Georgia's minority populations continued to grow in the past year, ranking eighth in the nation as a percentage of the total population, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers released today.

Georgia is now 41.5 percent minority. That's behind Hawaii, Washington, D.C., New Mexico, California and Texas, which already have reached the milestone of majority-minority populations.

In the same tier as Georgia are Nevada, Maryland, Arizona and Mississippi, which have minority populations in the 40 percent range. In contrast, Maine has the highest percentage of white residents in the country, with a minority population of only 4.5 percent.

Georgia's minority populations have increased partly because the Atlanta region itself has led population growth among cities nationwide since 2000.

"That means a lot of growth in every ethnic group —- black, Hispanic and white," said Mike Alexander, research division chief for the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Georgia ranks ninth nationally in population.

This year, the state was first in the nation in numerical increase in African-Americans, adding 84,000 people, census numbers show. Georgia also placed third nationally in adding white residents, at 57,000. The numbers cover the period from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007.

Atlanta has long been a magnet for African-American professionals, drawn by the city's historically black colleges, the civil rights legacy and the city's black political structure, with African-American mayors dating to Maynard Jackson in the 1970s.

"It's viewed as kind of a mecca of black business," said state Rep. Bob Holmes (D-Atlanta), chairman of the Atlanta and Fulton County legislative delegations.

"If you're a middle-class African-American and you're looking to move up, you've got Coca-Cola, you've got UPS, you've got Delta Air Lines that you can get a job with," Holmes said. "And you've got the American dream of owning a home. You can get a larger house here at a third the price."

In addition to the increase in Georgia's black population, currently about 30.6 percent, the state's Hispanic community is growing rapidly, fueling the growth in minority population.

Hispanics are the nation's largest minority, comprising 15 percent of the population. In Georgia that figure is approximately 7.8 percent, because the Hispanic community here is nascent. (Likewise, the state's Asian-American community is about 3.2 percent.)

Still, the Hispanic segment is growing very rapidly. While Georgia's black population increased by 22 percent in the past seven years, its Hispanic population increased by 70 percent.

Alexander expects the state's Hispanic population to continue to grow steadily because of higher birthrates among Hispanic women compared with women of other groups. Even if there were no international migration of Hispanics to Georgia, "You'd still have a trend there for a significant population increase," he said.

HIGH MINORITY POPULATIONS

1. Hawaii....75.3%

2. District of Columbia....67.5%

3. New Mexico....57.7%

4. California....57.3%

5. Texas....52.1%

6. Nevada....42.0%

7. Maryland....41.9%

8. Georgia....41.5%

9. Mississippi....41.1%

10. Arizona....40.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, July 1, 2007

 DALE E. DODSON / Staff
MULTIRACIAL GEORGIA 
Georgia has a population of 9.5 million and is 41.5 percent minority, placing it near states that are already majority-minority like New Mexico, California and Texas. 
White: 6,352,362 / 66.55%
Black: 2,923,725 / 30.63%
Hispanic: 740,843 / 7.76% 
Asian: 304,424 / 3.19%  
American Indian: 69,921 / 0.73%  
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 14,355 / 0.15% 
Note: Percentages may not add up because some count themselves in more than one race category. Hispanics can fall into any race category. 
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, July 1, 2007