[StBernard] Report: L.A., Texas counties most diverse in U.S.

[Westley Annis]

Report: L.A., Texas counties most diverse in U.S.
By Eliott C. McLaughlin
CNN
     
(CNN) -- Debates surrounding immigration and racial issues show that the
face of America is changing every day, and a Thursday census report confirms
it, noting that almost one in 10 U.S. counties is made up predominantly of
minorities.


Los Angeles County led the nation with its populations of Hispanics, whites,
Asians and Native Americans.

 The U.S. Census Bureau report says 302 counties are considered
"majority-minority," based on 2007 estimates.

In terms of sheer numbers, California's Los Angeles County leads the way
with more than 7 million minority residents, about 70.9 percent of its
residents. The county is home to about 4.7 million Hispanics and about 1
million African-Americans.

Los Angeles County led the nation in Hispanic residents, as well as
non-Hispanic white residents (2.9 million), Asians (1.4 million) and Native
Americans (146,500). 

Other counties with more than 1 million minorities include San Bernardino,
California; Orange, California; Riverside, California; Santa Clara,
California; Bronx, New York; Queens, New York; Kings, New York; Harris,
Texas; Bexar; Texas; Dallas, Texas; Harris, Texas; Miami-Dade, Florida; and
Cook, Illinois.

Leading the nation in terms of percentages is Texas' Starr County, situated
on the Mexican border. According to the census report, the county is 98
percent minority and has an estimated population of 61,833, of which 60,169
are Hispanic and 422 are African-American.

Many of the counties boasting hefty minority populations are in border
states like Texas, Arizona and California, said Texas state demographer Karl
Eschbach.

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And although numbers like these make great trivia, Eschbach said they're
also useful in determining which counties most need government support.

"One of the strong interests is that places that tend to have very high
minority populations -- to use that old-fashioned phrase -- are also places
that tend to be relatively poor," he said. "The correlation between racial
concentration and economic need is, unfortunately, very strong."

Often, high Native American, Hispanic and African-American populations
correspond with weak tax bases and low median household incomes, Eschbach
said.

Tax base and income numbers, which the Census Bureau will soon release for
2007, are used to determine where government tax dollars are most needed,
but the population numbers help provide a snapshot of demographic trends in
the United States.

There is a perception that the United States is dominated by European or
Anglo-Saxon cultures, Eschbach said, but "with every passing year, that
becomes less and less so."

It is difficult to tell the exact diversity of a county, Eschbach said. Some
populations are harder to find, others may experience language barriers or
mobility issues, and still more -- namely illegal immigrants -- may be
reluctant to voluntarily participate in government surveys.

Interracial marriages also make categorizing people difficult. For instance,
one in four Hispanics marries a non-Hispanic partner, Eschbach said.

Although numbers like those released Thursday lack pinpoint accuracy, they
do help show how certain pockets of the United States are diversifying.

"Overall numbers don't tell us what's happening," Eschbach said, but with
Thursday's annual snapshot "you can see the future pretty much laid out. You
can see a majority-minority in the future for many parts of the nation."

Other findings in Thursday's report:

. La Paz County, Arizona, had the oldest population, with 32 percent of its
residents age 65 or older.

. Webb County, Texas, had the youngest population, with children under 5
making up 12.8 percent of its population.

. There are 46 majority-Hispanic counties, and all but two of them --
Seward, Kansas, and Bronx, New York -- were in the South or West.

. Cook County, Illinois, had the largest African-American population, with
1.4 million residents.

. Orleans Parish, Louisiana, experienced the largest numerical growth in its
African-American population between 2006 and 2007 (20,800), while
neighboring St. Bernard Parish had the highest percentage increase in that
time period (97.3 percent).

. Claiborne County, Mississippi, had the highest percentage of
African-American residents (84.5 percent). Of 82 majority-black counties,
only St. Louis, Missouri, was not located in the South.

. Honolulu County, Hawaii, had the largest percentage of Asian residents,
with 58.8 percent.

. Shannon County, South Dakota, had the largest percentage of residents who
were Native American (87 percent).

. Magoffin County, Kentucky, is 98.9 percent white, giving it the highest
proportion of "non-Hispanic single-race white" residents in the U.S