by Neil Shah
Minority populations are increasing and the white majority is on the decline, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Thursday.
Over the past decade, the white population grew by 10.5 million individuals, a 4.3% increase, while the Hispanic population grew by 10.1 million individuals, a 20% increase, the Census figures show. Among white people, there were 1.34 births for every death, whereas the Hispanic population had 5.81 births for every death, according to the report.
The report also indicated that the Asian-American population had a significant increase in population: it grew by 5.2 million individuals over the past decade, a 30% growth in population size. International immigration of 3.2 million Asian-Americans over the past decade primarily drove this population growth as it accounted for nearly two-thirds of it.
“We are browning from bottom up in our age structure,” Brookings Institution senior fellow William Frey told NBC News. “This is going to be a diversified century for the United States, and it’s beginning with this youngest generation.”
The population estimates indicate that whites individuals account for 60.1% of the current population of the United States, whereas minorities make up the remaining 39.9%. But according to projections, the white majority will be in the minority of the total U.S. population by the year 2045. According to the Brookings Institution, minority immigration and natural population increase is driving the demographic change towards a majority-minority country.
The total population of the United States grew by 19.5 million individuals, or 5.9%, this past decade. The growth of the white population was responsible for 54.2% of this population growth, while Hispanic growth was responsible for 51.8% of the growth.
This proportion of the population growth is expected to decrease for the white population and increase for minority groups over time.
Overall, the United States is getting older; specifically, the white population is getting older and less younger, while minorities make up the majority of individuals under the age of 16. Over the past decade, the percentage of the white population 65 and older rose from 14.4% to 18.1%. The percentage of the white population that is 18 or younger declined from 22.6% to 21.1%.
These trends contributed to an overall increase in the median age of the white population from 39.0 to 40.2 years over the past decade.
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Neil Shah is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
