World Report: January 31, 2003 Vol.8 No.15
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
A Growing Population
For years, the U.S. Census Bureau has predicted that Hispanics would surpass African Americans as the nation's largest minority. On Tuesday, the Bureau released estimates showing that the Hispanic population grew rapidly between April 2000 and July 2001. The number of Hispanics rose from 35.3 million to 37 million. During that same period, the black population increased from 35.5 million to 36.1 million.
"This is the first time that the Hispanic number surpassed the black number," said Census Bureau analyst Roberto Ramirez.
The term Hispanic does not refer to a race. People of Hispanic heritage can belong to any racial group. They may come from many regions where Spanish is spoken, including Mexico, Spain, countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America.
In the 2000 census, people could identify themselves as more than one race and also check off whether they were Hispanic.
Whites remain the largest single U.S. group, with nearly 70% of the population. Asians, with 4%, make up the fourth-largest group.
