The makeup of the population of the United States is changing – and it’s changing quickly.
Businesses large and small need to be aware of those changes to help them stay a step ahead of the curve in the future as far as inventory, design, potential expansion, advertising appeals and other commercial strategies.
For the first time, the children of Baby Boomers outnumber their parents, according to the newest population figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on June 25, 2015. The population estimates show changes between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2014. The current population of the United States is more than 321 million, making it the third most populous country in the world, following China and India.
Millennials – those young Americans born roughly between 1982 and 2000 – now have overtaken Baby Boomers by 83 million to 75 million and account for more than one-quarter of the U.S. population.
The Millennial generation is also much more ethnically diverse than the generation of their parents. While the oldest members of the Baby Boom generation, those 65 and older, are nearly 80 percent white non-Hispanic, 44.2 percent of Millennials are part of a minority race or ethnic group.
The number of minorities grows even larger at younger ages, the Census Bureau found. In children under 5 years of age in the United States, 50.2 percent are members of a minority race or ethnic group.
Majority/Minority
- Five states/districts have a majority of minority residents: Hawaii (77 percent); District of Columbia (64.2 percent); California (61.5 percent); New Mexico (61.1 percent); and Texas (56.6 percent). Eleven percent of all counties in the nation are minority majority.
- The nation’s Hispanic population now totals 55.4 million. California has the highest Hispanic population (15 million); New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics (47.7 percent); and Texas had the highest increase in Hispanics since July 1, 2013 (228,000). Starr County in Texas on the Mexican border has the largest percentage of Hispanic population (95.8 percent).
- The African-American population now totals 45.7 million. New York has the largest African-American population (3.8 million); the District of Columbia has the highest percentage of African Americans (50.6 percent), followed by Mississippi (38.2 percent); and Texas had the largest increase in the last year (88,000). The county of Holmes, Miss., has the highest percentage of African-American citizens (82.5 percent).
- The Asian population in the United States totals 20.3 million. California has the largest Asian population (6.3 million) and the largest increase in the last year measured (162,000). Hawaii has the largest percentage of Asians (56.2 percent). Hawaii also has the largest percentage of Pacific Islanders at 26 percent. Honolulu and Kauai are the nation’s only majority-Asian counties.
- Native Americans total 6.5 million, with California having the largest Native American population (1.1 million) as well as the largest increase in one year (13,000). Alaska has the highest percentage (19.4 percent). Shannon County, S.D., has the highest Native American population of any county (93.4 percent).
- The population of non-Hispanic, single-race whites totals nearly 198 million. California has the largest population (14.9 million), and Maine has the highest percentage of single-race white population (93.8 percent). Texas had the largest increase in one year (79,000). Leslie County in Kentucky has the highest percentage of white population (98.1 percent).
- The single-race, non-Hispanic white group was the only one with a death rate higher than the birth rate from 2013 to 2014 (61,841 more deaths than births).
Older/Younger
- Florida has the highest percentage of population age 65-plus (19.1 percent). Sumter County, Fla., home of The Villages, is the nation’s only county with a majority of 65-plus population (52.9 percent).
- San Juan County, Colo., which includes the town of Silverton, had the highest rate of population growth in the 65-plus age group between 2010 and 2014 (70 percent), and two other Colorado counties were in the top five, San Miguel (Telluride) and Douglas counties.
- Five states saw a decline in median age between 2013 and 2014 – North Dakota, Hawaii, Montana, Wyoming and Iowa. McKenzie, N.D., had the largest decline (32.9 to 31.6 years).
Men/Women
- Only 10 states are made up of a majority of males. Alaska has the highest percentage (52.6 percent males), followed by North Dakota (51.3 percent males).
- The District of Columbia has the highest percentage of females (52.6 percent), followed by Delaware (51.6 percent).