03 - Chapter 3 - DemographicsPlan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 19
3. DEMOGRAPHICS
3.1 Population Overview
As shown in Table 1, Rye Brook’s population has increased by 16.9%, or from 7,996 in 1980 (two years before
its incorporation) to 9,347 in 2010. This growth rate outpaced Westchester County by 7.4 percentage points, yet
was slower than Port Chester (22.9%) and Harrison (19.2%). Like the City of Rye, Rye Brook decreased in
population between 1980 and 1990, but rebounded in subsequent decades. While growth was strongest
between 1990 and 2000, with an increase of 837 persons or 10.8%, the village continues to grow through the
millennium, adding 745 new residents since 2000. Rye Brook’s growth rate of 8.7% in the last decade is less
than Harrison (13.7%) but greater than the City of Rye (5.1%), Port Chester (3.9%) and the County (2.8%).
Table 1: Rye Brook, Rye, Port Chester and Westchester Population, 1980 to 2010
Year Rye
Brook* City of Rye Port
Chester Harrison Westchester
County
1980 7,996 15,803 23,565 23,046 866,599
1990 7,765 14,936 24,728 23,308 874,866
2000 8,602 14,955 27,867 24,154 923,459
2010 9,347 15,720 28,967 27,472 949,113
Percent Change
1980-1990 -2.9% -5.5% 4.9% 1.1% 1.0%
1990-2000 10.8% 0.1% 12.7% 3.6% 5.6%
2000-2010 8.7% 5.1% 3.9% 13.7% 2.8%
1980-2010 16.9% -0.5% 22.9% 19.2% 9.5%
Note: (*) Based on Rye Brook’s geographic area following incorporation.
Source: Westchester County Planning Department and US Census, 1960-2010
3.2 Density
As the population has grown, so too has population density in Rye Brook. In 1990, the density was 3.53 persons
per acre, higher than Harrison (2.10 per acre) and Westchester County (3.18 per acre), but less than both the
City of Rye (3.99 per acre) and Port Chester (16.58 per acre). Density increased with population, so in Rye Brook
increased by roughly 0.35 persons per acre each decade between 1990 and 2010 to 4.25 persons per acre,
just 0.05 persons per acre less than the City of Rye.
Table 2: Persons Per Acre, 1990 to 2010
Year Rye Brook City of Rye Port Chester Harrison
Westchester
County
1990 3.53 3.99 16.58 2.10 3.18
2000 3.92 3.99 18.68 2.17 3.35
2010 4.25 4.20 19.42 2.47 3.44
1990-2010 0.72 0.21 2.84 0.37 0.27
Source: US Census, 1990-2010
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 20
In contrast, Port Chester’s population density was 16.58 persons per acre in 1990, rising to 19.42 persons per
acre in 2010, an increase of 2.84 persons per acre over the 20-year period.
Figure 3: Persons Per Acre, 2010
3.3 Age Cohorts
Residents of Rye Brook tend to be older than those in neighboring communities or in Westchester County as a
whole. The following chart illustrates median age (half are older, half are younger) of area residents in 2000
and 2010, compared to the county average as shown by the labeled lines. As can be seen, with the exception of
the Town of Harrison, the median age has increased in all areas between 2000 and 2010 reflecting national
trends of an aging population and lower fertility rates.
The Westchester County median age was 37.6 years in 2000 and increased by 2.4 years to 40 in 2010. Rye
Brook’s median age at the time of each Census was a full 4.1 years higher than the County average – 40.7 in
2000 and 44.1 in 2010. Scarsdale is the neighboring community closest in median age to Rye Brook, with a
median of 39.8 in 2000 and 42 in 2010. By contrast, Rye Brook’s geographic next-door neighbors, Harrison
and Port Chester, have the lowest median ages in the area in both 2000 and 2010. The 2010 medians for
Harrison and Port Chester were below the county average by at least three years at 34.6 and 34.4, respectively.
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 21
Under 10
10 to 17
18 to 29
30 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65+
‐
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
1980 1990 2000 2010
Chart 1: Median Age of Rye Brook and Other Area Residents, 2000 and 2010
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000, 2010 Census, SF1, Table P13.
While Rye Brook’s residents as a whole make it one of the oldest communities in the area, there is something of
a paradox in that it also has had an increasing share of children – countering the county trend – with more
children under 18 in 2010 than in the preceding 40 years. This is illustrated in the chart below.
