Population in Palisades
We know that the population of Palisades was 14 people in 1700. Today it is close to 1300. During the intervening years there is less certainty. In the 18th, 19th, and part of the 20th century, US census figures were obtained from a census taker who wrote down the results in his own handwriting. These census takers sometimes made mistakes. New York State also conducted a census, and occasionally, for a special reason like a petition for incorporation, the population was counted independently from the census. Below are the population figures that have come down to us, some obviously more reliable than others. During the missing years our population was either not sampled or it was done so poorly, as in 1900 and in 1920, that it cannot be determined.
1860 — 412, according to the US census
1905 — 458, according to the NYS census
1910 — 330, according to the US census
1925 — 380, according to the NYS census
1930 — 334, according to the US census
The preceding figures were derived by manually counting the names in the handwritten census reports. Those are not available between 1930 and 2000, but the totals have been reported in various publications and are as follows:
1960 — 1170, according to the US census, reported in a news story
1970 — 711, according to the Rockland County Planning Department.
1976 — 1276, again according to the Rockland County Planning Department
1985 — 1285, according to the petition for Palisades incorporation of that year
1990 — 1266, according to a figure listed in a report from the Palisades library
What follows is the official result of the 2000 census for Palisades. It lists 457 housing units, but Bernie says that there are now 490, so the population is low. Some people were not counted.
Zip Code Tabulation Area 10964: Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights:
| General Characteristics | Number | Percent | U.S. |
| Total population | 1,282 | ||
| Male | 630 | 49.1 | 49.1% |
| Female | 652 | 50.9 | 50.9% |
| Median age (years) | 41.2 | (X) 35.3 | |
| Under 5 years | 94 | 7.3 | 6.8% |
| 18 years and over | 937 | 73.1 | 74.3% |
| 65 years and over | 161 | 12.6 | 12.4% |
| One race | 1,269 | 99.0 | 97.2% |
| White | 1,087 | 84.8 | 75.1% |
| Black or African American | 13 | 1.0 | 12.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1 | 0.1 | 0.9% |
| Asian | 153 | 11.9 | 3.6% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1% |
| Some other race | 15 | 1.2 | 5.5% |
| Two or more races | 13 | 1.0 | 2.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 46 | 3.6 | 12.5% |
| Household population | 1,274 | 99.4 | 97.2% |
| Group quarters population | 8 | 0.6 | 2.8% |
| Average household size | 2.96 | (X) | 2.59 |
| Average family size | 3.28 | (X) | 3.14 |
| Total housing units | 457 | ||
| Occupied housing units | 431 | 94.3 | 91.0% |
| Owner-occupied housing units | 398 | 92.3 | 66.2% |
| Renter-occupied housing units | 33 | 71 | 33.8% |
| Vacant housing units | 26 | 5.7 | 9.0% |
| Social Characteristics | Number | Percent | U.S. |
| Population 25 years and over | 964 | ||
| High school graduate or higher | 930 | 96.5 | 80.4% |
| Bachelors degree or higher | 561 | 58.2 | 24.4% |
| Civilian veterans (civilian population 18 years and over) | 94 | 9.4 | 12.7% |
| Disability status (population 5 years and over) | 150 | 12.7 | 19.3% |
| Foreign born | 139 | 10.8 | 11.1% |
| Male, Now married, except separated (population 15 years and over) | 353 | 73.2 | 56.7% |
| Female, Now married, except separated (population 15 years and over) | 321 | 60.8 | 52.1% |
| Speak a language other than English at home (population 5 years and over) | 157 | 13.3 | 17.9% |
| Economic Characteristics | Number | Percent | U.S. |
| In labor force (population 16 years and over) | 637 | 63.1 | 63.9% |
| Mean travel time to work in minutes (workers 16 years and older) | 28.0 | (X) | 25.5 |
| Median household income in 1999 (dollars) | 86,592 | (X) | 41,994 |
| Median family income in 1999 (dollars) | 107,847 | (X) | 50,046 |
| Per capita income in 1999 (dollars) | 56,696 | N | 21,587 |
| Families below poverty level | 9 | 2.5 | 9.2% |
| Individuals below poverty level | 56 | 4.3 | 12.4% |
| Housing Characteristics | Number | Percent | U.S. |
| Single-family owner-occupied homes | 386 | ||
| Median value (dollars) | 360,200 | (X) | 119,600 |
| Median of selected monthly owner costs | (X) | (X) | |
| With a mortgage (dollars) | 2,344 | (X) | 1,088 |
| Not mortgaged (dollars) | 809 | (X) | 295 |
(X) Not applicable.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Summary File 1 (SF 1) and Summary File 3 (SF 3)