Kentucky grows with minority residents

By Marcus Green and Peter Smith, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal
Updated 6m ago |

Kentucky remains a largely white state, but it was minority residents who spurred its population rise in the past decade, 2010 U.S. Census data released Thursday show.

Fayette County, which includes Lexington, pictured, is the state's second largest behind Jefferson County, which includes Louisville.

"It's minorities that are surging the growth of the state's population. Non-Hispanic whites are growing slower than the state (overall) average," said state demographer Michael Price, interim director of the Kentucky State Data Center at the University of Louisville.

Kentucky saw its population climb 7.4% to 4.3 million from slight more than 4 million in 2000. Non-Hispanic whites grew 3.8% and constitute about 86% of the state's total, down from 89% a decade ago.

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The state's Hispanic population grew more than 122%, to 132,836 and now makes up 3.1% of Kentucky's total. The Asian total grew nearly 65% to 48,338, up from 29,368 in 2000.

Non-Hispanic blacks grew 7.7% and remain the state's largest minority population at 333,075.

Jefferson County, the state's largest which includes Louisville, outpaced its growth from the 1990s and added about 47,500 people during the last decade, the data shows.

The increase was fueled largely by surging numbers of Hispanics and Asians, offsetting a continued drop among white residents.

Overall, the county's population totaled 741,096 during 2010 — up nearly 7% from the 2000 Census number of 693,604. The county, which is now designated Metro Louisville, grew slightly more than 4% from 1990 to 2000.

Price said much of the state's growth among minorities is occurring in Louisville.

"Because of that I think it pushed Jefferson County's population higher than what I thought it would be," Price said.

The county's Hispanic population more than doubled to 32,542.

Fayette County, which includes Lexington, grew by 13.5%, to 295,803, to remain the state's second largest.

Oldham County, which is east of Louisville and Jefferson County, saw its population soar 31%.

Counties near Lexington and Cincinnati also posted large gains in residents. Central Kentucky's Scott County grew 43% and Jessamine County grew 24%. Boone County, near Cincinnati, added 32,820 — a 38% increase.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/cen ... nsus_N.htm