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Chapter 2 Sector Four Today The People The People SWT has a major influence on San Marcos. It is the city's largest employer, with about 2,500 employees, and its students, both on and off campus, make up a quarter of San Marcos' residents in 1998. Surprisingly, Sector Four's demographic profile is less dominated by the university's presence, although it is situated fairly close to SWT. Sector Four's demographic profile is very different from the city's. There is a higher percentage of married persons (50% vs. 31 %) and a higher percentage of family households (77% vs. 46%). The age breakdown of Sector Four shows more people under 17 than the city (30% vs. 17%) and more people over 49 (24% vs. 14%). Almost two- thirds (65%) of the people in Sector Four own their homes, compared to one-third (32%) for the city as a whole. The percentage of widowed persons is 9% compared to 4% for the city, which can be explained by the large percentage of persons 65 and older (14%) in Sector Four. There are much lower percentages of people that are 18-24 in Sector Four (12%) than compared to the entire city (43%). Fewer people have never been married in Sector Four than the entire city (34% vs. 60%) and lower percentages of renters (35% vs. 68%). This affirms that fewer college students tend to live in Sector Four. Overall household size (HHS) in Sector Four (3.29 persons) is higher than that for the city as a whole (2.92). Family HHS in the sector is 3.82 , while non-family HHS is 1.44. Ethnically, according to the 1990 Census, there is a much larger percentage of Hispanics in Sector Four than the city as a whole (80% vs. 37%), a lower percentage of White non- Hispanic (15% vs. 56%) and Blacks (3% vs. 5%), and an equal percentage American Indians, Asians, and Others (1 %). Demographic tables for Sector Four are presented on the following page. Current Population Estimating current population requires an accurate knowledge of the existing housing stock, and reliable estimates of household size and housing occupancy rate. It also assumes there is an accurate base population count. The base count for Sector Four is the block-level 1990 Census Bureau count for the City of San Marcos. Household size was also derived from these block level figures. The December 1997 housing survey of Sector Four by the City of San Marcos Planning and Development Services Department provided an current count of the housing stock. An assumption of 98% occupancy was used. 2-13