The new 2020 Census released Thursday showed that the U.S. is now more diverse and ethnically varied than ever before. People of color in the U.S. had increased by 9% when compared to a decade ago.
According to the latest U.S. census, people of color now represent about 43% of the U.S. population, up from the 34% recorded in a 2010 census. The country's Non-Hispanic White population dropped to 57% from 63% in 2010. This was the largest drop of any race or ethnicity in the latest census.
In terms of the population's age demographic, adults older than 18 grew to 261 million -- up from 237 million recorded in 2010. People aged 18 and below decreased over the last decade but had become more diverse. Non-White people aged 18 and below now make up about 53% of the country's minors -- up from the 47% recorded a decade ago.
Non-Hispanic White people still dominate most U.S. states, except for California, Hawaii, and New Mexico. In the three states as well as in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, Non-Hispanic White Americans account for less than 50% of residents.
The Hispanic or Latino community in California increased to 39.4%, making them the largest ethnic group in the state for the first time. Non-Hispanic Whites in California now only make up about 34.7% of the population.
The U.S. population grew by around 7.4% over the last 10 years, with most of it in major cities. This was the slowest 10-year population growth recorded since the decade of the Great Depression between 1930 and 1940.
More than half of all of the counties had recorded a population decline. McKenzie County in North Dakota recorded the highest population growth of about 130% over the past 10 years.
The Census Bureau said they had made significant changes in the way they conduct surveys of the population. The agency said they now include more detailed questions in their surveys to properly identify a person's race and ethnicity.
The agency said it is confident in its comparisons and the changes indicated in the latest census. It added that the figures reflect actual demographic changes over the last decade.
