Census shows huge increase in Iowa’s Hispanic population

The latest data from the U-S Census shows Iowa’s Hispanic population has increased dramatically in the past 10 years. Iowa’s Hispanic population has grown 152 percent in the past decade. Iowa State University’s Willis Gowdy interprets census data, and expects some people to be surprised by the magnitude of the gain. Buena Vista County — the Storm Lake area — had 160 Hispanic residents register during the 1990 Census. In the 2000 Census, 2560 Hispanics are shown as residents of Buena Vista County. Gowdy says that highlights the new trend shown in the latest Census numbers: specific areas of the state have seen dramatic increases in Hispanic residents.Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority group in the nation. Goudy says attributes the large increase in Hispanic percentages to the low numbers of Hispanics from previous years. About seven percent of Iowans are listed in minority groups. About 4.5 percent of Iowans were listed as minorities in the 1990 Census. Other statistics in the report: the number of African Americans in Iowa increased about 14-thousand in the past decade; the number of Asians increased 12-thousand and the number of American Indians increased 16-hundred.