The U.S. Population Is Getting Older, Richer and Less White

By Claire Hansen

New data from the 2019 American Community Survey shows that several demographic trends continued last year.

THE AMERICAN POPULATION continued to grow slightly older, wealthier and more diverse last year, according to new data released by the Census Bureau.

Data released Thursday from the 2019 American Community Survey, an ongoing measure that provides demographic information and other population statistics on a yearly basis, shows that the median age of the U.S. population crept up in 2019, and the share of the population that is white ticked down, continuing ongoing demographic trends.

Median household income rose notably last year from 2018, the data shows. The figures, however, reflect conditions from last year, before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has plunged the U.S. economy into a recession and sent the unemployment rate skyrocketing. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor, 13.6 million people were unemployed in August.

Overall, changes in the demographic makeup of the American population in 2019 were slight compared to the year prior, but are in line with continuing trends. The Census Bureau is in the midst of collecting data for the 2020 U.S. Census, a count of all people in the U.S. undertaken every 10 years.

The figures from the recent American Community Survey are one-year estimates and typically have a small margin of error. Here’s what the data shows:

The U.S. Population Continues to Grow

The total U.S. population grew by more than 1 million from 2018 to 2019, climbing to more than 328 million from just over 327 million in 2018. The U.S. population has increased by roughly 20 million since the 2010 Census.

The Population is Getting Older, and Women Are Older Than Men

The median age of all Americans was 38.5 in 2019, a slight bump from 38.2 years old in 2018 and a notable increase from the median age of 37.2 reported by the 2010 Census.

The population of women in the U.S. is older than that of men: The median age of all American women was 39.8 years old in 2019, while the median age for men was 37.2 years old.

Household Income Increased Significantly

The real median household income in 2019 was $65,712, according to the data – a 4.5% increase from 2018 when adjusted for inflation, according to the Census Bureau. In 2018, median household income sat at $61,937, not adjusted to 2019 dollars.

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy this year, and millions of people were either temporarily furloughed or laid off. It’s not clear yet how significantly the crisis has affected household incomes.

The Population Is Becoming Less White

Nearly 97% of people identify as one race, as opposed to being biracial or multiracial, according to the data.

In 2019, 72% of the population was white, according to the data. That’s a dip from 2018, when 72.2% of the population was white. Both estimates have a margin of error of 0.1%. The figure is also a drop from 2010, when the Census found that 72.4% of Americans were white.

Of all white Americans last year, 60% were not Hispanic or Latino, a smaller share than in both 2018 and 2010.

The Share of Black and Asian Americans May Have Grown Slightly

Last year, 12.8% of the U.S. population was Black, the data shows, up from 12.7% from 2018 – within the margins of error for the estimates. In 2010, 12.6% of the population was Black.

The share of the U.S. population that is Asian rose to 5.7% in 2019, up from 5.6% the year prior – also within the estimates’ margins of error. The figure is a marked increase, however, from 2010, when 4.8% of the American population was Asian.

Share of Population That Is Hispanic or Latino Continues to Increase

Of all Americans last year, 18.4% were Hispanic or Latino, up from 18.3% in 2018. Estimates from both years have a 0.1% margin of error.

The share of the population that is Hispanic or Latino has jumped since 2010, however, when 16.3% of the population fell into those categories.

Original article from U.S. News

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