Salt Lake County, Utah
According to the 2000 Census, Salt Lake County, Utah has a population of 898,387 people. Of those, 775,666 (86%) are White, 9,495 (1%) are Black, and 106,787 (12%) are Latino[1]. However, 5,791 (or 1% of the 898,387 people) are not residents by choice but are people in prison.
Even though prisoners cannot participate in the local community, the Census Bureau nevertheless counts them as residents of the county where they are incarcerated.
A more accurate description would not include the prisoners. This would give Salt Lake County a population of 892,596 with a demographic that is 86% White, 1% Black, and 12% Latino.
| Reported in Census 2000 |
Incarcerated population |
Actual population |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 898,387 | 5,791 | 892,596 |
| White | 775,666 | 3,851 | 771,815 |
| Black | 9,495 | 406 | 9,089 |
| Latino | 106,787 | 1,253 | 105,534 |
Notes:
[1]The numbers for Whites, Blacks and Latinos may not add up to the total number because we have not included racial groups other than Whites and Blacks and because the Census Bureau considers "Latino" to be an ethnicity, not a race. Most of the people reported as being Latino are also counted as being White or Black.
Recommended Reading:
About the Prison Policy Initiative
Learn more about the organization behind the Prison Gerrymandering Project.
The Racial Geography of Mass Incarceration
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Do prisons draw in Census money for their host communities? No.
We explain that prison gerrymandering is bad for democracy but federal & state aid are not impacted.
Prison-based Gerrymandering in Anamosa, Iowa
How a prison helped one man get elected with just two votes.