The growth of the American Hispanic population is outpacing estimates made prior to the US census according to a new study.
A new report by the Pew Hispanic Center indicated, “The number of Hispanics counted in the 2010 Census has been larger than expected in most states for which the Census Bureau has released detailed population totals so far.”
According to the report, in 33 states alone, the combined Census 2010 data showed 38.7 million Hispanics which was higher by 590,000 people than initially estimated.
On top of the growth, Pew previously released information that showed the unauthorized immigrant population in the US was leveling off. As the economy now begins to turn, that could change as well.
“What we’ve seen historically is that when employment opportunities have increased, we’ve seen increased flows,” Jeffrey S. Passel from the Pew Hispanic Center told CNNI.
The economy, while not dramatically improving, did show growth from 2008 to 2009, and trends indicated the same will be shown into 2010 and 2011 which could mean a greater increase in immigrant populations.