By Mary C. Marvin, Mayor, Village of Bronxville

Dec. 19, 2018: I have done some research over the months, especially since the new tax law took effect, about the county’s demographics as well as our own in the village. I found much surprising and all interesting and thought so worth a share with our constituents.

Population

• With nearly one million residents, Westchester is the third most populous county in the state. Excluding New York City, only Nassau and Suffolk Counties have larger populations.

• Yonkers is the largest city by far, with a population of almost 200,000, followed by the Town of Greenburgh with 92,000 residents, New Rochelle at 77,000 and neighboring Mount Vernon with 68,000 citizens.

• Eastchester has been one of the fastest-growing communities, with a 5% increase since 2000, bringing resident total to 32,363.

• The median age of a county resident living in the 430 square miles is 40.5. 25.7% of the current population is under 25, while 23.7% is 25-39; 35% is in the 40-64 bandwidth, while 15.6% is senior citizens.

• Italian ancestry is followed by Irish and German, combining for over one-third of the ethnic character of the county.

• The community with the oldest median age, at 49.4 years, is Briarcliff Manor, while Harrison and Portchester are the two youngest, at 35.

• Though we think of Bronxville as very small at one square mile and 6,500 residents, we don’t even rank in the smallest top five, those being Buchanan, Ardsley, Elmsford, North Salem, and Pound Ridge, with populations ranging from 2,246 to 5,214.

• Since 2000, Bronxville Village has actually had a population decrease of 148 residents, equating to a 2.3% overall decline.

Transportation/Economy

Every day, 165,000 residents leave the county for work, while 147,000 job holders commute to Westchester for work. Our reputation as a bedroom community for New York City employment is decreasing at a rapid pace.

• 32% of Westchesterites live within a 15-minute walk to a Metro-North station. Metro-North has an average weekly ridership of 85,000+ with Bronxville’s Harlem Line carrying 41,173 of those passengers. Bronxville actually has the highest daily Metro-North usage, with 47.7% of our job holders traveling by train.

• Conversely, car ownership in the county is on the decline with 14.5% of residents owning no vehicles.

Income/Education

• There are 45 school districts, with a total public school enrollment of 148,927 students.

• Of this population, 8% are English language learners, 15% have special needs, and 38% are economically disadvantaged.

• The county has 96 private schools, with 41 classified as secular and 37, Catholic.

• More than half of all adults over 25 have some sort of post-high school degree

• Associate degree, 6%

• Bachelor’s degree, 24%

• Graduate or Professional degree, 23%; 80% of Bronxville residents have a bachelor’s or graduate degree.

• Westchester is home to more than 20 colleges, serving 39,200 undergraduates and 8,600 graduate students, with the largest institutions being Westchester Community College and Purchase College.

• 10% of county residents work in the financial sector, while a full 27% work in some form of educational services, health care, or social assistance.

Housing

• There are 365,818 total housing units, divided between 210,004 owner-occupied homes and 131,758 rental units. Surprisingly, 24,056 housing units are vacant/unoccupied.

• The median home value is $507,300, with 13% of the housing stock worth more than $1,000,000. Of the housing structures, almost one-third were built earlier than 1939. Bronxville has the highest percentage (77.9%) of homes built before 1950.

• Only Scarsdale charges more for monthly rental properties than Bronxville, followed closely by Larchmont.

Health

• Westchester has 11 hospitals with a total of 3,108 beds.

• As a county, we are extremely healthy relative to the rest of the state.

• We rank second in the lowest percentage of residents who describe themselves as inactive (21%)

• Second-lowest percentage of obese residents at 21%

• First at 11% of the fewest residents in a county who smoke cigarettes.

Amenities

• The county has three state parks and 52 county parks, equating to over 33,000 acres of parks and open spaces. This does not include the 47 public and private golf courses.

• The airport is now home to five airlines with direct flights to 12 destinations.

• There are 14 movie theaters, 15 live theaters, and 19 National Historic Landmarks/Districts.

Editor's note: As a public service, MyhometownBronxville publishes articles from local institutions, officeholders, and individuals. MyhometownBronxville does not fact-check statements therein, and any opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the thinking of its staff.