The Observation Deck

Here is some interesting data from the State of Ohio income tax returns statistics:

School district ........... # of ..........# of Senior .....Percentage with
........................... exemptions..... Credits...........Senior citizen credit
BAY VILLAGE CSD..... 16,421...... 1,312........16.54%
BEACHWOOD CSD.....11,327...... 1,954........33.14%
BEDFORD CSD.......... 25,885...... 2,066........14.26%
BEREA CSD...............49,131...... 4,697........17.43%
BRECKSVILLE-BROD.. 28,620...... 2,325........16.45%
BROOKLYN CSD.........10,531......1,104........18.31%
CHAGRIN FALLS VSD..10,970......1,011........19.47%
CLEVELAND CSD....... 313,124.... 14,603...... 9.02%
CLEVELAND HTS-CSD 48,431...... 3,256........12.78%
CUYAHOGA HEIGHTS.4,954....... 383...........14.89%
EAST CLEVELAND SD .15,271.... 993.......... 6.50%
EUCLID CSD............. 42,105..... 3,161....... 7.51%
FAIRVIEW PARK CSD 16,168..... 16,168.... 6.51%
INDEPENDENCE LSD. 7,446....... 752......... 10.10%
LAKEWOOD CSD...... 44,520..... 2,497....... 5.61%
MAPLE HEIGHTS CSD. 21,508..... 1,266....... 5.89%
MAYFIELD CSD.......... 31,818..... 3,658...... 11.50%
NORTH OLMSTED SD 32,677.... 2,820...... 8.63%
NORTH ROYALTON SD 36,050.... 2,449....... 6.79%
OLMSTED FALLS CSD. 22,153..... 1,661....... 7.50%
ORANGE CSD........... 14,139..... 1,543....... 10.91%
PARMA CSD............. 107,764... 10,086..... 9.36%
RICHMOND HEIGHTS 9,129...... 823......... 9.02%
ROCKY RIVER ..... 20,333...... 2,645....... 13.01%
SHAKER HEIGHTSD... 30,702..... 2,726....... 8.88%
SOLON CSD.............. 25,697..... 1,457....... 5.67%
SOUTH EUCLID-LYND .33,756..... 3,367....... 9.97%
STRONGSVILLE CSD.. 47,314...... 3,402....... 7.19%
WARRENSVILLE HEIG. 12,770...... 996.......... 7.80%
WESTLAKE CSD........ 33,013..... 2,979....... 9.02%

What does it mean? I'm not sure.

Why does the City with the smallest percentage of elderly residents have the largest department serving the elderly? Why do some communities with no department on aging do just fine? What type of businesses would be attracted to Lakewood if they knew the numbers? Younger people have lower income than older people so does that mean that Lakewood is not getting poorer but getting younger? If so what does that mean?

I've heard that the senior population is declining more quickly than other demographics but these numbers can't be right. There must be more than 2500. Is there some other source that this can be verified against without waiting for the next census?

Shawn Juris wrote:I've heard that the senior population is declining more quickly than other demographics but these numbers can't be right. There must be more than 2500. Is there some other source that this can be verified against without waiting for the next census?

The number of credits only applies to those who filed a State tax return. A senior who does not need to file a tax return would not show up on these stats.

For comparative purposes I think the numbers are valid. Anyway, food for thought.

well, it's hard to speculate what's going on currently in terms of demographics, as much official statistics are also tied to census records, and the last main census was in 2000.

If you use the neocando.org website, sponsored by CWRU's Mandel School of Applied Social Science, you can pull up all sorts of demographic data for anywhere in northeast Ohio. Just for the heck of it, I looked up Lakewood and population age figures for 1990 and 2000, to see what the trends were. We already know there was a reduction in overall population:

Lakewood's population in 1990: 59,718
Lakewood's population in 2000: 56,646

They also have estimates for population to 2006, and the estimates show continued decline, estimating a population of 52,194. Bear in mind those are just estimates, and it won't be until the 2010 Census is taken that we'll have a better idea (though of course, any Census data has some inherent flaws, as many people don't fill out the Census, etc.)

Here's what they say for age groups:

Population aged 0-4 (1990): 3,956
Population aged 0-4 (2000): 3,340

Population aged 5-17 (1990): 9,802
Population aged 5-17 (2000): 8,573

Population aged 18-34 (1990): 18,966
Population aged 18-34 (2000): 17,115

Population aged 35-59 (1990): 16,573
Population aged 35-59 (2000): 18,987

Population aged 60-64 (1990): 2,348
Population aged 60-64 (2000): 1,743

Population aged 65+ (1990): 8,073
Population aged 65+ (2000): 6,888

So it looks like the only growth during that period was the 35-59 demographic, and everything else declined. It'll be interesting to see how the 2010 Census will show the figures changing, because a number of the 35-59 folks will be moving into the 60-64 and 65+ brackets, which should show those numbers increasing.

Face it, Lakewood's an aging city ... but then so is nearly every other city around Cleveland. Even in the outer ring ... I looked at Geauga County as a whole, which is one of the fastest-growing areas in Northeast Ohio ... their older population is growing dramatically, and their younger population is shrinking just as dramatically, so while they are gaining population, it appears primarily to be older adults who are relocating to Geauga County, not families with children.

So maybe it's a good thing we do have good senior services! We're only going to need it more in the future!

I think Mr Call answered his own question, whether he meant to or not,

You dont show up on exemptions if you dont file tax returns, and you dont have to file tax returns if you dont have "earned" income. In other words, while Lakewood has plenty of seniors compared to Westlake, the latter has more well-off seniors who need to file, so the numbers are almost the same.
Look at the Westerly and Fedor Manor. Those are huge buildings full of seniors but few are Ross Perot.

In reality Lakewood seniors may NEED public services more than their more affluent counterparts in other communities.