The population of Strongsville is still declining, according to the latest estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The 2009 estimate, generated by the American Community Survey between 2005-2009, puts the city's residents at 42,834, which is down from the 2006 estimate of 43,347. That figure was lower than the actual count of 43,858 in the 2000 census.

Over the next few weeks, Strongsville Patch will take a detailed look at the demographics and trends the Census information reveals about the city. But here is an overall picture:

Households -- There are roughly 16,000 households in Strongsville, with an average size of 2.6 people.

Families make up 73 percent of Strongsville households, including married-couple families (65 percent) and other families (8 percent). People living alone make up 23 percent of the community; non-family households account for 3 percent.

In  contrast, married couple families make up only 39 percent of Cuyahoga County's households, 53 percent of neighboring North Royalton's and 45 percent of Berea's.

Nativity -- About 91 percent of the city's residents were born in the United States, with 73 percent born in Ohio. Still, 12 percent reported speaking a language other than English at home, and 30 percent of those people felt they do not speak English very well.

Education -- Of people 25 and older, 95 percent had a high school diploma and 41  percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. Some 15 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

Employment -- The most common occupations of Strongsville residents are management, professional and related occupations (44 percent); sales and office jobs (28 percent) and service occupations (11 percent).

Eighty-four percent of Strongsville workers drive to work alone, 7 percent carpool, 2 percent take public transportation and 3 percent use other means.

Income and poverty -- Median income of households is $78,745; in North Royalton, the income is $61,954. Social Security is received by people in 27 percent of households. An estimated 4 percent of Strongsville residents live in poverty.

Age -- Median age in Strongsville is 42.6. People under 18 make up 25 percent of the population, while those 65 and older account for 15 percent.

Housing -- Of the city's roughly 17,000 housing units, 4 percent are vacant. Single-unit structures comprise 84 percent of the housing units, with 16 percent multi-unit structures. About 34 percent of the housing units were built since 1990.

The median monthly housing costs for homeowners with a mortgage is $1,791. For homeowners without a mortgage, monthly housing costs are $597 and for renters, $730.