Civic and Community Relations - Neighborhood Research - Section II: Population and Ethnicity

Section II: Population and Ethnicity

Every ten years, on April 1, the U.S. Census Bureau collects information on the population on the census tract level and various other levels of geography. This section of the "Atlas of USC Neighborhoods: People and Community" examines data collected during the 1990 and 2000 Censuses, focusing on data related to population and ethnicity.

Maps 7 and 8 depict the spatial patterns of total population in 2000 and population change between those two census dates for the areas surrounding USC's University Park and Health Sciences campuses and downtown Los Angeles. Examination of Charts 1 and 2 indicate that the total population in the neighborhoods surrounding the two campuses declined by just over 3,000 in the University Park neighborhood and just over 1,000 in the Health Sciences neighborhoods.

Charts 1 and 2 also show populations of broad ethnic categories in 1990 and 2000 related to the neighborhoods surrounding USC's two campuses, compared to the population in these categories for the city and county of Los Angeles. For the 2000 Census data, 14 census tracts were used to represent the University Park neighborhood and 10 for the Health Sciences neighborhood. Data from 1990 and 2000 Censuses show that each of the neighborhoods has had a majority Hispanic/Latino population.

The Census Bureau constructs "race" separately from Hispanic/Latino origin. In this atlas, all people having non-Hispanic/Latino origin are categorized into one of four broad racial categories: White, African American, Asian or Pacific Islander, and Other (which includes Native Americans). Unlike the 1990 Census, the 2000 Census included a multiple-race category in which people could be classified as part of two or more racial groups.

Maps 9 through 18 show the spatial distribution of major ethnic population categories and their changes between the two decades by census tract in the central area of Los Angeles. In general, these maps reflect the truly multiethnic and multicultural character of the areas surrounding USC's campuses.