Technical Report

September 2000

Montgomery County
1997 Census Update Survey
Summary Report

Prepared by:
The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission
________________

Research and Technology Center

The Montgomery County Department of Park & Planning
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3760
www.mc-mncppc.org
THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county

agency created by the General Assembly of Maryland in 1927. The Commission's
geographic authority covers most of Montgomery and Prince George's counties. The
Commission’s planning jurisdiction, the Maryland-Washington Regional District,
comprises 1,001 square miles; its parks jurisdiction, the Metropolitan District, comprises
919 square miles.

The Commission has three major functions:

(1) The preparation, adoption, and, from time to time, amendment

or extension of The General Plan (On Wedges and Corridors) for
the Physical Development of the Maryland-Washington Regional
District Within Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.

(2) The acquisition, development, operation, and maintenance of

a public park system.

(3) In Prince George's County only, the operation of the entire

County public recreation program.

The Commission operates in each county through a Planning Board appointed by

and responsible to the county government. The Planning Boards are responsible for
preparation of all local master plans, recommendations on zoning amendments,
administration of subdivision regulations, and general administration of parks.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission encourages the

involvement and participation of individuals with disabilities, and its facilities are
accessible. For assistance with special needs (e.g., large print materials, listening
devices, sign language interpretation, etc.), please contact the Community
Relations Office, 301-495-4600 or TDD 301-495-1331.
 ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS

COUNTY COUNCIL
Michael L. Subin, President
Blair Ewing, Vice President

Phil Andrews
Derick P. Berlage
Nancy Dacek
Howard Denis
Isiah Leggett
Marilyn J. Praisner
Steven A. Silverman

COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Douglas M. Duncan

THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION

Elizabeth M. Hewlett, Chairman
William H. Hussmann, Vice Chairman

COMMISSIONERS
Montgomery County Prince George’s County
Planning Board Planning Board

William H. Hussmann, Chairman Elizabeth M. Hewlett, Chairman

Arthur Holmes, Jr., Vice Chairman James M. Brown
Allison Bryant William M. Eley, Jr.
Wendy C. Perdue George H. Lowe
Meredith K. Wellington
1997 CUS Summary Report

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

MONTGOMERY COUNTY PARK AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT

MANAGEMENT:
Charles R. Loehr, Director
Drew Dedrick, Chief, Research and Technology Center
Sally Roman, Research Supervisor

AUTHOR:
Pamela Zorich, Planner Coordinator

CONTRIBUTING STAFF:
Carolyn Blackwell, Planner*
Belle Burkhart, Web Master
Charles Coleman, Management Services
Mary Goodman, Information Specialist
Heidi Helwig, Planner*
Wayne Koempel, Senior Planner

DEDICATION
This publication is dedicated to the dutiful Montgomery County residents for their
thoughtful participation in the 1997 Census Update Survey.

* Former employee.
 T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1

SUMMARY R ESULTS ............................................................................................................. 3

Most populous jurisdiction in Maryland on track to 1 million mark ...............................................3

Continuing trend of racial diversity ...........................................................................................3

Gateway Montgomery: most new households are from outside the region ..................................4

Foreign-born immigration spurs County’s growth and cosmopolitan milieu..................................4

New residents contribute to County’s high level of educational attainment ..................................5

Maturing County is aging in place ............................................................................................5

Senior population increased by one-third since 1987.................................................................6

Average household size drops a person since 1960 ..................................................................6

Increased labor force participation by women ...........................................................................6

White-collar defines the resident workforce...............................................................................7

County’s median household income is nearly twice the Nation’s ................................................7

1997 Population and Housing Snapshot by Structure Type........................................................9

Demographic profiles of combined Planning Areas ................................................................. 11

POPULATION T RENDS ......................................................................................................... 32

State’s most populous jurisdiction since 1989 ......................................................................... 32

Population growth fueled by record level births and new residents influx................................... 32

Foreign Immigration Spurs County’s Growth & Cosmopolitan Milieu......................................... 33

Profile of households with a foreign-born head or spouse .................................................... 35

Population growth follows the County’s General Plan.............................................................. 40

Baby Boomers leave their thumbprint on the population .......................................................... 40

Rising median age ................................................................................................................ 42

New residents contribute to County’s high level of educational attainment ................................ 43

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1997 CUS Summary Report

HOUSEHOLD T RENDS ......................................................................................................... 45

Household percentage growth matches population’s ............................................................... 45

I-270 is the County’s high growth corridor ............................................................................... 45

Average household size drops a person since 1960 ................................................................ 47

Slide in single-family and multi-family household size.............................................................. 47

