(CBS) — The face of Chicago is changing. New census statistics show the Hispanic population grew by 17,000 in a one-year period. For the first time, Hispanics are the second-largest ethnic group in the city.
Meanwhile, the African-American population is shrinking, with 42,000 moving out.
CBS 2’s Jeremy Ross reports.
In Little Village, it’s not hard to spot the influence and heritage. At Dulcelandia, a candy store, sales and the number of customers have increased since the business opened in 1995.
This would seem to reflect new U.S. Census data showing the Hispanic population in Chicago jumping from 786,000 to 803,000 between 2015 and 2016.
This means about 30 percent of the Windy City’s population is now of Hispanic or Latino descent.
“It represents an increase in our purchasing power so that helps to better the economic conditions of the area,” says Eduardo Rodriguez of Dulcelandia.
Subtracted from Chicago’s numbers – more than 42,000 African Americans, who left the city.
Shari Runner of the Chicago Urban League says this trend began about a decade ago. She thinks lack of economic opportunity and crime and high taxes are pushing African Americans out of Chicago.
Poster Comment:
In 1940 whites were 91.2% of the population. Now they are third. A black woman in the video said that blacks are moving out due to high crime and lack of economic opportunity. She (a Democrat) said the government has to do more for us to keep black people in the city. Wrong answer! What about the high taxes and trying to do something for white people.