According to recent census figures, most babies in the United States are members of minority groups for the first time in U.S. history, consequently showing signs that Caucasians may no longer be the majority. Last year’s estimates show that 50.4% of children younger than a year old were Hispanic, African American, Asian American, or in other minority groups.
A large immigration wave that began four decades ago seems to have led to the shift. Inevitably, the white population is growing older, but at a “faster” pace when compared to Hispanics. In addition, the average age of non-Hispanic whites is 42—past prime childbearing years—making the white population less likely to reproduce. The U.S. census has predicted that non-Hispanic whites will be outnumbered in the United States by the year 2042.
However, given the current outlook, a continued Hispanic baby boom is not a certainty. Immigration from Mexico has been put on hold, even begun declining. But, William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution, believes once the economy stabilizes, the United States will be seeing more immigrants.
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