From the year 2000 to 2010, the Ulster County population, as determined by the US Census Bureau, increased from 177,749 to 182,493, a 2.7% increase.  That was a slightly larger increase than for all of New York State, where the increase was 2.1%.  From the year 2000 to 2010, 10 of the towns and the one city had an increase in population, and 10 of the towns had a decrease in population.

From the year 2000 to 2010, the number of housing units in Ulster County increased from 77,646 to 83,638, a 7.7% increase.  All of the 20 towns and the one city in Ulster County had an increase in the number of housing units.

If you look at the chart that accompanies this article, you will see that in 19 of the 20 towns and one city that make up Ulster County, the percentage increase in housing units was larger than the percentage increase in population.  Only in New Paltz and Shawangunk, did the population increase at a higher rate than did the number of housing units.  For New Paltz, the probable reason for this difference is that students are counted in the Census as Ulster County residents, and the number of students attending SUNY New Paltz has increased over the past 10 years.

You may be wondering why the number of housing units increased 5% more than the population increased, which resulted in the number of persons per housing unit in Ulster County decreasing from 2.29 to 2.18.

I suspect that one of the reasons the number of persons per housing unit has decreased is that the birth rate has been decreasing.  I think the main reason for the increase is that many more people are living in Ulster County on a part-time basis.  Ulster County has become a prime location for weekend homes, and the occupants of these homes are not counted in the population statistics, as their primary residence is out of county.  As the birth rate continues to decline, and the number of part-time residents increases, there will continue to be a higher increase in the number of housing units compared to the growth of the population.