Editorials
Bay Area census reflects rise in foreign-born
The foreign-born population in the nine Bay Area counties rose significantly in the 1990s, from about 20 percent in 1990 to almost 27.5 percent in 2000, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released today.
Meanwhile, the overall population of the region – encompassing Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties – climbed to almost 6.8 million in 2000, from just over 6 million during the last decennial census.
On the statewide level, the foreign-born population stood at 26.2 percent, according to the latest census, up from 21 percent in 1990. The population of the state was about 34 million.
Most of the foreign-born residents of the Bay Area and the state as a whole were from Latin and Asian countries.
In San Francisco, with a population of almost 777,000, the number of residents born outside the United States stood at 36.8 percent in the latest census figures, with 61 percent of those coming from Asian countries and 21 percent hailing from Latin counties. In addition, about 46 percent of the city's residents reported speaking a language other than English at home.
In Santa Clara County, 34 percent of Santa Clara County's 1.7 million residents were foreign-born, with more than half coming from Asian counties and about a third from Latin countries.
Furthermore, 45 percent of the county's residents reported speaking a language other than English in the home, up from 32 percent recorded during the last census.
About 27 percent of Alameda County's 1.4 million residents were foreign-born, according to the new data, and about 37 percent reported speaking a foreign language in the home.
In California, 39.5 percent of the population reports speaking a language other than English at home.
The data released today were culled from responses to the 52-item census long-form questionnaire delivered to a 1-in-6 sample of 19 million households.
The 484 population tables cover such subjects as marital status, grandparents as caregivers, language and ability to speak English, ancestry, place of birth, place of work, school enrollment, veteran status, occupation and poverty status.
