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demographics

Census report shows slow growth in interracial marriages in Missouri

By • Jul 14, 2018
All states experienced an increase in the percentage of interracial and interethnic married-couple households from 2000 to 2012-2016.
U.S. Census Bureau

The rate of interracial marriages in Missouri is increasing at a rate slower than other states, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report.

Results from the American Community Survey show the percentage of interracial married-couple households increased from 7.4 to 10.2 percent between 2000 and 2012-2016 nationwide.

St. Louis continues to lose black residents as white population makes a comeback

By • Jun 21, 2018
The St. Louis region grew slightly in 2014, but the city dropped by about 1,000 people, according to new Census data.
U.S. Marine Corps Flickr page

Black residents are leaving the city of St. Louis in greater numbers than ever, according to 2017 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau released on Thursday. The statistics show more than 4,000 black St. Louis residents chose to live elsewhere between 2016 and 2017.

"Part of what’s driving this is that in parts of the city the quality of life has declined, where residents have decided that they are looking for other homes," said Onesimo Sandoval, a demographer at Saint Louis University. "Better access to schools, better access to opportunities such as jobs, resources."

Census 2020: Local Africans, African-Americans consider how to respond to questions about origins

By Ashley Lisenby • Mar 29, 2018
An illustration of African Americans questioning their origins.
David Kovaluk | St. Louis Public Radio

The 2020 census is still two years away, but there is plenty of buzz about what the federal survey will ask, including questions about citizenship and country of origin.

For the first time, people will be able to write in their origins in a blank box on the census instead of just checking a race.

The survey, which happens every ten years, is designed to count the population so federal funds can be allocated across the country. But the new questions about where people come from can generate confusion or suspicion — especially from African-Americans, who may not know where their ancestors originated, or immigrants who believe their responses might be used against them in the future.

Small numbers, big changes: Local Latino community remains small, but visibility increases

By Kristen Hare • Sep 16, 2011

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Sept. 16, 2011 - The changes, for Haniny Hillberg and her daughter, Elisa Bender, feel big here. Decades ago, there was one church with a service in Spanish. Now, several offer services in Spanish.

Then, tortillas seemed a rare treat. "Now, I can just walk into Schnucks or Dierbergs and find them," Hillberg says.

From NPR to census, Juan Williams spoke his mind at Wash U

By Puneet Kollipara • Apr 5, 2011

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 5, 2011 - Fox News commentator Juan Williams accused his former employer NPR of using a recent backlash against it as a fundraising pitch to its most ardent listeners.

"They are saying, 'We are under siege. You have got to support us,'" Williams told reporters during a visit to St. Louis on Monday. "It's a way for them to make their fundraising request all the more urgent. I think it's another way to go out and appeal to sponsors and nonprofits."

Universities collaborate to study a burgeoning Latino population

By Elia Powers • Feb 12, 2010

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 12, 2010 - LThe Latino population in St. Louis continues to increase along with the number of university researchers who are interested in studying everything from attitudes about immigration to educational challenges facing the recent arrivals.

So it seems fitting that St. Louis University, Washington University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis are pooling their resources in an effort to further the understanding of the burgeoning Latino population both regionally and statewide.