A Diverse Nation: Hispanic Community Now Largest Minority Group
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 6/26/2003
The Latino population grew 9.8% between the 2000 Census and July 1, 2002 according to new national population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. This documents an increase from 35.5 million to 38.8 million, confirming previous projections that the nation's Hispanic community would soon become the nation's largest ethnic minority group."This is an important event in this country, an event that we know is the result of the growth of a vibrant and diverse population that is vital to America's future," said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon.
In addition, a separate report profiling the socioeconomic characteristics of the Hispanic population was also released by the Census Bureau, showing both promising and troubling signs. While more than one-quarter of Latinos earned more than $35,000 last year, twice as many non-Hispanic Whites earned at least that amount. Additionally, one in five Latinos is poor, and Hispanic children constitute 30.4% of all children in poverty.
"These data have significant implications for our community. They reflect our growth, both in size and influence. However, they also shed light on areas for investment," noted National Council of La Raza President Raul Yzaguirre.
"Disparities in areas like earnings and poverty highlight the continued importance of collecting data by race and ethnicity," Yzaguirre concluded, "We need this kind of information to genuinely address the issues facing the Hispanic community. The value of these data in telling the story about Latinos compels us to fight efforts to disregard our nation's diversity, for it is one of our greatest strengths."
