In the 1990s, roughly 9 million people lived along the border areas between the two countries. While 3.8 million people were living in the Mexican municipios, 5.1 million resided in different border counties on the U. S’s side. Three most prominent groups of the population living along the border areas in the U.S side are Anglo American, Mexican American, and other groups (African Americans, Native Americans, etc.) Comparing the census data from 1980 to 1990, there was a noticeable demographic shift along the U.S. borderlands: the number of Hispanics communities increased more rapidly than that of the Anglos. In some border counties, the number of Anglos even dropped. This demographic shift reflects Mexican Americans’ high birth rates, the increase of arrived immigrants from Mexico, and the relocation of some Anglo communities in several border counties.
These tables are of interest to this research project because they reveal the population of the communities living on the U.S. side of the U.S-Mexico border. In addition, they also point out the shift in demography in several border cities.
U.S., Bureau of the Census, Census of Population, 1980; U.S., Bureau of the Census, Census of Population, 1990.