Long Island's Spanish Speakers (Map)

Check out where LI's Spanish speakers live. (2011 US Census Language Mapper)http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/language/data/language_map.html

A Third of Jones Beach-goers Are Latino

A survey by the Alliance for New York State Parks found that nearly half of the visitors to Long Island's Jones Beach are from NYC and one third from Nassau and Suffolk counties. Also, a third of all visitors to the state's 2nd most popular park -- behind Niagara Falls, 33%, identified as Latino; 46% as White; and 11% as Black. 

Article 

Town of Hempstead: The Changing Demographics

"In many parts of Hempstead, more than a third of residents are foreign-born, coming primarily from Central and South America, according to the coalition. Those statistics should be no surprise. From 2000 to 2010, the Hispanic voting-age population grew across the county by more than 45,000, or 48 percent, to nearly 138,500. Hispanics now account for 13.5 percent of Nassau’s voting-age population, up from 9.3 percent in 2000." 

Article

Long Island vs Connecticut

Did you know that Long Island (Kings, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk counties) has more than double the population of Connecticut, 7.5MM vs 3.5MM? Or that it has triple the number of Latino residents, 1.5MM vs 495K? Or that the island's residents have per capita income totaling $204 billion vs $135 billion for its LI Sound neighbor? Or that Long island is 28 miles longer than Connecticut? Or that if Long Island was a state it's capitol would be the City of Brooklyn (2.5 million) to Connecticut's Hartford (125K)? Or that Long Island has 4 major league sports franchises (Mets, Nets, Islanders, Lizards -- and soon the Cosmos), US Open (tennis), Belmont Stakes and US Women's Open (golf) vs Connecticut's Travelers PGA Tournament? Or that Long Island has 8 full and 6 partial congressional districts vs 5 for Connecticut?

Of course, Connecticut does have many advantages including: four times the space, 5540 square miles versus 1400 for Long Island (though LI is bigger than Rhode Island at 1200 sq mi); its own governor and legislature; and its own two US senators. 

Latino Enrollment % @ Nassau County School Districts

63% WESTBURY SD

58% HEMPSTEAD SD

(57% EVERGREEN CS)

56% FREEPORT SD

44% GLEN COVE SD

43% ROOSEVELT SD

41% UNIONDALE SD

39% LAWRENCE SD

30% VALLEY STREAM 24 SD

29% WEST HEMPSTEAD SD

28% ISLAND PARK SD

28% SEWANHAKA HS DISTRICT

28% VALLEY STREAM 30 SD

24% VALLEY STREAM HS DISTRICT

22% ELMONT SD

22% HICKSVILLE SD

21% LONG BEACH SD

20% BALDWIN SD

19% VALLEY STREAM 13 SD

19% MALVERNE SD

18% MINEOLA SD

17% ISLAND TREES SD

15% EAST MEADOW SD

15% EAST ROCKAWAY SD

15% OYSTER BAY-EAST NORWICH SD

15% PORT WASHINGTON SD

14% FARMINGDALE SD

13% CARLE PLACE SD

13% FRANKLIN SQUARE SD

12% FLORAL PARK-BELLEROSE SD

11% HEWLETT-WOODMERE SD

11% LEVITTOWN SD

11% NEW HYDE PARK-GARDEN CITY PARK SD

10% LOCUST VALLEY SD

10% OCEANSIDE SD

10% ROCKVILLE CENTRE SD

(10% ROOSEVELT CHILDREN'S CS)

9% LYNBROOK SD

(9% ACADEMY CS)

