Missouri and the Nation Change in Hispanic Population of Missouri and the U.S. During the 1990s Hispanic people comprised the most rapidly growing minority population in the U.S. during the 1990s. Hispanics (often referred to by themselves or others as Latinos) are counted and reported in the U.S. population Census as a minority - but an ethnic rather than racial minority. Some Hispanic people may also be included as a racial minority. About 50 percent of U.S. Hispanics report themselves, and therefore are reported in the Census, as members of the white race. The remainder report themselves in any one of several different racial categories including African American, Indian, multiracial, etc. The size of the Hispanic population increased in all states during the 1990s. In all but three states the Hispanic population increased by more than 30 percent. In 25 states the Hispanic population more than doubled. In three states, North Carolina, Georgia and Arkansas the population more than quadrupled. There were seven states in 2000 in which the Hispanic population was greater than one million Table 1. The largest population was in California with 10.97 million, followed by Texas with 6.67 million, New York with 2.87 million, Florida with 2.68 million, Illinois with 1.53 million, Arizona with 1.30 million and New Jersey with 1.12 million. In contrast, there were only four states having a Hispanic population of greater than a million in 1990 Table 2. There were an additional 16 states in 2000 having a Hispanic population of between 200,000 and 1 million. Again, as an indicator of the magnitude of growth, there were only nine states in 1990 having a Hispanic population of between 200,000 and a million. Map 1 click map for larger version Map 1 and Table 3 show that Hispanics (Latinos) account for more than 25 percent of the population in four states - California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In six additional states the Hispanic population accounts for between 10 and 25 percent of state population. Beyond those ten most heavily populated states, there were 31 additional states in 2000 in which Hispanics accounted for more than 2 percent of state population. Missouri and Its Neighbors The Missouri Hispanic population was 60,429 in 1990 and increased to 118,592 in 2000 - an increase of 58,163 - the 32nd largest increase nationally (Table 4). That was a 96.3 percent increase, the 25th greatest in the U.S. (Table 5) Although Hispanic population increased from 1.2 percent of Missouri population in 1990 to 2.1 percent in 2000, that was a relative decline nationally. In 1990 Missouri ranked 36th nationally in Hispanic population as percent of state population but declined to a rank of 40th in 2000. Of Missouri's eight neighboring states, six had both a numerical and percentage increase in Hispanic population greater than Missouri during the 1990s. Following are the states in order of their Hispanic population increase.   Numerical Increase Percentage Increase Illinois 651,580 74.2 percent Kansas 97,963 108.5 percent Oklahoma 95,650 114.3 percent Tennessee 92,763 298.5 percent Arkansas 67,280 343.5 percent Nebraska 59,332 169.1 percent Missouri 58,163 96.3 percent Iowa 51,831 169.2 percent Kentucky 39,576 194.4 percent Illinois had the nation's 5th largest increase in Hispanic population during the 1990s. That population is overwhelmingly concentrated in the Chicago area. Chicago has become one of the largest and most rapidly growing concentrations of urban Hispanic population. Tennessee and Kentucky have had robust economic growth during the 1990s as discussed in the State of the State sections on population and employment growth in those states. The magnitude of employment growth played a role in attracting Hispanic and other populations to those states. Hispanic population has been increasing in agricultural states in the Midwest and Plains states for the past decade or more. Especially significant has been the expansion of agricultural processing plants. That has been the dominant factor in attracting Hispanic populations to Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. Detailed Tables Hispanic Population, 2000, for All U.S. States HTML PDF Hispanic Population, 1990, for All U.S. States HTML PDF Hispanic Population as a Percent of Total, 2000, for All U.S. States HTML PDF Hispanic Population as a Percent of Total, 1990, for All U.S. States HTML PDF Change in Hispanic Population, 1990-2000, for All U.S. States    HTML PDF Percent Change in Hispanic Population, 1990-2000, for All U.S. States    HTML PDF