White Americans' majority to end by mid-century

[austin552]

White Americans' majority to end by mid-century - Yahoo! News

The estimated time when whites will no longer make up the majority of Americans has been pushed back eight years — to 2050 — because the recession and stricter immigration policies have slowed the flow of foreigners into the U.S.

Census Bureau figures released Wednesday update last year's prediction that white children would become a minority in 2023 and the overall white population would follow in 2042. The earlier estimate did not take into account a drop in the number of people moving into the U.S. because of the economic crisis and the immigration policies imposed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The 2050 estimate is one of four projections released that is based on rates for births and deaths and a scenario in which immigration continues its more recent, slower pace of adding nearly 1 million new foreigners each year. Demographers said that scenario offers the best look for now at the future demographic makeup based on current conditions, rather than other models which assume higher rates of immigration.

The United States has 308 million people today; two-thirds are non-Hispanic whites.

The total population should climb to 399 million by 2050, under the new projection, with whites making up 49.9 percent of the population. Blacks will make up 12.2 percent, virtually unchanged from today. Hispanics, currently 15 percent of the population, will rise to 28 percent in 2050.

Asians are expected to increase from 4.4 percent of the population to 6 percent.

The point when minority children become the majority is expected to have a similar delay of roughly eight years, moving from 2023 to 2031.

The population 85 and older is projected to more than triple by 2050, to 18.6 million.

The actual shift in demographics will be influenced by a host of factors that can't be accurately forecast — the pace of the economic recovery, cultural changes, natural or manmade disasters, as well as an overhaul of immigration law, which may be debated in Congress as early as next year.

As a result, the Census Bureau said the projections should be used mostly as a guide.

The agency also released numbers showing projections based on "high" rates of immigration — more likely if more-flexible government policies and a booming U.S. economy attract large numbers of foreigners — as well as "low" immigration, a possible scenario if U.S. policies don't change much while the economy substantially improves.

_With high immigration, the minority "tipping point" is moved up to 2040, two years earlier than the previous estimate. At that time, Asians would have a much larger share, at 8 percent, since their population growth is more dependent on immigration than birth rates.

_With low immigration, the "tipping point" arrives by 2045.

Under a purely theoretical "zero immigration" scenario in which the U.S. effectively does not take in any immigrants, whites would remain the majority in 2050, making up a solid 58 percent of the U.S. population. In such a case, the share of Hispanics would increase to 21 percent because of high fertility rates and a younger population.

Under a "zero immigration" model, the 65 and older population also grows substantially faster, comprising nearly 1 in 4 Americans.

"These projections show that immigration will serve to replenish our labor force as baby boomers age into retirement and make our population younger without overburdening our schools and other community resources," said William H. Frey, a demographer at Brookings Institution.

[Schumi]

If I am getting this right... it's saying that by 2050 white people will make up less than a 50% share of the US.

And they are grouping 'everyone else' into that other 50%. That doesn't mean another race becomes the majority. White people would still be the majority over hispanics which would be projected to make up 28%.

And who really cares anyways? At the end of the day, we'll all eventually meld into this anglo-hispanic-oriental 'american mix'. They call it the melting pot for a reason.

[red-beard]

The Term is "Plurality" when you are the largest group, but smaller than 50%.

In Houston, there is not majority. White people make a plurality of about 45%. Soon the hispanic groups will have a majority.

[Rick Lee]

Great! Maybe I'll be able to get in on some minority set-asides with gov't. contracting.

[red-beard]

The game is rigged against that.

Plus, all of the minority and veteran set-asides are for service work. There were a couple of Architect-Engineering gigs that were 8(a) set-asides.

[vash]

i have no kids...so dont blame me.

[red-beard]

I'm married to a hispanic woman - Si usted no puede batirlos, ensámblelos!

[legion]

Originally Posted by Schumi

And who really cares anyways? At the end of the day, we'll all eventually meld into this anglo-hispanic-oriental 'american mix'. They call it the melting pot for a reason.

Sadly, I think "identity politics" works against this.

[Scuba Steve]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Great! Maybe I'll be able to get in on some minority set-asides with gov't. contracting.