7% BETHPAGE SD

7% GREAT NECK SD

7% NORTH MERRICK SD

6% NORTH BELLMORE SD

6% ROSLYN SD

5% BELLMORE SD

5% BELLMORE-MERRICK HS DISTRICT

5% HERRICKS SD

5% MERRICK SD

4% NORTH SHORE SD

4% PLAINEDGE SD

4% SEAFORD SD

3% EAST WILLISTON SD

3% MANHASSET SD

3% PLAINVIEW-OLD BETHPAGE SD

3% WANTAGH SD

2% JERICHO SD

2% MASSAPEQUA SD

2% SYOSSET SD

1% GARDEN CITY SD

*NYS Ed Dept data for 2010-11 school year

Latino Enrollment % @ Suffolk County Public Schools

75% BRENTWOOD SD

52% CENTRAL ISLIP SD

50% TUCKAHOE SD

47% COPIAGUE SD

47% SPRINGS SD

42% HAMPTON BAYS SD

38% EAST HAMPTON SD

(38% CHILD DVLPMNT CENTER CS)

35% AMITYVILLE SD

33% BAY SHORE SD

33% GREENPORT SD

32% HUNTINGTON SD

32% WYANDANCH SD

31% BRIDGEHAMPTON SD

(29% RIVERHEAD CS)

28% MONTAUK SD

28% PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD SD

25% SOUTH COUNTRY SD

25% SOUTH HUNTINGTON SD

25% SOUTHAMPTON SD

24% RIVERHEAD SD

19% BROOKHAVEN-COMSEWOGUE SD

19% FIRE ISLAND SD

18% WAINSCOTT SD

18% WILLIAM FLOYD SD

16% ISLIP SD

16% NORTH BABYLON SD

15% DEER PARK SD

14% LINDENHURST SD

14% SAG HARBOR SD

(13% LITTLE FLOWER SD)

13% LONGWOOD SD

13% WEST BABYLON SD

11% AMAGANSETT SD

11% EAST ISLIP SD

11% ELWOOD SD

11% MIDDLE COUNTRY SD

11% SOUTHOLD SD

10% WESTHAMPTON BEACH SD

9% EAST QUOGUE SD

8% BABYLON SD

8% CENTER MORICHES SD

8% OYSTERPONDS SD

8% REMSENBURG-SPEONK SD

7% CONNETQUOT SD

7% SACHEM SD

6% HAUPPAUGE SD

6% ROCKY POINT SD

6% SAGAPONACK SD

6% WEST ISLIP SD

5% HALF HOLLOW HILLS SD

5% HARBORFIELDS SD

5% MATTITUCK-CUTCHOGUE SD

5% QUOGUE SD

5% SHELTER ISLAND SD

4% COMMACK SD

4% EAST MORICHES SD

4% EASTPORT-SOUTH MANOR SD

4% MILLER PLACE SD

4% NORTHPORT-EAST NORTHPORT SD

4% SAYVILLE SD

3% BAYPORT-BLUE POINT SD

3% FISHERS ISLAND SD

3% MT SINAI SD

3% PORT JEFFERSON SD

3% SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER SD

3% SMITHTOWN SD

3% THREE VILLAGE SD

2% KINGS PARK SD

1% COLD SPRING HARBOR SD

0% NEW SUFFOLK SD

*NYS Ed Dept data for 2010-11 school year

LI's Suffolk and Nassau Latino Population Up 3.6%

The number of Latinos in Long Island's Suffolk and Nassau counties -- 441,594 in the 2010 Census -- was estimated to have risen to 457,508 by July 1,2011, the census data show, for a 3.6 percent increase.

The African American population grew 2.3% to 283,359.

Asians increased just under 3% to 164,279.

Newsday article

US Census: 1,551,629 Latinos Live In The 4 Counties of Long Island

‎1,551,629 Latinos live in the 4 counties situated on Long Island: Kings (Brooklyn) 496,285, Queens 613,750, Nassau 195,355 and Suffolk 246,239. That's 45% of NY State's Latino population! 

Corona Latinos

One and a half million in the four counties which comprise Long Island are of Latino heritage -- that's 1 in 5 residents, or 20%, and growing!

