WESTCHESTER – The county’s population is growing according to preliminary 2020 US Census data, says County Executive George Latimer. As of April 1, 2020, Westchester County had 1,004,457 people living inside county borders. This is the highest population in the county’s history, according to the Census Bureau.
Latimer touted the results, saying “I always knew we were a big County, big in culture, big in business, big in life and now also big in population. I want to thank Westchester residents for making Westchester count. No one is fleeing this county – they are coming here to be part of Westchester.” Touting the new data as an indicator, Latimer added “This Census news continues a trend of good news for Westchester County. Our economy is thriving, businesses both small and large are growing, crime is down, and our vaccination rate is among the highest in the state.”
Westchester pursued an accurate count which would make it eligible to receive billions of dollars in state and federal funding that is allocated based on population and can be used for schools, infrastructure, roads, hospitals, fire departments, and after-school programs. The 2019 Census population estimated county population was 967,000, well below the 2020 population number.
Westchester County Commissioner of Planning Norma Drummond said “The County’s role in the 2020 Census was unprecedented compared to previous Census events. We took hold of this challenge and didn’t leave the work to the Census Bureau and municipalities. Westchester’s success in achieving a higher percentage of self-response was partly due to the work done well in advance of 2020 to ensure the Census Bureau had more accurate addresses to reach out to. The results of the County’s efforts show the hard work paid off.”
The preliminary Census Bureau statistics for Westchester County can be found here.
