Loading Content...
Demographic Analysis of Gerstle Park: Examining Racial Composition and Income Trends
CATEGORY
Demographics
DATA
Population
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Loading Content...
Demographics
Population
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Gerstle Park, a neighborhood in San Rafael, California, exhibits characteristics of Low Diversity with a strong White Majority. As of 2022, the white population constitutes 81% of the area's residents. The neighborhood has a median income of $133,687, which is above the national average. Gerstle Park is known for its historic charm, featuring Victorian and Craftsman-style homes.
Over the past decade, Gerstle Park has maintained its status as a White Majority area. From 2013 to 2018, the neighborhood showed signs of moving towards Moderate Diversity. The Hispanic population increased from 16% to 19%, while the white population decreased from 78% to 73%. Post-2018, there was a reversal of this trend, with the white population increasing to 84% by 2021, solidifying the area's categorization as Low Diversity.
The Asian population has remained relatively stable, hovering around 3-4% throughout the decade. The Black population has shown a slight decrease, from 2-3% in the early 2010s to 1% in recent years. There has been a small increase in the population identifying as two or more races, from 1% to 3% between 2013 and 2022.
The demographic shifts correlate with economic changes. The median income has shown an upward trend, rising from $111,596 in 2013 to $133,687 in 2022, an increase of about 20%. The period of increasing diversity (2013-2018) coincided with fluctuations in median income, peaking at $137,568 in 2017 before dropping to $121,376 in 2018. The shift back towards Low Diversity from 2019 onwards aligns with a stabilization and slight increase in median income. Population figures have remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 5,200 and 5,900 residents throughout the decade.
The trends observed in Gerstle Park both align with and diverge from broader patterns. The increase in racial diversity until 2018 reflected a national trend towards increasing diversity in urban and suburban areas. However, the subsequent reversal is atypical. The consistently high median income and its growth aligns with trends in many affluent California neighborhoods, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area. The stable population figures contrast with the rapid growth seen in many California cities, suggesting Gerstle Park might have limited new development or strict zoning laws. The slight increase in multiracial identification is consistent with national trends, as more Americans embrace multiple racial identities.
Gerstle Park has maintained its status as a predominantly white, affluent neighborhood, but has experienced subtle demographic shifts over the past decade. These changes, coupled with the area's economic stability, suggest a community that is slowly evolving while maintaining its core characteristics. The reversal of the diversification trend post-2018 is noteworthy and may warrant further investigation into local policies or socio-economic factors that might have influenced this shift.
