CENSUS REPORTS LATINO BOOM BLACKS SURPASSED AS LARGEST MINORITY.

Byline: Beth Barrett Staff Writer

America's Latino population leaped by nearly 10 percent in just the past two years, marking the first time in the nation's history that blacks were not the largest minority, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday.

For the five-county Southern California region - which encompasses Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties - the number of Hispanic households grew by an estimated 12.4 percent, from 1.53 million in 2000 to 1.72 million in April 2002, according to demographic research based on the census.

Hispanic households comprised 30.5 percent of Southern California households in April 2002, up from 28.6 percent two years earlier. By comparison, Hispanics make up 13.5 percent of the nation's population - 38.8 million people.

``In much of the country, the Latino population is a new experience and it's causing a lot of stress, even though there are relatively few (Latinos). It's new,'' said Dowell Myers, a professor of urban planning and demography at the University of Southern California.

But in Southern California, where the Hispanic population has long been dominant in many communities, the new numbers highlight the disparity between the size of the population and its relatively limited political clout in terms of registered voters.

``The number doesn't equate directly to power,'' Myers said. ``The question is whether Latinos have the patience to wait to catch up.''

Nationally, the Hispanic population grew from 35.5 million on April 1, 2000, to 38.8 million on July 1, 2002, which at 9.8 percent was nearly quadruple the growth rate of the population as a whole.

Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon said he sees a nation adjusting well - and often eagerly - to its changing population.

``The official population estimates now indicate that the Hispanic community is the nation's largest minority community,'' Kincannon said. `"This is an important event in this country, an event that we know is the result of the growth of a vibrant and diverse population that is vital to America's future.''

In Knoxville, Tenn., for example, officials are studying Spanish to meet the expected growth in their Hispanic population, which is being counted on to boost the economy.

In Grand Rapids, Mich., a thriving market economy has grown up around the new arrivals.

``I think they're looking on growth as good, and they're glad to have it,'' Kincannon said.

The biggest surprise to come out of the latest data, he said, was that the nation's population grew by 6.9 million, to 288.4 million, during a downturn in the economy. Hispanics accounted for 3.5 million people, or about one-half of that growth, with about 53 percent immigrants.

``I think you have to look at relative situations,'' he said. ``You might look at 6 percent unemployment ... as a problem. But if you're trying to find a job without skills in Mexico, 6 percent might sound like the best deal you can think of.''

Immigrants, he added, see ``opportunities as individuals,'' within a political system where civil rights are assured.

By comparison, the non-Hispanic black population grew by 3.1 percent to 36.6 million, while the non-Hispanic Asian population grew 9 percent to 12.7 million. The majority non-Hispanic white population climbed 0.7 percent to 200 million.

``Hispanic'' is considered an ethnicity by the census, so an ethnic Hispanic person can consider themselves to be any race.

The Census Bureau did not release corresponding state or local data.

But William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., who studies Southern California, said recent regional household data mirror the national population update.

``A lot of people think Hispanics are moving all around the United States and as a result that Southern California is losing its edge a bit,'' Frey said. ``These numbers show that's not the case. Hispanics are still the backbone of growth and the engine of growth in the Los Angeles region.''

Frey said the black population continues to move from the region, at the same time that Hispanic and Asian immigrant growth is occurring.

Regionally, the number of black households declined up to 12.5 percent over the past two years. The number of Asian households climbed by about 18.2 percent.

Beth Barrett, [phone]

beth.barrett(at)dailynews.com