New figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau provide more
evidence that the South Valley economy is slowly and steadily
recovering from the high-tech slump that hit in 2000.
New figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau provide more evidence that the South Valley economy is slowly and steadily recovering from the high-tech slump that hit in 2000.
The population of Santa Clara county edged up to 1,685,188 people in 2004, up 0.6 percent from the year before. It was the first time since before the slump that the county’s population grew.
Morgan Hill’s population reached 35,489, a 2.2 bump, according to state figures. Gilroy’s population grew to 46,195 in 2004, a increase of 3.3 percent.
“We’ve been seeing drops in population in Santa Clara County, presumably linked to the soft economy and it seems to have turned around,” said Paul Fassinger, research director for the Association of Bay Area Governments. “It’s a bit surprising it happened this early because we didn’t see any evidence of job growth until early this year.
Preliminary reports from the California Employment Development Department put the county’s unemployment rate at 5.6 percent, compared to 6.1 percent in January and 6.6 percent in 2004.
Demographer Hans Johnson of the Public Policy Institute of California said the population growth here in South Valley is more likely linked to housing than it is to the local job market.
Johnson said that San Benito County is also becoming more of a “commuter county.” Its population there grew 1.5 percent in 2004, to a total of 57,116. Fassinger said that the latest numbers are in line with his agency’s projections. ABAG estimates that Santa Clara County population will reach 1,750,000 this year, and 2,267,000 in 2030.
Gilroy Dispatch reporter Matt King can be reached at [email protected] or 847-7240.