Chart 2: Population by Age, 1980 to 2010
Source: US Census, 1980-2010
40.7
39.8
38.8
38.1 38.1
37.2
34
44.1
42
40.7 40.8
39.2
34.6 34.4
30
32
34
36
38
40
42
44
Rye Brook Scarsdale Mamaroneck Rye city White Plains Harrison Port Chester
2000 2010
Westchester County 2010 Median Age: 40
Westchester County 2000 Median Age: 37.6
Under 1010 to 17
18 to 29
30 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65+
‐
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
1,000,000
1980 1990 2000 2010
Rye Brook
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 22
Table 3 below shows the population age cohorts over time for both Rye Brook and Westchester County. These
tables demonstrate how Rye Brook’s median age is among the highest in the area, despite a growing number of
children. While the number of children Under 10 has increased 37.6% over the past 40 years, the only other
age cohorts that are growing are the three classifications of persons age 45 and over: 45 to 54, 38.0%; 55 to
64, 11.2%; and 65+, 91.8%.
Table 3: Rye Brook and Westchester County, Population by Age Cohort, 1980 to 2010
Rye Brook Westchester County
Age 1980 1990 2000 2010
Percent
Change
1980-
2010 1980 1990 2000 2010
Percent
Change
1980-
2010
Under 10 878 973 1,330 1,208 37.6% 99,754 51,397 67,993 63,212 -36.6%
10 to 17 1,218 702 865 1,156 -5.1% 117,702 50,188 63,757 65,680 -44.2%
18 to 29 1,063 1,093 648 749 -29.5% 157,806 155,458 121,254 129,641 -17.8%
30 to 44 1,746 1,745 2,075 1,714 -1.8% 171,989 210,579 225,766 188,343 9.5%
45 to 54 1,153 1,075 1,277 1,591 38.0% 107,447 102,784 129,998 149,032 38.7%
55 to 64 978 953 916 1,088 11.2% 97,742 89,750 86,680 114,975 17.6%
65+ 960 1,217 1,491 1,841 91.8%2 114,159 126,026 128,964 139,122 21.9%
Source: US Census, 1980-2010
When thinking of the structure of the population, in 2010, 25.3% of population is under 18 and an additional
19.7% is 65 or older, the remainder of the population is roughly split between the younger (18-44) and older
(45-64) working age cohorts at 26.4% and 28.7%, respectively. For reference, population change and percent
change between 2000 and 2010 are presented on the following pages for localities by five-year cohort.
Decreases are presented in red.
2 The high growth in the 65+ population in Rye Brook reflects, at least in part, the opening of the 168-unit Atria Rye Brook
independent-living facility in 2000.
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Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 24
3.4 Race/Ethnicity
Race/Ethnicity data are only discussed for the years 2000 and 2010 because before 2000, different
methods of classifying race were used and the differences do not allow for direct comparison.
As Table 6 shows, Rye Brook remains a majority white, non-Hispanic community (81.5% in 2010),
despite an increasing level of diversity. The most prevalent minority group is Hispanics, which has grown
from 5.4% to 11.1% of the total population between 2000 and 2010. However, the share of
Hispanics/Latinos is less than half that of Westchester County as a whole (21.8% in 2010).
There has been growth in every racial/ethnic category between 2000 and 2010. As of 2010, persons
who identify as Asian/Other non-Hispanics make up 4.9% of the population; Blacks and persons of two
or More Races make up roughly one in every 100 residents each (1.4%, and 1.1% respectively).
