What Percentage Of The US Population Identifies As A Racial Or Ethnic Minority?

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The US Census Bureau has just released its latest racial and ethnic population estimates ahead of the 2020 census. The data suggests the national census will reveal a more diverse nation than expected. The new estimates show nearly four in 10 Americans identify with a racial or ethnic group other than white and suggest the decade from 2010 to 2020 will be the first in the nation's history in which the white population will decline numerically. .

During the first nine years of the decade, racial and ethnic minorities accounted for all of the nation's population growth and were responsible for population increases in many states, metropolitan areas, and counties that would otherwise have suffered losses due to the decline of white populations. And while the United States and more than half of its states saw absolute declines in the under-25 population, those declines were largely due to the loss of whites in the younger population. These declines would have been even greater had it not been for youthful gains among racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Hispanic or Hispanic populations.

A MORE DIVERSIFIED NATION, ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

Recent censuses have shown increased racial and ethnic diversity in the US population. In 1980, white residents comprised nearly 80% of the nation's population, black residents 11.5%, Hispanic/Hispanic residents 6.5%, and Asian Americans 1.8%. (With the exception of Latinos/Hispanics, data for all racial groups refer to non-Hispanic members of those groups.)

In 2000, the participation of the Hispanic or Hispanic population was slightly higher than that of the black population: 12.6% compared to 12.1%. The Asian American population (including Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders) increased to 3.8%, while the white population fell nearly 10 percentage points to 69.1%.

The new data shows that the proportion of white people in 2019 continued to decline by almost nine percentage points to 60.1%. Hispanic and Asian American demographics saw the largest increases, at 18.5% and nearly 6%, respectively. Although these groups have fluctuated over the past 40 years, either increasing (among Latinos/Hispanics and Asian Americans) or decreasing (among Whites), the black population has remained relatively constant.

The decline of the white population is widespread throughout the country. Since 2010, white populations have declined in all 50 states (but not Washington, D.C.) (download Table A), 358 of the nation's 364 metropolitan areas, and 3,012 of its 3,141 counties. Additionally, in 2019, 27 of the top 100 metropolitan areas have white minorities, including the major metropolitan areas of New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. and Miami, as well as Dallas, Atlanta and Orlando, Florida. who obtained this status in 2010 (download table B).

Most notable is the greater diversity among the younger part of the population. In 2019, for the first time, more than half of the country's population under the age of 16 identified as a racial or ethnic minority. Within this group, Hispanic/Hispanic and Black residents together make up nearly 40% of the population. Given the projected higher growth of all non-white minority ethnic groups relative to whites, coupled with their younger age structure, the country's racial diversity, already projected to shift from the youngest age groups to older, seems to be accelerating.

A modest but unprecedented decline in the country's white population

One of the key findings from the new census data is the national decline in the white population for the third year in a row. Between 2016 and 2019, the white population increased from 197,845,666 to 197,309,822, i.e. -97,507, -212,957 and -225,380 respectively per year. This loss of more than half a million white people over three years was enough to offset gains earlier in the decade that resulted in a total loss of white American citizens from 2010 to 2019.

Even this relatively small decrease in the white population represents an important demographic marker. First, if the full 2020 census data is confirmed, the decade from 2010 to 2020 would be the first decade since the first census in 1790 in which the white population did not increase. The increase in the white population in recent decades has slowed over time, from 11.2 million between 1970 and 1980 to 2.8 million between 2000 and 2010. However, a decline in the white population between 2010 and 2020 would be unprecedented.

Second, the Census Bureau only predicted a white population decline after 2024. As a result, any national population growth is even more dependent on other racial and ethnic groups.

The demographic decline of whites is largely attributed to their older age structure compared to other racial and ethnic groups. This translates into fewer births and more deaths relative to the size of the population. In 2019, the median age of white residents was 43.7, compared to 29.8 for Latinos/Hispanics, 34.6 for black residents, 37.5 for Asian Americans, and 20.9 for people living in pairs or belonging to several races. The new census estimates show that white Americans, unlike other groups, suffered a natural decline (an excess of deaths over births) of 1,073,206 over the period 2010-2019. The loss was partially offset by the net gain of 1,056,594 white immigrants.

While one might have expected a decline in white population growth, in recent years it has been offset by a decline in births to young adult white women (likely a belated reaction to the Great Recession) and an increase in deaths, possibly related to "drugs". "amplified" relationships. desperate deaths. As with other racial and ethnic groups, white immigration to the United States has recently slowed. Thus, the projected decline in the white population occurred eight years earlier than predicted by census projections, which contributed to the slowing of the growth in the overall population of the United States.

Racial and ethnic minorities are responsible for all national growth

The unexpected decline of the country's white population means that other racial and ethnic groups are responsible for the overall growth. Nationally, the US population grew by 19.5 million between 2010 and 2019, a growth rate of 6.3%. While the white population declined by a fraction of a percentage, the Hispanic/Hispanic, Asian American, and Black populations increased by 20%, 29%, and 8.5%, respectively. The relatively small resident population of two or more races increased by 30%, and the smaller Native American population increased by 7.6%.

For most of these groups, natural increase has been the primary driver of growth. Net immigration accounted for 74% of Asian American growth, but only 24% of Latin American or Hispanic growth.

 

As a percentage of the total population, Latinos or Hispanics contributed 10 million people, more than half of the country's growth from 2010 to 2019. Asian Americans, black residents and people of two races or more contributed 4.5 million, 3.2 million and 1.7, respectively Millions of individuals or groups have been the main drivers of the country's growth and will likely continue to do so in the future.

This applies not only nationwide, but also to many individual regions in the United States. Although the decline in the white population is not evident in all parts of the country, it is quite widespread, with the exception of places that attract white immigrants from the interior of the country. Between 2010 and 2019, 27 states and 47 of the top 100 metropolitan areas experienced white population losses. The areas with the largest white population increases were strongly represented in the Sun Belt (download tables C and D).

Despite the white population decline, only four states and eight metropolitan areas experienced an overall population decline. In all other areas where the white population is declining, other racial and ethnic groups have more than offset the decline. For example, Metro Miami lost 120,000 white people during this period but gained 600,000 people from other groups, especially Latinos or Hispanics.

Answered 10 months ago Luna Ella