Opinion: U.S.A.: Less white, more diverse

We are becoming more diverse as a nation. That fact is substantiated by a mid-year population estimate completed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census at the end of June. Mid-year estimates are used to get a rough idea of what changes might be expected. The estimates are based on the Bureau’s ongoing American Community Surveys.

The population of a nation grows, declines, or remains unchanged depending on two factors: natural increase and net migration. Natural increase refers to the combination of births and deaths, while net migration is determined by the difference between immigration (the movement of people into the country) and emigration (the movement of people out of the country). Either factor can be positive, negative, or neutral (zero).

U.S. population growth

Last year, U.S. population grew by 0.4 percent to a 333.2 million resident population. Seventy-five percent of that increase was driven by immigration. Natural increase (11 births per 1,000 of existing population minus 10 deaths per 1,000 population) accounted for only 0.1 percent of growth. The narrow margin of population growth is due net migration.