



Already, more than half of American babies being born belong to racial and ethnic groups traditionally thought of as "minorities" -- which means it could soon be time to toss that word out completely.

By the time those kids grow up to become adults -- sometime between 2036 and 2042 -- everyone in the working-age population (ages 18 to 64) will be a member of a group that comes up short of the 50 percent line.


White, non-Hispanic people currently make up about 63 percent of the entire United States population. Starting in 2041, they'll account for less than half, according to projections.

The Census Bureau said international migration will eventually surpass births, becoming the single largest driver of population growth by 2050. Births have been the main catalyst for U.S. population growth since at least 1850, when the Census Bureau started gathering the information.

"Our nation has had higher immigration rates in the past, particularly during the great waves of the late 19th and early 20th centuries," Thomas Mesenbourg, Census Bureau senior adviser, said in a written statement. "This projected milestone reflects the mix of our nation's declining fertility rates, the aging of the baby boomer population and continued immigration."

Meanwhile, as the population ages and lifespans grow longer, the share of America's population that's of working age is on the decline. As of last year, people ages 18 to 64 accounted for roughly 63 percent of the U.S. population, but by 2060, their share could fall to 57 percent. Unless the retirement age also rises, that could cause a big problem for funding entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.