New numbers released by the Census Bureau late last week show that the percentage of Latinos in the United States increased by 3.1 percent last year. Now comprising just under 16 percent of the total population, Hispanics total 48.4 million people in the US.
As the country as a whole continues to become younger and more diverse, the Latino community is fueling much of this trend. In 2009, Hispanics accounted for 55 percent of the total US population growth, with 68 percent of this number being a result of births as opposed to immigration, reflecting a trend that began a few years ago.
The growth rate of the Latino community is fueled by its younger age and birth to death ration. For every nine Latino births there is just one death of a Hispanic. At the same time, the white population is at a zero percent growth rate.
The average age by ethnic groups varies widely with Hispanics at 27.4 years; Asians 35.3 years; blacks 31.3 years; and 41.2 years for white. The national average is 36.8 years.
Already the majority of the populations of the states of New Mexico, Hawaii, California and Texas, as well as the District of Columbia, are comprised of “minority” ethnic groups.
The numbers released were the most recent that the Census Bureau has tabulated. Well underway in conducting their 2010 Census, the Bureau is expected to release its full findings at the end of the year. These numbers will help determine a wide array of federal spending measures and be used to re-draw congressional districts.
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