PROFILE OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS |
| Household Size. The average size of respondent households in the survey area was 2.46 persons (compared to the
1990 citywide average of 2.56). One-person households comprised 28% of the total (compared to 32% citywide);
households of five or more persons accounted for 10% of the total. The average size of households did not vary significantly by sub-area. However, Manayunk Below the Cliffs and Umbria Street Neighbors tended to have smaller average household sizes (or alternatively, a slightly larger proportion of one-person households) than the other sub-areas. Household Composition. As mentioned above, one-person households accounted for 28% of the survey respondents. More than three-fifths of these one-person households were individual females, 20% of which were elderly. Approximately 54% of the respondent households were composed of family members, and 15% were unrelated persons living together. Almost 32% of all respondents reported having children living in the household. Both Manayunk Below the Cliffs and Umbria Street Neighbors had somewhat larger proportions of one-person households than the other sub-areas. Hillside had the largest proportion of family households by far (71%), and the smallest percentage of households composed of unrelated individuals (2%). The other sub-areas had fairly even distributions of family households (ranging from 48% to 58%) and unrelated-person households (ranging from 14% to 18%). Both Hillside and Manayunk Above the Cliffs had slightly higher proportions of children present in households than the study area as a whole (36% and 35% , respectively). Manayunk Below the Cliffs had a slightly smaller proportion of children than the other areas (27%). |
| Children in School. Overall, respondent households with children of school age utilize public and parochial schools at
the same rate: 36% had at least one child in public school, and 36% had at least one child in parochial school (there
is some double-counting of households with children in both types of school). About 12% of households used private
schools. For households that require child care services, almost 58% indicated the need for additional facilities in Manayunk. There were some differences among sub-areas in school choices. Respondents in the Umbria Street and Wissahickon sub-areas tended to choose public schools for their children more frequently than the other sub-areas, and used parochial schools less. Approximately half of the Umbria Street and Wissahickon children attended public schools, compared to about one-third of the children in the other sub-areas. In the Hillside and Manayunk Above the Cliffs sub-areas, households using parochial schools edged out public school users. Residents of both the Manayunk Below the Cliffs and Umbria Street sub-areas stated a clear need for additional child care services (78% and 63%, respectively). Residents of the other sub-areas were fairly evenly split over whether additional child care facilities are needed. However, it should be noted that the number of respondents answering this question was relatively small (less than 12% of all respondents). |
| Housing Tenure. Homeownership among survey respondents was uniformly high across sub-areas. Almost 73% of
respondent households were owner-occupants, and 27% were renters (close to the 1990 census ratio of 69% owners
and 31% renters in the census tracks comprising "Greater Manayunk"). Rowhomes are the predominant housing type;
only 13% of survey respondents reported living in multi-unit buildings (including structures divided into multiple
units).Over 40% of renter households reported that they actively considered buying a residence in the Manayunk
study area. In general, these potential purchasers are in the prime "first-time homebuying" years (59% between 25
and 34 years old) and relatively recent residents of Manayunk (66% fewer than 5 years; 85% fewer than 10 years).
Almost 70% had household incomes between $30K and $80K, and 62% were renting single-family properties in
Manayunk. Of note is the more than 70% of renter respondents in the Umbria Street sub-area who reported that they
have considered purchasing a place to live in Manayunk.
Length of Residence. Almost 44% of survey respondents have lived in Manayunk for 25 years or more. Over 40% have lived in Manayunk for fewer than 10 years (and 26% for less than 5 years). Manayunk Below the Cliffs had the largest proportion of new residents (33% have lived in Manayunk for less than 5 years); while Hillside had the most long-term residents (53% have lived in Manayunk for 25 years or more). Reasons for Residing in Manayunk. Almost 52% of respondents came to reside in Manayunk for family-related reasons (38% were born and raised in the neighborhood, 8% moved to Manayunk to be with a spouse or partner, and 6% moved to be closer to other family members). Another 41% came to Manayunk and liked what they saw. Nearly one-quarter of the respondents moved to Manayunk without any prior personal connection to the neighborhood, and 16% reported that they were introduced to the area by friends or co-workers. |
| Age of Respondents. The age of survey respondents roughly paralleled the age group profile of the adult population of the census tracts comprising "Greater Manayunk." The youngest age group, respondents aged 18 to 24-years old, may have been somewhat underrepresented among survey respondents, while the 45 to 54-year age group was slightly over-represented. This should not be of major concern, because resident households were being surveyed, not individuals representing particular age cohorts. Table 1 shows the age distribution of survey respondents and the adult population of "Greater Manayunk." |
| Table 1: Distribution of Survey Respondents by Age | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ |
| Opinion Survey Respondents | 4% | 30% | 25% | 18% | 9% | 16% |
| Adult Population of Manayunk (1990)* | 13% | 28% | 19% | 11% | 11% | 19% |
|
Source: U.S. Census Bureau * Census tracts 209-210, 213-215. | ||||||
| Educational Attainment. Over 47% of respondents report college or post-graduate degrees, and an additional 17%
have some college-level education; 36% have only a high school education or less. These proportions are fairly
consistent across the five sub-areas, with Manayunk Below the Cliffs having a slightly larger proportion of
post-secondary educated respondents. Occupation. For households having at least one full-time worker, nearly 36% report employment in executive, management, or professional occupations. Eleven percent of respondent households have blue-collar workers, and 10% have technical and sales employees. Retired persons are found in 11% of respondent households. Household Income. Twenty-eight percent of households have incomes below $30K; 44% have household incomes
between $30-$60K (a large "middle-class" household population), and 28% of households exceed $60K in income. |