By 2005, the U.S. Bureau of the Census expects the number to exceed 36 million, which would be 13 percent of the population, making it the largest minority group in the United States. By 2050, Hispanics could number 96.5 million, a quarter of the U.S. population. Although Tennessee's Hispanic population was 1.1 percent of the total in 1998, numbers skyrocketed through the 1990s. Most large Hispanic populations in the state are in the major metropolitan areas or surrounding counties. According to the UT Center for Business and Economic Research, the top 10 counties in descending order are Shelby, Davidson, Montgomery, Knox, Hamilton, Rutherford, Williamson, Bradley, Sumner and Sullivan.
Estimates vary widely.
For example, the UT Center for Business and Economic Research estimates Hispanics living in Davidson County in 1998 numbered 7,905. The Metro Government Refugee Services Division in Nashville estimated a population of 45,000 that same year. Some are legal immigrants, and some aren't. Some live in-state year around, others migrate with seasonal work. Conatser is spearheading development of the Middle Tennessee Fresh Pork Cooperative to capitalize on the niche market being created by a surging Hispanic population.