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Population Characteristics |
POPULATION OF CHILDREN
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In 2005, there were an estimated 73.4
million children under 18 years of age in the United States,
representing approximately 25 percent of the population.
Young adults aged 20 to 24 years composed just over 7 percent
of the population, while adults aged 25 to 64 years composed
nearly 53 percent of the population and adults aged 65 years
and older composed more than 12 percent. Since the 2000
Census, the number of children under 5 years of age has
risen 5.8 percent, and the number of children aged 5 to
19 years has risen just over 2 percent. The number of adults
aged 65 years and older has risen over 5 percent in the
same period.
The population of children reflects the
increase in the diversity of the population over the past
several decades. Hispanic children represented 9 percent
of all children in 1980, compared to over 19 percent in
2005; Asian/Pacific Islander children represented 2 percent
of all children in 1980 and over 4 percent in 2005. While
the percentage of children who are Hispanic or Asian/Pacific
Islander has more than doubled since 1980, the percentage
who are non-Hispanic White has declined. The percentage
of children who are Black has remained relatively stable.
>
Pie Chart: U.S. Resident Population, by
Age Group: 2005
>
Pie Chart: Population of Children Under
Age 18, by Race/Ethnicity: 2005
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Child Health USA 2006 is not copyrighted. Readers are free to duplicate and use all or part of the information contained on this page. Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Child Health USA 2006. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006. |