Demographics, United States

Race and Ethnicity

The ratio of persons of color to Whites increased from 1 out of every 8 persons in 1900 to approximately 1 out of every 3 in 2000. Most of the increase in racial and ethnic diversity occurred in the latter part of the 20th century, with an increase of 88% from 1980 to 2000 in the combined non-White and Latino/a population. The Asian and Pacific Islander population tripled while the White population dropped 12 percentage points between 1970 and 2000. In addition, the option to select more than one racial group in the 2000 census identified 6.8 million (2.4%) multiracial individuals. The increase in racial and ethnic diversity in the United States has been attributed mainly to unprecedented international migration rates from Latin America and Asia/Pacific Islands and higher birth rates for these groups. Latinos/as, an ethnic category that includes any race, is the fastest-growing segment of the population with an increase from 6.4% in 1980 to 12.5% of the total population in 2000.

Age

The proportion of older people is increasing and that of younger people is decreasing, particularly for White groups. The number of people age 65 years and older increased 10 times since 1900, with a total of [Page 1112]35 million, or 12.4% of the population, in 2000. This number is expected to increase again substantially in the 2010s when baby boomers begin approaching conventional retirement age. The proportion of the population of children under 15 years of age has declined since 1900, dropping from 1 out of every 3 (35.5%) individuals to 1 out of every 5 (21.4%) in 2000. The increase in racial diversity in immigration has also influenced the age composition of the United States, with younger age cohorts having a greater percentage of individuals of color than older age cohorts. Latinos/as have the youngest median age and have the highest percentage of children under 15 (32%), while non-Latino Whites have the oldest median age and lowest percentage of children under 15 years of age.

Households and Family Structure

The U.S. Census 2000 reflected a growing complexity in household composition. Fifty-two percent of all households were composed of married couples while 9% of coupled households were composed of unmarried couples, a figure that increased 63% from 1990 to 2000. The number of unmarried couples is likely larger because the census restricted responses to only heads of households and their partners. African Americans and Native Americans/Alaskan Indians had the largest percentages of unmarried couples with 16.9% and 17.4%, respectively, while Asians had the lowest reported rates with 4.7%. The one-person household experienced the greatest growth and was 26% of all households in 2000. In addition, 1 out of every 9 households described as composed of unmarried partner couples were same-sex unions in the 2000 census. Approximately 1 out of 4 same-sex couples are parenting children under 18 years old.

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