(CNN) - The
United States is more diverse and multiracial than ever, according to new 2020 census data released Thursday.
"Our analysis of the 2020 census results shows that the United States population is much more multiracial and racially and ethnically diverse than we have measured in the past," said Nicholas Jones, director and senior adviser for racial research and outreach. and ethnicity in the population division of the Census Bureau.
People of color made up 43% of the total U.S. population in 2020, up from 34% in 2010.
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The percentage of non-Hispanic whites fell to 57% in 2020, a decrease of six percentage points from 2010, the largest decrease of any race or ethnicity.
The proportion of people who identified as Hispanic, Latino or multiracial grew the most.
Generally speaking, the United States has aged since 2010, and the population under 18 has become more diverse.
The adult population grew from 237 million to 261 million during the last 10 years.
The percentage of the adult population increased slightly, from 76% in 2010 to 78% in 2020.
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While the under-18 population has declined over the past decade, it is rapidly diversifying.
Non-white U.S. residents under the age of 18 now account for 53% of the juvenile population, up from 47% in 2010.
Non-Hispanic white Americans remain the most prevalent group in all states except California, Hawaii, and New Mexico, as well as Washington City and Puerto Rico.
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There are now seven states and territories where the percentage of non-Hispanic whites in the population is below 50%: California, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Maryland, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
In California, the Hispanic or Latino population for the first time officially became the largest racial or ethnic group in the state.
The Hispanic / Latino community now represents 39.4% of Californians, an increase from 37.6% in 2010. The non-Hispanic white population in California was 34.7% in 2020.
The census modified its survey for 2020 with the goal of asking American residents more detailed questions about how they identify their race and ethnicity.
The Census Bureau reported that these and other technical changes "allow a more comprehensive and accurate description of how people identify themselves."
The Census Bureau said that comparisons of races and ethnicities between 2010 and 2020 should be "made with caution," although they are confident that the changes seen "from 2010 to 2020 in diversity indicators ... are likely to reflect actual demographic changes in the population over the past 10 years, as well as improvements in question design, data processing, and coding. "
Most of the population growth occurred in the cities.
More than half of all counties had population declines since 2010. The largest population increase in a county was in McKenzie County, North Dakota, which has grown more than 130% since 2010.
"Population growth in this decade occurred almost entirely in metropolitan areas," said Marc Perry, a demographer with the Census Bureau.
"Texas is a good example of this, where parts of the Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas Fort Worth, Midland and Odessa metropolitan areas saw population growth, while many of the state's other counties saw population declines. "he explained.
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Cities have grown faster than the country as a whole.
The population in metropolitan areas grew 8.7% since 2010. The population of the United States grew from approximately 308.7 million in 2010 to 331.4 million, an increase of 7.35%.
That's the slowest population growth since 1930-1940, the decade of the Great Depression.
The Census Bureau's decennial count was released Thursday after a delay of several months due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The data includes detailed demographic breakdowns of all people living in the United States as of April 1, 2020. The breakdown goes down to the neighborhood level.
The publication sets in motion the process for states to redraw their political boundaries before the 2022 midterm elections. All 50 states will use the new data to adjust their congressional and state legislature district lines to reflect the updated population count.
Partial census data released in April indicated that 13 states would win or lose seats in the House of Representatives based on population changes from the 2010 census.
The new population counts will also help policy makers distribute more than $ 675 billion each year in federal funds to state and local governments.
CNN's Sergio Hernandez, Ethan Cohen, and Liz Stark contributed to this report.