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Counting Basques: The 1980 U.S. Census by William A. Douglass Every ten years the nation goes through the familiar exercise of counting the population. Prior to the 1980 census the results have always been more a source of frustration than information for Basque Studies specialists. Heretofore Old World-born Basques were treated as French or Spanish nationals and Basque-Americans have never been counted at all. For some states, such as Idaho, one could infer something from the tally of “Spanish nationals” since the overwhelming majority were in fact Vizcayan Basques. However, the inference could not be extended to places like California, where Basques comprise only a minority of Spanish and French nationals. As the government prepared for the 1980 census, it was decided to attempt to learn more about the ethnic heritage of the American population. Mr. Edward W. Fernandez of the Census Bureau contacted the Basque Studies Program in 1979 to discuss how Basques ought to be treated. From the outset it was clear that “Basque” should be a separate category, but we urged him to consider distinguishing between Spanish and French Basques as well. The suggestion could not be acted upon lightly, since most American ethnic groups have their internal distinctions and creation of each additional category complicates the Census Bureau’s task considerably. However, Mr. Fernandez decided to determine whether the proposed distinction was warranted. After discussing the matter with a number of Basques, he incorporated separate French and Spanish Basque categories into the questionnaire. The uniqueness of the decision may be appreciated if we consider that groups such as the Italians (which could quite easily be broken down into important subgroups such as North Italians and Sicilians) were treated as a single category. Only two other European groups received the same degree of subdivision as the Basque populace. Recently, the Census Bureau published a report entitled Ancestry of the Population by State: 1980 detailing the results of the ethnic heritage survey. It is based upon the returns of the long form of the census questionnaire. This form was sent to about one out of every five American households. Consequently, the results are based upon a sample rather than a statistical compilation encompassing every household. This means that the results are an approximation and may be a bit high or low. The range of error is greater when the overall number of people in a category is small. Those filling out the questionnaire were asked to list any and all ethnic identities to which they lay claim. Thus a person with a Basque father and an Irish-Italian mother could conceivably list all three origins. Therefore, the sum total of people censused by ethnic identity far exceeds the actual population of the United States. What, then were the outcomes with respect to the Basque population? The Census Bureau places the total number of Basques in the United States at 43,140 persons. Of these 11,920 claim French Basque descent and 8,534 Spanish Basque. 22,686 preferred “Basque” to either of the above distinctions. Of the 43,140 persons, 23,213 would list “Basque” as their sole ancestry while 19,927 would report “Basque” as part of a multiple ancestry. In the following table we have compiled the results by state of those reporting a single ancestry and those reporting a multiple ancestry to give some idea of the total Basque population of each of the fifty states (and District of Columbia). Table One Table Two lists in descending order the states with at least eight hundred Basque residents. Several comments are in order. First, California has by far the largest Basque population in the United States. The state has more than one-third of the nation’s total and its Basque community by state (Idaho). A perusal of Table One produces a number of surprises. It is interesting to note that Basque inhabit every one of the fifty states. Delaware, with 21, has the smallest number. The fact that Georgia has 223 Basques is interesting and probably reflects the importance of the Atlanta metropolitan area as a magnet for migration from all parts of the nation. The same is probably true of the 654 Illinois Basques, most of whom likely reside in the Chicago area. The statistic for Florida, which places the Basque population at 859 persons, reflects both the colony of ex-jai alai players and Cuban refugees of Basque descent. Therefore, if anything, it is surprisingly low. Conversely, the 887 Basques living in Texas are more difficult to account for, since we are unaware of any particular Basque concentrations in the state. We may be dealing with the Sun Belt migration phenomenon. However, the figure seems particularly high when we consider that the well-defined Basque communities of Buffalo and Rock Springs, Wyoming still only contribute to an overall figure of 499 Basques for that state. Another interesting total is that for the state of Washington (1,134 people). While we are aware of Basque settlement in eastern Washington the state’s figure is almost as great as that of Wyoming (499), New Mexico (461) and Montana (390) combined. We might be dealing with the “Seattle effect,” since the city is a regional center that likely attracts Basque-Americans from throughout the Pacific Northwest. Two Atlantic coast Basque concentrations merit comment. New York has the sixth largest Basque population of the fifty states. This reflects New York City’s status as an object of migration from throughout the United States. However, it also underscores the importance of the city as a port of entry for European immigrants. There is evidence of permanent Basque settlement in the city by the end of the last century. It is also interesting to note New Jersey’s 497-person Basque population, which is virtually equal in size to that of the state of Wyoming. The New Jersey population should probably be considered in tandem with that of New York, giving the greater New York City metropolitan area one of the most significant Basque urban concentrations in the United States. The Washington, D.C. area also merits attention. As a national and international nerve center, one would expect to find some Basques there. However, the 63 person total for the District of Columbia per se is deceptively low. Rather, the picture becomes clearer if we consider that many residents who work in the District reside in the suburbs that are in the states of Maryland and Virginia. Maryland lists 247 Basque residents and Virginia has 352. Assuming that this population is largely concentrated in the vicinity of D.C., this would give the greater Washington metropolitan area a larger Basque population than is present in a number of western states that we are more likely to regard as “Basque country.” Finally, the careful reader may have already noted a major anomaly. According to the 1980 census the fourth largest concentration of Basques in the United States is to be found in the state of Nebraska (2,754 individuals)! For Basque-Americans and Basque Studies specialists alike this simply does not compute. We have had several conversations with Census Bureau officials regarding the problem, but have been informed that a recount of the Nebraska tally is far too costly to consider. The problem clearly lies with the supposed presence of 2,707 French Basques in Nebraska (out of a state total of 2,754 Basques). It seems likely that the code assigned to French Basques was similar to that given to another Nebraska ethnic group and that the coders for that state made a systematic error. If we look at neighboring states we find that the proportion of French Basques is greater than in those states where we know there is significant French Basque settlement. Thus, all 25 of North Dakota’s Basques are French Basque, as are 50 of the 62 South Dakota Basques and 92 of the 160 Kansas Basques. This leads us to suspect that another Plains States’ ethnic group is sometimes being coded as French Basque. The Nebraska dilemma is unlikely to be resolved until the 1990 census. In the interim we believe that most of the total for that state should be discounted. If we adjust the figures accordingly we can say that the population of persons in the United States who claim Basque ancestry is in the neighborhood of 41,000 individuals. This is not to be confused with a figure for all Americans who have one or more Basque ancestors, since not everyone responding to the questionnaire listed an ethnic preference. In conclusion, while the exercise was not perfect, everyone with an interest in Basque-Americans should be grateful to the Census Bureau. For those of us engaged in Basque Studies, the numbers have confirmed many of our working assumptions, debunked others, and suggested some intriguing avenues for future research. |
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