Farmingdale, Patchogue among villages with greatest population gains on Long Island

Farmingdale and Patchogue registered some of the greatest population gains over four years among Long Island's villages, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau 2014 population estimates released Thursday.

Farmingdale and Patchogue ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, out of 10 Long Island villages with the largest population growth between 2010 and 2014, according to a Newsday analysis of census data for incorporated villages, towns and cities.

Farmingdale's estimated population rose from 8,198 in 2010 to 8,619 in 2014, a 5.1 percent increase. Patchogue's went from an estimated 11,828 in 2010 to 12,364 in 2014, a 4.5 percent increase.

The other villages in the top 10 had populations much smaller than Farmingdale's and Patchogue's. The population growth in those smaller villages was, in most cases, just a few dozen people or less.

The villages' increases are an indicator of housing development, said Jan Vink, a researcher with Cornell University's Program on Applied Demographics.

"The way they [population estimates] are computed, they are very much based on estimates of housing units in those communities," Vink said. "If a community expands their housing stock, then they would like to see a return on that investment in population."

Both Farmingdale and Patchogue have been the focus of housing development projects in recent years. In Farmingdale, a 152-unit complex is currently being built in multiple phases. The first phase, a 39-unit complex on Atlantic Avenue, is open and partially occupied. The second-phase building is slated to open in July.

Patchogue has had a number of housing developments and other projects over the past decade. The village last year received Suffolk County Planning Commission's inaugural "village innovation award" for the way it redeveloped its downtown.

Patchogue's downtown redevelopment includes apartments and housing options such as Artspace, Riverwalk, New Village and Copper Beach Village. The Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts and YMCA were cited by the county as thriving destinations.

Hempstead Village, which has the largest population of the Island's 98 villages and two cities, ranked 14th in growth over four years, with its population rising nearly 3 percent between 2010 and 2014. The village's population was estimated at 55,527 in 2014, up from 53,951 four years earlier.

The bureau's 2014 population estimates for counties released in March showed Long Island had a modest increase between 2013 and 2014, largely on the performance of Nassau County, where the population was estimated to have increased by 3,528 people. Suffolk, however, only netted a 15-person increase, according to the estimate. Both counties had more births than deaths and large influxes from international migration. But they suffered steep domestic migration losses, the latter affecting Suffolk to a greater degree.

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie