Census: Palos Has Higher Home Values, Higher Income Rates Than State Average
Released last Thursday, the five-year American Community Survey offers detailed demographic information on communities throughout the U.S.
The U.S. Census Bureau last week released estimates from its American Community Survey, which provides local statistics for the combined years from 2007 to 2011 on everything from housing to employment to marital status in communities throughout the country.
The five-year estimates are based on interviews with almost two million housing units nationwide from 2007 through 2011. By pooling several years of survey responses, the American Community Survey generates detailed statistical portraits for small areas. The groupings of five-year estimates are released annually.
Palos Heights and Palos Park had significantly higher numbers of home owners compared with the state as a whole, while also maintaining a household income levels higher than the state's number.
The percentage of Palos-area residents below poverty level ran level than the 13.1 percent state wide. Both Palos Heights and Palos Hills outpaced Illinois in categories measured, the exception coming from Palos Hills for the number of people with Bachelor's degree or higher.
Here's what the American Community Survey has to say about Palos Heights, and Palos Hills when it comes to home ownership and income (Data for Palos Park was unavailable.):
| Palos Heights | Palos Hills | State | |
| Homeownership rate | 97.3% |
81.1% | 68.7% |
| Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2007-2011 | 17.2% | 44.1% | 32.9% |
| Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2007-2011 | $301,300 |
$223,200 | $198,500 |
| Households, 2007-2011 | 4,918 | 7,204 | 4,773,002 |
| Persons per household, 2007-2011 | 2.37 | 2.40 | 2.62 |
| Per capita money income in the past 12 months (2011 dollars), 2007-2011 | $39,954 | $29,783 | $29,376 |
| Median household income, 2007-2011 | $76,111 | $54,902 | $56,576 |
| Persons below poverty level, percent, 2007-2011 | 4.7% |
8.3% | 13.1% |
Some facts on the demographic makeup of the Palos area:
| Palos Heights | Palos Hills | State | |
| Language other than English spoken at home, percent age 5+, 2007-2011 | 12.0% |
40.6% | 22.0% |
| High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2007-2011 | 94.8% |
87.8% | 86.6% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25+, 2007-2011 | 43.0% |
22.0% | 30.7% |
| Veterans, 2007-2011 | 1,235 |
1,251 | 770,388 |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2007-2011 | 29.8 |
32.9 | 28.1 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey
Compare the numbers in Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn, Orland Park and Chicago.
