Census Sees Latino Gain in County

Following a statewide trend, Ventura County’s Latino and Asian populations posted large gains this decade while the number of white residents declined, according to a U.S. Census report released today.

The county has added 62,340 Latinos since 1990, a 35% increase and the largest numerical gain of any ethnicity. Latinos composed one-third of the county’s 731,967 residents in 1998, according to the report’s projections.

The Asian population grew at an even faster rate, jumping 39% to 49,830. White residents, who make up 58% of the population, are slowly losing majority status, declining 3% to 427,830 during the first eight years of the decade.

“Overall, this shows a pattern similar to what we have seen over the last two decades: The white population is dropping in terms of percentage as minority groups grow,” said Steve Wood, a county demographer. “And it looks like that trend is going to continue.”

Although the number of blacks and American Indians living here has increased, their proportion of the population has not changed significantly since 1990. Blacks remain about 2% of the population and Indians less than 1%.

Two-thirds of the county’s 9% growth rate over the decade is a result of births rather than migration, Wood said. The ethnic shift reflects the fact that Ventura County Latinos had children at twice the rate of whites during the last decade. In 1996, in fact, Latinos had more babies than whites--the first time in county history.

But the county’s attractiveness as a place to set down roots also plays a factor in population growth. Substantial numbers of both Latino and Asian immigrants moved to Ventura County this decade, in part to escape urban problems, Wood said.

“Most immigration comes to Los Angeles County first and then disperses out to the surrounding counties,” especially as the immigrants become more successful, he said.

Harder to explain is the apparent drop in the number of white residents, analysts said. Last year, there were 13,450 fewer whites living here than in 1990.

Wood said the recession of the early ‘90s prompted many residents to move to other states in search of employment. Many of those who left were whites holding good-paying defense industry jobs that were eliminated, Wood said.

However, the U.S. Census numbers conflict with state estimates. A July 1998 survey said the number of whites actually increased--by 2%, or 9,000 residents--during the decade.

Both surveys are projections, based on birthrates, driver’s license records and other indicators.

A more precise count will take place next spring when the federal government conducts its once-a-decade census. Community advocacy groups are planning campaigns to make sure every resident is counted.

“We as a community are looking for an accurate census count next year,” said Francisco Dominguez, executive director of El Concilio, an Oxnard-based Latino advocacy group. “When the census says Latinos make up one-third of the county’s population, people take that seriously.”

Latinos were undercounted in the 1990 census, Dominguez believes, because the numbers did not reflect that several families sometimes live in one home. El Concilio plans to hold meetings and print brochures instructing Latino residents how to fill out the the census questionnaires correctly, he said.

Ventura County’s numbers are nearly identical to growth trends across California. Since the 1990 census, California’s Latino population increased by 2.4 million, the largest increase of any state. Latinos make up 31% of the state’s 32 million residents, with whites holding a slim majority at 50.5%.

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Census Estimates

U.S. Census estimates of population growth by ethnicity in Ventura County as of July 1998.

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Population % change from 1990 County: 731,967* 9% White 427,830 -3% Latino 239,292 35% Asian 49,830 39% Black 17,821 10% American Indian: 6,368 9%

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*Totals vary due to overlap in reported ethnicities.

Source: U.S. Census