This chart shows population projections by race and ethnicity.
The percentage of non-Hispanic white people in the U.S. population has reached an all-time low: 63%. That is 197.7 million white people out of 313.9 million Americans.
In 2000, whites were 69% of the population. In 1980, they made up 80%. But now white deaths outpace white births by 12,419, and the U.S. is on track to becoming a majority-minority country by 2043, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
"This is the first time there has ever been an overall non-Hispanic white natural decrease in the U.S.," demographer Kenneth Johnson told Bloomberg.
Nearly half of American children younger than 5 are minorities, and the number of minorities under 18 is expected to surpass the number of white children by 2019. The total minority population has grown 21 times faster than the white population.
These demographic shifts have prompted some to wonder whether certain programs such as affirmative action in the college admissions process should be re-worked to focus on economic status rather than skin color. The divide between rich and poor is reportedly the largest it has been since 1970.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on this issue later in the month.
Multiracial Americans are the fastest-growing racial group, climbing 3.1% to 6 million. Asians were the second fastest-growing racial group, rising 2.9%.
"If you look at the last few years, it's hard to tie the slow growth to a rational argument that doesn't involve the economy," said John Seager, president of Population Connection, an overpopulation research organization.
Despite these changes, Seager told Bloomberg that non-Hispanic whites will still be the largest ethnic group for many years to come.
"I travel quite a bit, and I haven't discerned a shocking lack of white people anywhere," he said. "So I don't feel like a beleaguered minority just yet."
(Source: nydailynews.com)
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