Press Archive

Census 2000: Dramatic Growth in Oregon Latino Population

San Antonio, TX - "The results of Census 2000 for the state of Oregon confirmed the growing presence and rapid growth of Latinos throughout the state," said Antonio Gonzalez, President of the William C. Velásquez Institute, "while the unadjusted numbers are not an accurate representation of the Latino community and its growth, the 144.3% increase is impressive." With the overall population of Oregon increasing 20.4% to 3,421,399 those identifying as either Hispanic or Latino represented 8.0% of the population at 275,314, up from 112,707 or 4.0%. Furthermore, Latinos represented 28.1% of the total population growth in the state during the '90's.

2000 TOTAL/LATINO POPULATION BY TOP 10 LATINO POPULATED COUNTIES

Source: 2000 & 1990 Census

"Latino growth has been evident throughout the state," said Robert Aguinaga, Redistricting Coordinator for WCVI. "On a county level, the top five concentrations of the Latino population are in Washington, Multnomah, Marion, Clackamas, and Lane," said Aguinaga. With the largest Latino population, Washington County is home to slightly under 50,000 Latinos, representing 11.2% of the county's total population. Multnomah County is second with its Latino population at 49,607 or 7.5% of the total population.

In Oregon, Latinos have made substantial demographic gains. Of the political representation, at the federal level, there are 5 congressional districts, in '90, none were Latino majority seats. At the state legislative level, in '90, 0 out of the 60 State Representative districts were Latino majority with none electing a Latino. In '90, 0 of the 30 State Senate seats were Latino majority seats, while 1 elected a Latina (Senator Susan Castillo).

Latino Majority Districts in Oregon (as of '90 Census) and Current Number of
Latino Elected Officials (as of General Election 2000)

Source: NALEO, State Legislative Elections: Voting Patterns and Demographics. Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998

"While it is unclear what the numbers will mean with regards to Latino political representation, it is clear that all parties involved in redistricting at every level (federal, state, local) need to look at the growth of Latino and other minority communities in their respective areas," said Antonio Gonzalez.