Census Data Shows Where US White Population Is in Decline
New data released by the United States Census Bureau Thursday showed that the country's Asian population grew the fastest in the past year, while the white population became the racial group to decline.
The latest population estimates, through July 2024, showed a shift in demographics across the U.S., with a 4.4 percent growth in the Asian population compared to a 0.1 percent decline among the white population.
"The major implication is the major change that is taking place in the U.S. population with respect to its race and ethnic structure," Rogelio Saenz, a professor in the department of sociology and demography at the University of Texas in San Antonio, told Newsweek.
"The Census Bureau has projected that in 2044 the nation would be majority minority, or more non-white than white in the in the population, and I think that that these patterns are well afoot. We're getting closer to that reality."
The Census Bureau data also highlights an aging population overall, along with fewer children and young people, at a time when there are concerns around a shrinking U.S.-born workforce and mass deportations of illegal immigrants, as well as broader concerns across much of the West about declining birthrates.
What To Know
The yearly population estimates, which are taken on July 1 of each year, showed a shifting demographics balance across the country. While the white population maintains the largest share overall, it was also the singular declining racial group - a trend that has been identified for several years. The 2020 Census was the first time in U.S. history that the white-alone population declined, going from 223.6 million in 2010 to 204.3 million a decade later.
The nine states that saw drops in their white populations were Alaska, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Vermont.
The Hispanic or Latino population remains the second-largest racial group in the U.S., totaling 68 million in mid-2024, having grown by nearly 3 percent. Saenz said that could decline in the coming year.
"That's been the major worry I think in terms of the mass deportations," Saenz said. "The impact that that's going to have on already a nation that is aging and particularly with the white population and the workforce itself, aging as well, who's going to do those jobs?"
Research in October by the non-partisan National Foundation for American Policy found the majority of the domestic labor market's growth came from immigrants over the past five years, while many states had continued to see their immigrant populations grow, including Texas, Florida, California and New York.
Other data points highlighted by the Census Bureau included the U.S.' aging population, with the 65-plus group growing from 12.4 percent of the national population 20 years ago to 18 percent last year. The share of children, defined as those under 18, dropped from 25 percent to 21.5 percent across the same period.
The number of states where older adults outnumbered children rose from three in 2020 – Florida, Maine, and Vermont – to 11 in 2024, with Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia joining them.
Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Branch, in a press release: "Children still outnumber older adults in the United States, despite a decline in births this decade. However, the gap is narrowing as baby boomers continue to age into their retirement years. In fact, the number of states and counties where older adults outnumber children is on the rise, especially in sparsely populated areas."
The U.S. Census Bureau publishes data on a regular basis, with the next update due in December.
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