Pre-Census Survey Takes a Closer Look at Southold Economy

Detailed statistics concerning population, housing and employment complied by the American Community Survey for the years 2005 to 2009 were made available to Southold residents and town officials last week. The survey, a precursor to the 2010 Census scheduled to be presented to President Barak Obama on Tuesday, was met with mixed feelings by town officials who cited deficiencies in the data.

"The main problem is that the survey is incomplete," said Special Project Coordinator Phillip Beltz. "It provides data only for Southold hamlet and the 11971 zip code. That leaves a big blank for the other nine zip codes. We will have to wait for the Census data to get a more comprehensive account." Beltz also holds an advanced degree in social data and serves as Deputy Supervisor.

According to the survey, the leading industries in Southold were educational services, health care and social assistance, which accounted for 21 percent of the economic base, while 19 percent were employed as federal, state or local government workers. The survey indicates 68 percent of those polled worked for private employers and were salary and wage earners.

questioned that employment statistics concerning the number of residents who worked for government employers funded by taxpayer dollars, saying that he believed 21 percent was too low.

"It is really higher than that when you consider all the jobs at each level of government," Russell said. "It is the area's largest employer."

The survey shows only 12 percent employed in construction and only 12 percent as self-employed workers who owned and operated their own business. The most prevalent occupations were in management and professional fields which the survey notes accounted for 37 percent of the work force. Sales and office jobs polled at 25 percent while construction jobs accounted for 13 percent.

Farming and fishing, two occupations that are considered a staple of the East End economy, accounted for only 3 percent of employment based on industry. Tourism, another mainstay of the area's economy, was overlooked entirely in the survey. A category that includes recreation, accommodation and food services accounted for only 10 percent on the survey's charts.

Though the survey might not be complete, it does provides for the first time a up-close look at Southold, honing in on 9,000 households. According to the survey, the median income for hamlet residents was $72,899. The average income from social security was $18,946. Many households received income from more than one source with 32 percent indicating a retirement income in addition to social security. During the years 2005 to 2009, according to the survey 6 percent of the people were living at

The median age was 48. Senior citizens over the age of 65 accounted for 26 percent of the population while 19 percent were under the age of 18.

Beltz noted these results may be skewed by the presence of both Founders Village and two senior citizens housing complexes located in the hamlet close to downtown Main Street.

Only 9 percent of the residents were school drop outs who failed to graduate from high school while 91 percent of those 25 and over graduated from high school. At least 38 percent had an undergraduate degree and possibly a graduate degree as well. A total of 690 residents went to college or graduate school from 2005 to 2009. Total school enrollment was 4,700. There were a total of 570 students in nursery school and kindergarten. A total of 3,500 students attended elementary and high schools.

Homeownership trumped renting with 86 percent or 7,700 of the 9,000 households polled being owner-occupied. Renters accounted for 14 percent and occupied 1300 households. Renters paid a median rent of $1,200 a month which accounted for 30 percent or more of their monthly income.

The median monthly mortgage payment was $2,276. Homeowners without a mortgage paid a median monthly overhead of $797.

Car ownership was commonplace with 46 percent of households reporting multiple vehicles including cars, trucks and vans. These households had at least two cars, while another 20 percent reported three or more vehicles. Only four percent had no car at all. The survey shows 78 percent of the work force driving to work alone in their own car with an average commute of 27 minutes. Public transportation was used by only 3 percent of the work force, another 8 percent car pooled. Those working at home comprised 5 percent of the work force.

Nearly everyone had a telephone. The count places the number of phones at 98 percent with only 2 percent reporting the lack of phone service.

Most households speak English as their primary language however the hamlet is multi-lingual with 10 percent of the respondent reporting they speak a second language other than English at home. The most prevalent language spoken at 49 percent is Spanish. In addition to Spanish other languages are spoken at home by a total of 51 percent of the respondents. The survey does not identify the other languages.

Town officials will be reviewing the 2010 census results in January.

"The data will be very helpful," Russell said. "We want to develop a plan to encourage small business to come to town and create jobs."