Latinos are now the largest group in The San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is now a solidly majority-minority region - one in which Latinos increasingly represent the largest ethnic group, figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau show.
In an announcement Wednesday morning that updated county-by-county reports on the age, sex, racial and ethnic makeup of communities nationwide, the bureau said six counties across the country - including Stanislaus - became majority-minority in 2008. Minorities already made up more than half of the population in San Joaquin, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties.
Regional demographics can reveal social and economic trends and help policymakers plan for future needs. Locally, the figures depict a young and growing Latino population, one for which agencies already have adapted services but also one that some advocates say hasn’t received adequate attention.
In San Joaquin County, whites account for about 39 percent of residents. In 2000, they represented 48 percent of the population. read more
The growth in the state’s Latino population is primarily due to births, many of them to immigrant parents, according to David Hayes-Bautista