Table 6: Population by Mutually Exclusive Race-Ethnicity, 2000 to 2010
Total
Population
Rye
Brook City of Rye Port
Chester Harrison Westchester
County
2000 2010 2000 2010 2000 2010 2000 2010 2000 2010
Total 8,602 9,347 14,955 15,720 27,867 28,967 24,154 27,472 923,459 949,113
White 7,602 7,621 12,907 13,329 11,934 9,155 20,584 21,133 591,776 544,563
Black 80 131 181 207 1,795 1,541 308 563 125,227 126,585
Asian/Other 378 455 1,000 967 757 827 1,355 2,154 45,326 56,239
2 or More Races 74 106 149 203 497 251 289 420 17,006 14,694
Hispanic or Latino 468 1,034 718 1,014 12,884 17,193 1,618 3,202 144,124 207,032
Percent of
Population
Rye
Brook City of Rye Port
Chester Harrison Westchester
County
2000 2010 2000 2010 2000 2010 2000 2010 2000 2010
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
White 88.4% 81.5% 86.3% 84.8% 42.8% 31.6% 85.2% 76.9% 64.1% 57.4%
Black 0.9% 1.4% 1.2% 1.3% 6.4% 5.3% 1.3% 2.0% 13.6% 13.3%
Asian/Other 4.4% 4.9% 6.7% 6.2% 2.7% 2.9% 5.6% 7.8% 4.9% 5.9%
2 or More Races 0.9% 1.1% 1.0% 1.3% 1.8% 0.9% 1.2% 1.5% 1.8% 1.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4% 11.1% 4.8% 6.5% 46.2% 59.4% 6.7% 11.7% 15.6% 21.8%
Source: U.S. Decennial Census, 2000 and 2010.
Rye Brook is slightly more diverse than the City of Rye, which is 84.8% white non-Hispanic, but less
diverse than Harrison, which is 76.9% white non-Hispanic. Port Chester, in contrast, is majority-minority
at 59.4% Hispanic, 5.3% Black, 2.9% Asian/Other and 0.9% two or More Races. It is interesting to note
that in Port Chester, the number of residents who identify as Black or two or More Races has decreased.
In both Rye Brook and Harrison, the Hispanic share of the population has nearly doubled.
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 25
3.5 Nativity
As shown in the chart that follows, the percentage of Rye Brook’s residents that are foreign-born has
increased from 16.2% in 1990 to 17.1% in 2011, surpassing Rye’s share at 16.2%. However, Rye Brook
has trailed the rest of the region in its share of the foreign-born population. Almost half (47.7%) of Rye
Brook’s foreign-born population are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Chart 3: Share of Foreign-Born Population, 1990 to 20113
Source: US Census, 1980-2000, American Community Survey 2007-2011 5-Year Estimate
Like Westchester as a whole, the largest shares of Rye and Rye Brook’s foreign-born populations are
from Europe (41.7% and 34.3%, respectively), whereas the largest shares of Port Chester’s foreign-born
population are from Central America (including Mexico4) and South America. In Harrison, the population
share from Central America is slightly higher than the population from both Europe and South America.
See Chart 4.
The second-largest immigrant group in Rye Brook is from South America (34.6%), followed by Asia
(9.5%), Central America (6.3%), Other Areas (4.6%) and the Caribbean (3.2%).
About one-third of Rye Brook’s foreign born population (495 or 31.4%) came to this country since 2000.
As shown in the chart below, while the majority (62.8%) of these most recent immigrants are, as
expected, from South America, while 34.5% hail from Europe with a tiny minority from the Caribbean.
3 The 2010 Decennial Census did not collect detailed data on population or households. Therefore, where
necessary, the American Community Survey 5-year sample data from 2007-2011 is used.
4 The Census classifies Mexico as Central America in its origin data, even though it is in North America.
16.2%
13.3%
17.1%
23.1%21.5%
16.2%
32.5%
41.4%
45.0%
17.2%18.7%
21.9%
18.1%
22.2%
24.6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
1990 2000 2011
Rye Brook Rye Port Chester Harrison Westchester County
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 26
Europe
Asia
Caribbean
Central Americal
South America
Other
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Entered before 1980 Entered 1980 to 1989 Entered 1990 to 1999 Entered 2000 or later
Chart 4: Origins of Area Foreign-Born Population, 2011
Source: American Community Survey 2007-2011 5-Year Estimate
Chart 5: Year of Entry and Origins of Rye Brook Foreign-Born Population, 2011
Source: American Community Survey 2007-2011 5-Year Estimate
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 27
3.6 Educational Attainment
Rye Brook residents are well educated, and the level of their educational attainment has continued to
grow over the last decade. As the total population 25 and older has increased by 2.5%, the number of
residents with bachelor’s degrees has increased by 6.7%, and the number of residents with advanced
degrees has increased by 11.3%.
