Incomes Grow and Unemployment Stays Low in Malverne

While the national economy took a nose dive in recent years, the village of Malverne enjoyed a period of growth in household income and declines in poverty.

According to a five-year study released this week by the U.S Census Bureau, the median household income for Malverne increased from approximately $81,784 in 2000 to $111,607 in 2009. If calculated in 2009 dollars to adjust for inflation, this still comes out to an increase of nearly $7,300.

The latest data, released Tuesday, comes from the 2005-2009 American Community Survey (ACS), which collects population and housing information on an annual basis. While results of the 2010 United States Census will not be released until February, much of the information revealed by the ACS survey, can be compared to the data from the 2000 U.S. Census.

In addition to an increase in household income over the past decade, Malverne also saw its already low poverty rate decline. The rate of individuals living below the poverty level dropped from 1.6 to 1.4 percent. This figure did increase slightly –by 0.1 percent- for families living in poverty, but still remained low at 1.1 percent. When only looking at residents who are 65 or older, this increased to 2 percent. 

Despite rises in unemployment throughout the country, the percentage of the Malverne population who was unemployed remained at a low 3.2 percent, an increase of 1 percent from 2000. The amount of residents over the age of 16 who were in the workforce also rose between 2000 and 2009 from 67.7 percent to 68.1 percent.

Most residents, about 48 percent, are professionals and over 40 percent have attained a bachelor's degree or higher. The highest portion of residents, 27 percent, were employed in the fields of education, health care and social assistance.

While the majority of Malvernites appeared to prosper during this period, it appears that not everyone was able to make it in the village. The total population took a small drop of about roughly 30 people and the number of vacant housing units increased from 46 to 181, as less people decided to own or rent a home in Malverne.

The diversity of the village also changed in the past decade.

• Of residents reporting that they identify with one race, only 88 percent described themselves as "White," compared to 92 percent in the 2000 U.S. Census.
• The village saw a 0.6 percent decline in the percentage of African American residents, who comprised 1.1 percent of the population according to the 2005-2009 statistics.
• Hispanic residents also comprised less of the population in 2009, only 4.6 percent, a decline of 1.4 percent from 2000.
• There was a significant boost in Malverne's Asian population according to the ACS. It jumped from 3.1 percent in 2000 to 8.7 percent in 2005-2009.