According to new government projections, the nation will be more racially and ethnically diverse by mid-century.
White people will no longer make up the majority of Americans by the year 2042. That's eight years sooner than previous estimates, which were done in 2004.
Minorities, who now make up about one-third of the population, are expected to account for 54% of the population by 2050 while non-Hispanic whites will account for 46%.
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The diversity process has sped up in this country due to immigration and high birth rates among minorities, especially Latinos. The report suggests that the Latino population is projected to nearly triple from 46 million to 132 million during the 2008-2050 period, which is an increase from 15 percent to 30 percent. This means that one in three U.S. residents would be Latino.
The Asian and black populations will also see a boost.
The black population is projected to increase from 41 million, or 14% of the population in 2008, to 65 million, or 15% in 2050.
The Asian population is projected to climb from 15 million to 40 million, an increase from 5% to 9%.
Other fun facts from the projections:
· In 2050, the nation’s population of children is expected to be 62 percent minority, up from 44 percent today. Thirty-nine percent are projected to be Hispanic (up from 22 percent in 2008), and 38 percent are projected to be single-race, non-Hispanic white (down from 56 percent in 2008).
· The percentage of the population in the “working ages” of 18 to 64 is projected to decline from 63 percent in 2008 to 57 percent in 2050.
· The working-age population is projected to become more than 50 percent minority in 2039 and be 55 percent minority in 2050 (up from 34 percent in 2008). Also in 2050, it is projected to be more than 30 percent Hispanic (up from 15 percent in 2008), 15 percent black (up from 13 percent in 2008) and 9.6 percent Asian (up from 5.3 percent in 2008).
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