Age and Disability

Andover’s elderly population (65+) currently makes up about 15% of the town. Unlike the general population, where disability rates are low (around 5% for those under 65), the disability rate for Andover’s seniors is significantly higher and follows a sharp upward curve as residents enter their 70s and 80s. This reflects an aging-in-place population.

The most prevalent disability among Andover seniors is Ambulatory Difficulty (difficulty walking or climbing stairs), affecting nearly 17% of the 65+ population. Exemplyfing a need to shift in our conversations from “disability as a minority issue” to “disability as an inevitable part of the Andover lifecycle”.

Data from ACS 5-year surveys Tables S1810 (Subject Table) and B18101 (Base Table)

https://andoverma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16799/Andover-Data-Slides_Priority-Topics_For-Client-Review-031023

Age and Gender

The largest age group was 50-54 years (~9.00% of the total population), with the median age in Andover town is 42.7 (compared to 38.8 nationwide) and town’s elderly or the senior population (over 65 age) was ~15% as compared to ~16% nationwide.

While every community is unique, when it comes to demographic composition there are many similarities from community to community. Andover’s age typology type: School children and middle-aged adults. These topology communities tend to have higher proportions of school-aged children and adults in their 40s and 50s. While these communities have plenty of kids and established adults, they have very few young adults. There are 80 communities that match this profile.

https://mhpcenterforhousingdata.shinyapps.io/DataTown/

Trends in Minority Population

There is now a collective impact of a diverse population that is now a permanent and growing pillar of Andover’s “Patriotic” landscape. The magic number of 30% mathematically signals that the town is transitioning from a “homogenous suburb” to a “pluralistic community.” Of note is the increase in residents identyfing as more than one race.

Foreign Born Population

Foreign-born population is steady at 16%, less of that in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area: 19.7% and equivalent to the rate in Massachusetts: 17.7%.

Asian born population has seen an increase of roughly 50%.

Suggesting the town has maintained a more stable demographic composition even as Massachusetts overall has experienced significant immigrant population growth over the past decade.

Luxury Trap

Andover’s focus on large-format homes is creating a ‘luxury trap’: affordability is decreasing, but the town’s attractiveness to young professionals is stagnant. Data shows that larger builds are coinciding with a decline in our home value ratio relative to the county.

From 2000 to 2010 a significant ageing of Andover’s popualtion was evident. 57% of resdients moved to Andover after 2010 concomitant with a slight drop in median age.

While Andover is predominantly a town of homeowners, a look at tenure distribution by race reveals a significant disparity. For example, while the owner-to-renter ratio for the town as a whole is heavily skewed toward ownership, certain minority groups rely much more heavily on the rental market, making them more vulnerable to shifts in rent pricing and availability.