Population in the News

Population in the News

The new 2011 census estimates changes in the nation's racial make (Reddy, 2011). Minorities increased 1.9 percent to 114.1 million, or 36.6 percent of the total U.S. population. According to the latest data, the percentage growth of Hispanics slowed from 4.2 percent in 2001 to 2.5 percent last year with the groups driven by births and immigration (Yen, 2012). The Hispanics population growth would have been even lower if it were not for their relatively high fertility rates seven births for every death. The median age of U.S. Hispanics is 27.6 years. Births actually have been declining for both whites and minorities as many women postponed having children during our economic slump. Since 2008, the birth rate drop has been larger for whites, who have a median age of 42. The number of white births fell by 11.4 percent, compared with 3.2 percent for minorities. Blacks, who comprise about 12.3 percent of the population, have increased at a rate of about 1 percent each year. Whites have increased very little in recent years. The Asian population increase also slowed, from 4.5 percent in 2001 to about 2.2 percent. Hispanics and Asians still are the two fastest-growing minority groups, making up about 16.7 percent and 4.8 percent of the U.S. population, respectively (Yen, 2012). People are obviously still delaying births, and immigration has continued to drop because job opportunities and the economic slump the country is facing.

The Unites States has a history of a booming population symbolized economic vitality and growing influence in the world. Some Americans welcome slowed population growth, but it is also a worrisome trend for a few reasons. The decline in U.S. population growth is due to a confluence of factors: lower levels of immigration, population aging, and declining fertility rates (Frey, 2011), and all of these factors are an indicator of an unhealthy economy. People are obviously still delaying births, and immigration has...