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Solomon: Warwick’s Population Dip Temporary

Warwick City Hall
Warwick City Hall. Surplus
Warwick City Hall.

WARWICK, RI — Warwick’s population dip in the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest population estimate knocks the city from its second-largest-Rhode-Island-city perch in favor of Cranston, but Acting Mayor Joseph Solomon says it won’t stay that way for long.

The Bureau’s Population Estimates Program estimates the population in states, cities and towns each year using data on births, deaths, and migration, revising previous years estimates in the process, according to the Bureau’s website.

This year’s reported 2017 U.S. Census population estimate, reported by the RI Department of Labor and Training website, puts Warwick at 80,871, and Cranston at 81,202, a difference of 331 people.

The estimates are estimates are used in federal funding allocations, as denominators for vital rates and per capita time series, as survey controls, and in monitoring recent demographic changes, according to the Bureau, and are the official estimates of population for the nation, states, counties, cities and towns.

I am aware of the new census data, which shows that the difference in population between Warwick and Cranston is 331 people. This change in demographics is a direct result of the fact that, since the early 2000s, continued expansion of the airport operations and the runway expansion project have resulted in the taking of 555 homes. This includes the elimination of 130 rental units and 239 ownership units from Warwick’s housing stock since 2011 alone,” Solomon said in a statement Friday.

Warwick’s housing structures are largely single-family residences constructed in the post-World War II era, Solomon said. He noted his support of the City Centre Warwick transit-oriented redevelopment project, more than 100 acres surrounding the airport, which is intended to promote high-density, multifamily developments within walking distance to multi-modal transportation and MBTA commuter rail. The project holds the key for future population growth in Warwick as well as economic growth, he said.

“This is the type of housing that will attract Millennials, increase our population and allow us to reinvent the variety and depth of housing options offered in Warwick. The airport expansion has also increased Warwick’s visibility to a broader national and international audience and interest in City Centre and our community as a whole. As Mayor, I will continue to promote multi-family residential development within City Centre Warwick, to support our Millennials looking for a transit-oriented community in which to live, work and play. It won’t be long before Warwick regains the loss that this census data reflects,” he said.

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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