Lansdale Population Leapfrogs Hatfield, Towamencin Townships in 2020 Census

Data.

it is one of the most critical elements to helping make important decisions that will impact our community long into the future as we continue to grow and change over time.

The Census plays a crucial role in this process, because it represents one of the few statistically significant and well-funded data collection efforts our community participates in. Rightfully so, it yields critical information about who lives in our community, at what volumes, and maybe most importantly our rate of growth as a community.

In 2010, Lansdale was a community of around 16,269 people. After 10 years of revitalization, growth, and investment, we are now a community of nearly 18,800 — an increase of around 15.4% in the span of 10 years. This makes Lansdale, by population, larger than all the surrounding municipalities except Montgomery Township, and makes Lansdale the fastest growing community, by quite a margin, in our immediate area.

Consider that, for a moment, Lansdale Borough comprising around three-square miles houses the same — or more — people as townships that cover over nine square miles. That makes us three times as dense as many of our neighbors. With this density, and this rate of growth, we must begin asking some important — and tough — questions around how we will grow our police department, how we might change parking, how we may or may not incentivize continued development, and what services need to expand to help manage our growth.

Another way of looking at this data is not by comparing us to our township neighbors, but instead by contrasting Lansdale with the communities that we often hear are similar to ourselves.

Here, we see more similar growth to Lansdale, except for Doylestown. Specifically, Conshohocken is experiencing a similar style of growth in a tightly packed space.

Lansdale and Conshy are experiencing a recent trend across the United States. Millennials, and younger generations in general, are looking for a “goldilocks” sized community. They want to be in a community that is walkable, vibrant, and accessible, but not as dense as a true city. Lansdale and Conshohocken fit those bills perfectly. Going forward, as a community, we will need to explore how to best market this shift to businesses that are looking for a home. Lansdale is, undoubtedly, the right fit for any business looking to capture a growing audience, and we need to make sure we share that story for all to hear.

Additionally, for homeowners, the average cost for a home in 2019 was $232,000 in Lansdale. Nearly $75,000 less than Doylestown, Conshohocken, and Ambler. This almost certainly aided in our rapid growth. However, the average home in Conshohocken is over $306,000, and they grew faster than Lansdale. This suggests that there is still growth ahead for our community and that it is not all going to be driven by single family homes. Apartments, townhomes, and rental units are here to stay, and they are an important element driving the growth in our community and many others.

In the end, Lansdale is a growing vibrant community that people and businesses want to make their home. We should embrace this change and find ways to actively manage it so that we can continue to be a great place to live, work, and play.