Over 5,500 new residents move to West Hollywood each year, half of them in their twenties. That is one in six residents or 16%. The numbers come from a new report by WeHo by the Numbers. The report uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to assemble a profile of those new residents. The profile is an approximation due to data limitations.
According to the report, 49% of the new residents moving to West Hollywood are female. That is higher than their 43% share of the city’s total population. They also make up about half of the residents moving away from the city.
Half of the new residents are in their 20s. Almost a quarter are in their 30s. Together, they make up about 75% of new residents. That is quite different from the age distribution for residents as a whole. Twenty- and thirty-somethings are only 44% of the total population and 38% of residents who did not move in the last year. The pattern is also different among those leaving the city (or moving within it). About 60% of them are in their 20s and 30s: roughly 30% in their 20s and the same in their 30s.
An estimated 20% of new residents are foreign-born. That is lower than the overall foreign-born share of the city’s population. Current foreign-born residents also appear to be less likely to move away.
The marriage rate is lower among people who recently moved to West Hollywood than for the city as a whole: 16% versus 23%. Residents leaving West Hollywood are also a bit less likely to be married.
College degrees are more common among new residents (and those who move within the city) than the city’s population as a whole: 70% versus a little over 60%.
People moving to West Hollywood from elsewhere in Los Angeles (or moving within the city) have a higher median income than the city as a whole. On the other hand, the median income for new residents from other places — other countries, states, or parts of California — is lower than the overall number. A higher percentage of new residents — almost 20% — fall below the poverty line, compared to 15% for all residents.
An even higher share of new residents (and people moving within the city) rent compared to the city as a whole: 90% versus about 80%.
For more information, see the full report, Who chooses West Hollywood?
