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Age of Population <br /> <br />Pending receipt of 1980 Census data, statistics about the age distribution <br />of the population must come from 1976 Special Census data and information <br />provided by the local school district. In 1976, 37 percent of the <br />population was under 20 years of age, and fully 58 percent was under 30 <br />years of age. The elderly comprised about l0 percent of the total. <br />Information obtained from school authorities indicates a continuing growth <br />in school-aged population; in fact, a new elementary school facility has had <br />to be introduced into the center city area to accommodate education needs <br />there. Minority households were significantly younger than non-minority <br />households, according to the 1976 Special Census; Table 3 of the Appendix <br />outlines this data. <br /> <br />Household Income <br /> <br />The 1981 estimate of median household income in Santa Aha is $20,000 per <br />year. According to preliminary data, approximately one-half of all <br />households, or about 35,000 households, have incomes below the median. In <br />addition, Santa Ana Housing Authority personnel estimate that 30 to 40 <br />percent of the population have incomes of less than one-half the median <br />County income of $25,000; thus approximately 20,000 to 26,000 households 'are <br />estimated to have incomes of less than $12,500 per year. <br /> <br />Emploj~nent <br /> <br />Consistent with its rising population over the last decade, Santa Ana's <br />labor force had increased from 62,408 in 1970 to an estimated 77,448 in <br />1980, jump of about 24 percent. More than one-fourth of the labor force is <br />employed in the Santa Aha area; another ll percent are employed in the <br />Irvine/Newport/Costa Mesa area; only 5 percent commute to Los Angeles County <br />for jobs. Tables 4, 5 and 6 of the Appendix detail employment <br />characteristics of the community. As will be seen from that material, the <br />City's work force historically has been more heavily represented in <br />lower-skilled, lower-paying jobs as compared to that of the County as a <br />whole. <br /> <br />Historically, Santa Ana's une~N)loyment rate has exceeded that of the County <br />as a whole, except in t977, when it was identical. Current estimates place <br />the Santa Aha unemployment rate at 5 percent and the County's at 4.4 percent. <br /> <br />HOUSING AND LAND USE CONDITIONS AND TRENDS <br /> <br />Housin9 T~pe and Tenure <br /> <br />Orange County historically has been an area of suburban, single-family, <br />owner-occupied housing. In 1960, when nearly 82 percent of 'Santa Ana's <br />residences were single-family and 99.7 percent of those home~ were <br />owner-occupied, the City was very much a reflection of the suburban <br />lifestyle. With rapid population growth in the 1970s, available residential <br />land was developed at higher densities; during the decade 1970-1980, 75 <br />percent of all new residential construction in the City consisted of <br />multiple-dwelling units. In 1980, a net loss of 50 single-family units was <br />recorded. During the past decade the bulk of new residential construction <br /> <br /> <br />