"In every place we have data for, consistently across the board the Hispanic growth rates are vastly outpacing total growth rates," Perlich said. "Hispanics are moving into areas they hadn't been in before. That's a continuation of what we've seen nationally."

The census survey suggests minority groups are increasing their population share in every state except West Virginia.

Even with increasing diversity, Utah remains 83.6 white, non-Hispanic, according to the survey. However, the state has seen a rapid change in its demographics.

In 1960, Utah was 2 percent minority, and now that population is approaching 20 percent, Perlich said.

However, Perlich predicted the growth will "steady out" as the amount of immigration driven by the labor market and politics slows, and she said immigrants' children typically have a lower birth rate than the immigrants themselves.

The increasing diversity is creating challenges and opportunities for those who work in areas from education to health care.

In health, the biggest issue facing Utah is language barriers, said Greg Jaboin, multicultural health coordinator for Utah issues. Jaboin said Utah is somewhat at an advantage as its immigrant population hasn't exploded like it has in some other states, such as California.

"The language barrier aggravates everything," Jaboin said. "With translation, sometimes things are lost. ... You can't tell as a physician how much someone can understand."

In education, schools face the challenge of bringing students who may never have set foot in a classroom — or may not speak English — up to grade level, said Brett Moulding, director of curriculum and instruction at the State Office of Education. The diversity is also an advantage, he said, as schools are embracing the diversity as an opportunity for students to learn about different cultures.

At Mountain View Elementary in Salt Lake City's Glendale neighborhood, principal John Erlacher is anxiously awaiting word on whether his school will meet federal No Child Left Behind requirements.

"We have kids coming to school here for the first time, and they're 10-12 years old," said Erlacher, whose students speak about 31 languages.

Bringing students up to par is just one of the challenges he faces on a day-to-day basis. Another is setting up and conducting parent-teacher conferences through translators.

Still, Erlacher is proud to lead perhaps the state's most diverse school, saying, "I can't think of a better place to be."

The America Community Survey is being phased in as a replacement of the census long form, which had traditionally been conducted every 10 years. In 2005, the survey expanded to monthly surveys of about 250,000 addresses nationwide and in Puerto Rico. It will eventually include information for areas of all sizes.

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com