Population Trends
An analysis of the data reveals several things. The growth of the overall population in Hampden County was small from 2000 to 2007 based on U.S. Census Bureau data. There were 457,908 Hampden County residents in 2007, an increase of 1680 individuals from 2000. The County's population would have significantly decreased between 2000 and 2007 if it were not for foreign-born immigrants moving to the area.
Growing immigrant groups include native speakers of Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Cambodian. Based on the 2000 Census, the Hampden County cities and towns with the highest proportion of recent immigrants (i.e. entered the U.S. during the past decade) as a percentage of total city/town population are:
- West Springfield - 7.1%
- Westfield - 4.2%
- Russell - 3.3%
- Springfield - 3.1%
- Chicopee - 2.4%
Hispanics comprise the fastest growing demographic group in the county with an increase of 51% between 1990 and 2000 according to the 2000 Census. Hispanics in Springfield and Holyoke make up 27.2% and 41% of those city's respective populations. Many Hispanics face language barriers as evidenced by their responses to the 2000 Census questions regarding "language spoken at home". Of the 52,087 Hampden County residents 5 years of age or older, who reported that they speak Spanish at home, 47% or 24,278 individuals spoke English "less than very well".
It is vital to the region's economic vitality that its limited English speaking residents achieve literacy levels that will enable their full integration into the work force at wage levels that can sustain families. Likewise, addressing the educational skill deficiencies of the County's high school dropouts and others with low basic skill levels continue to be paramount to moving people out of poverty and helping them to achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Jobs for more highly skilled workers are projected to increase faster than jobs for less skilled workers. In Hampden County, 47% of all projected new jobs will require an Associates or Higher Degree. Clearly, workers with more education and training will have more options in the emerging job market and better prospects for career growth
The Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC) succinctly expressed the critical importance of literacy and education attainment when it stated that "there is a strong relationship between people's literacy skills and their success in today's economy." In order to succeed in the modern workplace, in virtually every employment sector, workers must have the ability to use technology, acquire new, advanced skills on a life-long basis, read, write, compute, analyze and solve problems. Furthermore, English language proficiency is usually a minimum requirement for many of the fastest growing and better paying professional, managerial and sales positions.