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County population grew to 181,269 in decade By Jonel Aleccia Jackson County was among the 10 fastest growing counties in Oregon during the last decade, fueled in part by Hispanic and black populations that have more than doubled since 1990, according to U.S. Census data released Wednesday. The county�s population grew by nearly 24 percent, to 181,269 residents in 2000, up from 146,389 in 1990, federal census figures showed. The region grew more diverse as well, with 12,126 people who classified themselves as Hispanics, more than double the number who identified themselves as white Hispanics in 1990. Oregon numbers The Associated Press Oregon 2000 census figures at a glance: Total population: 3.42 million Population, followed by percent: White: 2.96 million, 86 percent Black: 55,662, 1.6 percent Native American: 45,211, 1.3 percent Asian: 101,350, 3 percent Pacific Islander: 7,976, 0.2 percent Other: 144,832, 4.2 percent Biracial: 97,551, 2.8 percent Multiracial: 104,745, 3 percent TOTAL: Hispanic population: 275,314, 8 percent Non-Hispanic population: 3.14 million, 92 percent Voting age population: 2.57 million, 75 percent Under 18 population: 846,526, 25 percent The number of African-Americans doubled to 724 in 2000, up from 360 in 1990. Meanwhile, the number of Asians rose only slightly, increasing to 1,631 in 2000, up from 1,477. "I think that the community of Jackson County is becoming more open-minded about including more people," said Dagoberto Morales, director of UNETE, a Medford advocacy group for farmworkers. "There are more bilingual workers in restaurants and stores. There are more bilingual signs here. People are starting to look more at other cultures." Jackson County�s growth in percentage and in diversity reflected similar trends statewide, figures showed. Overall, Oregon�s population jumped by 20 percent, with surges in the number of Hispanics, Asians and blacks. The federal figures, unadjusted for sampling error, made comparing some categories difficult because some racial groupings differed in 1990 and 2000. People of Spanish-speaking ancestry are considered an ethnic group, not a race. In 1990, many classified themselves as white Hispanics; in 2000 they could classify themselves as Hispanics of any race: white, black, Indian or multiracial. Jackson County ranked ninth in population percentage increase among Oregon�s 36 counties, reflecting a steady, stable growth, said Commissioner Jack Walker. "We have to consider ourselves very fortunate that we have managed that growth as well as we have," Walker said Wednesday. "This is a county that had stability based on a timber industry deviating to a medical economy. We�ve done well." By contrast, the state�s fastest-growing county, Deschutes, grew by nearly 54 percent; tiny Grant County grew by just over 1 percent. Neighboring Josephine County grew by nearly 21 percent, while nearby Klamath County grew by about half that rate. Overall, Oregon population grew by 20 percent during the last decade, to 3.42 million people compared with 2.84 million people in 1990, just as demographers at Portland State University had predicted. "We were right on the money," said demographer George Hough. Statewide, the Hispanic population more than doubled, figures showed, growing to more than 275,000 people who identified themselves as Hispanics, up from nearly 105,000 white Hispanics in 1990. The Asian population did not grow as fast as the Hispanic, but it surged at more than twice the rate of the general population. The growth in the number of blacks statewide did not quite keep pace with the overall increase, and the number of American Indians grew half as fast the general population. The 1990 census lumped Pacific Islanders with Asians, giving the state more than 71,000 with that ancestry. In 2000, Asians were a separate category numbering more than 101,000 in Oregon, roughly a 40 percent increase when the relatively small number of Pacific Islanders are separated. The other major racial group, blacks, increased to 56,000 statewide in 2000. That amounted to a just over 17 percent increase. As in the past, whites are the overwhelming majority, accounting for more than nine of 10 Oregonians. But there�s no denying diversity is increasing, noted Connie Saldana, a board member of the local Multicultural Association of Southern Oregon. "I�m aware of Russians moving into our area and some Asians, some Vietnamese people," she said. "Students come in to our schools speaking Korean and Chinese, not just Spanish." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.