The Hispanic population grew by nearly 8 percent in the year that ended July 1, 2007, while the state's population as a whole grew by only 2.2 percent, the data show.

Advocates estimate that about half of Hispanics are in the country illegally, and the numbers don't take into account the past year, when enforcement of immigration laws increased sharply.

But many enforcement programs had begun by that time, and there had already been an uptick in the number of federal immigration arrests in the state.

Despite those efforts, the Hispanic population swelled faster than in years past. In 2000, the Hispanic population grew by 4.7 percent, and the growth rate has increased every year since.

Even in Mecklenburg County, where a program to deport illegal immigrants from county jails was running all year, the Hispanic population grew nearly 11 percent.