Minority Babies Almost The Majority Now

It’s been the norm in Texas and California for over 20 years.  New York, Florida, and New Jersey probably saw it coming.  It may be a surprise to some down south, but given the region’s proximity to Latin America, it shouldn’t be.  As reported by USA Today, nearly half of the babies born in the US are ethnic or racial minorities. The article lays out the numbers stating:

Only 50.2% of babies under age 1 are white and not Hispanic, according to the 2010 Census — a sharp decline from 57.6% just 10 years earlier.

“We are almost at a minority-majority infant population,” says Brookings Institution demographer William Frey, who analyzed the latest Census data. “We probably have passed it since the Census was taken” in April 2010.

Since the last census in 2000, the number of states where minority babies are the majority has risen from 7 to 14, with the most dramatic growth seen in Florida and Nevada.  Also mentioned in the article is the fact that as the numbers of minority women of child-bearing age continues to climb, their white cohorts have seen a decline in population.

This is definitely not news to us.  News Taco also wrote in the past about how contrary to what many believe, babies are fueling Latino growth in the country, not immigration. What is worth noting is that the combination of booming Latino birthrates, immigration from all over the world, mixed-raced marriages, and growth in the Asian community  is now forcing the concept of what a minority is in America to change.  Which means that sooner or later, general ideas of what an American is or looks like will be altered as well.