Household sizes in the neighborhood steadily decreased since 1980. By 2000, Waite Park's average household size was smaller than Minneapolis'. Waite Park had an average of 2.2 people per household and Minneapolis had 2.3.
Since 1980, the majority of Waite Park households were family ones. However, the number of family households has steadily declined during this time, while households of people living together who were not related and people living alone increased.
Since 1980, the percentage of householders living alone has been lower in Waite Park than in Minneapolis. However, the neighborhood's percentage has grown from a low of 21 percent recorded in 1980. In 2000, 34 percent of Waite Park's residents lived alone while 40 percent of residents citywide lived alone.
Although the proportion of senior residents living alone is lower in Waite Park than in the city, the percentage steadily increased. In 1980 only 23 percent of senior residents in the neighborhood lived alone. By 2000 this figure climbed to 31 percent. Citywide, the percentage of seniors living alone declined slightly to 37 percent in 2000.
Between 1980 and 2000 the proportion of families that have children increased in Waite Park by 6 percent to 39 percent. That figure is smaller than in Minneapolis, where 50 percent of the families have children under 18.
Last updated Sep. 27, 2011