Demographics of Alabama

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Main article: Alabama
Historical populations
Census
year		 Population
1800 1,250
1810 9,046
1820 127,901
1830 309,527
1840 590,756
1850 771,623
1860 964,201
1870 996,992
1880 1,262,505
1890 1,513,401
1900 1,828,697
1910 2,138,093
1920 2,348,174
1930 2,646,248
1940 2,832,961
1950 3,061,743
1960 3,266,740
1970 3,444,165
1980 3,893,888
1990 4,040,587
2000 4,447,100

Contents

[edit] Population

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Alabama's 2000 population was 4,447,100. As of 2006, Alabama has an estimated population of 4,599,030, which is an increase of 50,703, or 1.1%, from the prior year and an increase of 151,679 or 3.4%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 87,818 people (that is 375,808 births minus 287,990 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 73,178 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 30,537 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 42,641 people.

As of 2004 Alabama had 108,000 foreign-born (2.4% of the state population), of which an estimated 22.2% were illegal aliens (24,000).

In 2006, Alabama has a larger percentage of tobacco smokers than the national average, with 23% of adults smoking.[1]

[edit] Race and ancestry

The racial makeup of the state and comparison to the prior census:

Demographics of Alabama (csv)
By race White Black AIAN* Asian NHPI*
2000 (total population) 72.56% 26.33% 1.00% 0.89% 0.07%
2000 (Hispanic only) 1.48% 0.18% 0.04% 0.02% 0.01%
2005 (total population) 72.14% 26.70% 0.98% 1.02% 0.07%
2005 (Hispanic only) 2.08% 0.17% 0.05% 0.03% 0.01%
Growth 2000–05 (total population) 1.90% 3.95% -0.06% 17.43% 4.90%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only) 1.02% 3.97% -0.55% 17.47% 6.67%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only) 43.85% 1.05% 11.46% 16.20% -2.17%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

The largest reported ancestry groups in Alabama: African American (26.0%), American (17.0%), English (7.8%), Irish (7.7%), German (5.7%), and Scots-Irish (2.0%). 'American' includes those reported as Native American or African American.

[edit] Ethnicity/Ancestry

The five largest ancestry groups in Alabama are: 26.0% African American; 17.0% American; 7.8% English; 7.7% Irish; 5.7% German.

Historically, African Americans were brought to Alabama as slaves, in greatest numbers in the cotton-producing plantation region known as the Black Belt. This region remains predominantly African American, where many freedmen settled to work at agriculture after the Civil War. The northern part of the state, originally settled by small farmers with fewer slaves, is predominantly white. The Port of Mobile, founded by the French and subsequently controlled by England, Spain, and the United States, has long had an ethnically diverse population. It has long served as an entry point for various groups settling in other parts of the state.

[edit] Rankings

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Alabama ranks:

[edit] Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Alabama are as follows:[2]

[edit] Language

As of 2000, 96.7% of Alabama residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 2.2% speak Spanish. German speakers make up only 0.4% of the population, French/French Creole at 0.3%, and Chinese at 0.1%.

[edit] Age & Sex

As of 2000, 25.3% of residents of the state were under 18, 6.7% were under 5, and 13.0% were over 65.

51.7% of Alabamians are female and 48.3% are male.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ CDC's STATE System - State Comparision Report Cigarette Use (Adults) – BRFSS for 2006, lists the state as having 23.3% smokers. The national average is 20.8% according to Cigarette Smoking Among Adults --- United States, 2006 article in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
  2. ^ http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris.pdf