Government Comes to Its Census: San Anselmo Shrinks, Fairfax Grows

The U.S. Census Bureau released data for California today, used to determine possible political redistricting in the state. And, while the rest of the state (and country) are growing in population, we simply aren't.

San Anselmo, according to the census numbers (graphs available at right) shrunk by 42 people from 12,378 in 2000 to 12,336 in the 2010 census -- a less than .5 percent change. also suggested Fairfax had shrunk by a tiny amount; but the town, in fact, gained 122 new residents in the last decade, going from 7,319 in 2000 to 7,441 in 2010 -- a 1.7 percent increase.

Neither town is anywhere close to the nearly 10 percent increase the state saw in population growth, from 33.9 million residents in 2000 to 37.3 million residents in 2010 -- a growth that is on par with the rest of the country.

What will come as no shock to anyone who has been following the issue is that at the same time our population has remained relatively level, the number of kids under the age of 18 has risen.

In San Anselmo, the number of kids under 18 increased from 2,699 in 2000 to 2,879 in 2010 -- a 6.7 percent increase. And in Fairfax, the number of kids under 18 increased from 1,405 to 1,436 over the decade -- a 2.2 percent increase. 

Marin, as a whole, had a very low growth rate of only 2.1 percent, rising from 247,289 in 2000 to 252,409 in 2010, with the majority of that growth coming in Novato. Of Marin's 5,120 new residents in the last decade, 4,274 of them were in our most northern city.

And Marin may be slow-growing, but it's not alone. As a whole, the Bay Area experienced only a 5.4 percent growth rate, which means it may lose a congressional seat when the new statewide redistricting commission uses the 2010 Census figures to redraw political boundaries.