Life stages and associated household size............................................................................. 48

Average household size differentiates combined planning areas .............................................. 49

County households are headed by increasingly older individuals ............................................. 50

Typical suburban household types ......................................................................................... 52

Homeownership exceeds national rate................................................................................... 52

Owner vs. renter household differences ................................................................................. 54

Homeowners enjoy substantial income and housing cost advantages ...................................... 57

Rents vary by structure type and location ............................................................................... 57

Younger households pay the highest monthly housing costs................................................... 61

Younger households pay the highest monthly housing costs.................................................... 62

Younger households pay the highest monthly housing costs.................................................... 63

Lowest income households bear the highest proportional housing cost burdens ....................... 63
Rental households hardest hit............................................................................................ 63
Fewer owners bear excessive housing cost burdens ........................................................... 64

Widespread computer ownership ........................................................................................... 66

Neighborhood and local parks attract nearby families .............................................................. 68

Neighborhood and local parks attract nearby families .............................................................. 69

Residents plan to retire in the County..................................................................................... 70

Residents plan to retire in the County..................................................................................... 71

RESIDENTS AGED 65 AND OLDER....................................................................................... 72

Growing senior population ..................................................................................................... 72

Many of the elderly are economically housed.......................................................................... 74

 T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

Mobility and migration among the elderly................................................................................ 75

Senior income lowest of all age groups .................................................................................. 76

Young seniors are working at home ....................................................................................... 76

Computers, cars, and parks................................................................................................... 77

RESIDENCY AND M OBILITY.................................................................................................. 78

Residents are staying put longer ............................................................................................ 78

Damascus and Poolesville residents stay put ......................................................................... 80

Three out of seven households recently moved ...................................................................... 80

Most new residents are from outside the region ...................................................................... 81

Most minority households moved 5 years prior to the survey ................................................... 81

Age differences of non-mover and mover households ............................................................. 83

Movers pay more for housing than non-movers ...................................................................... 84

Almost half of renters are new County residents ..................................................................... 84

Young in-movers have lower incomes .................................................................................... 86

In-movers attracted to General Plan’s Urban Ring and I-270 Corridor....................................... 87

Profile by Mobility Status ....................................................................................................... 88

Non-Mover Households ..................................................................................................... 88
Intra-County Movers .......................................................................................................... 88
In-Movers ......................................................................................................................... 89

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN............................................................................................... 92

Continuing trend of racial diversity ......................................................................................... 92

Nonwhite and white in-migration ............................................................................................ 93

Nonwhite average household size remains larger than white’s................................................. 94

Nonwhite tenure status shifts to renters .................................................................................. 94

Housing costs stretch a higher percentage of nonwhite households ......................................... 95

Better educated and wealthier ............................................................................................... 96

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1997 CUS Summary Report

EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF RESIDENTS .............................................................. 101

Three out of four adults are employed .................................................................................. 101

Modest resident job growth since 1991 recession ................................................................. 101

Gains in resident employment attributed to women’s increased participation........................... 102

Baby boomers are the backbone of the resident workforce.................................................... 103

One out of three resident workers is foreign-born .................................................................. 105

New residents are young professionals ................................................................................ 106

Most employed residents live and work in the County............................................................ 106

Dramatic growth of resident employment outside the beltway ebbed ...................................... 108

Workers linked to jobs close to home ................................................................................... 109

One out of four employed residents commutes to D.C. .......................................................... 110

Most work in the private sector ............................................................................................ 110

White-collar defines the resident workforce........................................................................... 111

Sex, age, race, and occupation reflected in wages ................................................................ 112

The 30 minute commute...................................................................................................... 115

Traffic congestion is not enough to change commuting habits................................................ 115

More people are working at home at least one day a week .................................................... 116

HOUSEHOLD I NCOME........................................................................................................ 118

County’s median household income is nearly twice the Nation’s ............................................ 118

Income upturn after a decade of almost running in place ....................................................... 119

Who won? Who lost? .......................................................................................................... 119

County median disguises underlying diversity....................................................................... 122

Race & Hispanic monetary split ........................................................................................... 125

Rural fringes attract the affluent ........................................................................................... 127

APPENDIX ......................................................................................................................... 130

Methodology of the 1997 Census Update Survey .................................................................. 130

Sample design ................................................................................................................ 130
 T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

Response rates............................................................................................................... 131

Survey mailing list ........................................................................................................... 132
Census Update Survey form............................................................................................ 132
Confidentiality of reports .................................................................................................. 133
Estimating procedure ...................................................................................................... 133

Definitions of survey data items ........................................................................................... 134

Questionnaire used in the 1997 Census Update Survey ........................................................ 136

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1997 CUS Summary Report

List of Tables
Table 1: Profile of Montgomery County ...............................................................................9
Table 2: Profile of Bethesda/Chevy Chase Combined Planning Area ................................ 12
Table 3: Profile of Colesville Combined Planning Area...................................................... 14
Table 4: Profile of Damascus Combined Planning Area..................................................... 16
Table 5: Profile of I-270 Corridor Combined Planning Area ............................................... 18
Table 6: Profile of Kensington/Wheaton Combined Planning Area .................................... 20
Table 7: Profile of Olney Combined Planning Area............................................................ 22
Table 8: Profile of Poolesville Combined Planning Area .................................................... 24
Table 9: Profile of Potomac Combined Planning Area ....................................................... 26
Table 10: Profile of Rockville/North Bethesda Combined Planning Area........................... 28
Table 11: Profile of Silver Spring/Takoma Park Combined Planning Area ......................... 30
Table 12: Annual Population Growth Rate 1970-1997 ........................................................ 32
Table 13: Household Income by Foreign-Born Status........................................................ 37
Table 14: Profile of Foreign-Born Head or Spouse Households ........................................ 38
Table 15: Residential Population by Combined Planning Areas 1987 and 1997................. 40
Table 16: Residential Population 1987 and 1997 ................................................................ 40
Table 17: Household Population by Age and Sex .............................................................. 41
Table 18: Montgomery County Population Growth 1970-1997 ........................................... 42
Table 19: Educational Attainment by Age and Sex ............................................................ 43
Table 20: Educational Attainment by Race and Hispanic Origin ........................................ 44
Table 21: Households by Combined Planning Area 1987 and 1997 ................................... 46
Table 22: Average Household Size 1977-2025.................................................................... 47
Table 23: Age of Householder by Average Household Size............................................... 48
Table 24: Average Household Size by Combined Planning Area....................................... 49
Table 25: Median Age of Householder by Structure Type.................................................. 50
Table 26: Householder Age by Structure Type .................................................................. 51
Table 27: Household Types by Structure Type 1987 and 1997........................................... 52
Table 28: Tenure by Structure Type 1987 and 1997 ........................................................... 53
Table 29: Household Income by Tenure and Householder Age ......................................... 54
Table 30: Tenure and Average Household Size by Race and Structure Type .................... 55
Table 31: Household Income by Tenure............................................................................. 56
Table 32: Profile of Owner Occupied Households ............................................................. 59
Table 33: Profile of Renter Occupied Households ............................................................. 61
Table 34: Characteristics of Households Owning Computers ........................................... 68
Table 35: Park Usage by Selected Household Types......................................................... 70
 LIST OF T ABLES

Table 36: Elderly Age Groups 1987-2025 ........................................................................... 72

Table 37: Household Population by Age and Sex .............................................................. 73
Table 38: Educational Attainment by Age and Sex, Ages 25+ and 65+ .............................. 73
Table 39: Income Spent on Housing Costs by Tenure and Head Age ................................ 75
Table 40: Income of Householders Age 65+ by Household Size........................................ 76
Table 41: Years in Present Dwelling by Structure Type ..................................................... 78
Table 42: Years in Residence by Tenure and Structure Type............................................. 79
Table 43: 1997 Place of Residence by Previous Place of Residence ................................. 80
Table 44: Previous Place of Residence by Structure Type 1987 and 1997 ......................... 81
Table 45: Previous Place of Residence.............................................................................. 81
Table 46: Mobility of Householders by Age and Structure Type ........................................ 83
Table 47: Tenure by Previous Place of Residence ............................................................. 85
Table 48: Household Income by Previous Place of Residence .......................................... 86
Table 49: Previous Place of Residence by Combined Planning Area................................. 87
Table 50: Profile by Mobility Status ................................................................................... 90
Table 51: Previous Place of Residence by Race ................................................................ 93
Table 52: Average Household Size by Tenure and Race .................................................... 94
Table 53: Structure Type and Length of Residence by Tenure and Race........................... 95
Table 54: Educational Attainment by Race and Hispanic Origin ........................................ 96
Table 55: Profile by Race and Hispanic Origin................................................................... 97
Table 56: Employment Status of Residents Age 16+ ....................................................... 101
Table 57: Resident Employment Growth.......................................................................... 101
Table 58: Resident Employment Growth by Sex 1977-1997 ............................................. 102
Table 59: Employment by Age and Sex 1977-1997........................................................... 105
Table 60: Employment Characteristics of New Residents................................................ 106
Table 61: Work Location by Sex and Age of Employed Residents................................... 107
Table 62: Work Location of Employed Residents ............................................................ 108
Table 63: Employed Residents by Place of Residence and Work Location ..................... 109
Table 64: Employed Residents by Employer.................................................................... 110
Table 65: Employed Residents by Occupational Types................................................... 112
Table 66: Average Wages by Employment Characteristics and Sex................................ 114
Table 67: Principal Mode of Transportation to Work........................................................ 115
Table 68: Worker's Transportation to Metrorail................................................................ 116
Table 69: Household Income by Householder Age .......................................................... 120
Table 70: Median Household Income Changes 1987 and 1997......................................... 121
Table 71: Household Income by Structure Type .............................................................. 122
Table 72: Household Income by Household Type ............................................................ 123

