Jennifer Aiken

Mikafui Antonio-Obese
La Toya Parker
Casey Thomas
Socio-Demographic Profile
Summary
New Irving Park is a neighborhood in North Central Greensboro. It is 91% White, with a median
population age of 41. Over 32% of the population is over 55, compared to the state of North Carolina at
24%, making New Irving Parks population older than the area surrounding it. New Irving Park has a
higher median income than the rest of the city of Greensboro, at $69,271 compared to the city of
Greensboros median income, which is $39,637. The neighborhood is almost entirely residential, but
contains three schools and is adjacent to a shopping complex with a supermarket, a gym, and other
amenities. There are health specialists, a pediatricians office, and two assisted living facilities in the
neighborhood as well. To analyze data relevant to New Irving Park, this profile analyzes the 27408 Zip
Code in which it was located and the census tract 127.03, which is entirely contained by New Irving
Parks boundaries. It was not possible to find much of the relevant data specifically for the neighborhood.
Instead this profile uses a mix of data from the zip code, which contains the entire neighborhood, and the
census tract, which does not contain the entire neighborhood, but excludes areas that are not in New
Irving Park. This data was compared to the county in which New Irving Park is located, Guilford County,
Wake County (a nearby county), and the state of North Carolina.

Race and Ethnicity (LaToya Parker)

1. The ZCTA5 27408 zip code range has large difference in White populations and every other
racial demographic, with 91% of the residents being White.
2. The African American/Black population in the ZCTA5 27408 census tract is 6.7% compared
to Guilford county of 29.3%
Age (Jennifer Aiken)
1. The median age for the New Irving Park area (zip code 27408) is 41.0 years. The median age is
higher compared to county, peer county and state as a whole.
2. Within the 27408 area the top two age groups based on percentages is 25-34 years of age and then
45-54 years of age.

Education (Casey Thomas)

1. In New Irving Park, about 42% of the population have Bachelors Degrees or higher, compared
with the city of Greensboro, in which 37% of residents have Bachelors degrees or higher.
2. In New Irving park, the disparity in earnings between people without high school degrees and
people with graduate degrees or higher is far more pronounced than in the rest of the state and
Guilford county, with residents with less than a high school diploma making $16,719 per year and
people with graduate degrees and above making an average of $83,512.
Employment/Disability (Mikafui Antonio-Obese)
1. The ZCTA5 27408 zip code, the age group with the highest percentage of employment is
observed among people in the 25 - 44 age group. A similar trend is recorded for North Carolina,
Guilford and Wake Counties.
2. The estimated percentage of persons with any disability in ZCTA5 27408 is not much different
from that of Guilford County.
Poverty (Casey Thomas)
1. The 127.03 Census Tract, which is almost exclusively in New Irving Park has a 12.8% poverty
rate, which is similar to the rest of Guilford County, which has a 12.3% poverty rate, and higher
than Wake county with a 7.7 % poverty rate.
2. White families in the 127.03 Census tract have a poverty rate of about 0.9%, which is much lower
than Black families, with a 38.5% rate of poverty, and Asian families with a 37.9% rate of
poverty.
Housing (Casey Thomas)
1. Over 33% of renters in the 127.03 Census Tract pay over 35% of their income in housing costs.
This is only true for 20% of homeowners in the tract.
2. Over 55% of the homes in the census tract are valued at between $300,000 and $999,999, which
is much higher than the state (at around 16%), and Guilford County (at 15%).

Age
Percentage of Residents By Age Bracket
100

80

60 and Over

60

55 to 59
35 to 54
40

20-34
19 and Under

20

0
North Carolina

Wake County Guilford County

27408

Above is a graph that illustrates the percentage of residents in each age group residing in the state
of North Carolina, Wake County, Guilford County, and New Irving Parks zip code. The median age for
New Irving Park is 41, with 42 for women and 39.9 for men. This is in comparison with the median ages
for North Carolina (37.4), the median age for Guilford County (36.4), the median age for Wake County
(34.5). New Irving Park area represents a higher median age in comparison to the county as whole as well
as the state. Not only does the area have a higher median age, a larger percentage of its population is over
65, and there are significantly fewer children there than in the county and state as a whole.
This data relates to the observations from this groups windshield tours and interviews with
community members of New Irving Park. Based on the information that we gathered via observation and
interview, it seems that New Irving Park is an area where most of the residents are of middle age or older.
With that being said, there is a rise of younger residents within the community per report from an
interviewee. Looking at Table 2, the percentages for the zip code 27408 shows that the top three age
groups for this are 25-34 years of age, 45- 54 years of age, followed by 35-44 years of age. In an attempt

to connect the data with information gathered prior to completing a socio-demographic profile, the data
could suggest that because the area is made up of an older population there may be health issues
associated with aging. This data may also indicate that age demographic change is occurring in the
community based on the rise of a younger population. This possibility was presented in primary data
collection.

