Concentrations of minority communities in the Maryland suburbs are spreading out as Asians and Hispanics have driven household growth over the last decade, according to Census Bureau data released Thursday.
Hispanics in Prince George’s County are expanding into places north and east of the traditional centers of Langley Park and Hyattsville, while Asians in Montgomery County are the fastest-growing household group in towns north and west of Rockville.
“When you have more people you’re going to find them in more places and I think the fact that you’re finding them in towns adjacent to the places that are more typical, that makes a lot of sense,” said Lisa Sturtevant, research assistant professor at the George Mason University School of Public Policy.
| Suburban minority communities spreading | |||
| Jurisdiction | Households/growth | Top group/growth | Change in household share over decade |
| Woodlawn | 1,751 / -15% | Hispanic / 291% | Hispanic: 6% -> 28% |
| New Carrollton | 3,952 / -13.5% | Hispanic / 211% | Hispanic: 4% -> 15% |
| Prince George’s County | 304,042 / 6% | Hispanic / 111% | Hispanic: 5% -> 9% |
| Travilah | 3,821 / 62% | Asian / 272% | Asian: 12% -> 27% |
| Germantown | 30,531 / 46% | Asian / 204% | Asian: 8% -> 17% |
| Montgomery County | 357,086 / 10% | Hispanic / 65% | Hispanic: 8% -> 12% |
| Maryland | 2.1m / 9% | Asian / 55% | Asian: 3% -> 5% |
| Hispanic / 97% | Hispanic: 3% -> 5% | ||
| Source: U.S. Census | |||
Just east of Hyattsville in Woodlawn, the number of Hispanic households nearly quadrupled to 485. Hispanic households climbed from just 6 percent of the household population in 2000 to more than 25 percent in 2010 in Woodlawn, according to an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau data. One town over in New Carrollton, the number of Hispanic households more than tripled and to the north in South Laurel, they more than doubled.
In fact, the fastest-growing household populations in Prince George’s towns are, for the most part, Hispanic. Likewise among Montgomery County towns, Asians top the charts when it comes to the biggest gains, although Hispanics in Montgomery overall were the fastest-growing group. Both groups tend to buy homes more often than they rent.
Brookings Institution demographer William Frey said that trend follows the statewide growth of Hispanics as the fastest-growing population group with Asians coming in second. That growth has led to the Maryland suburbs becoming majority-minority over the last decade.
In Travilah, which is between Rockville and Potomac, the number of Asian households nearly quadrupled to more than 1,000 and now account for more than one-quarter of households in the area. In 2000, just one in 10 households were Asian.
North of Rockville, Germantown claims the next highest jump in Asians households, which more than tripled to more than 5,300 over the decade. Meanwhile, all Germantown households grew by just 46 percent.
Economist Richard Clinch said Asians tend to be highly educated, which explains the focus on living in the I-270 Technology Corridor.
“I think the Asian population is different [from other immigrant groups] in that it tends to be professional,” he said.
