Census: Minority Population Tops 100M

(CBS/AP)  The United States is becoming more diverse, with ethnic and racial minorities topping 100 million for the first time in 2006, according to data from the Census Bureau.

The data suggest about one in three Americans was a minority last year.

The nation was 66.4 percent white, non-Hispanic; 15 percent Hispanic; 13.4 percent black; 5 percent Asian, and 1.5 percent American Indian or native Alaskan. Three-tenths of a percent identified themselves as Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

The percentages add up to more than 100, in part because some people identify with more than one race and Hispanics can be of any race.

"To put this into perspective, there are more minorities in this country today than there were people in the United States in 1910, Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon said. "In fact, the minority population in the U.S. is larger than the total population of all but 11 countries."

California led the way with a minority population of more than 20 million, followed by Texas with just over 12 million.

A year ago, the minority population was 98.3 million.

Some highlights:

Hispanic was the fastest-growing minority group, enlarging 3.4 percent between July 1, 2005 and July 1, 2006 for a total of 44.3 million. Asian was second with a 3.2 percent growth, totaling 14.9 million.

The black population surpassed 40 million and increased 1.3 percent.

White, non-Hispanics accounted for less than 18 percent of the nation's population growth. The population of non-Hispanic whites who indicated no other race totaled 198.7 million in 2006.

The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander group has reached 1 million.

Four states, along with the District of Columbia, are "majority-minority" in 2006. Hawaii was first (75 percent minority), followed by the District of Columbia (68 percent), New Mexico (57 percent), California (57 percent) and Texas (52 percent). No other state had a minority population exceeding 42 percent of the total.

Based on the Census data, an analysis by The Associated Press showed that Illinois is the most average state in the country.

The study examined 21 demographic factors, including race, age, income, education, industrial mix, immigration and the share of people living in urban and rural areas.

Each state was then ranked on how closely it matched national levels. Illinois was followed by Oregon, Michigan, Washington and Delaware.

West Virginia was the least typical state: poorer, whiter, more rural followed by Mississippi, New Hampshire, Vermont and Kentucky.

[rig0913]

Note, the problem is larger than we think, it has to do with the way Capitalism functions and whether we are going to continue to allow capitalism to flourish in this country, as it has for such a long time or are we going to put constraints on our free enterprise system. Capitalism, as far as I know, needs cheap labor. This country has benefitted from the utilization of immigrant labor and has allowed capitalism to expand itself and consolidate itself here and abroad. Now many of us, with good and some with bad intentions, want to protect the American worker, want a better comprehensive homeland security program which, includes the securing of our borders, both north and south. And, some are just biased, racist and purist, lest nor forget, a possible demographic shift albeit change in the demographic composition in this country by Hispanics immigrants is not necessarily a bad thing. Just like the Irish, Italians, Jews and countless other immigrants in this country of the past, the process of acculturation will allow for the Americanization process of these people.

But calling eachother names and not looking at the issue on both sides of the fence only allows for tomfoolery and no real discourse on this very important matter.

[rig0913]

Every immigrant group in this country, past and present, has gone through the process of being looked upon or described as a scourge to this country.

For one, fear of cultural change or a complete demographic change in this country is what drives the anti-immigrant sentiment. The Irish, Italians, Jews, and other immigrants in this country, who by the way, were not english speakers, with the exception of the Irish, who in some cases spoke english or their native gaelic, came to this country and formed ethnic enclaves in many parts of the United States. They too were shunned by American purists who felt they were going to lose the country to illegals or those that came here to steal American jobs or rather work for less and do more, in contrast to those who want more money but want to do less.

On the one hand, I understand some of the complaints concerning the lowering of wages and the devaluing of the moral and ethical nature (i.e., crime, drug trafficking and other criminal behavior, and that is not to say that all immigrants, legal or illegal engage in such behaviors, this is solely related to those that come here to disrupt things with their criminality.), of our American culture, and I happen to be hispanic or latino myself and I say that carefully. But, on the other hand, I am bothered by the tone some people have concerning or singling out Mexicans and other Spanish speaking groups, simply because they came here, either illegally or legally.

[rwassel]

"I forgive RandalDS and rwassel for their hateful, bigoted and racial attacks on this country."

- Posted by cpaide at 01:01 PM : May 18, 2007

What are you even talking about? Now you're just grasping at straws. Name one post where I was a racist or a bigot.

And FYI - you can't be "racist" towards a country, only a race. Hence the term "race-ist".

Who's in 5th grade?

