Community Corner
Are You Average? Cool Facts About Niles People
News flash! Niles is ethnic. You knew that, but the latest Census info brings surprises. Find out the median income, racial percentage breakdown, average family size, percentage of renters vs. owners, educational attainment, more. Are you average?
Americans like to think we know our home towns. Then along comes the U.S. Census Bureau, fleshing out fascinating facts and surprises that leave us agog.
The Census has released the American Fact Finder collection of reports. In reading the profile of Niles, a few things jump out.
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One is that almost a third of Niles is age 62 or older. Niles residents like to say seniors are attracted by the Niles Courtesy Bus and the excellent Senior Center--or maybe it's because people moved here in the 1960s to raise their kids and stayed--but whatever the reason, Niles skews older.
Another is that a whopping 56.6 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home. Here's a complementary fact: 44.3 percent of residents are foreign born.
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The complete snapshot of facts can be viewed a American Fact Finder, but here is a sampling of Census facts for Niles.
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Total Population
29,931
Median Age
48.2
Percent of population age 62 or more
29.7
Average household size
2.41
Average family size
3.09
Owner-occupied housing
74.3 percent
Renter-occupied housing
25.7 percent
Percent with a high school degree or higher
82.3 percent
Percent with a bachelor's degree or higher
28.9 percent
Percent born in the U.S. or its territories
55.1 percent
Percent foreign born
44.3 percent, for a total of 13,160 people. Of those, 8,713 people are naturalized United States citizens, and 4,447 are not United States Citizens
Where the foreign born hail from
Of those 13,160 people, 45.5 percent come from Europe, 42.3 percent from Asia, 10.0 percent from Latin America and 1.8 percent from Africa.
Percent who speak English only at home
43.4 percent
Percent who speak a language other than English at home
56.6 percent
Race
Of the 98 percent who identified as being one race (not multiracial), 76.2 said white, 16.7 percent said Asian, 3.4 percent said other, and 1.4 percent said black. Note: 2.1 percent said multiracial. (Numbers may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.)
Hispanic ethnicity
8.7 percent, or 2,599 people. (Note: Hispanics may be of any race, including choices such as white, black, multiracial or other)
Median household income
$47,434
Mean household income
$66,815
Median family income
$66,213
Mean family income
$81,321
Ancestry (only largest population groups listed)
Polish 21.8 percent, German 11.5 percent, Irish 7.2 percent, Italian 6.6 percent, Greek, 4.3 percent
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