News

USA Today study Large counties in nation are ranked based on increase in their Latino populations

August 10, 2007

County 4th in U.S. on Hispanic growth

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
Steve Mocarsky on Facebook   |   @TLSteveMocarsky on Twitter

Luzerne County ranks fourth among all large counties in the United States when it comes to Hispanic population growth, a national newspaper reported on Thursday.

The county’s Hispanic population has nearly tripled since 2000, according to a USA Today story about Latinos “fanning out across the Eastern half of the USA … far from traditional immigrant strongholds.”

The newspaper looked at counties with populations of 100,000 or larger. Luzerne County had 318,629 residents in 2000 and 313,020 last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Despite a 1.7 percent decrease in the county’s total population over the past six years, the estimated number of Hispanics living in the county climbed from 3,714 in 2000 to 10,246 last year, according to the Census Bureau.

Counties that edged out Luzerne were Paulding and Henry counties in Georgia and Spotsylvania County in Virginia. Their Hispanic populations increased 236 percent, 190 percent and 182 percent, respectively.

Local Latino leaders believe most of Luzerne County’s Latino growth has occurred in the Hazleton area.

They, along with Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, have estimated that Hazleton’s population has grown from about 23,000 in 2000 to more than 30,000, and that about one-third of the city’s population consists of Latinos.

“A lot of (Latino) people are coming into the area. But it surprises me that (Luzerne County) is the fourth” highest for Hispanic growth, said Anna Arias, a co-founder of the Hazleton Area Latino Taskforce.

Arias suspects that the actual Hispanic growth in Luzerne County is higher than the Census Bureau estimates because local leaders have estimated that the number of Hispanics living in the Hazleton area alone ranges between 10,000 and 15,000.

The county’s high rank also surprised Dr. Agapito Lopez, another taskforce co-founder.

Lopez said he was pleased that county commissioners responded to the growth of the Hispanic community and all minorities.

“About a year ago, the commissioners made the decision they needed to play a role in helping to make this a welcoming community for everybody,” said Linda Trompetter, director of the Diversity Institute at College Misericordia.

The county contracted with the institute to establish the Luzerne County Diversity Taskforce with representatives from the Latino, African-American, Asian, Jewish, Muslim and gay and lesbian communities, Trompetter said.

The Diocese of Scranton has also taken a role in helping Latinos integrate into the community.

Bishop Joseph Martino appointed Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly, the diocesan secretary for human services and executive director of Catholic Social Services, to take on the new role of diocesan coordinator for Latino affairs.

The diocese created a Hispanic outreach program that provides translation/interpretation services, immigration services, referral services, crisis intervention and educational programs.

“It’s a struggle because (the Latino community is) growing so fast and the church depends on volunteers. And there’s a limited number of bilingual people available to volunteer,” Kelly said.

Partnerships with King’s College and Luzerne County Community College to provide English as a Second Language classes have helped tremendously, Kelly said.

Luzerne County’s ranking in USA Today came as no surprise to Rudy Espinal, president of the Hazleton Hispanic Business Association.

“When I was living in New York in 2001 and came here to visit my brothers, you didn’t see nearly as much traffic as now,” he said.

While Espinal said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks prompted him to move to Hazleton, he believes most Latinos moved here for “cheap housing, decent-paying jobs … and the quality of life.”

Espinal credited CAN DO – the Hazleton area’s economic development organization – with developing land and attracting companies that pay more here than some companies in bigger cities.

“In New York, New Jersey, you start at maybe $7 an hour. Around here, you make $9.50 to $10 to begin with and in a few months go to $12, $13 an hour,” Espinal said.

Espinal said he’s heard that Cargill Meat Solutions in Hazle Township employs about 600 Latinos. “And since most have two or three kids, with a family of five, that’s 3,000 people just for that factory,” he said.

Espinal thinks the Census Bureau’s estimates for Luzerne County are “fairly accurate, taking into consideration some people have moved out of Hazleton,” Espinal said.

USA Today noted that the city last year enacted the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which would have fined landlords who rented to illegal immigrants and suspended licenses of businesses that hired them.

Latino leaders have said Hazleton’s adoption of the law prompted not only illegal immigrants, but many legal resident Latinos to leave the city because they felt unwelcome.

Espinal, who works as a realtor, believes that a federal judge’s ruling in July that the law is unconstitutional prompted many Latinos to return to the city.

“After the last decision of the court, what I’ve seen is an explosion in people renting apartments,” Espinal said.

Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 459-2005.

Tweet	Follow @TLnews