While Latinos reside in every community across Long Island, the heaviest concentrations are seen in immigrant-friendly locales, including Brentwood, Hempstead, Bushwick, Jackson Heights, Sunset Park, among others.

The community of Corona in Queens is also on that growing list. A one-time Italian enclave with a Little Harlem section, Corona is now home to a diverse population but dominated by people from throughout Latin America.

Shoehorned between the LIE and Flushing Meadow Park, Corona is now 71% Latino, 11% Asian, with the remainder comprised of nonLatino Blacks and Whites. Two-thirds of the residents are foreign-born, and there is wide diversity among the Latino population, the most populous being Dominicans, Mexicans, Ecuadoreans and Colombians.

Omar Minaya (Dominican), General Manager of the New York Mets, and movie actor and comedian John Leguizamo (Puerto Rican/Colombian), hail from Corona. Famous nonLatinos that lived in Corona include: Estée Lauder, Louis Armstrong, Dizzie Gillespie, Martin Scorcese and Madonna.

The NYTimes Real Estate section has a nice write-up on this most dynamic and ever changing community. Here's the link: Living In Corona, Queens: Where Every Day Is Moving Day

Links:
Corona, Queens - Wikipedia
City Living: Corona, Queens
Forgotten NY Neighborhoods: Corona
The Crown of Queens, Corona, New York - Right Off the Beaten Path
Changing Face of Corona - video
Corona: A Neighborhood Transformed - photos/audio

Hudson Valley Latinos: Franky Perez

The Poughkeepsie Journal's series, What life is like for valley Hispanics, gives its Hudson Valley readers a glimpse into the region's expanding Latino community.

This week they feature a piece on Franky Perez, 40, a guidance counselor in the local high school whose of Dominican heritage.

Very nice.

Poughkeepsie High School guidance counselor Franky Perez was born in Brooklyn to parents who had emigrated from the Dominican Republic and never spoke English at home while he was growing up.

Perez, 40, is the youngest of nine children - the only one not born in the Dominican Republic - and is married to a woman of Irish descent. Like two of his siblings, he attended college. However, he is the only one in his family to receive a master's degree. Actually, he has two of them.

Perez, of New Paltz, maintains strong connections to his heritage.

"Knowing that my parents were immigrants, knowing that they came here for a better life, it helped in shaping me," he said. "I needed to do the best I could in school and make sure I was getting ready for my life in America, understanding what my parents had come from."

More

Related: What life is like for Hudson Valley Hispanics: Francisco Del Moral and Reyna Garcia, store owners
Latinos' local presence expanding

The Dramatic Growth of New York's Suburban/Exurban Latino Population

Top 10 Counties by Percentage of Latinos
#1 - Bronx 51%
#2 - Queens 26%
#3 - New York 25%
#4 - Kings 20%
#5 - Westchester 19%
#6 - Orange 16%
#7 - Richmond 15%
#8 - Rockland & Suffolk 13%
#9 - Nassau & Sullivan 12%
#10 - Putnam 10%

Top 10 Counties by Number of Latinos
#1 - Bronx 702,073
#2 - Queens 600,467
#3 - Kings 493,961
#4 - New York 400,498
#5 - Suffolk 193,605
#6 - Westchester 180,819
#7 - Nassau 162,564
#8 - Richmond 72,972
#9 - Orange 59,791
#10 - Monroe 42,181

Counties w/Highest Latino Pop. Rates of Growth (2000-2007)
Top 5 large counties (pop. > 450k)
#1 - Richmond 36%
#2 - Suffolk 30%
#3 - Westchester 25%
#4 - Nassau 22%
#5 - Onondaga 17%

Top 5 mid-size counties (pop. 100K - 449K)
#1 - Saratoga 54%
#2 - Orange 50%
#3 - Dutchess 44%
#4 - Schenectady 41%
#5 - Ontario 38%

Top 5 small counties (pop. 5K - 99.9K)
#1 - Putnam & Yates 71%
#2 - Warren 61%
#3 - Seneca & Herkimer 53%
#4 - Lewis 44%
#5 - Fulton 42%