Employment/Disability Profile of New Irving Park

Unemployment and Disability In 27408 Zip Code by Percentage and Population

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012 American Community Survey

The table above shows the employment and disability status of residents in New Irving Park
(ZCATA5 27408) ages 16 and above in comparison with Guilford and Wake counties as well as North
Carolina. In the 27408 zip code, the estimated percentage of people who can work, out of a total of
15,027 is 63.6%. Out of this, 60.4% are employed and 4.9% are unemployed. The highest estimated
employment rate; 79.9% in the 27408 area is recorded among the 25 - 44 age group. In North Carolina,
Guilford and Wake Counties, a similar trend is observed.

Unemployment rates across board are higher among the 16 - 19 age group and this could be
because people who fall within this age group might still be in school and may therefore not be able to
work whilst in school. The estimated percentage of persons with any disability who are able to work
within the groups under comparison is within a similar range; however, the unemployment rate within this
group is least in the 27408 zip code area; 10.4% as compared to 19.2% in North Carolina, 18.6% in
Guilford County and 15.2% in Wake County.
Also, the estimated percentage of people 75 years and over who are employed is higher in 27408
than in North Carolina, Guilford and Wake Counties. Linking this to the overall affluence of the area, as
observed during the interview and windshield tour gives the indication that due to the observed higher
quality of life for residents in the 27408 area, people in this age group are still able to work as compared
to the North Carolina, Guilford and Wake Counties.

Race and Ethnicity

Racial and Ethnic Demographics by Percentage

Hispanic
Two or More Races
Some Other Race
Native Hawiian and Other
Pacific Islander
American Indian & Alaska
Native
0%

http://factfinder2.gov, 2000

Black or African American

White

The graph above represents the comparison of the racial and ethnic makeup between two counties,
North Carolina, and the zip code (27408) for New Irving Park. The state over all is 72.1% White,
compared with Guilford County, which is 64% White. The zip code that contains New Irving Park,
on the other hand is 91% White, and there is less representation from the other racial and ethnic
categories listed above in New Irving Park than in Guilford County, North Carolina and Wake
County. New Irving Park is not as racially diverse as the locales to which it was compared. There is
a significant difference in the population of African American/Black residents in comparison to the
27408 zip code (6.7%) in comparison to Guilford County (29.3%). The top three populations in the
zip code containing New Irving Park are White, Black or African American, and Hispanic. During
the Mendenhall Middle School interview, the Principal, Mr. Matson addressed the recent
redistricting and how this has changed the racial and economic breakdown in the school, but this is
not reflected in the makeup of the areas residents, as most of the bussed students live outside of the
neighborhood.

Education
Poverty Rate for Populations 25 Years and Over By Educational Attainment Level

40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Less than HS Grad

HS Graduate
Some College or
Associate's
Bachelor's Or Higher

http://factfinder2.gov
Theprofileexploresboththepovertyratebyeducationalattainmentandthemedianincomeby
educationalattainmenttodeterminewhatimpacteducationhasonearningsinNewIrvingPark.This
helpsdeterminethesocialmobilityofresidentswholiveinthearea.Overall,NewIrvingParkhasahigh
rateofresidentswithbachelorsdegreesorhighercomparedtoNorthCarolinaandcomparisoncounties.
About24%ofresidentsinthecensustracthaveBachelorsdegrees,whichisslightlylowerthan
Greensboroasawhole,buttheneighborhooddwarfstherestofthecityinMastersdegrees,professional
degreesanddoctoraldegrees.ComparedtotheStateofNorthCarolina,WakeCounty,andGuilford
CountyinwhichNewIrvingParkislocated,the127.03CensusTract(whichispartofNewIrvingPark)
hasamuchhigherrateofpovertyforresidentswhohavenotfinishedhighschool.Thecensustracthasa
similarratetothestateandGuilfordCountyforpeoplewhohavebachelorsdegreesorhigherandare
livinginpovertyat3.9%,andahigherratethanWakeCounty.Thepolarityinwealthbyeducational
achievementisevidentwhenyouexaminethehigherrateofpovertyforpeoplewhohavenotfinished
highschool.PeopleinNewIrvingParkwithoutdiplomasaredisproportionatelyunderresourced
economicallyincomparisonwiththerestofthestate.Alternately,peoplewithsomecollegeorassociates

degreeshaveamuchlowerrateofpovertythanresidentsintherestofthestate,WakeCountyand
GuilfordCountyasawhole.Itispossiblethatthisisduetoahighnumberofprofessionalswhowentinto
highpayingfieldsthatonlyrequireassociatesdegrees,orthatthisstatisticinNewIrvingParkmainly
representsresidentswithspouseswhosesalarieskeepthemoutofpoverty.Withoutfurtherinformation,it
isnotpossibletodeterminethereasonforthisdifference.

