Latinos in Greenville County, SC
Fact Sheet
Prepared by
Alianza para la Colaboración con la Comunidad Hispana (ACCH)
Alliance for Collaboration with the Hispanic Community
ACCH is a networking group of over 180 members made up of individuals and representatives
from various educational entities, churches, non-profit agencies, law offices, and charitable and
cultural organizations who are interested in the welfare of the Hispanic community in South
Carolina's Upstate region. Our mission is to provide a vehicle for communication and
collaboration within and between these organizations and individuals.
How many Latinos live in Greenville County?
There are an estimated 29,263 Latinos living in Greenville County as of 2007. This is 6.8% of
the county’s population.1
How much has the Latino population increased in Greenville County?2
The Latino population has increased 866% from 3,028 people, or <1% of the population, in
1990.
Who are the Latinos in Greenville County?
They are of diverse origins • 48% are Mexicans
• 20% are South Americans (approximately 80% of whom are Colombians)
• 12% are Central Americans (approximately 35% of whom are Guatemalans)
• 12% are Puerto Ricans
• 8% are Spaniards, Cubans, Dominicans, or “Other Latinos” (undetermined origin)3
1
2
Census, 2007
US Census data.
Latinos in Greenville County, SC
Compared to the general Greenville County population, Latinos are young.4
Under five years old
Under 18 years old
18-64 years old
Over 65 years old
Total County
7.0%
24.5%
63.6%
12.0%
Latinos
14.4%
33.3%
63.2%
3.4%
57% of the Latinos in Greenville County are males.5
How many of them speak English?
Of the Greenville County Latinos over five years old, 13% are speaking English at home.
Of those who are speaking Spanish at home:
• 32% speak English “very well”
• 19% speak English “well”
• 29% speak English “not well”
• 20% speak English “not at all”6
How many of the Latinos in Greenville County are citizens?
41.7% of Latinos in Greenville are native to the US, and 58.3% are foreign-born. Of the foreignborn Latinos, 17.7% are naturalized citizens, and 82.3% are not US Citizens (note – this includes
people who are lawful permanent residents, temporary/humanitarian migrants, and
unauthorized migrants). Of the Latinos under 18 years old, 79% are native to the US.7
How long have they been in Greenville?
In a statewide survey, USC found Latinos in South Carolina had been in the US an average of
7.9 years, and in South Carolina for 4.8 years.8
What else do we know about Latinos in Greenville?
Income
23.6% of Latinos in Greenville County are living in poverty, compared to 13.1% of the general
population (9.2% of whites and 27.9% of African-Americans).9
3
Census, 2007
Census, 2005-7
5
Census, 2005-7
6
Census, 2005-7
7
Census, 2005-7
8
Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies at the University of South Carolina, 2007. “The Economic and Social
Implications of the Growing Latino Population in South Carolina.” Hereafter listed as “CLIS 2007”.
9
Census, 2005-7
4
Latinos in Greenville County, SC
Latino workers in Greenville earn low wages:10
Per capita income
Median earnings
for the working
population
Greenville
$24,789
$26,221
Males - $32,134
Females - $20,504
Latinos
$13,098
$18,202
Males - $18,909
Females - $14,635
Whites
$27,750
$28,399
Males - $35,392
Females - $21,329
African-Americans
$14,943
$20,771
Males - $23,793
Females - $18,693
Latinos households statewide are an average of 5.1 persons,11 compared to the total population’s
average of 2.5 persons per household.12 They are often living with roommates or extended
families, and often in mobile homes or apartments. These larger households are reflected in the
household incomes:13
Greenville Latinos
Whites
AfricanAmericans
Median household income
$45,616
$35,444
$50,008
$28,241
Median family income
$55,849
$33,271
$62,651
$32,601
Median nonfamily household income $27,049
$32,137
$29,340
$17,180
Statewide, Latinos are employed mostly in construction, animal slaughtering (including poultry
processing), and landscaping services. The 2007 unemployment rate in Greenville for Latinos
was 9.7%, compared to 6.4% among the whole county.14
Education
Latinos in Greenville have lower levels of education compared to the total Greenville population.
Among adults over 25 years old:
• 44% of Latinos have not graduated from high school, compared to 17.5% of the total
population
• 27% have a high school diploma and no further education
• 12% have some college education but no degree
• 14% have a Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree, compared to 26% of the total population
• 3% have a graduate degree, compared to over 9% of the total population15
Latino students are 10.4% of the population of the Greenville County School District, which the
largest enrollment of Latino children in the state.16 They are struggling, compared to the total
student population17 –
High School Assessment Program passage rate
End of course passage rate
Graduation rate
10
Census, 2005-7
CLIS 2007
12
Census, 2005-7
13
Census, 2005-7
14
Census, 2007
15
Census, 2005-7
16
CLIS 2007
17
2007 Greenville County Schools District Report Card
11
Entire district
87.9%
68.9%
69.6%
Latino students
80%
56.9%
55.2%
Latinos in Greenville County, SC
Health
Latinos in Greenville County are a very healthy population. Latinos have much lower death rates
than the non-Hispanic population – 4.9 / 1,000 compared to 8.5 / 1,000.18 More Latinos report that
they are in good health than the non-Latino population.19 This is usually due to the “healthy
migrant effect.”
Few Latinos have health insurance. Statewide, 42.1% of Latinos have no health care coverage,
compared to 15.7% of non-Latinos.20 Another report found that 74% of Latinos surveyed had no
health insurance.21
Latinos in Greenville County have high birth rates – 33.7 births per 1,000 persons, compared to
13.2 among non-Hispanics. The teen birth rate is also particularly high among Latinas – 31.9 /
1,000, compared to 8.3 among non-Hispanics.22
The health of babies is a good indicator of a community’s health. Despite having less income and
lower rates of health insurance, Latinos in Greenville County have very healthy babies:
• 5.6% of Latinos in Greenville have low birthweight babies, compared to 9% of nonHispanics
• 7.0% of Latinos in Greenville had pre-term births, compared to 11.5% of non-Hispanics
• 52.6% of Latinas had “less than adequate” prenatal care, compared to 34.6% of nonHispanics
• Infant mortality rate of 4.6 / 1,000 (deaths per live births) compared to 6.4 / 1,000 for
non-Hispanics23
More Latinos report poor mental health in the past month than the non-Latino population
(problems with stress, depression, emotions, etc). Latinos more often say that they ‘rarely’ or
‘never’ get the social or emotional support that they need.24
What if I want to learn more, or be involved with activities or services in the Latino
community here in Greenville?
ACCH meets monthly to share information about events, activities, and services in the Hispanic
community and to discuss problems and brainstorm solutions to those problems so that we might
avoid overlapping services and recreating the wheel (vital for anyone working with or interested
in outreaching to the Latino community).
Any individual or representative of an organization interested in the welfare of the Hispanic
community in the Upstate is invited to join ACCH. Our meetings take place at 12:30 P.M. on the
second Wednesday of every month. For more information, contact Adela Mendoza at (864) 9060031 or [email protected].
This fact sheet has been prepared by Sarah Covington Kolb for ACCH.
18
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), 2002-2006; rate is age-adjusted
SC DHEC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2006
20
SC DHEC, BRFSS 2006
21
CLIS 2007
22
SC DHEC, 2002-2006
23
SC DHEC, 2002-2006; Infant mortality data is 2000-2006
24
SC DHEC, BRFSS 2006
19