Census Data for Wells River
Population ...
The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Wells River a population of 382 people.
The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Wells River a population of 399 people.
The village of Wells River is located in Orange County. The 2010 Census gave Orange County; a population of 28,936 people. This means that Wells River had 1.38% of the county's total population, making it Orange's 18th most populous community.
At the same time, Vermont had a population of 625,741 people, meaning that Wells River had 0.06% of the total population of Vermont - making it the state's 249th most populous community.
Area ...
The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Wells River has a total area of 1.91 square miles [5 km²]. Of this total, 1.88 square miles [4.9 km²] is land, with the balance (1.93%) being water (0.04 square miles [0.1 km²]).
Orange County has a land area of 687 square miles [1,779.4 km²]. At 1.88 square miles [4.9 km²], Wells River has 0.27% of the county's total land area.
- Continue Reading ...
- When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a village like Wells River, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the village.
- Things like population, area and housing for Wells River reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Wells River might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
- Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
- Lat: 44° 9' 20" (or 44.16°)
- Lon: -72° 3' 57" (or -72.07°)
- More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).
Housing Units ...
At the time of the 2010 Census, Wells River had 216 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 399 people, this averages 1.85 people per Housing Unit.
- Continue Reading ...
- The 2010 Census shows Wells River had a land area of 1.88 square miles [4.9 km²]. This translates to 112.9 Housing Units per square mile [43.6 housing units/km²].
- From the Census of 2000: Wells River had 178 Housing Units, a population of 325 people and a land area of 1.95 square miles [5 km²]. This gives a density of 1.83 people per Housing Unit and 91.5 Housing Units per square mile [35.32 housing units/km²].
- Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Wells River and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).
Orange County ...
The community of Wells River<4> is located in Orange County<5>.
The county had a population of 28,936 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 399 people, Wells River represented 1.38% of the county's total.
In addition, where the village of Wells River has a population density of 208.6 people per square mile [80.5 people/km²], Orange County averages 42.12 people per square mile [16.26 people/km²].
For more information, please visit our Census Page for Orange County.
Census-to-Census Observations ...
Introduction ...
When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Wells River, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Wells River. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.
- Continue Reading ...
- Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Wells River or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
- If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.
Location ...
While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Wells River, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Wells River.
- Continue Reading ...
- For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
- Lat: 44.155642° (or 44°9'20" N)
- Lon: -72.065927° (or -72°3'57" W)
- For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
- Lat: 44.153911° (or 44°9'14" N)
- Lon: -72.054263° (or -72°3'15" W)
- The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 3,115 feet to the west<6> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
- The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2378330) to Wells River. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Wells River. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
- Lat: 44.153626° (or 44°9'13" N)
- Lon: -72.061716° (or -72°3'42" W)
- The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 1,324 feet to the northwest<7> of the point given by the GNIS for Wells River. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Wells River.
Miscellaneous Information for Wells River ...
The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Orange County or the village of Wells River:
- The GNIS Codes ...
- The FIPS Codes ...
- An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
- State Code: 50 (Vermont)
- County Code: 017 (Orange County)
- Place Code: 78025 (Wells River)
- State & County Code: 50/017 (Vermont / Orange County)
- State & Place Code: 50/78025 (Vermont / Wells River)
- Misc. Census Codes ...
- Wells River is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #1 (the New England Division).
For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Wells River.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Wells River. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Vermont: https://www.vermont.gov/
The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau
The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)
The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Every year, the US Census Bureau creates a population estimate for the preceeding year. Keep in mind that this value is an estimate and not an actual count. The most recent Census estimate is for the year 2019. |
| <2> | Every 10 years (eg- 1990, 2000, 2010), the US Census Bureau conducts a Constitutionally-mandated count (or enumeration) of people living within the United States. This count is called a Decennial Census. The last Decennial Census was the 2010 Census, with the next one planned for 2020. |
| <3> | A Housing Unit is a broad term for those places where people live (whether occupied or temporarily vacant), such as a house, an apartment, a mobile home, or an area that is considered as a separate living quarter. Separate living quarters (consisting of one or more rooms) are considered to be those places where people live, sleep and eat separately from others and that have access to the outside (either directly or by a shared hallway). |
| <4> | It's a common practice for mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names. So Wells River may originally have been Well's River. Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Wells River might be written as Well River. For more information, please visit our Genealogy Helper Page for Wells River. |
| <5> | If you're interested in how the shape of Vermont's counties, including Orange, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the 2010 Census location is 78 degrees and a distance of 3,115 feet. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the GNIS point is 56 degrees and a distance of 1,324 feet. |