This morning I received a press release from the Pew Hispanic Center, confirming an important finding. The number of Hispanics counted in the 2010 United States census is larger than expected in several states. The data have not yet been released for every state.
You may obtain the report HERE.
The greatest differences between the population estimates and actual counts are found in the states that have had relatively small Hispanic populations. The following is taken from today’s press release:
The Census Bureau has released 2010 Census counts of Hispanics in 33 states; they accounted for the majority-58%-of population growth over the decade in those states. Those states’ combined Census 2010 total of 38.7 million Hispanics was higher by 590,000 people (or 1.5%) than the bureau’s own estimates for those states. Census counts for Hispanics in the remaining states will be released by the end of March.
In 23 of the 33 states, census counts were higher than the latest census estimates of Hispanics by at least 2%. In three states, the count was at least 2% lower than the census estimate. In the remaining seven states, the difference was less than 2% in either direction. By comparison, the difference between census estimates and the 2010 Census count for the total population in these 33 states was well under 1% (.2%).
According to the report, the states with the largest differences between census counts and population estimates–where the counts were higher than the estimates–were Alabama, Louisiana, and Kansas. The states with the largest differences between census counts and population estimates–where the counts were lower than the estimates–were Colorado, Vermont, and Arizona.
Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, and Texas each have over one million Hispanic residents. Collectively, 31% of the population of these states is Hispanic, for a total of 30 million Hispanics.
Do you see the Great Commission opportunity set before us? What are you and your church doing to help equip and partner with Hispanics in reaching other Hispanics here and across the world? Are you and your church working to plant churches among the Hispanic peoples in your communities? It is well-known in some circles that certain Hispanic peoples are able to minister more effectively–than most Anglos–among nationals in the Middle East and North Africa. What can you and your church do to reach, equip, partner, and send Hispanics across the world?
If you are a leader in your network, district, or denomination, what strategic directions are you taking in light of the growth of the Hispanic population in the United States? How does this growth affect your future missionary labors?