Table 7: Rye Brook and Westchester County Educational Attainment for the Adult Population 25
Years and Older, 2000 to 2011
Educational Attainment
Level
Rye Brook Change 2000-2011 Westchester County Change 2000-2011
2000 2011 Actual Percent 2000 2011 Actual Percent
Total Population over 25 6,160 6,313 153 2.5% 628,941 640,046 11,105 1.8%
< High School 635 232 -403 -63.5% 103,456 81,220 -22,236 -21.5%
High School Grad 1,183 1,258 75 6.3% 138,814 143,631 4,817 3.5%
Some College, No
D
730 822 92 12.6% 95,004 91,218 -3,786 -4.0%
Associate's Degree 268 355 87 32.5% 34,743 39,017 4,274 12.3%
Bachelor's Degree 1,661 1,772 111 6.7% 132,557 144,100 11,543 8.7%
Advanced Degree 1,683 1,874 191 11.3% 124,367 140,860 16,493 13.3%
Source: American Community Survey 2007-2011 5-Year Estimate
As shown in Table 7, every category of educational attainment in Rye Brook has increased at a rate
greater than population growth, with the exception of those who have less than a high school diploma;
the number of those residents decreased by 63.5%. This may indicate that either they have gone back to
school, or it may mean that they have left Rye Brook. A similar pattern is seen in Westchester as a whole.
Increases in the number of residents with college degrees at any level, is much greater than the 1.8%
growth seen in the county in the last decade. Westchester also saw a similar, but not as marked, decline
in those without high school diplomas.
The chart that follows shows educational attainment in Rye Brook and surrounding areas in terms of the
percent of residents 25 and Older by attainment level. In Rye Brook, 58% of all adults 25 and older have
at least a bachelor’s degree, with 30% (three out of every 10 residents) having earned a master’s degree
or higher. Not only does Rye Brook have high numbers of persons with college degrees, it also has very
few residents (4%) who have not earned a high school diploma (or equivalent).
As shown, only the City of Rye has higher levels of educational attainment, with 33% of its residents
having an advanced degree and another 39% having at least a bachelor’s. While the share of the
population with bachelor’s degrees is nearly equal in both Rye Brook and Harrison, the percent of
residents with advanced degrees in Rye Brook is seven percentage points higher. In Port Chester, on the
other hand, almost three out of 10 residents have only high school diplomas, slightly fewer than the
number who are not high school graduates.
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 28
4%
20%
13%
6%
28%30%
3%
11%
10%
5%
39%
33%
30%29%
12%
6%
13%
9%9%
22%
13%
6%
27%
23%
13%
22%
14%
6%
23%22%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
< High School High School Grad Some College, No
Degree
Associate's
Degree
Bachelor's
Degree
Advanced Degree
Rye Brook
Rye
Port Chester
Harrison
Westchester County
Chart 6: Share of Adult Population 25 Years and Older by Educational Attainment, 2011
Source: American Community Survey 2007-2011 5-Year Estimate
3.7 Household Income
Median household income is often a reflection of educational attainment, and that seems to be the case
in Rye Brook. Table 8 compares median and mean household income in Rye Brook, Rye, Port Chester,
Harrison and Westchester county in the years 1999 (2000 Census) and 2011. The amounts have been
adjusted for inflation to 2011 dollars to allow a more accurate look at the actual financial status.
Table 8: Median and Mean Household Income, 1999 to 2011
Median Household Income (in 2011$)
Change 1999-2011
Area 1999 2011 Number Percent
Rye Brook $ 133,484 $ 142,000 $ 8,516 6.4%
Rye $ 149,726 $ 142,469 $ -7,257 -4.8%
Port Chester $ 61,272 $ 54,658 $ -6,614 -10.8%
Harrison $ 109,010 $ 109,005 $ -5 0.0%
Westchester County $ 85,847 $ 80,705 $ -5,142 -6.0%
Mean Household Income (in 2011$)
Change 1999-2011
Area 1999 2011 Number Percent
Rye Brook $ 180,464 $ 218,266 $ 37,802 20.9%
Rye $ 284,640 $ 263,910 $ -20,730 -7.3%
Port Chester $ 82,444 $ 75,763 $ -6,681 -8.1%
Harrison $ 191,187 $ 202,976 $ 11,789 6.2%
Westchester County $ 134,295 $ 130,005 $ -4,290 -3.2%
Source: US Census, Summary File 3, 2000 & American Community Survey 2007-2011 5-Year Estimate
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 29
As seen in the table above, Rye Brook is the only one of the areas compared that saw an increase in both
median and mean (average) income in constant dollars. Median household income increased by 6.4% in
Rye Brook while it fell by 4.8% in Rye, 6% in Westchester County as a whole and 10.8% in Port Chester,
while Harrison saw no change. In terms of mean or average income, Rye Brook and Harrison saw an
increase of 20.9% and 6.2%, respectively, while Westchester’s average decreased by 3.2%, Rye by 7.3%
and Port Chester by 8.1%. The stability of incomes in Rye Brook may be due in part to the older age
profile of residents in conjunction with already high incomes.