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1997 CUS Summary Report

Table 73: Household Income by Household Size............................................................. 124

Table 74: Household Income by Householder's Race or Hispanic Origin ........................ 127
Table 75: Household Income by Combined Planning Areas ............................................ 128
 T ABLE OF F IGURES

Table of Figures
Figure 1: County Growth Trends 1950-2020.........................................................................3
Figure 2: Annual Population Growth Rate and Minority Share of Growth ............................3
Figure 3: Previous Location of New Residents....................................................................4
Figure 4: Percentage of Maryland's Foreign-Born Residing in the County ..........................5
Figure 5: Educational Attainment in 1990 and 1997 .............................................................5
Figure 6: Average Household Size 1950-1997......................................................................6
Figure 7: Labor Force Participation of Women 1950-1997 ...................................................7
Figure 8: 1996 Median Household Incomes of the County and the Nation...........................7
Figure 9: Annual Birth Rate 1960-2010............................................................................... 33
Figure 10: Legal Immigration into County 1991-1998 ......................................................... 33
Figure 11: Top 15 Countries of Origin for Legal Immigrants.............................................. 34
Figure 12: Average Age of Foreign-Born and Native-Born Population .............................. 35
Figure 13: Households with Children by Foreign-Born Status............................................ 35
Figure 14: Median Age of Population 1970-1997 ................................................................ 42
Figure 15: Educational Attainment by Foreign-Born Status............................................... 43
Figure 16: County Growth Trends 1950-2020 ..................................................................... 45
Figure 17: Average Household Size 1950-1997 .................................................................. 47
Figure 18 : Age of Householder by Structure Type............................................................ 51
Figure 19: 1996 Household Income by Tenure ................................................................... 55
Figure 20: Computer Ownership 1994 and 1997 ................................................................ 66
Figure 21: Park Usage by Types of Parks.......................................................................... 69
Figure 22: Percentage Share of Population Age 65+ .......................................................... 72
Figure 23: 1996 Median Monthly Housing Cost.................................................................. 74
Figure 24: Median Household Income by Age of Elderly Householder .............................. 76
Figure 25: Employment by Age of Elderly........................................................................... 77
Figure 26: Mover Status by Householder's Race or Hispanic Origin ................................. 82
Figure 27: Previous Place of Residence by Householder's Race or Hispanic Origin ......... 82
Figure 28: In-Mover's Choice of Structure Type Varies by Race and Hispanic Origin........ 83
Figure 29 Race and Hispanic Origin of In -Mover and All Householders ............................ 89
Figure 30: Annual Population Growth Rate and Minority Share of Growth ........................ 92
Figure 31: Change in Race and Hispanic Origin Population 1990 and 1997....................... 92
Figure 32: Median Household Income by Race and Hispanic Origin ................................. 96
Figure 33: Labor Force Participation of Women 1950-1997.............................................. 102
Figure 34: Employment by Sex 1977-1997 ....................................................................... 103
Figure 35: Age of Employed Females 1977-1997 ............................................................. 104

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1997 CUS Summary Report

Figure 36: Employed Residents Living and Working in the County................................. 106
Figure 37: Employment Location of Residents................................................................ 110
Figure 38: Commuting Times of Employed Residents..................................................... 115
Figure 39: 1996 Median Incomes of the County and the Nation ....................................... 118
Figure 40: Median Household Income by Race and Hispanic Origin ............................... 125
 T ABLE OF M APS

Table of Maps
Map 1: Combined Planning Areas...................................................................................... 11
Map 2: Percent of Population Foreign-Born....................................................................... 34
Map 3: Asian and Pacific Islander Percent of Population .................................................. 99
Map 4: Black Percent of Population ................................................................................... 99
Map 5: Hispanic Origin Percent of Population ................................................................. 100
Map 6: 1996 Median Household Income........................................................................... 129

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