Jalisco - Demographics

Demographics

Historical population
Year Pop. ±%
1895 1,114,765
1900 1,153,891 +3.5%
1910 1,208,855 +4.8%
1921 1,191,957 −1.4%
1930 1,255,346 +5.3%
1940 1,418,310 +13.0%
1950 1,746,777 +23.2%
1960 2,443,261 +39.9%
1970 3,296,586 +34.9%
1980 4,371,998 +32.6%
1990 5,302,689 +21.3%
1995 5,991,176 +13.0%
2000 6,322,002 +5.5%
2005 6,752,113 +6.8%
2010 7,350,682 +8.9%

As of 2010, the state population is 7,350,682, the fourth most populated state in Mexico, with 6.5% of Mexico’s total population. Over half of the state’s population lives in the Guadalajara metro area. Of the over 12,000 communities in the state, over 8,700 have a population of under fifty. 87% of the population lives in urban centers compared to 78% nationally.

Despite the fact that the number of children per woman has dropped by more than half from a high of 6.8 in 1970, the total population has grown from 5,991,175 in 1995 to the present number. One important factor in population growth is migration into the state. Since 1995, over 22% of the state population was born somewhere else. About three quarters of these live in the Greater Guadalajara area. Those who migrate into the state are from Michoacán, Mexico City, State of Mexico, Sinaloa and Baja California . 87% live in urban areas, above the national average of 78% for the country.

The state ranks third in socioeconomic factors. As of 2010, there were 1,801,306 housing units in the state. 94.2% have running water, 97.4% have sewerage, 99% have electricity. 25% of households are headed by women, with 65.6% occupied by nuclear families. 22.2% are occupied by extended families.

There is also emigration from the state, mostly to the United States. Jalisco is ranked seventh in Mexico for the number of people who leave for this country. A large percentage of Mexicans migrating to the United States come from Jalisco. As of 2000, 27 of every 1000 residents lived in the United States, higher than the national average of 16 per 1000. Those who stay within Mexico generally head to Nayarit, Baja California, Colima, Michoacán and Guanajuato . There are no official numbers for ethnic groups but as of 2005, the state has a population of 42,372 people who spoke an indigenous language. Eight out of every 1000 people speak an indigenous language, above the national average of six per 1000. As of 2010, the most common indigenous language is Huichol with 18,409 speakers, followed by Nahuatl at 11,650, then P’urhépecha at 3,960 and variations of Mixtec at 2,001. In total, 51,702 people over the age of five speak an indigenous language, which is less than one percent of the total population of the state. Of these indigenous speakers fourteen percent do not speak Spanish. Municipalities with the highest indigenous population in general are Mezquitic, Zapopan and Guadalajara. Zapopan’s and Guadalajara’s indigenous population is mostly made up of those who have migrated to the area for work.

The Huichols are concentrated in the municipalities of Mezquitic and Bolaños in the north of the state. In this same area are four of this ethnicity’s most important ceremonial centers, San Andrés Cohamiata, Santa Catarina Cuexcomatitlán, San Sebastián Teponahuaxtlán and Tuxpan de Bolaños. The fifth, Guadalupe Octán, is in Nayarit. The Huichols are of the same ethnic heritage as the Aztecs and speak a Uto-Aztecan language. They are best known for the preservation of their pre Hispanic shamanic traditions. The Huichol romanticize their past, when game was plentiful and they were free to roam the vast mountain ranges and deserts of their homeland. This was a time of freedom for them, before they became tethered to the growing of maize. Agriculture is difficult in the mountainous areas they live. Elaborate ceremonies are enacted to help ensure crops’ success. There are three basic elements in Huichol religion, which is corn, deer and the peyote cactus. The last is obtained by a yearly pilgrimage to an area called Wirikuta, where it is harvested with great ceremony.

Another distinct group living in the state is foreign temporary residents or expats, with overwhelming majority of which are from the United States and Canada, concentrated in and around the small town of Ajijic by Lake Chapala . The Lake Chapala area has the largest population of Americans outside of the country. The phenomenon began at the beginning of the 20th century. Cars with U.S. plates are not uncommon and many signs are in English and Spanish. There are no official numbers but the number of ex-pats in the area is estimated at 20,000. Half of these are from the US with most of the rest from Canada with some from European and Asian countries. Most are retirees although there is a notable artist community. In the winter, the number of foreigners in the area can reach 50,000. Another area popular with foreigners is Lagos de Moreno .

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