There’s been a 74 percent increase in Iowa’s Hispanic population thisdecade. The Census Bureau estimates 57-thousand Hispanics lived in Iowa in1998, but Iowa State University sociologist Sandy Burke analyzespopulation figures and believes there are many more Hispanic residents inIowa. As an example, Burke says the Census Bureau estimates there weretwo-hundred-59 Hispanic residents in Buena Vista County in 1998, but schoolenrollment lists show almost 500 Hispanic children were attending school inthe Storm Lake area.And even with dramatic growth this decade in Iowa’s minority populations –including a 17 percent increase in African-Americans — only four otherstates have a higher-proportion of white residents. Overall, Iowa’spopulation climbed about three percent this decade, a figure consideredstagnant when compared to other states.
Iowa's Radio News Network
