WESTERN MASS. – New data shows that while growth was relatively modest, Agawam and West Springfield are seeing their populations become more diverse.

The initially delayed U.S. Census Bureau’s population data was recently released and will be vital to redistricting that could take place for local as well as Congressional districts.

In Massachusetts, growth was the trend. Overall during the past 10 years, Massachusetts experienced a 482,288-person increase in population, representing 7.4 percent jump to just over 7 million residents.

The growth rate was much slower in Hampden County and likewise, Agawam and West Springfield experienced modest population increases. Neighboring Springfield cleared the 150,000 threshold.

Congressman Richard Neal told Reminder Publishing that there was not much of a surprise when it came to the population numbers within his district.

“I think that many of the trends were fairly consistent,” said Neal, regarding population growth.

Springfield, which saw a 3.1 percent decrease in population during the 2000 census, as well as a 0.6 percent increase in the 2010 census, experienced a 1.9 percent increase in population over the past 10 years. Neal found this growth to be encouraging.

“I do think in the aftermath of the pandemic, there was evidence that urban areas began to grow,” said Neal. “I think encouraging people to live in old New England cities is a good idea if you want a healthy mixture of people.”

A few notable cities in Neal’s district featured a vacancy rate above 5 percent, including Holyoke, Springfield and Pittsfield. When asked about this, Neal described urban housing as being a complicated matter.

“I think it’s best described as income-elastic,” said Neal, regarding housing in these areas. “It is also linked to other amenities that attract people to live in urban areas.”

Neal added that the convenience of the highway service oftentimes allows people to live outside of the city while still benefitting from the core services that the cities can provide. “I think in terms of housing, the best way to look at that should be musical chairs, but everybody gets a chair,” the Congressman added.

As far as redistricting goes, Neal said that he knew from day one that he would have to pick up parts of a constituency. He said that the decreasing population trends in Berkshire and Franklin Counties have been consistent for three decades. The vacancy rate numbers in some Berkshire and Franklin towns reflect this decline. For example, places like Monterey and Sandisfield are seeing vacancy rates reach over 40 percent, while a town like Otis has reached a vacancy rate of 52 percent, according to the data.

“I think for me, having to head east was a foregone conclusion,” said Neal. “It’s important to upgrade some of our zoning procedures…in a lot of ways, land-use patterns have been emphasized in terms of resistance to any new growth when it comes to housing. I think you’re seeing that in the Boston suburbs, but also in the greater Springfield suburbs.”

Looking at his district as a whole, Second Hampden and Hampshire state Sen. JohnVelis said, “While there were some changes in population numbers, most municipalities didn’t see too drastic of a shift.”

He added, “A number of people in Eastern Massachusetts have predicted that the census would show a large exodus of population from Western Massachusetts. While there was some decrease in population, it was not as high as some projected. I think that shows the love that people have for their communities out here as well as the accessible work opportunities available to them.”

From 2010 to 2020, Agawam had a population increase of 0.9 percent. Velis said this increase for population growth is more than several of the surrounding communities. “While it may not be a huge difference from 2010, it shows that residents in Agawam for the most part stayed put. That being said, we need to continue to promote new economic activity in our region to entice people to move to great communities like Agawam.”

According to the Census’ ethnicity breakdown, the percentage of white residents making up Agawam’s population has dropped nearly 7 percent, whereas the African American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino populations have seen an increase.

Velis said, “Agawam, like many communities throughout our commonwealth, is simply becoming more diverse. Agawam has a lot to offer and I think the residents of the commonwealth are seeing that.”

From 2010 to 2020, the housing unit’s percentage in Agawam has gone up 1.8, with a 96.3 percent occupancy rate and 3.7 percent vacancy rate. Velis explained, “There have been a number of major housing projects over the past 10 years that have led to increased housing options, as well as increased job opportunities. The vacancy rate is a representation of how much competition there is for rental properties and is a standard aspect of our housing market.”

He went on to say, “Too low of a vacancy rate means that there is not enough housing available, while too high of a rate means there is too much housing available. Both of these can lead to problems, either for renters looking for housing or for small landlords who depend upon rental income. Many housing analysts consider somewhere around three percent to be a healthy vacancy rate, as it is a good balance between landlords and renters.”

Looking forward, Velis shared his thoughts on the data as a whole, and how it may impact his district. “Every state Senate district in Western Massachusetts is going to have to change in some way, mine included. In order for the proportions to work out, my district will undoubtedly add other towns and cities.”

He concluded, “At the end of the day, the goal is to ensure that every municipality, and every resident, is appropriately represented.

Across the Hampden District, state Sen. Adam Gomez said, “We didn’t see much change – [there was] little uptick.” He added, “We are gaining a couple thousand more folks – more in rural towns.”

As Gomez is on the Redistricting Committee, he said that they want to make sure that they don’t lose senators or representatives across the state.

“I know in West Springfield, I want to keep the districts whole,” said Gomez. While Chicopee and Springfield are split into three sections with different senators, he doesn’t want the same to happen in West Springfield.

According to the Census data, from 2010 to 2020, West Springfield had a population percentage change of 1.6, totaling 28,835 residents.

Gomez said while others in Hampden County have seen a decrease in population, West Springfield’s growth is encouraging. “People are moving into West Side – it’s a beautiful community. People are moving toward municipalities. A town like this is small enough, but has great education, economic growth and great leadership. West Springfield is a town on the rise with amenities like the Big E and Bearhole. It’s a beautiful place and we’ll probably see an increase in the future.”

Looking at the ethnicity breakdown, West Springfield had a decrease in concentration of white residents from 76.1 percent to 67.6 percent, whereas African American, Asian, Hispanic and Latino saw a significant increase. Gomez took notice of the increase in the Latino community specifically, which grew from 8.7 percent to 13.9 percent. He said this has grown not only in West Springfield, but across the nation.

“With Western Mass. being the melting pot, West Springfield is a minority/majority city. It’s an international town with so many ethnicities,” said Gomez. “Diversity speaks for itself.”

From 2010 to 2020, the housing unit’s percentage in West Springfield has gone up 1.5 percent, with a 95 percent occupancy rate and 5 percent vacant rate. Gomez said, “95 percent is a good percentage. Of course we would love to see 100 percent but this is good.”

Looking at the future, Gomez said he wants to make sure they have proper representation. “[There’s] a lot of industry in front of us and we’re hoping for economic growth.”

Sixth Hampden District state Rep. Michael Finn said he analyzed the varied growths and decreases throughout Massachusetts and was surprised by the growth in the Boston area. While Finn said he is encouraged by the growth, he believes that the state needs to make a cognition effort to keep the state growing in each district.

“We have a lot of great things going for us (the state). We have world class hospital systems, education and institutions, but we can’t just rely on that to bring more people up to Mass.,” said Finn. Finn’s analysis is in response to the population decrease in Berkshire County, with the area losing over 2,000 citizens since the last census.

In terms of redistricting, Finn explained that the Berkshire decrease will likely lead to him picking up another precinct in the Springfield area. He said he was down about 2,500 people from the last census.