Census: Hispanic population grows in Charlotte area
Census: Hispanic population grows in Charlotte area
CHARLOTTE (AP) – The Hispanic population has in*creased sharply in the Char*lotte area, where some coun*ties report growth as high as 80 percent, according to Cen*sus Bureau estimates re*leased Friday. Mecklenburg County saw its Hispanic population grow by almost 60 percent, or about 26,600 people, between 2000 and 2005, the data showed. The county is home to about 800,000 people and the largest city in North Carolina.
In neighboring Union County, census data shows an 80 percent increase in its His*panic residents, from 7,826 to 14,351 during the same period. Cabarrus County reported a 70 percent increase, from 6,727 to 11,450.
Thegrowth was largely dueto an influx in foreign-born immi*grants. Most of the new resi*dents emigrated from other countries, though some Hispan*ics moved from other U.S.states.
Statewide, more than 553,000 Hispanics lived in North Carolina as of June 2005, the most recent data available showed.
The data does not reflect il*legal immigrants and other people who didn’t fill out cen*sus forms, say Latino ac*tivists. They estimate the re*gion’s Hispanic population to be higher.
The Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center, a nonparti*san research organization, has estimated about 400,000 undocumented workers could live in North Carolina. Be*tween 2000 and 2004, the state’s illegal immigration population grew by 43 per*cent, the center said.
Researchers say the new*comers are attracted to the state by jobs in construction, landscaping and service in*d ustries.
The recent surge also has included more families mov*ing together.
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