Demographics
Today, Mount Hope remains equally diverse. However, the neighborhood is divided along Camp Street where the area to the south of the line is experiencing some recent deterioration to its housing stock and the area to the north has seen more substantial rehabilitation. Mount Hope maintains a stable supply of lower and middle-income housing. Furthermore, with commercial developments, schools, medical institutions, and churches either within its boundaries or in close proximity, the neighborhood is well endowed with a variety of resources for its residents.
According to the 1990 census, 5,595 people resided in Mount Hope, an increase of 3.4 percent from the 5,413 residents who called Mount Hope home in 1980. Four out of ten residents are African American, 6.2 percent are Hispanic, 5.0 percent are Asian, and 2.5 percent are Native Americans. Three out of four residents of age 25 or older are high school graduates. Four out of ten employed Mount Hope residents worked in professional services, about 16 percent were employed in manufacturing, and about 12 percent worked in the retail trade sector. The unemployment rate in 1990 among Mount Hope residents was slightly higher than the citywide figure (9.5% versus 9.2%).
Median family income in Mount Hope in 1989 was $22,125, more than 20 percent below the citywide median family income. One in four persons had income below the poverty level, according to the 1990 census, nearly one in four families was living below the poverty level, and more than one in three children was poor. The proportion of elderly persons living in poverty in Mount Hope nearly doubled over the past decade, increasing from 20.8 percent in 1980 to 36.1 percent in 1990.
Housing tenure in Mount Hope has remained fairly stable over the past decade, although there was a slight drop in home ownership. The proportion of owner-occupied housing units declined from 26.5 percent in 1980 to 23.6 percent in 1990. About 15 percent of all housing units in Mount Hope are in single-family structures and about one in three housing units are located in buildings with five or more housing units.
Half of all housing units in Mount Hope were constructed more than 40 years ago. Housing value and median rent in Mount Hope are very close to the citywide figures. More than half of all Mount Hope residents moved into their present housing unit within the past five years according to the 1990 census and about one in five residents lived in his or her present home for more than 20 years.