No Growth In Caribbean Population For 2nd Year
NEW YORK - Latest figures released by the U.S. Census` American Community Survey continue to show the West Indian or Caribbean Non-Hispanic population in the United States at below the 2.3 million mark.
The ACS Survey released this week put the West Indian population again at just 2,299,595, a number that continues to repeat each year and shows absolutely no growth. The ACS is an annual sampling or an estimate of urban and rural population across the U.S. The number of West Indians is largely believed to be those individuals who are sampled and state their ancestry on the forms mailed to their homes. The number of Jamaicans in the U.S. was put at 778,164 while Haitians were put at 759,145. Guyanese reported across the U.S. by the ACS Survey was put at 170,878 while nationals from Trinidad and Tobago nationals were put at 147,069. According to ACS, there were 30,935 Bahamians, 42,088 Barbadians, 38,158 Belizeans, 13,028 USVI nationals and 77,047 who considered themselves British West Indians. Of the estimated total nationally, ACS says 1,709 are in Alaska, 3,227 in Arkansas, 5,810 in Alabama and 6,797 in Arizona. Some 6,223 were said to be in Colorado, 9,433 in Delaware, 6,122 in the District of Columbia and 57,895 were reportedly in California. Some 707,226 were estimated to be living in Florida, 99,918 in Georgia, 449 in Idaho and 24,800 in Illinois. An estimated 2,913 were put in Indiana, 886 in Iowa, 3,442 in Kansas, 4,369 in Kentucky and 3,966 in Louisiana. In Maine, ACS said there were 1,334 West Indians while 52,508 were estimated in Maryland, 96,823 in Massachusetts and 9,741 in Michigan. In Minnesota, there were an estimated 3,079 while 793 were listed in Mississippi, 4,360 in Missouri and 266 in Montana. Some 1,253 were counted in Nebraska, 6,582 in Nevada, 3,573 in New Hampshire and just 140,059 in New Jersey. The number of West Indians in New York was put at just 735,522 while there were 24,180 in North Carolina, 187 in North Dakota and 13,467 in Ohio. An estimated 15,739 were said to be living in Oklahoma, 3,405 in Oregon, 3,979 in Rhode Island, 8,149 in South Carolina and just 50,321 in Pennsylvania. In South Dakota, 83 West Indians were counted while 6,685 were identified in Tennessee. In Utah there were 621 while in Texas the number was put at 43,471. Some 111 were placed in Vermont while 30,449 were found in Virginia, 6,142 in Washington State, 941 in West Virginia, 10 in Wyoming and 5,096 in Wisconsin. Carib ID officials, who have been fighting for an origin category on future Census forms for Caribbean nationals, said the ACS numbers again proves why the congress and Census officials need to awaken from their slumber to the fact that America has changed and ancestry must be absolutely added to future Census forms in order to ensure an accurate presentation of the U.S. population so their needs can be met. `There are more than two million Caribbean nationals on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, NY each Labor Day,` said Carib ID founder Felicia Persaud. `To say we are just 2.3 million nationally is completely erroneous, absolutely nonsensical and in 2010, discriminatory.`
It does not reflect the general U.S. Census count, which is done every ten years and which has no means of measuring ancestry unless it is written in by the respondent.
Some 18,284 reportedly said they were Dutch West Indians while 5,131 said they were from Bermuda. Some 3,853 were tagged by ACS as `Other West Indians` since other West Indian ancestry were unreported by ACS.
