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The nation's Hispanic and Asian populations continued to grow at much faster rates than the population as a whole, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The population of Hispanics (who may be of any race) reached 39.9 million on July 1, 2003, accounting for about one-half of the 9.4 million residents added to the nation's population since Census 2000. Its growth rate of 13.0 percent over the 39-month period was almost four times that of the total population (3.3 percent).
According to 2003 Census Bureau estimates, the number of people who reported being Asian grew 12.5 percent to 13.5 million.
Following Asians were native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders (5.8 percent, to 960,000), blacks (4.4 percent, to 38.7 million), American Indians and Alaska natives (3.3 percent, to 4.4 million) and whites (2.8 percent, to 237.9 million).
The population of non-Hispanic whites who indicated no other race increased 0.9 percent, to 197.3 million.
Hispanics were the most likely to be preschoolers (under age 5), with more than 10 percent (or 4.2 million) in this age group. The total number of preschoolers in the United States was estimated at 19.8 million. Meanwhile, about 18 percent of native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders were of elementary-school ages (5 to 13); this rate was the highest among all race and ethnic groups.
Almost 8 percent of American Indians and Alaska natives and native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders were high school-age children (14 to 17), which topped all race and ethnic groups.
The nation's Hispanic and Asian populations would triple over the next half-century and non-Hispanic whites would represent about one-half of the total population by 2050, according to interim population projections by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nearly 67 million people of Hispanic origin (who may be of any race) would be added to the nation's population between 2000 and 2050. Their numbers are projected to grow from 35.6 million to 102.6 million, an increase of 188 percent. Their share of the nation's population would nearly double, from 12.6 percent to 24.4 percent.
The population projections released in 2004 show that the Asian population is projected to grow 213 percent, from 10.7 million to 33.4 million. Their share of the nation's population would double, from 3.8 percent to 8 percent.
From 2000 to 2050, the non-Hispanic, white population would increase from 195.7 million to 210.3 million, an increase of 14.6 million or 7 percent. This group is projected to actually lose population in the 2040s and would comprise just 50.1 percent of the total population in 2050, compared with 69.4 percent in 2000.
The black population is projected to rise from 35.8 million to 61.4 million in 2050, an increase of about 26 million or 71 percent. That would raise their share of the country's population from 12.7 percent to 14.6 percent.
The country's population also is expected to become older. By 2030, about 1-in-5 people would be 65 or over.
In March 2002, 36.0 million people in the United States, or 13 percent of the civilian non-institutionalized population, were Black. The majority of Blacks lived in the South (55 percent), a similar proportion (18 percent) lived in the Northeast and the Midwest, and 9 percent lived in the West.
In comparison, 69 percent (194.8 million) of the United States population was non-Hispanic White: 33 percent lived in the South, 27 percent in the Midwest, 21 percent in the Northeast, and 19 percent in the West.
In March 2002, 12.5 million Asians and Pacific Islanders lived in the United States, representing 4.4 percent of the civilian non-institutionalized population. While one-half lived in the West (51 percent), 19 percent lived in the South, 12 percent in the Midwest, and 19 percent in the Northeast.
In 2002, there were 37.4 million Latinos in the civilian noninstitutional population. Among the Hispanic population, two-thirds (66.9 percent) were of Mexican origin, 14.3 percent were Central and South American, 8.6 percent were Puerto Rican, 3.7 percent were Cuban, and the remaining 6.5 percent were of other Hispanic origins.
Hispanics were more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to reside in the West and the South and less likely to live in the Northeast and the Midwest.
Latinos of Mexican origin were more likely to live in the West (54.6 percent) and the South (34.3 percent); Puerto Ricans were most likely to live in the Northeast (58.0 percent); and Cubans were highly concentrated in the South (75.1 percent). Most Central and South Americans were found in three of the four regions: the Northeast (31.5 percent), the South (34.0 percent), and the West (29.9 percent).
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