Number of Blacks and Hispanics in the U.S. Depends on Who's Counting
Given the complex way race and ethnicity are measured in the U.S. census, blacks and Hispanics are not two distinct groups. But the far-faster growth rate of the Hispanic population as compared with the growth rate of any other racial or ethnic group in the U.S. will soon solve lingering questions about which group is larger. (February 2003)

Diverging Mortality and Fertility Trends: Canada and the United States
Fifty years ago, Americans could expect to live longer than Canadians. The U.S. advantage began to disappear in the 1950s and 1960s; by 2001, a newborn Canadian infant could expect to outlive a newborn American by two years, and an American white infant by 1.5 years. (January 2003)

U.S. Fertility Rates Higher Among Minorities
In 2001 there were about 4 million births in the United States and a total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.1 births per woman. Minorities contributed 42 percent of all births in 2001, although they made up only 31 percent of the population. (AmeriStat, January 2003)

Americans Are Living Longer Than Ever
Between 1900 and 2000, life expectancy in the United States increased from 51 to 80 for females and from 48 to 74 for males. Most of the improvements in life expectancy have resulted from reductions in infectious diseases among infants and children. (AmeriStat, December 2002)

U.S. Mortality Risk for Select Causes of Death
In 2000, there were about 2.4 million deaths in the United States. Heart disease and cancer accounted for over half of these deaths, mostly at older ages. In 2000, African American adults were more likely to die from accidents, homicide, and HIV compared with either whites or Hispanics. (AmeriStat, December 2002)

What Drives U.S. Population Growth? (PDF: 540KB)

 The U.S. population is growing as fast as, or faster than, any other developed country. The country's young age structure, along with relatively high fertility and immigration, will fuel continued growth over the next several decades. This Population Bulletin, written by Mary Kent and Mark Mather, explores these dynamics (BUL57.4, December 2002)

How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?
The question of how many people have ever lived on Earth is a perennial one among information calls to PRB. One reason the question keeps coming up is that somewhere, at some time back in the 1970s, a now-forgotten writer made the statement that 75 percent of the people who had ever been born were alive at that moment. (Population Today, November/December 2002)

Racial and Ethnic Differences in U.S. Mortality
Except at the very oldest ages, black Americans have the highest death rates of any of America's racial and ethnic groups. (AmeriStat, December 2002)

How Much Better Can It Get?
The U.S. Census Bureau's middle series projects life expectancies of 87 years for females and 81 years for men in 2050. Some analysts believe that life expectancy in the United States and other rich nations is approaching a biological limit. No slowdown is apparent yet, however, even in countries with life expectancies well above those in the United States. (AmeriStat, December 2002)

The Gender Gap in U.S. Mortality
Mortality rates in the U.S. improved for both women and men in the second half of the 20th century. But these rates improved more rapidly for women than for men, so that until recently, the gender gap in life expectancy increased. (AmeriStat, December 2002)