Chart 7: Rye Brook Area Households by Distribution of Annual Income, 2011
Source: American Community Survey 2007-2011 5-Year Estimate
Chart 7 and Table 9 show the distribution of area households by income category. In terms of income
distribution, 58.6% of Rye Brook households have incomes greater than $100,000. This is not as great
as Rye at 64.4%, but significantly outpaces Port Chester at 21.2% and Westchester County as a whole at
41.3%. Rye Brook also outperformed Harrison by 4.1 percentage points.
Table 9: Rye Brook and Westchester Households by Distribution of Annual Income, 2000-2011
Annual Income Category Rye Brook Change 2000-
2011 Westchester County Change 2000-
2011
2000 2011 Actual Percent 2000 2011 Actual Percent
Total 3,149 3,376 227 7.2% 337,486 345,908 8,422 2.5%
Less than $50,000 688 731 43 6.3% 134,634 112,186 -22,448 -16.7%
$50,000 to $99,999 900 668 -232 -25.8% 98,104 90,837 -7,267 -7.4%
$100,000 to $149,999 619 358 -261 -42.2% 48,193 55,176 6,983 14.5%
$150,000 to $199,999 294 480 186 63.3% 21,507 30,857 9,350 43.5%
$200,000 or more 648 1,139 491 75.8% 35,048 56,852 21,804 62.2%
Source: US Census, Summary File 3, 2000 & American Community Survey 2007-2011 5-Year Estimate
21.7%16.5%
45.0%
24.4%32.4%
19.8%19.1%
33.8%
21.1%
26.3%10.6%16.3%
11.5%
17.8%
16.0%
14.2%7.9%
5.4%
10.8%
8.9%33.7%40.1%
4.3%
25.9%16.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Rye Brook Rye Port Chester Harrison Westchester
$200,000 or more
$150,000 to $199,999
$100,000 to $149,999
$50,000 to $99,999
Less than $50,000
Plan Rye Brook
Chapter 3: Demographics 30
However, as shown in the table, Rye Brook not only saw increases in the number of households earning
more than $150,000, it also saw a 6.3% increase in the number of households with incomes of less than
$50,000. While Westchester County did not see growth as robust in the upper income categories, it did
see a 16.7% decrease in households making less than $50,000.
Port Chester and Yonkers are known as lower-income communities, and poverty there is not unexpected;
poverty elsewhere in Westchester County often is. Table 10 shows the percentage of families and
individuals living below the poverty level in 2011 in Rye Brook, Rye, Port Chester, Harrison and the
county overall.
Table 10: Rye Brook and Other Areas, Population in Poverty, 2011
Rye Brook Rye Port
Chester Harrison Westchester
All families 2.8% 0.8% 11.6% 4.0% 6.4%
With related children under 18 years 4.2% 0.7% 19.0% 4.7% 9.8%
All people 4.6% 2.3% 15.1% 5.3% 8.9%
Under 18 years 2.3% 1.0% 23.4% 3.9% 11.5%
65 years and over 9.6% 4.0% 10.3% 3.5% 7.1%
Source: American Community Survey 2007-2011 5-Year Estimate
As shown, while Rye Brook has a much lower poverty rate than the county, Harrison or neighboring Rye
and Port Chester, 4.2% of families with children and 2.8% of all families in Rye Brook are below the
poverty level. In terms of individuals, 4.6% of all residents are living in poverty and 2.3% of all children.
The potential cause for concern in Rye Brook is that 9.6% of all persons 65 and older are living in
poverty – almost one in every 10 seniors. This rate is greater than Rye’s at 4%, Harrison’s at 3.5%,
Westchester County’s at 7.1% and less than one percentage point less than Port Chester’s at 10.3%. Rye
Brook’s elderly population is growing, and the poverty rate among them may be an indicator of future
service needs in the village.