White Population Shows Clear Aging Trend
Hispanic Average Age Only 31 Years
After 2045, the proportion of White people in the United States is expected to fall below 50%. This is due to the rise of various races and mixed-race individuals, including Hispanics.
Actress Halle Bailey (USA), who played the role of the mermaid in Disney's live-action musical film 'The Little Mermaid' [Image source=Yonhap News]
The American political media outlet The Hill reported on the 7th (local time), citing data from the U.S. Census Bureau, that "by 2045, the proportion of Whites (excluding Hispanics) in the total U.S. population will fall below 50%."
According to the Census Bureau, currently, Whites make up 77% of those aged 75 and older, 67% of those aged 55 to 64, 55% of those aged 35 to 44, and about 50% of the 18 to 24 age group.
The Census Bureau predicts that by 2050, the proportion of Whites under 18 will fall below 40%. Regarding this, William Frey, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, told the media, "Currently, 47% of children in the U.S. are White."
Various pedestrians of different ethnicities are walking along the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, California, USA. [Image source=Yonhap News]
In other words, the era of White majority in the U.S. will come to an end with the 'Generation Z' born between the late 1990s and the 2010s.
Looking closely at age statistics by race, not only is the proportion of White population gradually decreasing, but aging is also clearly observed. The average age in the U.S. is 38.9 years, but the average age of Whites is 43 years. The average age of Hispanics is only 31 years.
However, demographers point out that such 'racial analysis' may oversimplify the actual racial composition of the U.S. because Americans no longer accept a general racial identity.
In particular, currently, 18 million Americans have responded that they identify with two or more racial identities. If those who identify as White among them are included in the White population, the proportion of Whites in 2045 rises from 49% to 52%.
Nonetheless, there are also criticisms that the current racial classifications lack persuasiveness. Richard Alba, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the City University of New York, told the media, "The census itself is an outdated 20th-century mindset," and "it assumes that a person can have only one ethnicity and racial identity."
He explained, "Mixed-race individuals have relatively fluid identities. They may consider themselves White, minorities, or mixed-race."
Professor Alba also predicted, "Despite this, Whites will remain the largest racial group in the U.S. for a long time. Whites have already formed various mainstream societies in the U.S. and will neither disappear nor be replaced."
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