The Hispanic Report Profile of Hispanics in Chattanooga, Tennessee 2005

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

ECONOMIC IMPACT EDUCATION ATTAINMENT

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

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The Hispanic Report

Chattanooga, Tennessee 2005

Demographic Profile

Economic Impact Educational Attainment

Needs Assessment

Copyright © HEC, L.L.C. 2005 Hispanic Exploratory Committee, L.L.C. Mark Phillip Kleiner, President

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Contents

Section 1 Introduction ............................ 4

Section 2 Local Statistics Demographics…..……. 5

Labor……………………. 7 Economic Impact……. 9 Language…………….. 11 Education…………...…12 Faith-based & Needs Assessment…...13 Section 3 Methodology………………….14 Section 4

More Information/ Contact …………………….…15

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Introduction Hispanics* have dramatically emerged as the largest minority in America, and locally in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a dominant immigrant group. This group is defined in terms of sheer population size and economic impact on the local market, and is calling Chattanooga home with increasing frequency. National population trends have shown accelerated growth in this group over the past four decades and, as a result, Hispanics have become the nation’s largest minority. Locally, the Hispanic population has increased by 300% in the last decade alone. More importantly, US Census estimates indicate no decrease in the present influx of Latinos to the United States. Census figures are under-reported in the Hispanic demographic due to the status of some respondents in the US. Even so, their population growth factor outpaced population growth statistics for the city of Chattanooga during the last decade by a factor of three, meaning per capita, more Hispanics moved here than whites or blacks. “The Hispanic Report” provides the first comprehensive snapshot of the growing group of Latinos in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This locally gathered original data is intended to provide reliable, statistically valid information for community inquiry. * The terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” are used interchangeably in this report. Additionally, being of a particular origin is determined by respondents. For instance, their designation may be based on geographic birthplace, geographic origin, or heritage.

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Country of Origin

Mexico 35%

Honduras 1%

Guatemala

61%

Dominican

Rep. 1%El Salvador 1%

Chile 1%

Section 2: Local Statistics

Demographics An estimated 15,000 - 18,000 Latinos reside in Hamilton County. In Chattanooga, TN, Hispanic residents are predominantly Guatemalan males, between 19-40 years old. In 2004, 86% of all Hispanics in Chattanooga were between 19 – 40 years old, and 10% were under 18 years old. As shown in Table 1, 58% of Hispanic residents were of Guatemalan origin, and 36% were of Mexican origin. Table 1

Table 2

Over 75% of all respondents lived with 3-6 other adults in the same house, while 5% reported living with 7 or more adults. (See Table 2)

In some instances, numbers varied depending on shift work. During shift switches, it is possible that the number of adults living at the address can change.

Number of Adults in the Home

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Number of Hispanics living at one address

% P

op

ula

tion

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Relocation Permanence

46.7%

52.6%

7.0%

49.7%

29.0%

21.3%

Under 1 yr.

1-2 yrs.

3+ yrs

Sample Size: 183

Chattanooga

Present Address

Table 3 Hispanics in Chattanooga are not inclined to live in one house permanently. Over 50% lived at their address between 12 – 24 months, and only one out of five have lived in the city for more than three years, as shown in table 3. The highest combined percentages are of Latinos who had recently arrived in Chattanooga within the previous 12 months, and who were at their present address for less than a year. *

* Comparison of both data sets in Table 3 reveals the transient nature of the Latino population in Chattanooga, and a lack of residential permanence.

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"Do you have a job?"

88.7%

11.3% Yes

No

Diversified Job TypesWood Working

5.6%

Restaurant 10.8%

Landscaping 5.0%

Food Processing

11.4%

Hospitality 15.9%Construction 25.3%

Industrial 8.2%

Textiles 4.4%

Temporary 1.9% Unemployed 11.4%

Local Statistics:

Labor

Approximately 86% of Hispanics in Chattanooga site work as the primary reason for being in the city. The unemployment rate among Hispanics in Chattanooga was high when compared to local and national standards (4-5%), at approximately 11%. (See Table 4) One-fourth of all Latinos here worked in construction, and approximately half worked either in construction, hospitality, or a restaurant.

Table 5 shows work categories* derived from diversified job types which Latinos reported as having held in Chattanooga in 2004.

*Job category names can be difficult to effectively communicate to Hispanic respondents. It should be noted that in some instances, the physical task is referred to rather than the job title; for example, “woodworking” as opposed to “carpentry.” The category names in Table 5 were consolidated by type based on respondent’s description of their work.

