West Windsor and Plainsboro townships each saw double digit percentage increases in population over the last decade, with West Windsor recording the second highest population increase in Mercer County.
Despite seeing a population increase of about 14 percent, Plainsboro’s rate of increase slowed from the prior decade, when it jumped 42 percent between 1990 and 2000 and was then second only to South Brunswick in central New Jersey in terms of population growth.
The 2010 Census revealed that Plainsboro’s overall population rose from 20,215 in 2000 to 22,999 in 2010.
West Windsor saw a 24 percent increase in overall population, from 21,907 to 27,165 in 2010. The only other municipality in Mercer County to have a higher population increase was Robbinsville, which grew by 32.8 percent from 10,275 to 13,642.
In West Windsor, the population out-paced the overall county population growth by nearly 20 percentage points.
While the 2010 Census only asked 10 questions of respondents to calculate population counts, the U.S. Census Bureau measures other demographic characteristics of each town in its 2005-2009 American Community Survey. In that survey, the median family income for West Windsor in 2009 was estimated to be $154,238. That same survey found the median family income for Plainsboro in 2009 to be $112,083 (see chart, page 28).
West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh viewed the township’s population growth as a positive sign of the quality of life for residents there.
“In 2009, West Windsor was ranked by American Online as the best place to raise a family,” Hsueh said. “That is a very strong indication that West Windsor is a very desirable place to live.”
Hsueh said that he recently talked to new residents to the Village Grande age-restricted housing development who told him they used to own homes in other parts of the township, but decided to stay in West Windsor to retire. “They feel West Windsor is so good, they just don’t want to leave,” he said.
Hsueh also said that West Windsor’s municipal taxes have been stable over the past few years and that the township has remained a “full service” municipality, despite fiscal challenges.
The township’s senior center, farmer’s market, and new arts center, as well as its Triple A bond rating recognition for management of its finances are all indicators of the quality of life, Hsueh added.
“You’re not going to be able to satisfy 100 percent of the people,” he said. “But I think we are doing a great job year after year.”
Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu said the census results were exactly what township officials expected. In fact, in a story in this newspaper in 2001 after the 2000 census, Cantu pointed to the Master Plan build-out estimate that put the township’s growth at 23,000. The most recent results were one person short, 22,999.
At the time, he also predicted them that there would be a dramatic slowing of growth in the community over the following decade.
Reached this month, Cantu said that the implementation of the township’s master plan, combined with its initiatives for farmland preservation, allowed officials to control growth.
“There was nothing in there that was surprising to me,” he said. “I think it reflected what we expected to happen. Over the last five years, the growth was even slower than the overall 10-year growth. I would expect that pattern to continue into the future.”
In the Master Plan, the township tried to balance what was a large commitment in the 1970s — apartment growth — with a greater focus on single family development later on, he said. The growth over the last 10 years has come from those single-family developments, most of which have now been built out.
“We have a diversity of housing opportunities in the community, and most of those opportunities have been built out,” he said. “There is not a lot of residential growth to take place in the future.”
Diversity. According to the 2010 census data released this month for New Jersey, both townships also saw large jumps in their Asian populations — West Windsor more than doubled its Asian population — while Hispanic/Latino populations also significantly increased. The only race that saw a decline in both municipalities was the white population.
In West Windsor, the Asian population rose by 105 percent, from 4,986 in 2000 to 10,245 in 2010. Plainsboro’s Asian population increased by 72 percent, from 6,168 to 10,630.
The second highest increase was in both townships’ Hispanic/Latino population. In West Windsor, the Hispanic/Latino population increased from 892 in 2000 to 1,213 in 2010, while Plainsboro’s increased by 53 percent, from 937 to 1,429.
The number of Black/African Americans increased from 1,533 to 1,847 — a 20 percent increase — in Plainsboro. In West Windsor, that population increased by 65 percent, from 605 to 998 in 2010.
The white population saw its biggest decrease in Plainsboro, where the population dropped from 11,765 to 9,445 (a 20 percent decrease). In West Windsor, it declined by 5 percent, from 15,670 in 2000 to 14,924 last year.
Cantu said that Plainsboro celebrates its diversity. “We think that type of mix that is present in Plainsboro is a positive for the community,” he said. “We have a very diverse population that gets along and respects one another.”