MedianEarningsinthePast12Months(2012)ByEducationalAttainment
90000
80000
70000
60000
50000

Less than HS

40000

HS Graduate

30000
20000

Some College or
Associate's

10000

Bachelor's Degree

Graduate or Professional
Degree

http://factfinder2.gov
Thisgraphalsoillustratesacomparablygreaterdisparitybetweenthosewhohavehigherlevelsof
educationandthosewhodonotinNewIrvingPark.WhiletheaverageNorthCarolinianwithlessthana
highschooldiplomaearns$17,656peryear,theaverageresidentofthiscensustractwhohasnot
graduatedfromhighschoolearns$16,719,almostafullthousanddollarslessthanthestateaverage.On
suchasmallbudgetinarelativelyexpensivehousingcommunity,thatisabigdifference.Alternately,
peoplewithgraduatedegreesearnmoremoneythanpeopleinthestate,thecounty,andinWakeCounty,
at$83,512.Thisissignificantlyhigherthanthestatesaverageat$59,044,andevenhigherthanWake

County,whichisknownforitsemploymentthroughuniversitiesandtheresearchindustry(whichoften
requiresagraduateorprofessionaldegree.)InNewIrvingPark,havingagraduatedegreepaysoff.

Poverty
Percentage of Families in Poverty by Race
45
40
35
30
25

White
Black/African American

20

American Indian/Alaska
Native

15

Asian

10

Native Hawiian/Other
Pacific Islander

5
0

Some Other Race

Two or More Races
Hispanic or Latino Any
Race

http://factfinder2.gov
The 127.03 Census Tract, which is almost exclusively in New Irving Park has a 12.8% poverty rate,
which is similar to the rest of Guilford County, which has a 12.3% poverty rate, and higher than Wake
county with a 7.7 % poverty rate. This rate is on par with the rest of the state that has a 12.4% percent
poverty rate. Reflective of interviews this group has conducted, and the areas reputation, only 0.9% of
the census tracts White families are below the poverty level. This is in stark comparison to the Black
families, with a 38.5% rate of poverty, and Asian families with a 37.9% rate of poverty. This demonstrates
sharp income inequalities along racial lines, with a difference between Black and White households and

Asian and White households being 37.6% and 37% respectively. Among Hispanic residents, there was a
0% rate of poverty, compared with the state, which has a 30% rate of poverty for Hispanic residents. This
is especially visible when compared with the county as a whole and the state of North Carolina where the
income inequality is less pronounced racially (with the difference in poverty rate between Black and
White, and White and Asian households being 14.1% and 1.4% respectively). While there is a high
poverty rate among Asian households in this census tract, they make up only 2% of the tracts population.
Black families make up 13.7% of this census tract, and account for a high concentration of the areas
poverty. Although the interviewees in this project mentioned a large number of wealthy, White families,
and one mentioned well-to-do Black families, nobody seemed to be aware of the Black and Asian families
living in poverty.

Housing
MonthlyCostsasaPercentageofHouseholdIncomeRentasaGrossPercentageofHouseholdIncome

10

http://factfinder2.gov
The data above presented on housing in New Irving Park is a comparison of the housing costs paid by
renters to those paid by homeowners as a percentage of their monthly income. This is not compared to the
state of NC overall because this portion of the profile focuses on the differences within New Irving Park,
rather than the differences between New Irving Park and the rest of the state. Housing cost as a
percentage of monthly income is used as an indicator because it shows the percentage of a familys
income that can be spent on other necessities. Home ownership in this census tract is slightly more
prevalent than renter occupied units, and over a third of renters in the area are over 65. (It is possible that
a good portion of these renters live in the assisted living communities within the 127.03 census tract.)
Home ownership is significantly more prevalent among White residents, who own 81% of the owneroccupied homes, which is similar to the statistics for the state, but much Whiter than the rest of Guilford
County. While 28.2% of housing units are occupied by Black residents, only 18% of owner-occupied
homes are inhabited by Black people, who live in 38.9% of the tracts rented homes. 10% of the renteroccupied homes are occupied by Hispanics and 9.2% of the renter occupied homes are occupied by
Asians. White residents of New Irving Park are more likely to own a home in the area than people from
other racial backgrounds.

There are noticeable differences in what housing costs New Irving Parks residents. Over a third of renters
pay 35% or more of their income to housing expenses, where only 20% of homeowners do. About 40% of
homeowners pay less than 20% of their total household income to housing costs, where a smaller
percentage of renters can say the same. As minority residents are the majority of renters, they are less
likely to be paying a small percentage of their monthly income for housing each month. Over 55% of the
homes in the census tract are valued at between $300,000 and $999,999, which are much higher than the
state (at around 16%), and Guilford County (at 15%).

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