The population and racial composition of West Haven have changed dramatically in recent decades. While the city's white population has remained relatively constant, the number of minorities has increased substantially. Minorities make up nearly half the population today, compared to less than one-third of the city's total population in 2000. In addition, white residents are decreasing, and minorities are increasingly moving into low-income areas.
The southwestern area of West Haven is largely residential, with single-family detached houses surrounded by open space along the shore. While the rest of the city is a mixture of commercial and residential areas, it does have its share of wealthy residents. Though some local residents have complained of the overcrowding in commercial areas, this issue is not directly related to the number of residents or the area's affordability.
According to the 2010 Census, there were roughly 10,500 people living in West Haven, and 90.2% of them were U.S. citizens. The University of New Haven and Stone Academy-West Haven will award more than 1,900 degrees in 2020. As of 2012, most residents in West Haven commuted alone and took 22.4 minutes to get to work. The city has a total area of 10.2 square miles.
Detailed demographic information about the city is available in the census, such as the number of children under the age of 18. While 79.1% of households were headed by married couples, 6.1% were headed by a woman without a husband, and 9.5% of households were made up of single individuals. And finally, 3.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. The median age of residents was 28 years old, with a male-to-female ratio of 103.7.