Adams County Makes History With A Minority-Majority Population

The Suncor Refinery in Commerce City

The Suncor Refinery in Commerce City

Gabriella Isukh

In the 2020 Census, new data put together by the government showed that Adams County, Colorado has a minority-majority population. This means that the majority of people living in the county identify as minorities. This makes Adams County one of only three counties in Colorado with these demographics, along with Conejos and Alamosa. The minority population also makes it quite polarized from the rest of the state, in which the average county is 78% white.

Between 2010 and 2020, the Adams County population grew 17.7%. During this time, the Latino population increased 29%, the Asian population increased 46.3%, and the Black population increased 31.5%. During this same decade, the white population increased only 1.8%. There are ten cities in Adams County, but the city driving these statistics is Commerce City, which was originally two cities that were separated by the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. The North part is richer and includes the newly built Reunion neighborhood. The South is poorer, and mostly hispanic.

The separation between North and South is something city officials have been trying to remedy for a long time. These efforts are being highlighted recently, however, by the election of some of the first minority officials in city and county history. One of the main issues they’re trying to tackle is changing a city that was built to serve a certain population in order  to serve a multicultural demographic. The main issue at hand is the school systems serving the North and the South. On the North side, there is a progressive district that continually passes state grades, while on the South side, the whole district comes in below the benchmark on a regular basis.

 

Another issue being faced is the fact that because the North side is less developed. It is now growing faster because the land is cheaper to buy and build on rather than updating already developed South. Benjamin Huseman, the mayor of Commerce City stated, “We have to balance the investment in historic places, without pricing people out of it”. The investments in question include industries such as manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, and alternative food sources such as plant based meat.

 

Leading industries such as the ones above are just one reason people are moving to Adams County. Cheaper housing is another. New home builds are cheaper and easier for people to move into than anywhere else in the state. This consequentially makes construction the number one employer in the county, followed by transportation and warehousing. 

 

However, this heavy industrial image is something that Adams County has been trying to change for years. The infamous Purina factory and the Suncor refinery however, also happen to be located in Commerce City. This being the most heavily Latino populated area in the county has brought about pushback from the community. Within the community made up of people living close to refineries, residents and their children have reported becoming ill due to pollution caused by refineries. Their claims are not unfounded, considering that Suncor paid $9 million in settlement after several violations of air pollution regulations dating to 2017.

 

The rough road in making the structure of power fit to serve a diverse population is clearly illustrated in the case of Adams County. Out of the thousands of counties in the United States, Adams is part of the only 65 that have a minority-majority. Within the next two decades, it has been reported that the entire nation will have a minority-majority population. However, some claim this is not the case. 

 

Firstly, the 2020 Census classifies all individuals of mixed backgrounds as exclusively non-white. With this in mind, Americans of mixed racial backgrounds are the most rapidly growing racial group in the country. Further, it is predicted that in the 2060 Census, 52% of individuals in the nonwhite majority will also identify as white; 40% of whites will also claim ethnic/minority identity.  The argument made by people who highlight these statistics is not that there will not be a minority-majority, but that pushing numbers about the population as one side or the other will lead to polarization. 

 

With the social meanings of identity changing so quickly, it’s hard to predict what will be done in the future to describe diverse populations. However, counties making history by experiencing the change of becoming more diverse first like Adams County are quickly changing the mold to fit everyone, whether that means printing bilingual ballets or eliminating practices that exclude any grouping.