Asian, Latino Numbers Soar in U.S. Census

More than half of the nation’s population growth during the last decade was a result of dramatic increases in the Asian and Latino populations, according to the first 1990 Census figures to offer a view of the nation’s changing ethnic composition.

While the Asian population more than doubled and the Latino population grew by more than 50%, the white population declined by almost 3% as a percentage of the whole, according to the figures released Sunday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Meanwhile, the American Indian population grew by nearly 38% and the black population grew by just over 13%.

Of the nation’s total population of 248,709,873, 80.3% is white. That is down from 83.1% in 1980, although the actual number of whites has grown by more than 11 million. At the same time, the black population is 12.1%, up from 11.7% in 1980; the Latino population has grown from 6.4% to 9%; and the Asian population has increased from 1.5% to 2.9%. The American Indian population has grown from 0.6% to 0.8%.

The historic surge in Asian and Latino growth, which began in the 1970s, was most dramatic in California.

Nationwide, such a phenomenal growth in immigrant population has taken place only once before, during the first 10 years of the century when the tide of immigrants came from Europe and settled mainly in the eastern United States.

While the Sun Belt has been the port of entry for most Asian and Latino immigrants, the 1980s saw these groups fan out across the country. Rhode Island’s Asian population grew by 245%, New Hampshire’s by 219%, and Georgia’s by 208%. Meanwhile, Latino growth exceeded 100% in Rhode Island, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Virginia.

Measured in sheer numbers of people, however, California led the nation in the growth of Latinos and Asians. The state’s Asian population grew by 1.5 million people, or 127%, compared to 107% nationally. California’s Latino population expanded by 3.1 million people, or just over 69%, compared to 53% in the nation.

Overall, the nation’s population grew by 22.2 million, according to the census. More that 11 million of those people are Latinos and Asians. Of that 11.5 million, 4.7 million live in California.

During the same decade, California’s black population grew by about 389,500, or 21.4% compared to a national growth rate of 13.2%.

Just over 34% of the nation’s Latino population now lives in California and slightly more then 39% of the nation’s Asians live here. Almost 70% of the Latino population in the United States is now divided among four states--California, Texas, Florida and New York.

Oklahoma, the site of forced resettlement of several tribes during the 19th Century, continues to have the largest American Indian population. The second largest concentration of Indians is in California, as it was in 1980.

The Census Bureau’s tabulation of Latinos includes people of all races who are also of Hispanic origin. Therefore, there is some duplication of people of other races in the Latino category.

Demographers attribute the increase in the Indian population to a growing number of people with some degree of Indian ancestry to identify themselves as Indian instead of identifying themselves as white or as part of another ethnic group.

The census figures also show that the Latino population is catching up with the black population. In 1980 there were 26.5 million black people and 14.6 million Latinos. Today there are just under 30 million blacks and 22.3 million Latinos.

Overall population growth was greatest in Nevada (50.1%), followed by Alaska (36.9%), South Carolina (34.8%), Florida (32.7%) and California (25.7%).

In percentage terms New Mexico has the largest share of Latinos, 38.2%, of any state. California is second with 25.8% and Arizona is third, with Latinos making up just under 19% of the state population.

Hawaii has the largest Asian population in percentage terms, 61.8%, while California is second, with Asians constituting 9.6%. The state of Washington has the third highest Asian percentage, 4.3%.

The District of Columbia has a black population of 65.8%. Among states, Mississippi has the highest concentration of black residents, with 35.6%, followed by Louisiana with 30.8% and South Carolina with 29.8%.

Thirteen states have fewer white people in 1990 then they did in 1980. The biggest losers are New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, West Virginia and Ohio.

One state, West Virginia, lost black population. Even though the District of Columbia retains the largest black population in percentage terms, it too lost black population.

Seven states--Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana--lost Latino population during the decade.

Asian population declined in none of the states.