14 May 2008
U.S. Minority Population Continues to Grow
Minorities make up 34 percent of U.S. population in 2007
Washington -- Slightly more than one-third of the population of the United States -- 34 percent -- claims “minority” racial or ethnic heritage, a jump of 11 percent from 2000.
The May 1 Census Bureau report, covering estimates for the year 2007, confirms that the U.S. population is becoming increasingly diverse. Hispanics and Asians continue to be the two fastest-growing minorities.
There are 45.5 million Hispanics living in the United States, accounting for 15 percent of the U.S. population. Blacks comprise the second-largest minority group, with 40.7 million (13.5 percent), followed by Asians, with 15.2 million (5 percent).
From July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007, the Hispanic population grew by 3.3 percent, Asians by 2.9 percent, blacks by 1.3 percent, native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders by 1.6 percent, and American Indians and Alaska natives by 1 percent. They all outstripped the white population growth of 0.3 percent.
It wasn’t always so. In the 2000 census, whites accounted for 77.1 percent of the total population. The white population grew by 4 percent between 1990 and 1999, and Hispanics by 3.5 percent. In 2000, whites were the majority in every state but Hawaii.
Whites are now 66 percent of the population. Today in Hawaii and three other states -- New Mexico, California and Texas -- more than 50 percent of the population is composed of people other than non-Hispanic whites.
The 2000 census was the first time people could identify themselves as having more than one race or ethnicity. In 2000, 6.8 million people, or 2.4 percent of the population, reported more than one race, thus there is some statistical overlap among the population groups.
The increasing minority population represents a major change in the history of U.S. population growth. The 19th century was mainly the time of migration from northern and western Europe, followed by a flood of immigrants from eastern, central and southern Europe. A growing animosity toward these immigrant populations led to limitations on immigration.
In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, barring Chinese laborers from coming to the United States. The Immigration Act of 1924 established the national origins quota system, which was aimed at restricting southern and eastern Europeans; it also prohibited immigration of East Asians and Asian Indians.
Starting in 1943, immigration and naturalization restrictions gradually were lifted. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished the national-origin quotas and opened the way for a surge in immigration. It established annual visa caps for immigrants from Eastern and Western Hemisphere countries and preference categories based on family relationships and job skills. (See “The Immigration Act of 1965: Intended and Unintended Consequences.”)
Although minorities are now more than one-third of the national population, they are not dispersed uniformly across the landscape.
From California on the West Coast, along the southern border and up to New York on the East Coast, most of the nation’s minority populations are concentrated along the periphery of the continental United States (and in Hawaii). The states with the highest percentage of whites are mostly in the Midwest and the extreme northeast. The greatest numbers of Hispanics live in California, Texas and Florida, and in New Mexico they constitute the highest proportion of the total population (44 percent). The regions with the largest black populations are the East Coast and the South, as well as two Midwest border states – Michigan and Illinois. Asians comprise nearly 40 percent of the population in Hawaii, and large populations live along the West Coast and in New York, New Jersey, Texas and Illinois. California and Texas together have nearly a third of the nation’s minority populations.
Looking at the foreign-born population -- 37.5 million according to the Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey -- the largest numbers of immigrants continue to flock to six states. These are California, New York, Texas, Florida and New Jersey, all coastal states, and Illinois in the Midwest. There is an increase in the flow of immigrants to the Southeast, the upper Northeast and the Rocky Mountain states. In 2006, foreign-born residents accounted for 12.5 percent of the population (the most recent published estimates). One-half of the foreign-born population in the United States is from Latin America, and more than one-fourth is from Asia.
Ethnic diversity is recognized as one of the United States’ greatest assets, providing a richness and strength to its economy and culture. One important resource coming from minority groups is young people. The median ages of all five minority population groups are lower than the median age of the population as a whole (36.6 years), while the median age of the white population is higher (40.8 years).
The minority populations also have buying power. Minorities owned approximately 18 percent of the 23 million U.S. firms in 2002, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. (See “Number of U.S. Minority-Owned Businesses Increasing.”)
The Census Bureau data refer to the respondents who reported belonging to a single race or a combination of races. For more information on the 2007 population estimates, see Census Bureau press release.
See Diversity.
