Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Editor’s Note: The U.S. Census Bureau refers to Indigenous people under the racial categorizations of “American Indian and Native Alaskan.” In our reporting, The Daily Orange typically uses the term “Indigenous” to refer to this group of people rather than “American Indian and Native Alaskan,” but to stay accurate to the information provided by the Census Bureau, we have used their terminology in reference to every demographic.

The city of Syracuse’s University Hill neighborhood grew by 2,230 people from 2010 to 2020, newly released census data shows. 

University Hill — which is made up of three census tracts: 34, 43.01 and 43.02 — comprises Syracuse University’s main campus, the SUNY-ESF campus and off-campus housing between North campus and Interstate 690.

The neighborhood’s growth greatly outpaced both the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County. While the county increased by around 2% and the city increased by about 2.4%, University Hill grew at a rate of around 22.4%, according to information from Social Explorer and data gathered by The D.O. from recently released Census Bureau data.

Comparing the city to the county

University Hill’s growth in the “White Alone” population between 2010 and 2020 goes against trends seen in both the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County. 

While the “White Alone” population grew by 12.3% in University Hill’s neighborhood, the same group of people saw a decline in the city and county. In Syracuse, the group’s population fell by 12.5%, and in Onondaga County, the same group decreased by 6.7%.

Despite considerable growth, the city and county’s “Asian Alone” population growth surpasses that of University Hill. 

The city of Syracuse’s “Asian Alone” population grew by 27.7%, and Onondaga County’s “Asian Alone” population grew by about 40%. Despite this growth rate, University Hill still has a much larger overall percentage of “Asian Alone,” making up 11.3% of the population compared to the city’s 7.0% and county’s 4.2%.

Shannon Kirkpatrick | Presentation Director

Growth and decline by race

Those identifying as “White Alone” make up the majority of the University Hill’s population with around 59.7% of the population identifying as “White Alone”. The second-largest demographic group is “Black or African American Alone,” making up about 17.7% of the population in 2020’s Decennial Census.

University Hill’s “Asian Alone” population grew by about 9.5% between 2010 and 2020, rising from 1,258 to 1,378 people. 

The neighborhood’s population of “American Indian and Native Alaskan Alone” declined between 2010 and 2020. While 37 people identified themselves as part of this population in 2010, only 10 identified as such in 2020. 

Only one other group of people had a drop in population between 2010 and 2020: “Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone.” The group was already a relatively small group in the neighborhood in 2010, with four people who identified as such. In 2020, the number of people who identified as “Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone” fell to two.

The two groups that had the largest growth between 2010 and 2020 were both broader categories: “Some Other Race Alone” and “Population of two or more races.” 

“Some Other Race Alone” — which is made up of all racial groups besides “White Alone,” “Black or African American Alone,” “American Indian and Native Alaskan Alone,” “Asian Alone” and “Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone” —  grew at a rate of 205.4%, increasing from a population of 224 in 2010 to 684 in 2020. “Population of two or more races” grew at a rate of about 135%, from 291 people in 2010 to 684 people in 2020. 

Some notes on the Census

Data collected and used for the census “must adhere to standards issued by the federal Office of Management and Budget,” the Census Bureau wrote on their website. This is why “Hispanic” did not appear in data next to categories such as “White Alone,” as the OMB defines “Hispanic” as an ethnicity and not a race.

The Census Bureau also announced on Sept. 1 that “easier-to-use formats” of data already released to the public will be released on Sept. 16. 

Published on September 7, 2021 at 1:19 am

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard