An Overview of Changes in Race of Missouri's Population 2000
According to the 2000 Census, 84.9 percent of Missouri's 2000 population reported themselves as members of the "white" race; the remaining 15.1 percent reported themselves as members of another race. That is a significant change from 1990 when 87.7 percent of Missouri's population reported themselves as members of the white race leaving 12.3 percent of the population reporting to be members of a race other than white.
Table 1
This change in the racial distribution of Missouri's population occurred for a couple of reasons. One contributing factor was the addition of another category of race on the 2000 Census Form. For the first time in 2000 persons completing the Census were given the option of reporting themselves as "multi-racial". As indicated on Table 1 there were 82,061 Census respondents who reported themselves as multi-racial. Since that option was not available to Missourians completing the 1990 Census many may have reported themselves as "white" or one of the other racial categories in Table 1. It is possible also that a large proportion of the 82,061 who reported themselves as multi-racial was people who moved to Missouri during the 1990s. Another reason for the increased proportion of racial minorities in Missouri's 2000 population is the difference in growth rate. The population of racial minorities grew more rapidly than the white population during the 1990s. As shown on Table 1 the Missouri white population increased by 261,855 during the 1990s (an increase of 5.8 percent). On the other hand the population of racial minorities increased from 630,845 in 1990 to 847,128 in 2000- an increase of 216,283 (34.3 percent increase). The 82,061 who reported themselves as multi-racial in 2000 however inflate that increase. Nevertheless if the 82,061 reporting themselves in multi-racial category are not included in the comparison, the size of the population reporting themselves in one of the four racial minority categories available for response in both 1990 and 2000 increased by 134,222 (an increase of 21.3 percent).
Rate of Population Change Among Different Racial Minorities
Among the racial categories included in Table 1, the greatest rate of population increase during the 1990s occurred among those who reported themselves as being of "other races". The population in that category more than doubled during the 1990s - an increase of 112.9 percent. Hispanics were an important contributor to the increase in that category. The Missouri Hispanic population increased by 56,890 during the 1990s, and 34.2 percent of Hispanics reported themselves in the "other" race category. This would mean (56,890 x 34.2 percent = 19,456) that most of the increase in the "other" race category (24,302) was accounted for by Hispanics.
The second greatest rate of increase occurred among those reporting themselves as Asian and/or Pacific Islander. That racial minority population increased by 23,496 during the 1990s - an increase of 56.9 percent.
Although the American Indian population in Missouri is very small, that population increased from 19,800 in 1990 to 25,076 in 2000 - an increase of 26.4 percent.
The slowest rate of growth in population among the racial minorities was the African-American population. That is by far the largest racial minority population in Missouri (629,000 in 2000) the rate of population increase was modest. The African American population increased from 548,000 in 1990 to 629,000 in 2000 - an increase of 14.8 percent
The 1990s were a decade of significant international immigration throughout the United States and Missouri was no exception. Both the United States and Missouri became more racially and ethnically diverse during the 1990s. The following sections of the profile report changes in the population of the various racial minorities for Missouri counties and regions.
This file last modified Friday May 08, 2009, 14:07:43
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