Census: Hispanic Pop. Up 74 Percent In Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota's state demographer says new census figures show the state's Hispanic population jumping 74.5 percent in the past decade, mirroring a national trend.

State Demographer Tom Gillaspy says the 250,258 Hispanics reported in the 2010 Census account for 4.7 percent of state's current population of 5.3 million. That's up from about 3 percent in 2000.

Similar increases have been reported around the Midwest. The Hispanic population jumped 74 percent in Wisconsin, 84 percent in Iowa and 59 percent in Kansas.

Despite the increase, Minnesota's population remains about 83 percent white, down from 88 percent in 2000.

Demographers say the Hispanic population is growing both because it is younger and has more women of child-bearing age and because Hispanics are immigrating into the state.

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