Transportation Plan - Town of Garner

Hispanic: People who
identify themselves as
Latino, Spanish or Hispanic
(the terms are used
interchangeably by the US
Census Bureau, and different
people will recognize
themselves by different
terms) are noting their
country of origin as Puerto
Rico, Central America,
Mexico, South America,
Cuba, or Spain. Hispanics
may be of any race.
Median: The median is a
mathematical statistic that
identifies the number where
half the responses fall above
and half below. Compared to
an average (or “mean”), the
median is less susceptible to
being skewed by a small
number of radically different
values in a group.
US Census: The U.S. has
taken a decennial (once
every 10 years) count of its
people since 1790 with few
breaks. Most people have
answered the “short form”
questionnaire which asks
basic questions about race,
ethnicity, age, and so forth.
One in seven people answer
the long form, which is used
to estimate many other
characteristics of the
population.
ABOUT DEMOGRAPHICS
Demographic Analysis
It is important to examine a city’s demographics before developing a
transportation plan because demographic information provides valuable
clues about citizen travel behavior and preferences. Characteristics such
as age, income, vehicle ownership, and commute time can suggest a
population’s potential for various travel modes, such as biking and
walking. The following paragraphs provide a summary of the
demographic analysis for the Town of Garner and explain the
implications of the analysis for the recommendations made in the Garner
Transportation Plan.
According to 2000 U.S. Census data, middle‐aged adults from 25 ‐ 44
collectively make up 47.7 percent of the town's overall population. This is
relatively similar to state and national demographics where this age
group accounts for 44.5 percent of the North Carolina population and
43.6 percent of the United States population. Children age 14 and under
make up one‐fifth of the population at 20.8 percent, also mimicking state
and national trends. Overall, Garner’s age demographics strongly
correlate to state and national demographics and indicate that the
town’s age pyramid is fairly evenly distributed and does not lean heavily
to any age group due to any unusual circumstances in the community.
This fact reinforces the notion that Garner is a popular home to many
families in the Triangle and very appealing to people of all ages and
lifestyles.
Garner's population is 67.0 percent Caucasian and 27.1 percent African‐
American, with no other group occupying a significant share of the total.
These figures are very similar to state averages, where Caucasians make
up 72.1 percent of North Carolina’s population and African‐Americans
make up 21.6 percent. Both the town and state figures are more racially
balanced than national averages, where Caucasians make up 75.1
percent of the overall US population while African‐Americans account for
only 12.3 percent. Interesting, 4.7 percent of Garner’s population self
identify as Hispanic which is only slightly less than in Wake County’s
(5.4%) and the same as the state (4.7%), though dramatically lower than
the nation (12.5%).
Garner has Median Household Incomes and Median Family Incomes well
above state and national averages. Garner also has a significantly lower
percentage of individuals living below the poverty level. Poverty levels in
Garner appear to affect seniors more than other age groups. While the
10.5% of seniors over
Chapter 3: Existing Conditions Page | 48