The population of Missouri Hispanics increased from 61,702 in 1990 to 118,592 in 2000 – an increase of 92.2 percent. A significant feature of the Hispanic population increase is that it occurred throughout the state. All Missouri counties have at least some Hispanic population and the Hispanic population increased in 110 of 115 counties. Although Hispanics only account for 2.2 percent of Missouri’s population, 79 of Missouri’s 115 counties had a 2000 Hispanic population of at least 100.

The uniformity of distribution of the Missouri Hispanic population is much greater than either African American or Asian. All Missouri counties have some Hispanic population but all but 12 have more than 50 Hispanics. By contrast the Missouri African American population is five times greater than the Hispanic population but there were 40 counties in 2000 that had fewer than 50 African Americans; there were 64 Missouri counties that had fewer than 50 Asians in 2000. Relatively the African American and Asian populations are more concentrated into fewer counties than the Hispanics.

Important about the Hispanic population is that it is not a racial group. It is counted by the Census as an ethnic group. Hispanics can report themselves racially as being white, African-American, Asian, American Indian or multi-racial. More than half the Missouri 2000 Hispanic population reported themselves as white; an additional 25 percent reported themselves as being multi-racial. For that reason the tables that follow make comparisons only between Hispanic population change and the rest of the population combined.

Change in the Hispanic Population.

The Hispanic population grew dramatically in a number of Missouri counties. As indicated on the attached maps there were 12 Missouri counties in which the Hispanic population increased by more than 1,000 from 1990 to 2000. Nine counties increased in population from 500 to 999.

The largest concentration of Hispanic population is in Jackson County (Kansas City). Jackson County had the largest Hispanic population in 1990 (18,890) and also had the largest increase from 1990 to 2000 (16,270). Following Jackson was St. Louis County that had a Hispanic population of 9,811 in 1990, which increased to 14,577 in 2000. The other largest urban concentrations are found in St. Louis City -- 5,124 in 1990 to 7,022 in 2000 – an increase of 1,898; Clay County with a 1990 population of 3,539 which increased to 6,594 in 2000; and Greene County with a population of 1,775 in 1990 which increased to 4,434 in 2000, an increase of 150 percent. There were seven additional urban counties that had a Hispanic population of between 2,000 and 4,000 in 2000. These included St. Charles (4,176), Jasper (3,615), Boone (2,413), Platte (2,211), Buchanan (2,086), and Jefferson (2,002). In each of these counties the Hispanic population approximately doubled from 1990 to 2000.

Some of the most dramatic Hispanic population growth occurred in a number of rural counties. These counties are evident from the attached map. The most significant increases from 1990 to 2000 occurred in McDonald County (from 121 to 2,030 – an increase of 1,577 percent); Barry County (from 152 to 1,713 – an increase of 1,027 percent); Sullivan County (from 28 to 634 – an increase of 2,164 percent); Dunklin County (from 169 to 824 – an increase of 387 percent; Jasper County (from 797 to 3,615 – an increase of 353 percent); Lawrence County (from 211 to 1,195 – an increase of 466 percent); Pettis County (from 268 to 1,527 – an increase of 470 percent); Moniteau County (from 46 to 435 – an increase of 845 percent); and Saline County (from 208 to 1,050 – an increase of 404 percent).

These counties have all attracted Hispanic workers during the last part of the 1990s as a result of major meat processing plants located in the county. Hispanic workers have migrated to those counties to take employment in the processing plants.

An exception was Taney County in which the Hispanic population increased from 194 in 1990 to 962 in 2000, a 396 percent change. The attraction in Taney County has been the tremendous employment growth associated with the entertainment industry.

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