Hispanics in push to permanence

Census estimates suggest the population surge in North Carolina won't slow; roots will grow

In the Triangle and statewide, growth in the Hispanic population continues to outpace all other ethnic groups, the latest census estimate shows.

North Carolina's Hispanic population grew to more than 550,000 between 2000 and 2005, a 46 percent rise. It was the fifth-largest jump in Hispanic population in the nation, behind Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and South Dakota.

Overall, the state's population grew by a more modest 8 percent.

Many Triangle counties saw even stronger growth. Franklin's Hispanic population grew by more than 70 percent, and Wake's jumped nearly 63 percent. Johnston, Harnett and Durham saw growth of well more than 50 percent.

The new numbers, part of the U.S. Census Bureau's annual population estimates, show that Hispanics are no longer a largely migrant population, here to work and send money home, say experts, advocates and industry leaders. Today, they are making permanent homes, bringing their families and having children here.

And with North Carolina's strong economy and low cost of living, the growth is not likely to slow, said Jim Johnson, a professor and demographer at UNC-Chapel Hill. "Hispanics are spread throughout our economy now," he said. "People are taking up roots here in North Carolina. They have children that are born here."

Since an influx in the early 1990s, Hispanics have become a key part of the state's work force.

Paul Wilms of the N.C. Home Builders Association said Hispanics now make up about one-fifth of the state's construction work force. "What we're seeing now are Latino workers that are forming their own businesses," he said. "They're not just laborers any more."

Advocates said census numbers probably underestimate the numbers of Hispanics in the state. The most recent estimates, released this month, don't take into account illegal immigrants, who make up about half of North Carolina's Hispanic population.