February 15, 2008
Hispanic birth rates explode in Tennessee
CLAUDIA PINTO
STAFF WRITER

The number of Hispanic babies born in Tennessee has increased from 444 in 1990 to 7,885 in 2006, according to state department of health data.

The state does not track whether parents of those babies are in the country legally.

“Go back 15 years and there were almost no Latinos in the South Eastern United States,’’ said Jeff Passel, a demographer with the Pew Hispanic Center. “The growth of the Hispanic population in Tennessee and the South East has been notable.’’

The Hispanic birth rate in Tennessee far outpaces the nation, Hispanic births almost doubled from 1990 to 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Contact Claudia Pinto at 259-8277 or cpinto@tennessean.com
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