on the ground at the accumulation maximum. The average annual number of growing days is 145 days. The average annual temperature is around . Fruita experiences an average of 300 days of sunshine per year. Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 12,646 people living in the city. The population density was . As of the 2000 census, there were 2,610 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.65% White, 0.37% African American, 1.16% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.45% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.93% of the population. At the 2000 census there were 2,447 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the 2000 census population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males. The median income for a household in the city at the 2000 census was $32,929, and the median income for a family was $38,487. Males had a median income of $31,372 versus $20,752 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,024. About 8.3% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over. Education Fruita is a part of the Mesa County School District No. 51. The city has 5 public schools: Fruita Monument High School, Fruita 8/9 School, Fruita Middle School, Shelledy Elementary School (public), and Rim Rock Elementary School (public). Colorado Mesa University, founded in 1925, is the closest public higher education institution. It is located in the heart of Grand Junction and supports 13 departments and over 400 instructors.