Source: Pew Hispanic Center: Latinos by Geography

Related:
Half of New York's Latinos Live on Long Island
Immigrants: Huge Boon to New York
Latino Surge in Orange County (NY)
Children of immigrants reshaping America: Booming ‘second generation’ becoming the mainstream
U.S. Latinos by the Numbers '08
U.S. "Minority" Population Surpasses 100MM
127MM U.S. Latinos by 2050
Latinos: Next Great Source of Intellectual Capital
Latino Surnames Break into U.S. Top 10
U.S. Latinos by the Numbers '07
Mexican Immigration and U.S. Culture

LI's Working Class Economically Distressed

More than one-quarter of Long Island households are economically distressed, as are 22.9 million families across America representing over 60 million people; and one million homeowners across the United States face foreclosure in the next six months.

The report notes that those most distressed include people without college degress, single-parent households, African Americans, Lations and immigrants, i.e., a large percentage of today's American working class.

Economic Stimulus and Economically Distressed Workers, in a new study from the Center for Study of Working Class Life at Stony Brook University using data culled from the most recent American Community Survey of U.S. Census Bureau.

The study's authors recommend a $220 billion "stimulus" package to address the issue -- to be paid for by tax increases and budget reductions.

Related: Commentary: Bailing out distressed workers, for a change
The War and the Working Class
Time for a Taxpayer Revolt

Long Island's Fastest Growing Group: Latinos

In the Town of Hempstead, boarded up downtown storefronts are reopening as bodegas, hair salons and ethnic restaurants.

It’s a scene being played out throughout Long Island. As younger Long Islanders flee for what they perceive to be a better way of life, Latino entrepreneurs are lifting an otherwise stagnant regional economy.

From 2000 to 2006, Latinos have been the fastest growing demographic on Long Island. According to the Long Island Index, the Latino population on Long Island grew 25 percent, from comprising 10.3 percent of the total population in 2000 to 12.6 percent in 2006. There are now about 450,000 Latino immigrants living on Long Island.

LIBN: The changing face of Long Island

The "International Express" to Flushing and Beyond

According to Trouble on the "Immigrant Express" (by Larry Tung, Gotham Gazette, February '08), the #7 Train from Times Square to Flushing is known as the Immigrant" or "International Express" because of the diversity of its passengers and neighborhoods its serves.

Running along 19 miles from Times Square to Flushing, Queens, the 7 train serves 24 stations and nearly 400,000 riders a day. It is known as the "immigrant express" or "international express" because it goes through neighborhoods occupied by people representing more than 150 nations.

However, the diversity on the #7 is simply a clearest signal of the demographic transformation that is occuring throughout Long Island. Both Nassau and Suffolk counties have seen an ever expanding flow of immigrants--and anybody riding the LIRR knows that the diversity of passengers is at an all time high.

Historically, it's a quick change of habit from taking the #7 Flushing Local to the LIRR to Flushing and points beyond.

Dr. George Sanchez's Smart Moves for Briarcliffe College

President George Sanchez tells Long Island Business News of Briarcliffe College's latest initiatives:

1) an entrepreneurship track within its popular business management degree program; and
2) a stepped up effort to enroll Latino students.

Smart strategy. Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic population on Long Island and entrepreneurship is what creates jobs, wealth and a brighter Long Island future.

