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(May 2006) New U.S. Census Bureau estimates for 2005 show that 98 million people in the United States —about 33 percent of the total U.S. population of 296.4 million—are part of a racial or ethnic minority group. In addition, 45 percent of children under age 5 are minorities.

Hispanics (at 42.7 million) continue to be the largest minority group as well as the fastest-growing group—gaining 3.3 percent in population from, followed by blacks (39.7 million), Asians (14.4 million), American Indians and Alaska natives (4.5 million), and native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (990,000). To see the full range of estimates, go to the Census Bureau's Population Estimates page.

The Population Reference Bureau frequently publishes articles and reports on trends and issues facing U.S. minority groups. Below is a list of PRB's most recent minority-related articles, which include topics such as growth rates of the U.S. Hispanic population, the social and economic isolation of African Americans, labor and unauthorized U.S. immigration, and minority groups in the U.S. military.

Hispanic Population Growth

• Hispanics Account for Almost One-Half of U.S. Population Growth
  The relative youth of the U.S. Hispanic population means that it will supply much of the U.S. population growth for decades to come. (February 2006)

• Latino Births Increase in Nontraditional Destination States
  Shifting birth patterns, especially in these states, will increase the numbers of Latinos in both the education system and the labor force of the United States. (February 2006)

U.S. Immigration

• Report Finds Serious Disparities Among Children in North America
  While the continent's children have grown healthier and better educated over the last several decades, Mexico lags both Canada and the United States in providing education and health care to its children. (May 2006)

• The Battle Over Unauthorized Immigration to the United States
  Will the United States continue to absorb between 500,000 and 1 million Latin American workers a year? And will new immigrant workers be unauthorized, legal guest workers, or foreigners on the path to American citizenship? (April 2006)

• What the American Community Survey Tells Us About U.S. Immigration
  This relatively new Census Bureau monthly survey greatly improves our knowledge of new U.S. immigrants—their age, gender, language, education levels, country of origin, and how many are entering in a given year and to which states. (December 2005)

• Immigration and Assimilation: What We Still Don't Know and Why It Matters
  PRB's five Bixby Visiting Scholars discuss their research into North American and European immigration issue. (October 2005)

• Mexican Migrant Communities May Be on Verge of HIV/AIDS Epidemic
  Both migrants in the United States as well as those returning to Mexico show higher levels of infection than the general Mexican population. (September 2005)

• Labor and Unauthorized U.S. Migration
  The dramatic increase in the number of undocumented immigrants to the United States over the last four years highlights the ongoing policy debate about how these immigrants should best be incorporated into the U.S. labor force. (May 2005)

• Number of U.S. Undocumented Migrants Rises, but Policy Response Still Lacking
  The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has increased 23 percent over the last four years to 10.3 million people. (April 2005)

• Children in Immigrant Families: U.S. and State-Level Findings From the 2000 Census (PDF: 1.7MB)
  This report is an overview of children in immigrant families in the United States, based on data from the 2000 Census. (February 2005)

African Americans

• The Social and Economic Isolation of Urban African Americans
  In large cities across the United States, blacks are disproportionately vulnerable to the next urban calamity because of their lack of access to services, institutions, and economic opportunities. (October 2005)

• An Income Gap in Two Counties Hit by Hurricane Katrina
  When Hurricane Katrina pounded her way through the Gulf Coast, Orleans Parish, La., and Harrison County, Miss., were among the areas hardest hit. In both places, African Americans are about three times more likely than white people to live in poverty. (September 2005)

• HIV/AIDS and African Americans: A State of Emergency
  More African Americans are living with HIV or already dead from AIDS than any other single racial or ethnic group in the United States. (March 2005)

• Conspiracy Beliefs May Be Hindering HIV Prevention Among African Americans
  A new national survey links HIV/AIDS conspiracy theories among African Americans with high-risk sexual behaviors among black men. (March 2005)

The U.S. Military: Minorities

• Army Recruitment Goals Endangered as Percent of African American Enlistees Declines
  The past five years have seen a drop in overall African American enlistment levels that has reduced black participation in the armed forces to percentages not seen since 1973. (December 2005)

• America's Military Population
  Since 1973, when the draft ended and the U.S. military became an all-volunteer force, the military has increasingly reflected the country's diversity. But it still struggles with aspects of that diversity as well as the needs of military families. (February 2005)

American Indians/Alaska Natives

• American Indian and Alaska Native Children: Results from the 2000 Census (PDF: 301 KB)
  The population of American Indian and Alaska Native children virtually doubled between 1990 and 2000 because of changes to the 2000 Census. (August 2005)

Multiracial Issues

• U.S. Attitudes Toward Interracial Dating Are Liberalizing
  More than one-half of all Americans say they have interdated, and 83 percent approve of the practice. (July 2005)

• New Marriages, New Families: U.S. Racial and Hispanic Intermarriage (PDF: 593 KB)
  This Population Bulletin details the growing numbers of interracial marriages and children in the United States and their implications for future demographic and social trends. (June 2005)

• Surprising Social Factors Linked to Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Youth Violence in the U.S.
  Why do black youth in the United States commit violent acts almost twice as often as white or Latino youth? (April 2005)

• Marriage and Family in a Multiracial Society
  This report provides a comprehensive portrait of recent changes in marriage and the American family, with special emphasis on racial and ethnic diversity. (December 2004)