The Social Environment

The health of a community and the people living in the community is dynamic and depends on a multitude of factors. The determinants of health model shows that the social environment has an important effect on health. The social environment is shaped by cultural customs, languages, and interactions between people. Social institutions, such as law enforcement, the workplace, places of worship and school also contribute to the social environment. Other influences in the social environment include housing, transportation, education, poverty, crime and violence.

The information about the social environment comes mostly from the data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. The census is conducted every 10 years; the last census was in 2000. Limited updated information about the size of the population is available from estimates and projections that are based on the components of population change (births, deaths, and migration). The U.S. Census Bureau provides annual estimates of the population by race-ethnicity and age for states and counties. Estimates for areas smaller than counties are difficult to determine and less reliable because it is hard to obtain data about changes within counties. The estimates for 2004 used in this assessment are based on changes in the number of ZIP plus 4 ZIP Codes.

2004 Hispanic population

Census estimates suggest that 824,275 Hispanics lived in Bexar County in 2004. This accounts for 57 percent of the population. The map on the right shows that while Hispanics are represented in significant numbers throughout the county, Hispanics are more concentrated in the south and west areas of the county. The proportion of Hispanics increased or stayed constant in all areas in Bexar County between 2000 and 2004. The Westside, the area just west of downtown San Antonio, has the highest concentration of Hispanics in the county with 90 percent. The Far West, Far North, and Far Northeast areas each have concentrations of 25, 23, and 21 percent Hispanic, respectively. The eastside (east of downtown San Antonio) has traditionally been described as the Black or African American area of the City. The eastside is in fact, 56 percent Hispanic and 41 percent African American. Other areas with concentrations of African Americans are the Far Southeast (11.1 percent) and the West (11.6 percent). Asians and other races represent 7 percent or less of the population across county. The areas with the greatest Asian population are the East Northwest (6.5 percent), the West (5.8 percent), Far West (4.5 percent) and the East (5.7 percent). The North Central sector is 4.5 percent Asian and other races.