2. HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Assuring the availability of adequate housing for all social and economic sectors of the City's present and future population is an important goal for El Segundo. To achieve this goal requires an assessment of the housing needs of the community and region. This section discusses the demographic, socio-economic, and housing characteristics of the City of El Segundo in an effort to determine the specific housing needs of the City and its residents. The Needs Assessment section of the Housing Element will serve to identify the nature and extent of unmet housing needs in the City.

A. POPULATION

1. Population Growth Trends

The City saw a 1.2 percent average annual decrease in its population growth during the 1970's, resulting in a population decrease of 12 percent from 1970 to 1980. In contrast, the 1990 Census reported that El Segundo’s population was 15,223 persons, marking a population increase of nearly 11 percent in the span of ten years since the 1980 census. This growth rate was noticeably less than the 17 percent for Los Angeles County as a whole. Cities surrounding El Segundo, such as Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, experienced growth patterns similar to El Segundo, with decreases in population in the 1970's and modest increases in the 1980's.

As of January 1998, the State Department of Finance estimated that the City's population numbered approximately 16,424, an increase of about 8 percent in the eight years since the Census. This rate of growth is just slightly below that for Los Angeles County as a whole or that of most of El Segundo’s neighboring communities as shown on Table 2 and Figure 2.

Table 2

Population Growth Trends

Jurisdiction	1990	1998	Change 1990-1998
El Segundo	15,223	16,424	7.9%
Hawthorne	71,349	78,573	10.1%
Hermosa Beach	18,219	19,098	4.8%
Inglewood	109,602	118,484	8.1%
Manhattan Beach	32,063	34,898	8.8%
Redondo Beach	60,167	65,755	9.3%
Los Angeles County	8,863,164	9,603,291	8.4%

Figure 2

Population Change 1990 - 1998

Sources: 1990 U.S. Census

California State Department of Finance,

Pop. & Hsg. Estimates as of January 1, 1998

2. Age Characteristics

Age distribution is an important factor in determining market housing demand. Traditional assumptions are that the young adult population (20 to 34 years old) tend to favor apartments, low to moderate cost condominiums, and smaller single family units. The adult population (35 to 65 years old) provides the major market for moderate to high end apartments, condominiums, and single family homes. This age group tends to have higher incomes and larger household sizes. The senior population (65 years and older) tends to generate demand for low to moderate cost apartments and condominiums, group quarters, and mobile homes. Table 3 shows the age distribution of the population of the City of El Segundo in 1980 and 1990, and the proportionate age distribution of all Los Angeles County residents in 1990.

Table 3

Age Distribution

Age Group	1980		1990
	Persons	% of Total	Persons	% of Total	L.A. County % of Total
Under 5 years	652	4.7%	850	5.6%	8.3%
5-9	617	4.5%	796	5.2%	7.3%
10-14	918	6.7%	746	4.9%	6.6%
15-19	1,217	8.9%	769	5.1%	7.2%
20-24	1,400	10.2%	1,097	7.2%	9.1%
25-34	2,698	19.6%	3,682	24.2%	19.8%
35-44	1,847	13.4%	2,747	18.0%	15.1%
45-54	1,912	13.9%	1,824	12.0%	9.5%
55-64	1,382	10.0%	1,249	8.2%	7.3%
65-74	707	5.1%	906	6.0%	5.7%
75+	402	2.9%	557	3.7%	4.0%
Total	13,752	100.0%	15,223	100.0%	100.0%
Median Age	32.6 yrs		33.1 yrs		30.7 yrs

Source: 1980 and 1990 U.S. Census

As shown in Table 3, the 1990 median age in El Segundo of 33.1 years is higher than the County-wide median of 30.7 years. The City witnessed significant proportional and numeric growth during the 1980s in its young adult (age 25-34 years) and mid-adult populations (age 35-44). This working age population has likely been attracted to the City based on the tremendous growth in the local employment base, particularly in the aerospace industry, and in the City’s comparatively affordable housing relative to other coastal communities in the South Bay. These characteristics, as an employment center with relatively modest cost housing, have resulted in stable neighborhoods and a tightening of the housing market in El Segundo. El Segundo is a predominantly renter-occupied community according to the 1990 Census, with 60 percent of all households occupied by renters. In conjunction with the growth in the young and mid-adult populations, this may indicate a potential need for increased first-time homebuyer opportunities in the City.

In the younger age groups, growth has not been as pronounced, or has declined. There was less than a 1 percent increase in the City’s early school age population (age 0-9 years), and there was an actual numeric decline in population for ages 10 to 24.

More recent information provided by the El Segundo School District is shown in Table 4. This data indicates that from 1990 to 1996 there was an increase in enrollment for all grades, with the most pronounced increase in kindergarten and the smallest increase in tenth grade. Overall, there has been about a 15 percent increase in enrollment, indicating steady growth in the school age population. Of the total enrolled students, approximately 10 percent are permit students, who live outside the district but go there because their parents work in the City. About 40% of these permit students are in high school.

Table 4