Census Data & Information Sources
U.S. Releases Ethnic Census Data
Every ten years, the Census Bureau of the U.S. Commerce Department conducts a count to determine the number of people living in the Unites States. Many other demographic, social, housing and economic data are also collected on the census' long form, one of which is the ethnic heritage of the respondent. The "ancestry question" on the long form simply asks the respondent to write in their ancestry.
Meanwhile, the Census 2000 Supplementary Survey collected long form type information at the same time as, but separate from, the Decennial Census. By collecting data from a national sample of 700,000 households, it gives the Census Bureau, as well as researchers and interested parties, an early look at long-form type results. Findings were released to the public recently.
The Findings
According to the last Census, there were officially 9,366,106 people of Polish heritage residing in the United States in 1990 in an overall population of 248,709,873.
In Census 2000, the number of Polish Americans, according to the Supplementary Survey, is 8,978,073 in an overall population of 285,230,516. Despite immigration and other factors, there are 388,033 fewer persons identifying themselves as Polish American living in the United States today.
In terms of other ethnic communities, the Irish American population has declined from 38,769,200 in 1990 to 30,530,838 today, a drop of 8,238,362. When measured by percentage drop, it is clear that the Irish community is experiencing a far greater diminishment than that of the Polish community. On the other hand, the Italian American population has risen from 14,714,939 in 1990 to 15,730,426 today, a net gain of 1,015,487.
Several factors can influence these numbers -- birth and death rates, in and out migration, and, perhaps most importantly, the level of acculturation of a given ethnic group. A recent book by John and James Zogby, What Ethnic Americans Really Think, summarizes their intensive polling of six ethnic groups -- African, Asian, Hispanic, Jewish, Italian and Arab Americans. Results indicate that ethnic pride is greater in those groups with strong family and church connections. For instance, Italian Americans who attend church weekly are 20% prouder of their heritage than those who do not attend regularly. The extent to which this and other factors influence Polish American self-identification remains to be seen.
Population DistributionA look at individual states shows that the number of Polish Americans has grown in 30 states and declined in 21. A closer analysis of specific states that have lost or gained population indicates that Poles are moving out of traditional ethnic enclaves.
In New England, for example, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have picked up a total of 6,569 Polish Americans while Rhode Island and Massachusetts combined have lost 40,535.
Of the ten states with the most Polish Americans, Florida is the only one where the Polish American community grew in the last decade.
Meanwhile, the Polish American population has grown markedly in places that are experiencing high overall growth, such as Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. The Polish American population in these three states has grown by about 56,600, while California has lost more than 86,000 Polish Americans. Whether this is due to migratory patterns or other factors such as self-identification with one's ethnic heritage begs further study.
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Delaware is a newcomer to this list, bumping off Rhode Island, which
was #10 in 1990.
What do the numbers really mean? At this point, one can clearly state that there are more than enough Polish Americans to assert themselves in the corridors of power, whether they are in politics, business, government or the professions.
Census results underscore the fact, that with more than nine million Polish Americans, we need to think more like a community and work together, help each other, and succeed.