Related: Two minutes with George Santiago

16 U.S. Latino Facts

The Latino Coalition's 16 Latino Facts:

1. The Latino population in the United States increased 346% between 1970 and 2004.
2. The Latino Population is growing at a rate of over 3,000 per day and over 1,100,000 per year.
3. 82% of the Latino population is concentrated in 10 states.
4. Seven of the 10 states reporting the largest Latino population growth since 1990 are from the South.
5. Latinos comprise at least 5% of the population in 30 states and are the largest minority in 20 states.
6. Latinos are the largest minority in 41 of the nation’s 100 largest cities.
7. Latinos and African Americans together comprise the majority of the population in 52 of the nation’s 100 largest cities.
8. 9,308,000 Latinos were registered to vote on November 2004.
9. Latinos currently hold office in 38 states.
10. Three Latinos are serving in the Senate of the United States (Colorado, Florida and New Jersey).
11. One Latino is currently serving as Governor (NM), though in the past, a total of five have been elected in three states.
12. 27 Latinos currently serve in the congress of the United States.
13. The Latino population in 75 congressional districts is currently between 100,000 – 300,000.
14. There are 234 Latino state legislators.
15. There are currently 5,205 Latino elected officials in the United States.
16. A Latino is the Mayor of the second largest city in America (Los Angeles).

Dramatic Growth of Latino Businesses on Long Island

The U.S. Department of Commerce reported 73,829 Latino businesses on Long Island with combined revenues of $5.7 billion.

Unfortunately, the government's report is based on '02 data. As such, it is useless as a measure of current activity. Too bad since timely data might help Long Islanders better understand and appreciate full contributions of its growing and most dynamic population: Los Latinos.

What is most useful is the report's finding that the growth rate for Latino businesses ('97-'02) within the NYC region was a spectacular 57 per cent. In contrast, the national rate was a modest ten per cent.

Now that's important data!

Why? Because it tells us that the Latino community is investing in the future, building assets, and setting a foundation for economic, social and political power right here on Long Island.

The Future

A rapidly expanding Latino population, combined with the shrinkage of the older and nonLatino/non-immigrant population, suggests continued Latino business growth. For example, HispanTelligence estimated a national Latino business growth rate of 7.6 percent through 2015. Applying that percentage growth to Long Island nets over 175,000 by 2015 and 250,000 by 2020. Additionally, revenues grow to over $20 billion by 2020.

An urgent question for policymakers is how to ensure that new Latino entrepreneurs (as well as enterprising immigrants, African Americans and others) are not handcuffed as a result of reactionary policies.

Related:

New York Leads Nation in Growth Rate of Hispanic-Owned Businesses
Long Island Is Entering A Period of Social And Economic Crisis
Our Economic Future: Minority Businesses Taking The Lead

Photos: Chris Castro's Solar Cafe in Brentwood; Hector Delgado's The Delgado Travel Agency of Jackson Heights

Half of New York's Latinos Live in Long Island

Did you know that 1.5 million Latinos make New York's Long Island their home?

Surprised, right? I was--and I'm a bit of a demography buff.

Why is it such a surprise? I'll get into that and related issues in later posts. The purpose of this post is to take a look at the population numbers as they stand now, and to allow a peek at what's to come.

93.2% of NY Latinos Live Downstate

The 2006 American Community Survey put New York's Latino population at 3,139,590, or 16.3% of the state's population. That is, one of every six New Yorkers is Latino--and that's excluding most of those with a partial Latino heritage.

3,139,590 is a big number.

Actually, if NY Latinos were their own state, it would have more people than 21 U.S. states, including: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Another interesting facet of the New York Latino population is that it's heavily concentrated in the state's Downstate region. Fully 93.2% , or 2,924,923, Latino New Yorkers live in the 12 counties comprising downstate New York (i.e., lower Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island).

Downstate New York counties include: Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester.

93.2%!!!

A mere 6.8% of the Latino population (213,492 persons) is distributed across the state's remaining 50 counties.

In terms of people per square mile, Downstate New York has a 739 Latinos per square mile vs just 4.25 Latinos per square mile in the rest of the state.

4,835 Latinos per NYC square mile

Of course, Latinos are not evenly distributed--whether in Upstate or Downstate. As people tend to do--they're concentrated in certain jurisdictions within both regions.

The Downstate concentration is in the City of New York. Actually, almost three of every four New York Latinos (72%) reside in New York City.