You know you'd think so, but it doesn't quite work like that. The high school I went to was at least70% hispanic but they still got all the 'minority' scholarships.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Great! Maybe I'll be able to get in on some minority set-asides with gov't. contracting.

shee-it Rick. I'm 57, a veteran and mildly handicapped and I still get nothing.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

shee-it Rick. I'm 57, a veteran and mildly handicapped and I still get nothing.

You need to partner up with a business that wants fed. contracts and can use your status as a pass-through to call themselves a "disabled-vet-owned" business. They get top priority in CA state contracts and that status sure helps with the feds too. Remember, it has nothing to do with your talents, abilities or accomplishments - only your value as a political constituency or member of a gov't-sponsored grievance group. You know, equal protection under the law and all.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

You know, equal protection under the law and all.

I think you meant UNEQUAL protection under the law and all.

[Schumi]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

You need to partner up with a business that wants fed. contracts and can use your status as a pass-through to call themselves a "disabled-vet-owned" business. They get top priority in CA state contracts and that status sure helps with the feds too. Remember, it has nothing to do with your talents, abilities or accomplishments - only your value as a political constituency or member of a gov't-sponsored grievance group. You know, equal protection under the law and all.

If I were a disabled veteran business owner, I don't think I would want to sink to that level.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Schumi

If I were a disabled veteran business owner, I don't think I would want to sink to that level.

It's a very common practice and has to be done, since there is a percentage of federal business that has to be set aside for each favored group. There are billion-dollar companies out there that use such pass-through companies to get fed. contracts, pay them 1% or whatever fee for no work whatsoever other than lending their name and status and then do the work or sub it out to the lowest bidders. It's not the businesses' fault. It's the government's for creating this musical chairs game for competing for contracts.

[MRM]

It's just a matter of numbers and it isn't anything that hasn't happened a couple of times in American history. Around the time of the Revolutionary war the country was divided into two camps, - the Virginia aristocracy/southern planters (George Washington) and northeastern Yankees (John Adams). The pre-Revolution power balance favored the Virginians; the post-Revolution power balance tilted toward the Bostonians. All were Simon-pure English/German blood. "Americans" were pretty much white and pretty much English and German. Then the Irish came. Boston was no longer completely "white" and the Brahmins were over run with Irish. The Italians came and New York was no longer "white". And then the Jews came. And then central Europe starting spilling out its masses.

Each succeeding generation of lower status immigrants was not considered "white' by the elites who were already here until they assimilated. The Irish weren't fully assimilated in Boston until the 50s or 60s when Kennedy beat Henry Cabot Lodge for the senate and then won the presidency.

When I got married my dad gave me a hard time. His family is mostly Swedish with some English and German. My mom is 100% Macedonian and her parents were right off the boat some time around WWI. I asked him about that, and he replied that at least they were both white. Well, she wouldn't have been considered fully white if she was born a generation earlier. He didn't have anything to say about that.

Immigration patterns change. The face of the country changes. I'm a quarter Swede and half Macedonian. I'm built tall and lean like my Scandinavian forbearers but I'm dark as coal. My kids are as dark as me but won't be quite as tall or thin. We're all American. Who cares what we look like or the shade of our skin? As a matter of fact, my kids are a little lighter colored than me. When My Uncle the Fascist gave me a hard time about marrying a Chinese woman, I told him that he was always predicting that the Asians were going to take over the country on their way to world dominance, and I was just joining the winning side early so my decedents would be in on the ground floor.

[URY914]

Yes but the percentage of Angry White Guys (AWG) is growing at an alarming rate.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by MRM

We're all American. Who cares what we look like or the shade of our skin?

The government cares far more than most regular folks. I've only ever been asked my race on gov't. forms or job applications with disclaimers that they have to ask that info. No one else cares.

[TechnoViking]

I adopted two kids from Korea. Sorry, it's my fault.

[MRM]

I would have expected better from someone with a name like Martin Smith

[red-beard]

I don't understand why "Spanish" isn't considered white. It's European. I have 2 spanish families living nearby, and they are WHITE. One of them, the daughter is going to college in England, and they don't know that she is Spanish. They think she is American. She speaks un-accented english.