The Census Bureau is set to release its final figures from the 2010 count this afternoon that show Hispanics accounted for more than half of the nation’s population growth in the last decade.
The number of Hispanics in the country shot up to more than 50 million. This means that 1 in 6 Americans is a Hispanic or Latino.
“This really is a transformational decade for the nation,” William H. Frey, a demographer at Brookings Institution, said.
The states that saw the highest growth in Latino numbers were in the South, in areas that have not previously been known for large numbers of Hispanics. States such as Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee saw the number of Latinos there double.
“This was a pivot decade,” Frey added. “We’re pivoting from a white-black-dominated American population to one that is multiracial and multicultural.”
The Asian population also experienced significant growth reaching into the double digits and grew at a higher rate than the African American population, though this group still accounts for a higher portion of the total population at about 12 percent. Asians make up 5 percent of the population.
“The futures of most metropolitan areas in the country are contingent on how attractive they are to Hispanic and Asian populations,” John Logan, a Brown University sociologist who has analyzed most of the census figures, said.
He believes that non-Hispanic whites and blacks are getting older as a group and are “tending to fade out.”
The total number of whites is now hovering around 64 percent of the total population, down from 69 percent in the last decade.
More detailed information on the ethnic and racial makeup of the country will be released as the final census numbers become available. The data will also have important implications on redistricting within states.
The Latino native roots are returning to America!The gringo cannot deport /kill us all.We are here to stay.Que viva los Latinos!