Montgomery County is projected to have 476,000 residents in 2010, including a 127 percent increase in the number of Hispanics.

The projections are the latest available from the University of Texas at San Antonio before the official census begins in March.

Montgomery County Judge Alan B. Sadler said the county's anticipated population is slightly higher than expected, with a significant growth in Hispanic residents.

In 2000, there were 35,000 Hispanics, which is expected to swell to 85,000, or 18 percent of county residents, in 2010.

Sadler said he anticipates the growing Hispanic population will increase the need for quasi-welfare programs, like medical care, unemployment, senior services and emergency assistance.

“I’ve been told there is a greater number of unemployment among Hispanics than other races,” Sadler said.. ”The Hispanic population continues to flock to Montgomery County and other nearby counties in record numbers. Eventually it is going to affect our quasi-welfare system, like medical care and unemployment.”

Sadler said he does not anticipate the need to add more programs or translate other documents to meet the needs of the growing minority population.

In the 2000 U.S. Census, Montgomery County had about 293,000 residents, and it only had to change three of its 86 voting precincts due to adjustments to the demographics.

Sadler said he expects similar results for 2010, since the growth has remained relatively steady across the county.

Montgomery County Commissioners Court hired the Guinn and Morrison Law Firm, professors at the Baylor School of Law, to handle any redistricting issues that would be required as a result of the 2010 census. The firm assisted in the redistricting of the county is 2000.

According to the University of Texas projections, the number of African American in Montgomery County will remain steady at about 3.65 percent of the population. Anglos make up about 76 percent of the resident here.

BY THE NUMBERS

According to “Population 2000 and Project Population 2005-2040” from the University of Texas at San Antonio, following is the U.S. Census data for 2000 and projected changes for 2010 for Montgomery County:

Year: 2000
Total: 293,768
Anglo: 241,180
Black: 10,481
Hispanic: 37,150
Other: 4,957
Year: 2010
Total: 476,502
Anglo: 364,752
Black: 17,373
Hispanic: 84,643
Other: 9,734
Source: University of Texas at San Antonio