The resulting NYC Latino density is an astounding 4,835 persons per square mile.

Long Island is an island (and it contains 39% of all New Yorkers!)
First, a geography lesson --important since people tend to confuse the physical and political make-up of the island.

Long Island is an island. It's bound by the Long Island Sound to its North and the Atlantic Ocean to its South. It's connected to the mainland via three bridges to the Bronx and three ferry routes across the Sound to Connecticut. It's also connected to the isles of Manhattan, Roosevelt and Staten Island by a web of tunnels, bridges, commuter rail lines, subways and river ferries. The Long Island Expressway cuts a path across its length, a stretch of some 100 miles from Long Island City on its western tip to Riverhead, the island's easternmost city.

Long Island is urban and suburban (and it even has a touch of rural scape in Eastern Suffolk). That is, it contains two of New York City's most dynamic counties/boroughs: Queens and Kings (aka Brooklyn), as well as the suburban counties of Nassau and Suffolk. Queens and Kings are governed by the Mayor of New York City, while Nassau and Suffolk are ruled by 100s of governing entities, including 2 county governments, 2 cities, 13 towns, 95 incorporated villages, 127 school districts, 2 reservations, etc.

(Note: The way Long Island is governed has implications for the quality and cost of life for the poor as well as the rich. It's America's non-so-subtle--yet legal--mechanisms for racial and class segregation. More on this later.)

According to the '05 U.S. Census projections, 7.5 million people live on geographic Long Island--which is an incredible 39% of the state's total population!

Over a third of all New Yorkers live on what is essentially a long thin blade of land slicing into the Atlantic Ocean.

1.5 Million Latino Long Islanders (or 46% of the State Total)

According to the 2006 American Community Survey, 1,445.646 Latinos were projected to be living on Long Island.

Queens 597,773
Kings 496,304
Suffolk 191,552
Nassau 160,017

That is a 43% increase from the 1990 U.S. Census count of 1,008,769.

Queens 381,120
Kings 462,411
Suffolk 87,852
Nassau 77,386

2,000,000 Latino Long Islanders by 2020?

Long Island's Latino population will likely grow to over 2 million by 2020--that is, if recent population growth rates continue.

Using this compound annual rate calculator and 'o6 and 1990 data, suggests an annual Long Island Latino population growth rate of 2.43%. Taking that rate and plugging it into this population calculator results in a 2020 Latino population of 2,023,216.

Here's what it looks like by year:

2006 - 1,445,646
2007 - 1,480,775
2008 - 1,516,758
2009 - 1,553,615
2010 - 1,591,368
2011 - 1,630,038
2012 - 1,669,648
2013 - 1,710,220
2014 - 1,751,779
2015 - 1,794,347
2016 - 1,837,949
2017 - 1,882,612
2018 - 1,928,359
2019 - 1,975,218
2020 - 2,023,216

Conclusion
New York's Latino population is heavily concentrated Downstate region--and its greatest density being in New York City. While geographic Long Island hosts two NYC counties (Queens and Kings) as well as Nassau and Suffolk, it's Latino population of 1.5 million represents 46% of the state's total. Assuming a continued growth rate of 2.43% per year, Long Island's Latino population will grow to over 2 million by 2020.

Two million Latinos are a lot of people, representing significant purchasing power and a potent political bloq, themes Latino Long Island will address over time.

However, the broader point is that irrespective of the tenor of the times, Latinos are a major presence on Long Island now--and the group's impact will grow and deepen over time. There are amazingly talented Latinos contributing to the growth and success of Long Island now--and many young people who'll shine in due time. Latinos are a hardy people with a hope and belief in a better tomorrow.

We should know and celebrate who we are today--as we move confidently in shaping the Long Island of tomorrow.

Data Sources:

US Census: New York County Selection Map
New York State population
Queens County population
Kings County population
Suffolk County population
Nassau County population