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characteristics of the County. Most <br />noticeable are increases in the County's <br />child, senior, minority and Hispanic <br />population <br />Figure 3: Population Increase <br />1998 2030 <br />0 W % change <br />Children <br />22,912 <br />45,851 <br />100% <br />Seniors <br />13,398 <br />33,302 <br />148% <br />Minority <br />23,392 <br />36,600 <br />56% <br />O.C. Hispanic % of OC pop <br />1998 2030 1998 2030 <br />Hispanic 3,063 16,770 3% 9% <br />The following sections outline population <br />increase within these cohorts. <br />Minority Population <br />Minority refers to persons classified as <br />either African American, Asian or Pacific <br />American, Native American. Between 1998 <br />and 2030, approximately 13,629 persons of <br />minority status are projected to reside in <br />Orange County. <br />This is a slight increase over the last 28 <br />years, which saw 12,407 persons of minority <br />status persons as Orange County residents. <br />Consistent with today, the majority of the <br />County's non-white population is expected <br />to be of African descent. <br />Hispanic Population <br />Hispanic or Latino is a broad term referring <br />to people of Spanish speaking origin. It is <br />an ethnic classification and not a racial <br />class, therefore persons of Hispanic <br />ethnicity can classify themselves as white or <br />non-white. It is not known what percentage <br />of the County's Hispanic population <br />classifies themselves as white or non-white. <br />During the next 32 years it is projected that <br />13,707 new Hispanic residents will call <br />Orange County home. This will increase <br />Orange County's Hispanic population from <br />an estimated 3,063 in 1998 to 16,770 in 2030. <br />Given this increase, by 2030, 9% of all <br />County residents will be Hispanic, this <br />contrasts with the present, where 3% of the <br />all residents are Hispanic. <br />Detailed demographic characteristics of the <br />County's Hispanic population are . not <br />currently known. At best, one can presume <br />that the make-up of the County's Hispanic <br />population does not differ considerably <br />from that of the make-up of the larger <br />North Carolina Hispanic population. Based <br />on anecdotal evidence from various new <br />stories, the Hispanic community in North <br />Carolina is extremely diverse, as noted in <br />by the following comments attributed to <br />Julio Cordoba of the North Carolina <br />Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in the <br />9/4/98 edition of the News & Observer. <br />"...a distinguishing factor of North <br />Carolina's Latino community is its <br />diversity. Laborers work on farms in the <br />country and at construction sites in the city, <br />while the state's universities and large <br />companies such as IBM, Glaxo Wellcome, <br />and Northern Telecom draw future and <br />current engineers, chemists and computer <br />designers. There is also a healthy ethnic n-dx <br />of people from every country in Latin <br />America and from Puerto Rico." <br />Seniors <br />Since 1970, the 60+ population has <br />increased by 148%, so that as of today <br />(1998) there are 13,398 persons age sixty or <br />older. The future shows continuation of this <br />trend. By 2030, the County's senior <br />population will number an estimated <br />33,302, ironically another 148% increase <br />between 1998 and 2030. The demographics <br />of the senior population in 2030 will not <br />look substantively different than today's <br />senior population. Despite a projected 134% <br />2030 Baseline Scenario April 1999 <br />