AGENCY FORESEES MAJOR SHIFT IN NATION'S RACIAL COMPOSITION.Byline: Steven A. Holmes The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Fueled by immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. and higher birth rates among Latino women, the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. is undergoing a profound demographic shift, and by the middle of the next century only about half of the population will be non-Latino whites, the Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Bureau of the Census predicted Wednesday. By 2050, the bureau said, immigration patterns and differences in birth rates, combined with an overall slowdown in growth of the country's population, will produce a United States in which 53 percent of the people will be non-Latino whites, down from 74 percent today. In contrast, Latino people will make up 24.5 percent of the population, up from the current 10.2 percent, and Asians will make up 8.2 percent, an increase from the current 3.3 percent. The percentage of the African-American population will remain relatively stable, rising to about 13.6 percent by 2050 from the current 12 percent. The population as a whole will rise to about 394 million from 262 million, an increase of 50 percent, the bureau said. Even with that increase, it added, the country would be going through some of the most sluggish population growth in its history. Overall, the report suggests that the United States is experiencing one of the most dramatic shifts in its racial and ethnic makeup since the trade in slaves transformed the racial composition of the South and the waves of immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe Southern Europe or sometimes Mediterranean Europe is a region of the European continent. There is no clear definition of the term which can vary depending on whether geographic, cultural, linguistic or historical factors are taken into account. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries gave an ethnic flavor to industrialized in·dus·tri·al·ize v. in·dus·tri·al·ized, in·dus·tri·al·iz·ing, in·dus·tri·al·iz·es v.tr. 1. To develop industry in (a country or society, for example). 2. urban areas of the Northeast and Midwest. "The world is not going to be the same in 30 years as it is now," said Gregory Spencer, director of the Population Projections Branch at the bureau. To put the growth rates Growth Rates The compounded annualized rate of growth of a company's revenues, earnings, dividends, or other figures. Notes: Remember, historically high growth rates don't always mean a high rate of growth looking into the future. of the Asian and Latino population in perspective, the report noted that the two groups were expected to have annual growth rates of 2 percent to 2030. In comparison, even at the zenith zenith, in astronomy, the point in the sky directly overhead; more precisely, it is the point at which the celestial sphere is intersected by an upward extension of a plumb line from the observer's location. of the Baby Boom, the country as a whole never grew by 2 percent a year. The report, "Population Projections of the United States by Age, Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin: 1995 to 2050," noted that its projections were simply projections. Changes in legislation regarding immigration, changes in fertility rates Noun 1. fertility rate - the ratio of live births in an area to the population of that area; expressed per 1000 population per year birth rate, birthrate, fertility, natality , and breakthroughs in medical care that could extend life expectancy Life Expectancy 1. The age until which a person is expected to live. 2. The remaining number of years an individual is expected to live, based on IRS issued life expectancy tables. could alter future estimates. Though the United States is the fastest-growing country in the industrialized world, the report indicated that the nation was about to embark on a sharp slowdown in the rate of its population increases. Indeed, the report said that after 2025, the United States would grow at a slower rate than at any time in its history, mainly because of declining birth rates and an increased number of deaths as the population ages. But with that slowdown will come more diversity, a phenomenon that will present a host of new economic, business and social issues. For example, the report noted that by 2030, the non-Latino white population would make up less than half of the people under the age of 18, but three-fourths of those over 65. Given this, questions of the mix of tax revenues distributed to public education or Social Security or Medicare easily could take on a racial and ethnic tinge. CAPTION(S): PHOTO The changing face of the United States (1) 1980 (2) 1995 (3) 2030 (4) 2050 |
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