Pleasanton residents are pulling in more personal income than all other medium-sized cities across the country. That’s the latest news from the U.S. Census Bureau, which recently released a myriad of data involving wealth, poverty and health insurance coverage in its American Community Survey.
Pleasanton, with 68,000 residents, is grouped in the 65,000-249,999 population category and topped the list with a median household income of $101,022. The city comparatively stacked up with Newport Beach, Livermore and Chino Hills here and Naperville, Ill. and Newton, Mass. elsewhere.
Camden, N.J., which was recently named one of the country’s most dangerous cities, had the lowest median household income in the category at $18,007.
Although the Census is only conducted every 10 years, results from surveys such as the American Community Survey come out more often and updates the Census.
The year 2005 was the first since 1999 that median household income showed an annual increase across the nation, rising 1.1 percent between 2004 and 2005.
City officials cite a number of reasons why it is desirable to live in Pleasanton, including a low crime rate, excellent schools, its central location in the Bay Area and a highly-educated and skilled workforce that make the quality of life here next to none.
Another set of Census Bureau statistics show the country’s workforce is growing older and becoming wiser, a credit to the aging baby boomer population which is much more educated that any previous generation in American history, according to Census Bureau Director C. Louis Kincannon. The first generation, those born in 1946, has been turning 60 this year at a rate of about 8,000 a day, he said.
A statistic like that can be closely correlated with Pleasanton, which has a slightly older population much like the rest of the Bay Area, compared with other cities across the nation. Pleasanton residents’ median age is 39.6 years old, compared with the national median age of 36.4 years old.
Looking at the education factor, 56 percent of Pleasanton residents hold some type of college degree, whether it’s an associate’s, bachelor’s, graduate or professional, according to 2000 Census data.
The high quality of life here draws higher wage-earners which also draws more businesses to relocate or open up shop here, according to David Bouchard, president of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce.
“It draws the higher-echelon–the company president, the CFO, the CEO–the higher-payed employees for some of these companies that are moving into the area,” he said. “Over the years, Pleasanton’s gained its reputation on an excellent education system, good schools, high quality of life, a lot of amenities like parks and recreational programs–things like that which attract the higher-income earners.”
Mayor Jennifer Hosterman agreed.
“We’re a magnet for people who want to live in a lovely community such as Pleasanton,” she said. “We do have so much to offer that we’re able to really attract people of higher incomes as residents to our city.”
Areas such as Ruby Hill and Castlewood that offer multi-million-dollar homes also contribute, Bouchard said.
“It costs a lot to live here in Pleasanton, or anywhere in the Tri-Valley area, but particularly here in Pleasanton, so I think that’s a contributing factor as well,” he said.
On the flip side of the coin, Pleasanton’s staggering income level leaves a significant portion of the general population behind.
Some parents are having difficulty paying for their children’s school lunches, according to Frank Castro, director of nutritional services for the Pleasanton Unified School District.
While the percentage of enrollment in the local subsidized lunch program is one of the lowest in the Bay Area with just 4 percent participation compared with 50 to 60 percent participation in Castro Valley, Castro said it’s those enrolled in the program who are struggling to be in Pleasanton.
“That is the one negative dynamic about our community and our [subsidized lunch] program,” he said. “Even though that statement is about us being affluent, there still is a percentage of people that are [living] here but it’s hard for them to do so and [while] lunches are very affordable, not everybody can afford them. We just don’t want to lose those kids in the process.”
“Obviously, we are a rather wealthy community and that’s reflected by the demographics and the facts, but the reality is we continue to be a diverse community not only economically but ethnically,” Hosterman said. “I don’t want to lose the diversity that we currently enjoy.”
Bouchard said often, middle-management and service sector employees who work in the city and are essential to the business climate can’t afford to live here, which is an unfortunate result of having a wealthy distinction. Roche Molecular Diagnostics, located in the Hacienda Business Park, is one such example.
“They can attract some of the better scientists because of the high quality of life, the high standards that are here, but when it comes to those same people being able to afford a house, that’s where they have a difficult time,” he said.
But, it appears there is a silver lining.
For the Tri-Valley Interfaith Poverty Forum, Pleasanton’s affluence can have a positive effect on those less fortunate.
“That’s always good for the non-profits in the area to have folks that are looking for places to invest in their communities in a variety of ways,” said Maurine Behrend, executive director for the Poverty Forum. “Also, our cities are really financially well-off compared to other cities in our region so that’s part of the reason that we’ve been so successful in getting pretty much every city except Pleasanton to meet their housing goals because they not only have the desire but the financial ability to do that.”
The distinction has also made the wealthier feel more obligated to give back monetarily to the community, even including people who work for the Poverty Forum, Behrend said.
“That’s our plan–to continue to inspire people to be generous,” she said.
