Lincolon, a suburb of Sacramento, was one the lone California city to make the group.
Lincoln took the No. 2 spot for percentage of household growth from 2000 to 2009 growing from 6,287 in 2000 to 21,997 households in 2008, or 250 percent.
Lincoln boasted the highest average household net worth of the group at $593,668.
The area also led the group for average household Economic Stability Index with a rating of 7.8 on a scale of 1-30, with 1 being the most economically stable. Lincoln also had 12 Emerging Blocks.
Lincoln’s Asian households increased more than any other group, growing from 113 in 2000 to 864 in 2009. Among the 16 Asian countries of origin, Indian households were the largest group at 22%.
“Our success in Lincoln’s growth has come through a vision by our city council and citizens of Lincoln, said Steve Art, Economic and Redevelopment manager for the City of Lincoln. “We know we are creating a community where family and quality of life mean something. It’s these traits and qualities, plus the attraction of Placer County and its amenities that I believe helped us to become among the elite on the Gadberry list in 2009.”
Gadberry Group’s 9 from 2009:
• Braselton, Georgia (Atlanta suburb)
• Atascocita, Texas (Houston suburb)
• Spring Hill, Tennessee (Nashville suburb)
• Lincoln, California (Sacramento suburb)
• Katy, Texas (Houston suburb)
• Wake Forest, North Carolina (in the Raleigh-Durham triangle)
• Mansfield, Texas (Dallas suburb)
• Wylie, Texas (Dallas suburb)
• Buckeye, Arizona (Phoenix suburb)
“Compiling the 2009 list was especially interesting as we anticipated the impact of current economic conditions,” said Gadberry Group principal Larry Martin. Headquartered in Little Rock, Gadberry Group provides location intelligence services and data for the world’s top retail brands.
This year’s list averaged household growth of 170 percent from 2000 to 2009, compared to last year’s list average of 267 percent for the same period. Martin noted that, in light of current economic challenges, the 2009 list might well include the most resilient areas featured yet.
Texas appears to be bucking national economic trends, capturing four of this year’s nine slots. Industry research indicates that a comparatively stable housing market is likely a contributing factor.
According to Martin, most researchers agree that Census data has been the standard for understanding the distribution and demographic makeup of the U.S. population. “But Census data is more than nine years old, so changes in demographic characteristics can’t be identified or measured accurately using only Census-based estimates,” he added.
The firm uses proprietary products to employ a statistical ranking system that evaluates the 17,000 Census Places. Selection criteria and ranking methodology include percent change, absolute change and emerging Census blocks (those growing from less than 10 households in Census 2000 to over 100 in 2009). The analysis considers total growth from 2000 to 2009, as well as that from 2008 to 2009. Gadberry also weights the analysis using key demographic variables such as ethnicity, household income, net worth, economic stability, length of residence and age.
“The number-one spot went to Braselton, Georgia, whose impressive household growth was only surpassed by its economic strength,” Martin said. “Braselton topped the list with an average household income increase of 67 percent from 2000 to 2009.”
The Gadberry Group provides location-based services and information data products for clients who demand the most current, accurate and precise household and population data for their site location analysis.