Population 3,271 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Wooster Square
Household size in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1.62 | 2.55 | 2.57 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 1.74 | 2.60 | 2.61 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 1.64 | 2.55 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 1.55 | 2.53 | 2.55 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.07 | −0.02 | −0.02 | −0.03 |
Households in Wooster Square are small: just 1.55 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. No other New Haven neighborhood has smaller households.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.7 | 39.4 | 40.0 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 32.3 | 40.3 | 41.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 34.5 | 41.4 | 42.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 33.3 | 41.7 | 42.1 | 40.1 |
| Change | −3.4 | +2.3 | +2.1 | +2.3 |
Wooster Square is young: half of its residents are under 33.3, compared with a national median of 40.1. The population tilts toward young adults, many of them living alone or as couples. Since 2006–10, the median age has dropped from 36.7, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.8% | 12.7% | 11.2% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 5.7% | 12.4% | 11.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 3.8% | 12.0% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.6% | 13.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.1 pts | +0.8 pts | +0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Wooster Square: 5.6% of households, against 11.6% nationally. Only one other New Haven neighborhood has a lower share of single-parent households.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Wooster Square
Renters in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 69.3% | 34.7% | 30.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 79.6% | 36.8% | 32.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 82.3% | 38.2% | 33.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 79.8% | 37.6% | 33.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | +10.5 pts | +2.9 pts | +2.7 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renters far outnumber owners in Wooster Square: 79.8% of households rent their homes, against 34.8% nationally. Among homeowners, 42.3% have no mortgage at all, about the same as nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 12.7% | 10.6% | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.7% | 10.8% | 10.2% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 10.5% | 8.0% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | −4.3 pts | −1.2 pts | −0.9 pts | −1.8 pts |
About as many homes sit empty in Wooster Square as nationally: 10.5%, against 9.6%. The rate is higher than in the wider New Haven area (8.0%).
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1938 | 1961 | 1963 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1951 | 1961 | 1964 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1951 | 1961 | 1964 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1956 | 1964 | 1967 | 1980 |
| Change | +17 | +3 | +4 | +6 |
The housing in Wooster Square is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1956, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. Compared with other New Haven neighborhoods, though, Wooster Square has newer homes than most.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,082 | $1,093 | $1,127 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,318 | $1,175 | $1,218 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,484 | $1,288 | $1,380 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,874 | $1,584 | $1,702 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$791 | +$491 | +$575 | +$606 |
Rent in Wooster Square runs $1,874 a month at the median, utilities included, above the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 33.6% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched. Wooster Square has the highest rents of any New Haven neighborhood.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Wooster Square
Bachelor's degrees in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 60.9% | 31.6% | 35.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 66.0% | 33.1% | 37.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 72.3% | 34.5% | 39.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 76.1% | 38.5% | 42.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +15.2 pts | +6.9 pts | +6.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
College graduates are unusually common in Wooster Square: 76.1% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher, against 35.6% nationally. Education tends to track local incomes and the kinds of jobs nearby. Only one other New Haven neighborhood has a higher share of college graduates.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 91.9% | 87.4% | 88.1% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 91.0% | 88.4% | 89.2% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 93.1% | 89.6% | 90.4% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 96.6% | 90.6% | 91.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.7 pts | +3.2 pts | +3.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in Wooster Square: 96.6% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. Of New Haven's 17 neighborhoods, only two have a higher share of high school graduates.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Wooster Square
| Period | Wooster Square | New Haven area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.0% | 8.5% | 7.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.2% | 10.7% | 9.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.5% | 6.7% | 6.2% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.0% | 6.4% | 5.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.0 pts | −2.2 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Wooster Square is close to the national rate: 5.0% of the labor force, against 5.4%. The rate is lower than in the New Haven area as a whole (6.4%). Few New Haven neighborhoods have lower unemployment: only two of 17.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Wooster Square compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooster Square | 1.55 | 33.3 | 5.6% | 79.8% | 10.5% | 1956 | $1,874 | 76.1% | 96.6% | 5.0% |
| Downtown New Haven | 1.72 | 24.5 | 4.0% | 94.7% | 18.2% | 1952 | $1,824 | 75.8% | 93.8% | 5.6% |
| Mill River | 3.09 | 30.3 | 31.9% | 76.8% | 16.1% | 1952 | $1,535 | 23.4% | 79.9% | 14.7% |
| Dwight | 1.72 | 26.0 | 16.4% | 97.5% | 14.6% | 1964 | $1,400 | 46.1% | 92.5% | 11.4% |
| East Rock | 1.99 | 32.5 | 8.2% | 79.1% | 8.1% | 1939 | $1,810 | 75.2% | 95.4% | 3.3% |
| Dixwell | 2.27 | 28.8 | 17.0% | 84.0% | 18.6% | 1957 | $1,292 | 39.1% | 88.9% | 11.7% |
| Hill | 2.67 | 34.0 | 24.5% | 73.0% | 9.4% | 1953 | $1,401 | 20.0% | 75.3% | 6.5% |
| Prospect Hill | 1.98 | 29.5 | 7.1% | 79.5% | 7.4% | 1942 | $1,717 | 81.9% | 100.0% | 2.3% |
| West River | 2.49 | 34.2 | 22.5% | 84.5% | 12.3% | 1954 | $1,308 | 11.1% | 77.9% | 8.5% |
| Fair Haven | 2.60 | 36.6 | 25.6% | 67.4% | 10.3% | 1964 | $1,377 | 20.2% | 83.5% | 11.4% |
| Annex | 2.68 | 35.3 | 20.0% | 61.0% | 14.7% | 1959 | $1,408 | 25.2% | 86.5% | 21.2% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: South Hill, Bellingham, WA · Hillendale, Oregon City, OR · Historic Edgefield, Nashville, TN · Holualoa, Kailua-Kona, HI · Homeland, Baltimore, MD · Smith Homes, Greensboro, NC · South Atrisco, South Valley, NM · South Coast, Santa Ana, CA · South End, Little Rock, AR · South End Springfield, Springfield, MA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Wooster Square. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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