Fairlington is known for its kids. From dawn to dusk, you’ll often find them on the playgrounds, pools and paths. But the number of kids you see here now, though more numerous than recent decades, is still a fraction of those who were here in Fairlington’s early years. Of course, demographic trends have changed dramatically since 1950, when the country was in the midst of a baby boom.
Let’s take a look at the decennial census numbers to get a better idea of how many children lived here in the past compared to now. Caveat: these numbers only include South Fairlington, as census tracts for North Fairlington overlap with adjacent neighborhoods.
| 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | 5,260 | 4,198 | 4,137 | 3,321 | 3,321 | 3,090 | 3,093 | 3,390 |
| 0-17 | 1,701 | 968 | 1,326 | 508 | 461 | 419 | 445 | 706 |
| 0-4 | 842 | 468 | 597 | 180 | 212 | 159 | 250 | 322 |
| 5-9 | 538 | 192 | 331 | 119 | 146 | 125 | 99 | 217 |
| 10-14 | 232 | 185 | 194 | 148 | 73 | 90 | 52 | 125 |
| 15-17 | 89 | 123 | 204 | 61 | 30 | 45 | 44 | 42 |
Sources: Census.gov, IPUMS NHGIS
There were well over twice as many children in South Fairlington in 1950 than there were in 2020. This is still true for those aged five and older, who were born before the baby boom started. All in all, 35% of South Fairlington was 17 or under in 1950, compared to 21% in 2020. Incredibly, a fifth of the population was six or under in 1950. Kids really did rule Fairlington!
There were also far more people living in Fairlington overall, even though the housing stock was essentially the same as it is today. That’s due to households being larger in 1950. In South Fairlington, the average household size was 3.0 in 1950 compared to 2.1 in 2020. Much of the change is due to a steep increase of individuals living alone: 47 individuals in South Fairlington lived alone in 1950, compared to 658 in 2020 (from 3% to 40% of households). The share of two person households is virtually unchanged from 1950 at about one third of households.
For those of you who have noticed that there are more kids here than there used to be, you’re also correct. Fairlington has seen a modest baby boom in recent years. While Fairlington has a high proportion and increasing number of babies and toddlers, it’s the school-age children who have almost doubled between 2010 and 2020.
A mother and child outside 4321 S 36th Street in 1960 or 1961.
Below are the data sources for the 1950-1970 censuses, which have a lot of other fascinating information. Census track 30 (later renumbered as 1030) corresponds to South Fairlington. Census track 29 (later renumbered as 1029) corresponds to North Fairlington, but it includes nearby areas like Shirlington and part of Claremont.
1950 Census #
Sources:
- https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-3/41557421v3p4ch07.pdf#page=20
- https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-3/41557421v3p4ch07.pdf#page=35
- https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-3/41557421v3p4ch07.pdf#page=44
1960 Census #
Sources:
- https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-and-housing-phc-1/41953654v11ch05.pdf#page=27
- https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-and-housing-phc-1/41953654v11ch05.pdf#page=81
- https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-and-housing-phc-1/41953654v11ch06.pdf#page=24
- https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-and-housing-phc-1/41953654v11ch06.pdf#page=67
- https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-and-housing-phc-1/41953654v11ch06.pdf#page=86
1970 Census #
Sources: