Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Recall from Chapter One that you do not need to travel to faraway countries to understand the need for, and experience the benefits of, intercultural communication. In 2010, there were approximately 308 million people in the United States (i.e., roughly 4.5% of the world’s population). Of these people, just over 65% were White non-Hispanics, approximately 15.5% were Hispanic (any race), 12% were Black non-Hispanic, 4% were Asian or Pacific Islander, and 1% were American Indian.

Both the 2000 and 2010 census point out that different racial and ethnic groups in the United States grow at different rates. For example, in 2000, White non-Hispanics made up nearly 70% of the U.S. population. In 2010, White non-Hispanics made up 65%. By the year 2050, the non-Hispanic White population will shrink to approximately 50% of the population. Conversely, the Hispanic population in 2000 made up 12.5% of the population, while in 2010, it grew to 15.5%. The Black population has remained stable at 12% in both 2000 and 2010.

1. Web Link: U.S. Census Bureau

Description: Once you have arrived at the Census Bureau home page, in the top toolbar is an “Explore Data” option. Now select “Data Tools & Apps”, then “QuickFacts” (options are listed alphabetically). Within “QuickFacts,” you can select your home state or home town and investigate the population trends over the past several years. As you explore the site, you will discover how the population in your own home state has diversified over the years.

2. Web Link: Census Officials, Citing Increasing Diversity, Say U.S. Will be a ‘plurality Nation’

Description: The next half century marks key points in continuing trends. The U.S. will become a plurality nation, where no single ethnic or racial group will constitute a majority of the country as a whole.

3. Web Link: Nation to Become a Plurality, but Some Areas Already Are

Description: While the nation is projected to become both a “majority-minority” and a “plurality” nation by 2043, some states and counties have already crossed these thresholds.

4. Web Link: 6 demographic trends shaping the U.S. and the world in 2019

Description: There are six notable demographic trends highlighted in this Pew Research Center analyses.