Study Looks at Big Picture of Virginia's Latino Population

Qian Cai, director of the Demographics and Workforce section at the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center, recently published a paper analyzing the U.S. Census Bureau's data on Virginia's Hispanic population. The number of Hispanics living in Virginia has tripled since 1990. Virginia's 460,000 Hispanics make up 6 percent of the Commonwealth's population today.

Hispanics account for between 5 and 10 percent of Hampton Road's population, which is significantly less than the Hispanic population in Northern Virginia and significantly more than most rural parts of the state. Cai had no further data specifically referring to Hampton Roads, but pointed out one pertinent conclusion. Cai's study found that, relative to their presence in Virginia's overall population, Hispanics make up a larger percentage of Virginia's military employees than other racial demographics.

According to Cai's study, the majority of Hispanics living in Virginia are United States citizens. Forty percent of Virginia's Hispanics were classified as immigrants. The U.S. Census does not distinguish between authorized and unauthorized immigrants.

The study projects that the state's Hispanic population will double between 2006 and 2030. This growth will be caused not only by migration to the Commonwealth, but also by natural increase. Hispanic women have more children on average than any other racial and ethnic group, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

The paper can be found online at http://www.coopercenter.org/sitefiles/documents/immigration.pdf

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