Report predicts demographic changes in Fairfax

The latest statistics released by the Fairfax County Department of Management and Budget predict steady growth over the next few years.

According to the county’s Demographic Reports 2017, released earlier this month, there were 1,142,888 people living in Fairfax County in 2017. That’s an 0.8 percent increase from 2016. By 2045, the population is expected to grow to nearly 1.4 million.

Here are some more statistics from the report:

• Broken down by age, 26.4 percent of Fairfax County residents are under age 20, 62.1 percent are age 20-65, and 11.5 percent are 65 or older.
• There are about 87,500 households with incomes of $200,000 or more and 57,800 with incomes of $150,000 to $199,999. At the lower end, there are 29,000 households with incomes under $25,000 and 41,400 with incomes of between $25,000 and $49,999.
• A household needs an annual income of at least $62,400 to be able to afford to rent a market-rate one-bedroom apartment. The average monthly rental rate for any type of housing is $1,750.
• The unemployment rate in Fairfax County was 3.2 percent in 2016 and has been steadily declining since it peaked at 5.1 percent in 2010. 
• The population in Mason District was nearly 115,700 in 2017. The population in Mason is projected to increase to 121,800 in 2030 and to 134,700 by 2045.
• Mason and Providence are tied for having the highest density. Both districts have 8.1 people per acre, compared to 4.4 people per acre for the county as a whole.
• The Annandale Planning District has a population of 76,000 (6.4 people per acre). The Bailey’s Planning District, has 44,600 people (11 per acre). 
• In Mason District, 54.8 percent of the housing units were built before 1970 and 17 percent were built between 1970 and 1979. In Fairfax County as a whole, 27.7 of the housing units were built before 1970 and 20.1 percent were built between 1970 and 1979. 
• The median market value of a home in Mason District is $457,083 in 2017. That’s an increase of 2.8 over the previous year and it’s the biggest increase of any supervisory district. The countywide average is $505,722, an increase of 1.5 percent. 
• The median market value of a home in the Annandale Planning District was $490,663 in 2017, a 1.9 percent change from 2016. In the Bailey’s Planning District, the median value was $393,813, a 3.4 percent jump 
• The proportion of whites in Fairfax County declined from about 70 percent of the population in 2000 to 62 percent in 2017. During the same period, the black population increased from nearly 7 percent to nearly 10 percent, the Asian and Pacific Islander population rose from 13 percent to 19 percent, and the Hispanic population went from 11 percent to 16 percent.