Census Bureau shows Hispanics account for 1/7 of population (moved from ATSNN), page 1

According to the Census Bureau being released June 9, the Hispanic population will account for one in every seven US citizens. This rate will continue to grow due to immigration and birth rates increasing each year. The growth rate since July of 2003 was 3.6 percent. The overall US population growth, however, was only 1 percent.

www.msnbc.msn.com
WASHINGTON - One of every seven people in the United States is Hispanic, a record number that probably will keep rising because of immigration and a birth rate outstripping that of non-Hispanic blacks and whites.

The country’s largest minority group accounted for one-half of the overall population growth of 2.9 million between July 2003 and July 2004, according to a Census Bureau report being released Thursday.

The agency estimated there are 41.3 million Hispanics in the United States. The bureau does not ask people about their legal status; that number is intended to include both legal and other residents.

The population growth for Asians ran a close second. Increases in both groups are due largely to immigration, but also higher birth rates, said Lewis W. Goodman, an American University expert on U.S.-Latin American relations.

“If we didn’t have those elements, we would be moving into a situation like Japan and Europe ... where the populations are graying in a way that is very alarming and endangering their productivity and endangering even their social security systems,” he said.

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This is somewhat alarming considering the census does not specify one way or another the amount of legal or illegal Hispanics in the population. I foresee this issue, the issue of illegal immigration, to be one of the forefront issues in the next presidential campaign. Much more than it has been in the last election.

Related News Links:
www.census.gov
www.censusscope.org
www.joblatino.com
www.infoplease.com

[edit on 9-6-2005 by mpeake]