THE DIVERSIFYING AND THE "GREYING" (AGING) OF AMERICA
ARE POINTED OUT IN A NEW REPORT.
AMERICANS ARE OLDER AND MORE RACIALLY DIVERSE THAN EVER
BEFORE, ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT BY THE U-S CENSUS
BUREAU, WHICH FORECASTS EVEN BIGGER CHANGES AHEAD.
THE REPORT, TITLED, "THE STATE OF THE NATION: 1997,"
SAYS WHITES NOW REPRESENT ABOUT 73 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL
POPULATION, BLACKS 12 PERCENT, HISPANICS 11 PERCENT, AND
ASIANS ABOUT 3-POINT-5 PERCENT. HOWEVER THE ASIAN AND
HISPANIC COMMUNITIES ARE THE HIGH-GROWTH SEGMENTS OF THE
POPULATION, AND COLIN PERKINS OF THE CENSUS BUREAU
PREDICTS THAT BY THE YEAR 2050, THE COUNTRY WILL LOOK
VERY DIFFERENT:
"24.5 PERCENT OF THAT POPULATION WILL BE HISPANIC, 52.8
PERCENT WILL BE NON-HISPANIC WHITE, 13.6 PERCENT WILL BE
NON-HISPANIC BLACK, 0.9 PERCENT WILL BE NON-HISPANIC
NATIVE AMERICAN, WHICH INCLUDES AMERICAN INDIAN, ESKIMO
AND ALEUT, AND 8.2 PERCENT WILL NON-HISPANIC ASIAN AND
PACIFIC ISLANDER."
THE CENSUS BUREAU REPORT ALSO POINTS OUT HOW THE COUNTRY
IS AGING. AMERICANS OVER THE AGE OF 85 ARE THE FASTEST
GROWING GROUP AND, BY THE YEAR 2050, THEY WILL MAKE UP
ABOUT FIVE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION, OR ONE OF EVERY 20
PEOPLE. BY THAT YEAR, ONE IN FIVE PEOPLE WILL BE
RETIRED - IF RETIREMENT AGE CONTINUES TO BE ABOUT 65.
IN OTHER STATISTICS, NEARLY ONE IN ELEVEN
AMERICANS WAS BORN OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY DROPPED TO 13 PERCENT
OF THE POPULATION - BUT 40 PERCENT OF THE POOR ARE
CHILDREN. SINGLE PARENTHOOD IS ON THE RISE, WITH ONLY
SEVEN OUT OF TEN CHILDREN LIVING WITH TWO PARENTS.
THIRTY PERCENT OF AMERICAN CHILDREN ARE CARED FOR IN
DAY-CARE CENTERS, AND SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF AMERICANS
OWN THEIR OWN HOMES.
THE CENSUS BUREAU REPORT ALSO SAYS 82 PERCENT OF ADULTS
AGES 25 AND OVER HAVE COMPLETED AT LEAST HIGH SCHOOL,
WHILE 23 PERCENT HAVE EARNED AT LEAST A BACHELOR'S
DEGREE. BOTH FIGURES ARE THE HIGHEST THE U-S HAS EVER
RECORDED.
27-Mar-97
Source: Voice of America