CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS

National Perspective - 1995 - 2025

In 2002:

• Largest “minority” was not a “race”! (Hispanics are an “Ethnic Group” – Language ?).
• 38.8 million Hispanics in 2002; 38.3 million Blacks.
• 50% of U.S. growth from 2000 – 2002 = Hispanic.
• 1/2 of Hispanics say they are “White”, 1.7 million say they are “Black” (Most in NY and FL).
• 3 out of 5 Hispanics born in the US; most live in suburbs of 10 major cities; 1/3 are under the age of 18; 2/3 are from Mexico. Fear of deportation is a big problem.
• Some Black groups are not eager to share power with Hispanics – “They haven’t paid their dues”.
• If Hispanics are not considered a “race” – What about school segregation? OCR protection as a “Protected Class”? What about Pell-Stafford “ Minority College Grants”?

From 1995 to 2025:

• Hispanics and Asians will account for 61% of the U.S. population growth; 44% Hispanic and 17% Asian (Census Brief, 1996).
• California will add 12 million Hispanics and 6 million Asians.
• Texas and Florida will add 8 million more Hispanics.
• Native Americans’ gain will be from 2 million to 3.4 million.
• Minorities will be 50% of the U.S. youth by 2025 and 50% of the entire U.S. population in 2050 (Population Today, April 02).

National Perspective - Census 2000

Population as of 2000: 281 Million

• 211 million “White” (actual 176 Million)
• 35 million “Hispanic”
• 34 million Black
• 10.2 million Asian
• 2.4 million Native American
• 15.3 million “Other”
• 6.8 million 2 or more ‘Races”

Over half of the total population live in only 10 states:  California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey and Georgia

Winners:  

Losers:

What Changes America?

• Births: 3.9 million per year.*
• Deaths: 2.3 million per year.
• Immigrants: 1 million per year.
• People Moving: 43 million per year.

*The “Palm Beach Effect” – Can’t maintain current population size with current birth rate; gets older and smaller.

Blurred ideas in Census 2000

• Race – Choose as many as needed to describe yourself.
• Age – 65 is no longer “old”.
• Family – Wide variety of arrangements, including gay and lesbian parents.
• Metro’s consolidating – ring reversal.

Connecticut Perspective - Census 2000

Population (Growth rate from 1980 to 2000 went from 5.8% to 3.6%)

• 1980 – 3,108,000 ( ranked 23 rd in the U.S.)
• 1990 – 3,287,000 ( ranked 27 th in the U.S.)
• 2000 – 3,406,000 ( ranked 29 th in the U.S.)
  
  • Births: 424,000 - Fertility Rate:67.2% x 1000 females ages 15 – 44 (Compared to Utah at 93.1%, Maine at 49.4%, Vermont at 49.2% and New Hampshire at 50.8%).
  • Deaths: 269,000
  • Immigrants: 73,000
  • Domestic (arrivals from other states):   226,000
  • Percentage over 65:  13.8%
    • Male – 190,000
    • Female – 280,000
  • People per Square Mile: 702
  • Percentage Living in Metro Areas: 95.6%
  • Percentage of High School Graduates: 88.2%(National average: 84.19%)
  • Percentage of College Graduates: 31.6% (National average: 25.6%)
  • Percentage of High School Graduates Attending Colleges in Connecticut: 49% (Compared to 89% in Texas and 81% in Pennsylvania)

  Race:

  • White – 2,780,000
  • Black –- 310,000
  • Native American – 10,000
  • Asian – 82,000
  • Other – 147,000
  • Mixed – 75,000
  • Hispanic – 320,000 (not considered a racial category in Census 2000)

   

  Connecticut Perspective
  Changing Demographics
  Key Points

  Connecticut, a state of 3.5 million people, is the wealthiest state in the nation ($42,435 per capita in 2001). Yet in the difference between white and black student achievement in the National Assessment of Educational Programs, Connecticut ranks third from the bottom. These two facts tell a story – most of the state is doing very well (the white part) while minorities are doing very poorly. The “good” part is supremely good at ignoring the “poor” part, due in part to lack of regular contact.

  CT’s problem is lack of change. The state grew much more slowly than other states, being the 25 th largest in 1980, the 29 th largest in 2002. (Population rank is one determinant of federal funds). Almost 3 million of the population is white; blacks are 346,000 as are “Hispanics” who are not considered as a race in Census 2000, but as an “ethnic group”. Because of this slow growth rate, CT lost one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2000 Census. More losses will follow. (From 1990 – 2000, the U.S. population grew 13.1%; CT grew only 3.6%. Slow growth means an aging population – CT already has almost 14% over 65 while the U.S. is at 12%). In addition, there is a slight “brain drain” – every year 2000 more people with a BA degree leave CT than move in. Massachusetts loses 16,000 a year while Florida gains 40,000 a year. In fact, from 2000 – 2002, 7400 more people left CT than moved in. Why are they leaving?

  CT is about as “citified” as you can get, with 96% of its people living in a Metro area. However, Americans move more than any nation – about 40 million of us move each year. In CT, about 1.6 million people were living in the same residence in 2000 as in 1995; about 1.3 million had moved, with 800,000 in the same county and 261,000 had left the state. Transience is a huge problem, for schools, health care, and community cohesion in general. The poorer the family, the more likely they are to move, especially in the City of Hartford.

  Every year about 12,000 immigrants come to CT from a variety of nations, in 2001, 11,001 from India, 648 from China, 409 from Haiti, 339 from Philippines, 263 from Vietnam, only 177 from Mexico (the largest national immigrant group), 74 from Salvador and 64 from Cuba. 584,000 CT residents do not speak English at home, and 235,000 don’t speak English very well. About half (265,000) speak Spanish at home; 48,000 speak an Asian language. Beware the catch-alls of “Hispanic” and “Asian” – Cubans and Mexicans are as different as Koreans and Native Hawaiians!

  The residents of the City of Hartford were 65% in poverty, while virtually all the children were. 54% of kids in Hartford City schools don’t speak English at home, a quarter of these students change schools every year, only half attended a pre-school program (which are excellent for those who get in) while the school drop-out rate was 30% (the state average was 10%).

  The problems of Connecticut are very heavily concentrated in the cities of Hartford, Bridgeport, and New Haven, more than almost any other state. The ability of the State’s legislature and other leaders to constantly ignore these urgent problems will soon turn around to bite them, as the kids in the cities are very likely to stay in Connecticut, becoming the state’s future workers, parents and leaders. In the Midwest, this is referred to as “eating your seed corn”.