California Hispanic, White Ratio: Study Finds There Are As Many Latinos As Caucasians In California

It's no surprise that California has a large Latino population, but what may be surprising is how large that population is. According to the California Department of Finance, the month of July marks the first time that the number of Latinos will match the number of white non-Hispanic population in California. And that's not all! The same California Hispanic-White study, as reported by Think Progress, found that by 2014 Latinos will be the majority in the state.

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A mere fifteen years ago, there were five million more white non-Hispanics in California than Latinos. Over the past fifteen years, many factors contributed to the growing Latino population in California including immigration and increased birth in the Latino population and decreased birth rates and people moving out of state in the non-Hispanic white population.

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The California Hispanic-white study also found that there was a disparity in socio-economic status between Latinos and non-Hispanic whites. For instance, the median income for Latinos in 2011 was $44,300 and the median income for white non-Hispanics was $67,000. That said, Think Progress points out that the community is ever-evolving and second-generation Latinos are earning higher incomes and the immigrant youth sub-population are pursuing a higher education and in turn, are closing the educational achievement gap.

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The impact of this shift in population will be seen in many facets of society, including voter turnout and the economy. For instance, currently in California, Latinos are the fastest growing segment of business owners. And with estimates suggesting that by 2030 there will be 7.2 million Latinos under the age 25--and only 3.8 million non-Hispanic whites--it is essential that Latino youths be provided the access to education so they can replace the jobs of the aging white non-Hispanic population.