CLIPBOARD : The Younger Set

The ranks of Orange County’s children--those 17 years old or younger--grew by 12% during the 1980s, according to Census Bureau data. The growth was not uniform, of course. In fact, 11 cities lost a portion of their young people--most notably Villa Park’s 42%.

Which cities are now the “youngest”? That is, which have the largest percentage of their populations under 18 years old? There are 15 cities with percentages higher than or equal to the countywide figure. But Santa Ana, at 30.5%, is the youngest. At the other end of the scale is Seal Beach, with 11.8% of its population under 18.

Here’s a look at how the cities and major unincorporated areas compare:

Population % Change 1990 % City Under 18 Since 1980 Under 18 Aliso Viejo 1,575 N/A 20.6 Anaheim 68,995 +19 25.9 Brea 7,625 * 23.2 Buena Park 18,271 -1 26.6 Costa Mesa 18,823 +5 19.5 Coto de Caza 861 N/A 30.2 Cypress 10,706 -17 25.1 Dana Point 6,391 +183 20.0 El Toro 16,508 +31 26.3 El Toro Station 2,052 +2 29.9 Fountain Valley 12,716 -32 23.7 Fullerton 25,793 +4 22.6 Garden Grove 37,614 +8 26.3 Huntington Beach 38,070 -20 20.9 Irvine 26,901 +52 24.4 Laguna Beach 3,100 +4 13.4 Laguna Niguel 10,600 +232 23.9 Laguna Hills 7,455 +74 15.9 La Habra 12,917 +8 25.2 La Palma 3,860 -26 25.1 Los Alamitos 2,771 -9 23.7 Mission Viejo 20,147 +18 27.7 Newport Beach 8,869 -17 13.3 Orange 26,957 +4 24.4 Placentia 10,589 -8 25.7 Portola Hills 768 N/A 28.7 Rancho Santa Margarita 2,976 N/A 26.1 Rossmoor 2,039 -16 20.6 San Clemente 8,720 +61 21.2 San Juan Capistrano 6,930 +31 26.5 Santa Ana 89,502 +44 30.5 Seal Beach 2,973 -19 11.8 Stanton 7,950 +21 26.1 Trabuco Highlands 1,069 N/A 33.5 Tustin 12,138 +62 23.9 Tustin Foothills 5,516 -29 22.6 Villa Park 1,492 -42 23.7 Westminster 19,681 -5 25.2 Yorba Linda 15,611 +62 29.8 COUNTY TOTAL ** 589,303 +12 24.4

* Less than 1% ** Includes unincorporated areas not listed separately N/A Comparative data not available Source: U.S. Census Bureau