The first set of data from the 2010 Census released yesterday showed that states in the Southwest, home to the majority of Hispanics in the country, experienced some of the highest population growth and gained congressional seats.
The total population in the US as of April 1, 2010, is 308,745,538. The rate of growth in the Southwest outpaced the rest of the nation, which in total grew by 9.7 percent since the last Census count in 2000.
Even though the first set of data did not include numbers on race or ethnicity, it did conclude what many demographic experts have been saying all along, that these states with high numbers of Hispanics would be the scene of the largest growth in population.
Nevada alone saw a 35 percent population increase, which was the highest for any state. This is significant since Latinos played a pivotal role in keeping Democratic Sen. Harry Reid in office.
The fact that Texas gained 4 congressional seats, the most for any state, has been deemed a favorable turn of events for the GOP in the already dominantly red state. The state saw a population growth of 21 percent in total.
Florida was the runner up for most congressional seats gained, with two and a growth in its population by 18 percent.
Arizona, plagued by bad publicity stemming from its anti-immigrant law SB 1070, experienced 9.1 percent growth and gained one seat.
“The results from the U.S. Census confirm that the states with a heavy Hispanic population are the ‘winners’ in terms of the number of house seats gained,” said Joe Kutchera, an expert on demographic trends and author of “Latino Link: Building Brands Online with Hispanic Communities and Content.” “The growth in the U.S. is centered in the South and Southwest, regions that are heavily Hispanic.”
He also added, “And the five most populous states [are] geographic areas that point to the growth of the U.S. coming from the Hispanic population.”
Rosalind Gold, senior director of policy, research and advocacy for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials says that the more data that is released, early next year, will paint a broader picture of Hispanic population trends since 2000.
“Immigration is just one part of the story of the Hispanic population,” said Rosalind Gold, senior director of policy, research and advocacy for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, or NALEO. “We have to see what the 2010 Census shows about their total population, what states they are moving to.”
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