In 2000, 226 million whites, 35 million blacks, and nearly 14 million people classified as Asians or Native North Americans made up humanity in the United States.
"Other Races," shown in the graphic, includes American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, Asians, and Pacific Islanders. 5 These Other Races were around 0.5% of the population for the first half of the century. They increased ten-fold in the second half, reaching 5% of the population in 2000. Of this population, 13.6 million people, 82% were Asians and Pacific Islanders and 18% American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts. The growth of this racial group was stimulated by immigration from Asia.
Beginning in 1980, population came to be regarded through yet another lens. Ethnicity was added to the definition to identify, specifically, a population that had predominantly Latin American origins. Thus race and ethnicity are usually reported in demographic and health statistics. This is the Hispanic category and refers to people with origins in Latin America. The majority of Hispanics are of Caucasian race; some are black. The govern-ment's statistical reports always state that "Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race." This category, while not racial in character, is recognized in the graphic with a curve from 1980 to 2000. The population of Hispanic origin was 6.4, 9, and 11.5% of the population in 1980, 1990, and 2000, respectively. Hispanics represent a population just over 23 million people.
Future trends, based on population projections, indicate that the white population will continue to lose its share of the total population. To show the trend from past into future, data for 1980, 2000, 2025, and 2050 are shown in the inset. Future years, of course, are estimates, and could be affected by future policies relating to immigration.
Note in this projection that the non-racial group, the Hispanic population, shown by the curve, becomes the dominant "minority" population soon after 2000.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Historical data from Historical Statistics of the United States, published by the same agency.
1 In this volume, as in all others, the numerical values charted may be found in Part II.
2 The slight increase over 2 — husband and wife each replaced — is dictated by the need to replace also infertile women and to account for children who die in infancy.
3 "2000 World Development Indicators," The World Bank, Washington, D.C., March 2000.
4 See especially Perls, Thomas T. and Ruth C. Fretts, "Why Women Live Longer than Men," Scientific American, June 1998, accessible at sciam.com/1998/0698womens/0698perls.html.
5 This terminology dates from 1980. In earlier times, American Indians, Japanese, and Chinese were specifically identified; other groups were summed; the largest element within that group was Filipinos.
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