The minority population increased 2.3% to 104.6 million from mid-2007 to July 1, 2008, or just over one-third of the total population, the Census Bureau reported.
Hispanics had the highest growth rate — 3.2% — during the 12 months.
Although immigration has slowed, higher birth rates among Hispanics make them the fastest growing group. Births, rather than immigration, accounted for about two-thirds of the 1.47 million increase in the Hispanic population in 2008, according to
Forty-seven percent of children under 5 are minorities, as are 43% of young people under age 20.
"It's a cumulative effect of immigration," says Jeffrey Passel of the Pew Hispanic
As the median age among non-Hispanic whites increases — it's 41.1 compared with 27.7 for Hispanics — so will the racial and ethnic generation gap, demographers say.
"A lot of these Boomers are going to be relying on this younger generation to take care of them in a lot of ways," says Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau. "In another generation, this is going to be our workforce that is supporting Social Security."
