Census data charts LI's growth

Population gains across Long Island, especially in the region's minority communities, unveiled in the latest U.S. Census Bureau data illustrate just how far the region has come in the past decade. They also underscore how much more the region has to do.

The census results tell a success story: It seems the Island's massive effort to count its residents, in the middle of a pandemic, produced solid results, capturing people who weren't living here in 2010 — though, as with every census, it's impossible to determine for sure just how precise the numbers are.

Based on the data we have, the top-line figure — the 3.1% population increase between 2010 and 2020, an overall gain of 88,812 people — doesn't tell the whole story. What's behind that number is a significant gain in the number of Hispanics and Asians who call Long Island home. Minorities now make up 44.2% of Nassau County's population and 36.6% of Suffolk's, both marking significant shifts since 2010. The number of residents who count themselves as nonwhite rose from 886,845 in 2010 to 1,174,910 in 2020, a 32% increase that included 147,790 more Hispanics and 76,331 more Asians.

That's good news for the Island. Racial and ethnic diversity are critical components of the Island's cultural enrichment and ability to grow, leading to new business creation, innovation in research, and an infusion of talent in the region's key industries. Recent data shows that a record number of businesses formed on Long Island between March and October of 2020 — more than 20,000. All of that boosts the Island's economic strength.

DIVERSITY IS NOT ENOUGH

But experts are right to caution that diversity alone isn't enough. While some of our new residents are arriving with the education, careers and other tools they need to succeed, others may require added services and assistance to overcome language barriers and disparities in health care, employment and education. As further analyses of the data and more specifics from the Census Bureau emerge, local elected officials and advocates must drill down on individual neighborhoods and communities that could benefit from additional attention.

More broadly, the census data set sheds light on some of the region's ongoing challenges, putting numbers to trends we've seen and problems we know need solutions. Among them: Long Island's need for a variety of housing types, including more options that are affordable.

Over the decade, Long Island's housing construction failed to keep up with its population growth, the data found. Between 2010 and 2020, Nassau County added 56,242 people, a 4.2% gain, but only 8,386 housing units, a 1.8% increase. Suffolk, meanwhile, saw a similar increase in housing units — a 1.6% gain, or 8,955 new units built. But its population increased at a slower rate than Nassau's — just 2.2%, or 32,570 people.

The differences are particularly significant in some of the communities critical to Long Island's economic future.

Take Hicksville. Its population increased 5.6% in the 10 years since the 2010 census; the hamlet added 2,322 residents. But over that same decade, the community added 128 housing units — less than a 1% gain. Hicksville, which won a $10 million downtown revitalization state grant in 2017, is still waiting for that redevelopment. It can't come soon enough.

The same scenario played out in other neighborhoods across both counties.

Long Island doesn't need those rates to be even. And there may be factors that explain some of the differences. Some new residents may have moved in with family members; others may have established legal two-family homes that once were zoned for one family, or moved into a second home they already owned.

USE DATA TO INFORM DECISIONS

But it's likely that some newer Long Islanders living in crowded spaces would start new households if homes were available. The general shortage of starter homes, however, is further stunted by recent skyrocketing prices. Those looking to put down roots here are moving away to cheaper locations, at the cost of sacrificing precious familial connections. Local officials can use the census data to determine where such housing is most needed and which communities could benefit from revitalization, downtown redevelopment, construction near train stations, and the conversion of struggling retail strips and small malls.

Still other communities may need development that attracts new families to single-family homes, while providing older residents with housing that meets their changing needs. That allows a healthy turnover.

While the Census release doesn't give updated detail about where Long Islanders work, how they commute and what they earn, regional leaders should consider those issues, too, making sure infrastructure exists to turn the region's population growth into an economic success story. That means paving and maintaining roads and providing adequate public transit to accommodate commuters. It means helping residents build small businesses, start restaurants or begin new research and development work — by offering state grants, giving tax breaks when appropriate, and building the housing that attracts new workers.

Even in a mature suburb, this is a moment where new residents can lead to opportunities for the region as a whole.