Table 4

Table 5

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"Do you own a car?"

51.8% 48.2%

Yes

No

47.8%

32.9%

2.9%

1.0%

2.9%

1.0%

11.4%

Alone, Car

Carpool

Bus

Taxi

Walk

Bike

Other/ Unemployed

% of total respondents by mode of transportation

Work Transportation

Monthly Income Distribution Among Hispanics in Chattanooga

16%

46%

30%

8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

under $833 $834-$1250 $1251-$1666 $1667-$2083

Income Quartiles

% P

op

ula

tion

Labor (continued) One-third of all Hispanics carpool to get to work and nearly half of all respondents reported owning and driving a car to their job. (See Table 6&7)

Earned wages in 2004 were concentrated. All Latinos earned less than $2100 per month, with 62% earning at least $200 per week. Approximately a third of Latinos were earning between $300 - $400 per week, as shown below in Table 8.*

* Earned income survey questions were divided into three categories: monthly earnings, bi-weekly earnings, and weekly earnings. Respondents were strictly asked the open-ended question: “What is your salary?” Responses were recorded appropriately. (For estimates, divide the monthly statistics by 160 for the hourly rate,)

Table 6

Table 7

Table 8

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"Do you own your home?"

6.1%

93.3%

Yes

No

Monthly Rent26.9%

19.8%

8.4%

24.9%

20.3%

under $125 $126-$200 $201-$300 $301-$400 $400+

Rent expenditure by individual: Quintile Distribution

% P

op

ula

tio

n

Local Statistics: Local Economic Impact Most Hispanics in Chattanooga were renters in 2004. Table 9 shows that 93% of Hispanics did not own the home they lived in. One out of four Hispanics reported spending less than $125 and another 25% over $300 per month on their rent. As shown in Table 10, half of renters were paying rent in the upper and lower quintile. * In most cases, renters in the lowest fifth split rent among several roommates. Those in the upper fifth live alone or have fewer roommates.

Table 9

Table 10

* Hispanic renters pay

landlords almost

exclusively in cash. Many Hispanics do

not receive receipts from

their landlords, or

do not clearly understand

their rights as tenants.

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Comparative Monthly Expenses

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

under $25 $26-$50 $51-$100 $101+

% P

op

ula

tion Water

Phone

TV/ Cable

Food

Average Monthly Remittance

6.9%

33.3%32.2%

26.6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

under $100 $101-$200 $201-$300 $301+

Indiv idual contributions: Quartile Distribution

Local Economic Impact (continued) Table 11 shows monthly expenses incurred by Latinos in 2004. At least 56% of Hispanics spent approximately $100 a month on food. Spending patterns show that spending habits for food expenses do not follow spending behavior for electronics and utilities expenses.

Cell phone usage is prevalent in the Hispanic population in Chattanooga. As a result, many houses do not have telephone land-lines. TV/ Cable bills are the top expense per month. This can be attributed to the fact that the majority of addresses had satellite cable service.

Two-thirds of all Latinos spent approximately 20% of their average monthly income ($1250) on a monthly remittance (funds sent overseas to family) of $100-$300.

Table 11

Table 12

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Adults speaking Spanish and English92.4%

36.9%

7.6%

62.6%

1 2

Spanish at HOME English

% P

opul

atio

n

Yes/ Some

No

Mayan dialects spoken in Chattanooga

Mam, 42.6%

Maja, 8.5%

Aguacatec, 2.1%

Quiche, 2.1%

Other, 28.0%

Kanjobal, 17.0%

Local Statistics: Language Acquisition Latinos in Chattanooga speak Spanish and a variety of Mayan dialects. They mostly speak Spanish at home, yet 36% claim to be bilingual (English / Spanish, OR Spanish / dialect). Sixty-two percent have no English proficiency. (See Table 13) Five Mayan dialects were spoken in Chattanooga in 2004 by Hispanics of Guatemalan origin. Of those who speak a Mayan dialect, the majority, 42%, speak Mam, 17% speak Kanjobal, and 8% speak Maja, as shown in Table 14. *

Table 13

Table 14

* A significant segment (28%) of those speaking Mayan dialects reported speaking an “other” dialect not specified on the survey tool.

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Educational attainment levels

46.6%

22.5%

12.3% 11.8%

4.5% 2.2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Elem

entary

Middle

Som

e Hig

h school

High school d

iplom

a

Som

e Colle

ge

College G

radua

te

% P

op

ula

tion

Local Statistics: Educational Attainment The majority of Hispanics in Chattanooga have received at least some level of education.* Approximately twice as many Latinos reported having some elementary education than those with only some middle school education, and only 11% reported completing high school. Only 4% have some college education, and 2% reported being a college graduate.

* Education levels reported are not comparable to U.S. Department of Education standards for corresponding levels in the U.S. Some respondents communicated that they received “elementary” education yet were unable to read or write.

Table 15

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Denomination distribution

Adv entist,

10.7%

Baptist, 12.6%

Catholic,

55.3%

Church of

God, 1.0%

Other, 12.6%

Church of

Christ, 7.8%

Service Request Frequency by Rank/ Type

153

100 9065

4627 25 15

0

45

90

135

180

Educatio

n

Health

Imm

igra

tion

Trans

latio

n

Socia

l Serv

ices

Consular

Financ

ialW

ork

# R

eq

ue

sts

Local Statistics: Faith-based Nearly half of all Hispanics in Chattanooga did not attend a church in 2004. Of the 55% who did report attending church, over half considered themselves Catholic. Denominations varied as shown in Table 15. _____ A significant percentage (12.6%) replied “other” when asked to describe their religious affiliation. Of those responding “other,” many indicated practicing indigenous Mayan traditions.

Needs Assessment

Hispanics in Chattanooga highly value English language

acquisition as well as the ability to find health related services.

In Table 16 services are listed in rank order of importance.

_____

Hispanics have a well-developed, informal job referral system, as indicated by the low number of

requests for job help. Health, Education, and Immigration support are much more important to

them. Of 521 total requests, 63% were in the above mentioned categories.

Table 15

Table 16

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Section 3: Methodology Survey Background Estimates in this report come from data obtained in October 2004. Six regional organizations representing public, private, and academic sectors were invited to discuss the emerging Latino population. Under project coordination by the Hispanic Exploratory Committee, the academic sector accepted the challenge to document the Hispanic demographic by assembling over 30 volunteers to conduct the comprehensive survey effort. Survey Design The survey steering committee helped develop a four-part survey, comprehensively including questions in the following areas: demographics, economic impact, educational attainment, and a needs assessment. The rationale for this included the scarcity of resources available for future survey attempts, as well as the desire to comprehensively and

accurately profile the Hispanic group in Chattanooga. Sample Characteristics The target sample was comprised of non-English speaking Hispanics from varying ethnicities and nationalities. They were largely without reading and writing ability. The survey was administered to 200 respondents. Ensuring a Random Sample This study differs from others due to the fact that at each address surveyed, there were indeterminate numbers of respondents in the house, ensuring that each had an equal opportunity of being surveyed because all present were surveyed separately and included as individual respondents. Additionally, addresses where Hispanics lived were indistinguishable from other addresses where the target

demographic did not live. Data Entry/ Aggregate Compilation Raw data sets were provided to Chattanooga State Technical Community College’s Office of Institutional Research, which provided data entry and compilation. Cumulative percentages were derived from the original data sets. Cross-tabs were not produced in an effort to eliminate inferences or particularities from the data, and to facilitate cross-sector utilization of the information. Estimates are subject to non-sampling error. This can be attributed to survey design, how respondents interpreted questions, and coding accuracy. Quality control measures were employed throughout the survey process, from cross-checking completed surveys to reviewing work from coders.

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Section 4: More Information Technical Support Sixteen detailed tables from The Hispanic Report are available by request in paper or electronic format, as well as raw data compilations and percent totals. Comparisons, trends, additional data collections, and presentations are also available. Contact Hispanic Exploratory Committee, L.L.C. markleiner@lycos.com 423-266-7147 Mark Kleiner, President User Comments The Hispanic Exploratory Committee welcomes comments and advice from report users, and actively seeks interaction with entities that perceive mutually beneficial outcomes for Hispanics and their organization as a result of using this report. If you have any suggestions or comments, please write to: Hispanic Exploratory Committee, LLC 20 Mason Dr. #1206 Chattanooga, TN 37415 Or send e-mail to: markleiner@lycos.com Special Thanks Dr. Oralia Prebul-Niemi, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Dr. Nora Ernst, Chattanooga State, Office of Institutional Research Dr. David Edwards, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Deborah Vaughn, representing herself, Public Education Foundation Rachel Watanabe, community activist Rick Rogers, community activist Mirtha Jones, Chattanooga State Covenant College Dalton State College