Sub-Saharan AFRICANS IN WASHINGTON STATE

POPULATION CHANGE: 2000-2005

CWAA, Volume I, June 2007

By Lyungai Mbilinyi, MPH, PhD

The Decennial Census, conducted every 10 years by the United States’ Census Bureau, is the most reliable data source in documenting the number of Sub-Saharan Africans in the US. 1 in 6 households receive “the long form” asking (among other areas) about their ancestry, providing an estimate of Sub-Sahara Africans in the US. Accurate estimation of Sub-Saharan Africans in the US and Washington state is a difficult task due to immigration trends, secondary migration, and fears of immigration laws and policies.

The population of Sub-Saharan African in Washington State and the US changes drastically on an ongoing basis, making the decennial census too infrequent to accurately estimate the population within the 10 years. Africans’ emigration to the US can change drastically from one year to the next, following political instability in the home country or changes to the United States’ immigration laws (e.g. quotas on refugee or visa programs). Once Africans arrive in the US, their secondary migration across states poses another challenge to their population count. Like other immigrant populations, many Africans move across states to join family, fellow Africans from their home country, or for better opportunities.

The American Community Survey, conducted every year by the Census Bureau (among geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more), is a more current count of the Sub-Saharan African in the US than the Decennial Census Data. However, both data sources are faced with additional barriers in documenting the sub-saharan African population. The fear of deportation among undocumented and documented persons lead many to non-disclosure of their identity or others’ identities in the household. Africans are more likely to house extended relatives and may have more persons living in their household than the city code allows. Non-disclosure of the accurate number of persons living in the household often leads to under-reporting, contributing to an under-estimation of the Sub-Sahara Africans in that community. Additionally, other barriers such as language and methodologies have impact on the final count or estimate of Africans in any community.

Although many in the African community believe the Census Bureau’s count of their members is an under-estimation, until an improved process is implemented, it is the most reliable data source that we currently have.

Below are data on the African population in Washington state and King County from 2000 (Decennial Census) to 2005 (American Community Survey). The data shows a dramatic population increase of Sub-Saharan African immigrants and refugees in the state of Washington (Table 1 below).

Table 1. African population change, Washington and King County, 2000-2005

Note. 2000 data from Decennial Census, 2005 from American Community Survey, Census Bureau.