[randalds]

Posted by Free_Citizen at 06:04 AM : May 18, 2007

Thanks. I went and read the entry on Manifest Destiny and you are right, it's pretty accurate. The concept of Manifest destiny (and esp the death and destruction of innocents that resulted from it) has become controversial again in many quarters as it's being practiced today in the Middle-East and indeed worldwide as a basic pillar of the Neoconservative Movement, which has stated the the United States is destined by God to spread democracy throughout the world and to dominate the world by as a result of it's success. To me, as the song goes, "It's just a little bit of history repeating".

[randalds]

"There are some who think they know. Let them go until they don't." You two can go now.
Posted by cpaide at 01:01 PM : May 18, 2007

ROTFLMFAO!!!!!! To quote the one, the only, the Great Bugs Bunny "What a Maroon!!!"

LOL!

[cpaide]

I forgive RandalDS and rwassel for their hateful, bigoted and racial attacks on this country. I don't know if it's the lack of sleep or carrying around large chips on their shoulders for years that has done it to them, but they are obviously incapable of meaningful thought or comment without getting angry and calling names like 5th graders.

"There are some who think they know. Let them go until they don't." You two can go now.

[rwassel]

" These people were mostly MURDERED BY THE HISPANICS in one way or another."

The Hispanic presence throughout the Southwest that you refer to was PUNY AND PRIMATIVE in comparison. I wouldn't brag about these missions. The missions, BUILT BY SLAVE LABOR--NOT BY THE HISPANICS, were mostly nothing but abandoned, tumbled-down buildings when the Americans took the empty desert and developed it. Thanks to the Americans, many of these missions have been rebuilt and are now nice tourist attractions."

-Posted by cpaide at 02:03 AM : May 18, 2007

Alright, your racism is truly showing here. All your posts have been making GROSS GENERLIZATIONS of the Hispanic culture. You are a racist, plain and simple! Every post you have written, you seem more and more angry at the entire Hispanic culture - I'm sorry if you feel you've been wronged by Hispanics, but that is no cause to spew hate.

As to your previous post, I like how you say Hispanics murdered people back in those days, as if our entire country was not founded on the murder or people (see: Native Americans)

And the missions, built by slave labor? Again, this country was built on slave labor, my friend (see: 1700's - 1865).

It's funny how you accept that white people did these things, and yet only mention Hispanics. Again, your racist colors are showing, as is your bias on the subject.

[Free Citizen]

Dear RandalDS,

You are right, not every entry in wikipedia is checked for accuracy by an authoritative specialist. Contentious subjects such as current events are always biased and not reliable. However, other disciplins such as History and Science seem to be quite right. One entry that will coincide with what you say can be found under the title of "Manifest Destiny".

[randalds]

Here is a phrase to get used to. The Browning of America. You're going to be hearing it a lot in the future. Because even if we shut the borders down completely and managed to throw out every illegal alien, in the next few decades the United States will gain a majority of Americans of Hispanic descent from all of the Americans of Hispanic decent that are here now and in many cases have been here for dozens of generations. At the bottom of all of this anti-immigrant talk is the fear of that truth and a desire to slow down or stop it from happening. However you might as well try to stop the rain from falling or the sun from shining. Within 40 or 50 years America will no longer be controlled by white people for the first time in it's history. For the first time in it's history the majority of people here will have grown up hearing Spanish spoken at home by their grandparents. It'll be up to them if they keep English as the national language. But hey, I'm already 50 and don't plan on living more then another decade or two, so I won't get to see how white Americans react when they finally realize that we ain't on top no more. Kind of a shame because I'd love to see it. ;-)

[randalds]

Obviously you're too close minded. I point out the truth to you and you reach for Wikipedia? I mean come on, anyone can write anything in Wikipedia they want and modify anything that's written there. I could write a Wikipedia entry that says Santa Claus discovered America and found the Jewish faith here 945AD and they'd publish it. Nothing is checked there. Look, I know that what is now the American Southwest was once a very important part of Northern Mexico, but even if you refuse to accept the obvious truth of that (and I'm sure you will) it doesn't change the fact that there are a huge number of Hispanics here who are descended from Hispanic families that have been here since before there was a USA. That is an undeniable historical fact (and do your own homework looking it up, it's not my job to teach you what you should have learned in 5th grade history class). It also doesn't change the fact that I believe that Mexicans who are here now should be allowed to remain and become citizens and that we should make it easier for more to come here. You don't think so? Fine. I really don't give a sh*it if you do or don't.