One in Every Seven Americans are Now Hispanic

The US Census Bureau estimates that the American Hispanic population is now at about 41.3 million and growing faster than any other population bloc, thanks to high birthrates and immigration. In fact, Hispanics accounted for half of the nation's population growth between 2003 and 2004.

Naturally, this growth will have important implications for the US in the coming years:

“Looking toward the future, we see a different face of the U.S. population,” said Audrey Singer, an immigration and census specialist at the Brookings Institution. “But I don’t think that’s necessarily new. It’s a confirmation that this hasn’t stopped or changed much.”

The size of the Hispanic population and, to a lesser extent, the Asian population, rose in nearly every state over the 1990s. Also, the Census Bureau projected last year that whites and minority groups overall would be roughly equal in size by 2050.

“Sometimes this is portrayed as a problem for the United States — that the ethnic composition of the country is changing and that new people are coming to take jobs,” said Goodman, dean of American University’s School of International Service.

“My view is just the opposite: increased fertility of young people makes the (social) structure one that is more sustaining of economic production and enables older people to be in a culture where their retirements can be financed.”

Source: MSNBC