Census 2010: Lower Milford and Upper Saucon Grew, While Coopersburg Shrank

The 2010 Census numbers, released by the U.S. Census Bureau on March 10, show population growth in Lower Milford and Upper Saucon, while Coopersburg lost residents.

In 2000, Lower Milford had a population of 3,617. By 2010, the population increased a modest 4.4 percent to 3,775 residents. The change in the borough reflected the increased population in neighboring communities such as Upper Milford (up 5.8 percent to 7,292) and Upper Saucon.

Upper Saucon grew by approximately 24 percent between its 2000 population number (11,939) and the 2010 number (14,808). Upper Saucon experienced the largest growth in the Saucon Valley region, with Hellertown growing 5.2 percent to 5,898 and the Lower Saucon population increasing 9 percent to 10,772 residents.

The population of Coopersburg shrank 7.6 percent to 2,386, down from the 2000 Census count of 2,582. In the Lehigh Valley, Coopersburg lost the third most residents, behind Hanover Township, Lehigh County (down 17.9 percent from 1,913 to 1,571 residents) and the borough of Portland (down 10.4 percent from 579 to 519 residents).

Lower Milford, Upper Saucon and Coopersburg all saw a dramatic increase in their Hispanic populations, which reflects the larger picture within the Lehigh Valley, specifically in Allentown and Bethlehem. The Hispanic population in Allentown nearly doubled between 2000 and 2010 -- from 23 percent to 43 percent of the population.