http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-907288.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – The difference is a lot. In Apache County, for example, the
number of Hispanics is up by 5 percent in the year ending July
1st -- and almost 43 percent since the last Census. That compares
with a 1.3 percent annual growth rate of non-Hispanics -- and an
actual decline since 2000. The differences aren't quite that
stark elsewhere. Hispanic population is up nearly 2.6 percent in
just one year in Coconino County and more than 31 percent in the
decade. That compares with a non-Hispanic growth rate of less
than a percent in a year and only 9.2 percent since 2000. And
Hispanic population grew three times as fast as all other groups
in Mohave, Navajo and Yavapai counties. The changing demographics
are likely to influence commerce as businesses do more to try to
reach what is becoming a much larger percentage of their
potential customer base. It also could have political impact,
especially with anecdotal evidence that many Hispanics, unhappy
with the Republican Party and the support by GOP legislators of
the state's tough new immigration law, choose to support others.
The report does not break out how much of each county's growth is
due to new immigration and how much is natural. But figures from
the state health department show the birth rate of Hispanic women
is twice that of people who do not identify themselves as
Hispanic.