,052. That decline more or less mirrored the neighborhood's overall population loss of 7,695.

Children now make up just 15 percent of Washington Heights' population, compared to 19 percent in 2010. That's a steeper decline than the rest of the city, whose youth population dropped from about 22 to 20 percent.

The loss in Washington Heights' youth population coincides with the neighborhood's ongoing gentrification. Washington Heights lost 17,663 Latinx people since 2010 while gaining 4,824 white people.

It's far from the only gentrifying area whose population has grown older. A 2019 study examining the "booming cities" of Austin, Denver and Portland found that all three were losing children even as their populations grew — a trend that researchers attributed to a lack of housing suitable for larger families.

Harlem also saw a significant decrease in its youth population from 2010 to 2020.

Read More: Wash Heights, Inwood Had Biggest Exodus In NYC From 2010 To 2020

Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.