U.S. Baby Boomers Moving Out, Minorities Moving In
Baby boomers, many on the cusp of retirement, are moving out of densely populated states in favor of less populated areas, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Since 2000, the oldest baby boomers—those closest to retirement age—have moved into several fast-growing states, including Arizona, Nevada, Florida, and Idaho. (May 2008)

Immigration Gives Catholicism a Boost in the United States
With 62 million adherents, Catholics remain the single largest religious group in the United States. Long-term trends from the General Social Survey, from 1972 through 2006, point to a decline in Protestant religions but show remarkable stability in the proportion of Catholics in the population. New immigrants arriving in the United States—many Catholics from Latin America—have helped offset the decline in religious affiliation among the U.S.-born population in most states. (April 2008)

Do Muslims Have More Children Than Other Women in Western Europe?
Extremely low birth rates in most of Europe have fueled concerns about population decline, yet one segment of the continent's population—Muslims—continues to grow. The increasing number and visibility of Muslims in Western Europe, juxtaposed with the low fertility among non-Muslims, has led some Europeans to worry that the region will eventually have a Muslim majority, fundamentally changing Western European society. A new study by demographers Charles Westoff and Tomas Frejka challenges this common perception and suggests that the fertility gap between Muslims and non-Muslims is shrinking. (February 2008)

Race, Ethnicity, and Where You Live Matters: Recent Findings on Health and Mortality of U.S. Elderly
Over the past 50 years, remarkable improvements in health care and higher incomes have benefited older Americans from all racial and ethnic groups. But significant gaps persist and have even widened among some groups. Americans who are 65 years old today can expect to live another 18.4 years on average, approximately four more years than 65-year-olds could have expected 50 years ago. However, the health advantages gained over the last 50 years have not been the same for all groups. Among all major racial and ethnic groups, African American elderly fare the poorest with respect to mortality and health. (February 2008)

U.S. Population Could Reach 438 Million by 2050, and Immigration Is Key
A new report from the Pew Research Center projects that immigration will propel the U.S. population total to 438 million by 2050, from 303 million today. Along with this growth, the racial and ethnic profile of Americans will continue to shift—with non-Hispanic whites losing their majority status. (February 2008)

PopWire: A Higher Share of Young Women Than Men Have Earned B.A.s
About one-third of women ages 25 to 29 had a bachelor's degree or higher in 2007, compared with 26 percent of their male peers, according to data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. (February 2008)

African-Born Blacks in the Washington, D.C., Metro Area
Black African immigrants began arriving in the Washington, D.C., area in the late 1950s and early 1960s as diplomats of newly independent African countries and as students, particularly at historically black Howard University. Beginning in the 1980s, these early immigrants were joined by growing numbers of refugees, diversity visa holders, and other immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Now, the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area vies with New York City as the major destination for immigrants from Africa. (January 2008)

Kenya: The Demographics of a Country in Turmoil
Opposition to Kenya's recent election resulted in days of deadly riots. Kenya's demographic trends provide some background to the current situation, revealing both advances and continuing challenges. (January 2008)

PRB Discuss Online: "Beyond 300 Million: Regional and State Population Trends in the United States"
In October 2006, the U.S. population topped 300 million people, and continues to outpace growth in other developed countries. But population change within the United States is highly uneven, with rapid growth in the South and West, and slow growth or population loss in many parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Mark Mather, deputy director of domestic programs at PRB, led a PRB Discuss Online on U.S. regional and state population trends and their implications for the future. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (December 2007)

Immigration and America's Black Population

 Although far outnumbered by nonblack Hispanic and Asian immigrants, the number of black immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean more than tripled between 1980 and 2005. This Population Bulletin looks at black immigrants to the United States—what countries they are coming from, which states and metro areas they are living in, and what factors affected their entry into the United States. (BUL62.4; December 2007)