The first release of race-ethnic statistics from the 2020 census makes plain that America’s “diversity explosion” is continuing, albeit in the context of slower national growth, especially among the youth. The new numbers show that, for the first time, there was a decade-long loss in the number of white Americans who do not identify with other racial and ethnic groups. This means that all of the nation’s 2010-to-2020 growth is attributable to people of color—those identifying as Latino or Hispanic, Black, Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Native American, and as two or more races. …
Particularly noteworthy is the dominance of Latino or Hispanic contributions to growth in places that otherwise might have lost population during the 2010s. …
White population declines were pervasive across large parts of the nation, including 61 of the 100 largest metropolitan areas; 196 of the 319 cities over 100,000 population; and 2,458 of the nation’s 3,100-plus counties. Yet fewer of these areas experienced overall population losses (three large metro areas, 37 large cities, and 1,650 counties) because their white losses were more than countered by gains from other racial and ethnic groups. CONTINUED
William H. Frey, Brookings Institution
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