A More Diverse Nation

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that by mid-century, the nation will be far more racially and ethnically diverse than it is today. Minorities currently represent about one-third of the U.S. population and are expected to become the majority in 2042. By 2023, minorities will comprise more than half of all children, according to a report released by the Bureau in August 2008. Other projections include:

• By 2050, the minority population — everyone except for non-Hispanic, single-race whites — is projected to be 235.7 million out of a total U.S. population of 439 million.
• The non-Hispanic, single-race white population is projected to be only slightly larger in 2050 (203.3 million) than in 2008 (199.8 million). In fact, this group is projected to lose population in the 2030s and 2040s, and comprise 46 percent of the total population in 2050, down from 66 percent in 2008.
• The Hispanic population is projected to nearly triple, from 46.7 million to 132.8 million during the 2008-2050 period. Its share of the nation’s total population is projected to double, from 15 percent to 30 percent. Thus, nearly one-in-three U.S. residents would be Hispanic.
• The black population is projected to increase from 41.1 million, or 14 percent of the population in 2008, to 65.7 million, or 15 percent in 2050.
• The Asian population is projected to climb from 15.5 million to 40.6 million. Its share of the nation’s population is expected to rise from 5.1 percent to 9.2 percent.
• The American Indian and Alaska Native populations are projected to rise from 4.9 million to 8.6 million (or from 1.6 percent to 2 percent of the total population).
• The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population is expected to more than double, from 1.1 million to 2.6 million.