The 2020 Census documented what most Tulsans have known for some time — their town is changing.
For the first time, less than half the city’s population — 48.5% — identifies as non-Hispanic white. That compares to 57.9% a decade ago, and while some of the shift may be the result of a change in the way the Census asks about race and ethnicity, it’s still a remarkable shift.
In fact, a recent Seattle Times analysis ranked Tulsa and Indianapolis in a tie for the most rapidly changing of the 50 largest cities in America.
“It’s a big deal because it adds to the richness of our population,” said Melanie Poulter, Director of Innovative Data and Research at Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa. “It adds to the diversity of thought and overall culture of our community.”
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It’s also the reason Tulsa reversed nearly two decades of little to no growth. With birthrates down for much of the population, an influx of immigrants — largely Hispanic but also from Asia and elsewhere — seems to have accounted for much of the change.
Rodrigo Rojas, Mayor G.T. Bynum’s deputy chief of staff, said those immigrants brought an entrepreneurial spirit the city tries to foster through Main Street programs and other initiatives.
“Twenty-first and Garnett (Road) is an area that’s already seen tremendous change,” Rojas said.
The city’s New Tulsans initiative has helped more than 500 immigrants become U.S. citizens, Rojas said, and has assisted about 200 others match skills and professional credentials from their countries of origin with opportunities in Tulsa.
According to figures compiled by the Tulsa World from the 2020 and 2010 censuses, Tulsa’s non-Hispanic white population declined by 12% during the decade, to just over 200,000, while the overall population increased by 5.4%, to 413,066.
The Hispanic category grew 43%, to nearly 80,000, and is the second-largest grouping at 19.1%.
The non-Hispanic, two or more category nearly doubled during the decade to about 38,000.
The non-Hispanic Black and American Indian categories were slightly lower, while the Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander and other non-Hispanic categories all increased sharply percentage wise but remained relatively small shares of the population.
That adds up to a majority-minority city, a designation not universally viewed positively, but that demographers say is often misunderstood and inaccurately framed.
Writing in June for The Atlantic, researchers Richard Alba, Morris Levy and Dowell Myers said the United States is not so much becoming more racially divided as blended. They point out that the Census’ fastest-growing racial identification category is “two or more.”
The white/non-white dichotomy, they say, is a false one. The growing diversity of America, they write, is enmeshed not only in individual families but individual people.
“By softening and blurring racial and ethnic lines,” they wrote, “diversity is bringing Americans together more than it is tearing the country apart.”
World Staff Writer Curtis Killman contributed to this story
Aug. 12, 2021 video from census.gov shows percentage population change by county from 1990 through 2020.
What decisions are made based on the census?
What decisions are made based on the census?
On April 26, 2021, a little over one year after the 2020 census count began, the survey’s first data points were released to the public. Among this first round of information was a list of the states that were set to gain seats in the House of Representatives (Texas, Florida, Colorado, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon) and those who will lose them (California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia). These gains and losses will potentially have major effects on the midterm elections, as Democrats are now poised to lose their narrow advantage in the house.
The allocation of House seats is not the only major decision the United States will be making based on census data over the next decade. In fact, dozens of decisions, both on the federal and local levels, from policy to budget, will be made based on the once-a-decade count. To mark the release of the first bits of this new data, Stacker compiled a list of 10 different decisions that are made based on the U.S. Census Bureau data using news and government reports. Read on to find out how major of a role this constitutionally mandated count plays in the running and shaping of our country.
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Apportionment
Arguably the most important thing done with the census data is apportionment or the process of dividing the 435 seats in the House of Representatives among all 50 states. While the total number of House seats is fixed, the number granted to each state can, and does, change depending on population size. This method and process of representation is laid out in Article I section 2 of the United States Constitution.
Redistricting
In 1964 two U.S. Supreme Court cases declared that congressional districts and state legislative districts must be drawn as equally as possible so that every citizen has a fair and equal say in the way they are governed. Today, the geographically detailed census data is used for redistricting and helps to ensure that the votes of every citizen carry the same weight.
Allocation of federal funds
Final census counts are used to allocate some $900 billion in federal funds via direct payments, grants, loans, and loan guarantees. The raw data collected by the Census Bureau is used in formulas that determine how much programs like Medicaid, Federal Direct Student Loans, SNAP, Section 8 Housing, and others receive over the next decade. Undercounting the number of residents in a given state can often lead to underfunding these programs, which could potentially mean that citizens who are in genuine need won’t receive the help they require.
Community planning
The U.S. census and related surveys, like the American Community Survey, are frequently used by communities for planning purposes. Cities use the collected data to determine the need for things like additional hospitals, schools, and highways. Similarly, counties base planning and zoning decisions around the count’s findings.
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Emergency Planning
As more Americans move to coastal areas, and as climate change fuels an increase in extreme weather events in these areas, it’s more important than ever before for communities to have emergency response plans in place. The census counts help local governments and first responders ensure that they have adequate plans in place as well as enough funding set aside to cover the potential damages.
Health and wellness programs
The census is used to help determine the distribution of various health conditions, like cancer, heart disease, and obesity, across the United States. This information is then used by public health officials to target interventions and wellness programs in the communities that need them most. Without complete data, epidemics may remain overlooked and unaddressed, leaving many without the healthcare they so desperately need.
Social Security planning
When it comes to determining the cost of the country’s Social Security needs, Congress uses data gathered by the census committee as a baseline for their demographic projections. If these initial counts are off, then the amount allocated for these payouts may be short, leaving many citizens without the money they count on.
