State's Latino population increases 74% in 10 years
Wisconsin experienced a modest population growth of 6% over the last decade that was driven largely by a 74% increase in the Latino population, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Thursday.
And for the first time in the city of Milwaukee, blacks now outnumber whites, and minorities outnumber whites by roughly 2 to 1. Milwaukee first became a majority-minority city in the 2000 census.
The figures, which reflected population trends from 2000 to 2010, also showed that Wisconsin will retain its eight congressional seats. The state lost one congressional seat after the 2000 census.
Unlike some other Midwest cities, such as Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, which experienced losses from 7% to 17%, Milwaukee's population declined by less than 1%, to 594,833 from 596,974 in 2000. That shows "remarkable stability" in the last 10 years, Mayor Tom Barrett said at a news conference Thursday.
"In many cities, economic forces including job losses and foreclosures have led to significant drops in the number of residents," Barrett said. "Milwaukee has faced similar problems yet maintained population."
The city's growth was also largely attributable to the growth in the Hispanic population, which for the first time grew to more than 100,000, an increase of almost 44% in the last 10 years, Barrett said.
The figures show blacks make up 39% of Milwaukee's population, whites 37% and Hispanics 17.3%, said William Frey, a demographer for the Brookings Institution.
Along with the growth in Latinos, Milwaukee also saw a modest increase in its African-American population, unlike other Midwest cities that are losing blacks, Frey said.
After decades of population decline, the city population has basically stabilized over the past 10 years as a result of major growth in the Hispanic population and the continuing, though modest, growth in the African-American population, which balances off the declining white population, said Margo Anderson, professor of history and urban studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
While Milwaukee has stabilized, the new figures show that robust growth continues in Waukesha County, immediately west of Milwaukee, jumping 8.1% in the past 10 years, putting it among the top five fastest-growing counties in the state.
While its population is still less than half of Milwaukee County, Waukesha County has had steadily grown in recent decades.
The census figures also show that:
• Dane county added more new residents in the last 10 years than any other Wisconsin county, growing by 14%.
• Twenty rural counties lost population during the last decade, experiencing more deaths than births, according to Richelle Winkler, a demographer and associate director of the Applied Population Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Madison grew faster than any other city in the state, increasing by 25,155 residents.
Although its demographics are changing, Wisconsin still remains 83% white, with Latinos making up 5.9% of the population, or 336,056, Frey said. Wisconsin's total population is 5,686,986, compared with 5.3 million in 2000.
But Frey said: "Gaining Hispanics is the magic bullet for slow-growing, largely white states, and it's especially important for mature population states like Wisconsin that need this kind of infusion."
"The growth in the Latino population in the state is larger than I thought it would be," said Enrique Figueroa, director of the Roberto Hernandez Center at UWM. The state's total population grew by 323,000, and Latinos made up 143,000 of that, he said.
Latinos younger than 18 accounted for 250,000 of the total number, he added.