Shift Happens Statistics of the Day 2-11-08

From a report by the Pew Research Center:

• The population of the U.S. will rise to 438 million by 2050, up from 296 million in 2005
• 82% of that increase will be due to immigrants and their U.S. born descendents
• Nearly one in five Americans (19%) will be an immigrant in 2050 (12% now)
• By 2025 the immigrant share of the population will surpass the peak during the last great wave of immigration a century ago
• The Latino population will triple in size and make up 29% of the U.S. population in 2050 (compared to 14% now)
• The non-Hispanic white population will increase more slowly than other groups and therefore will constitute a minority by 2050 (47%)
• The elderly population in the U.S. will more than double in size, the number of working age Americans will grow more slowly, so therefore will shrink as a percentage of the total population. There will be 72 dependents – children and elderly - per 100 adults of working age in 2050, up from 59 today.

Download the complete report (pdf).