Demographic Trends Shaping the US
America is constantly changing, being reshaped by demographic trends. Even if it’s something you don’t particular pay attention to, it’s happening all around us. For example, we know that the population is getting older – while 13 percent of the population is at least 65 years old, that’s expected to reach about 20 percent by 2050, something that’s been referred to as the “greying of America,” as Smithsonian.com notes. But what are some of the demographic changes that are transforming the country today?
More and More Americans are Living in Multigenerational Households
With housing prices skyrocketing in so many places around the country, it’s not all that surprising that an increasing number of Americans live in a multigenerational household. It’s also why so many are choosing to move to more affordable places, purchasing Atlanta homes for sale, or in other cities in the south and Midwest regions. Pew Research revealed that in 2009, 51.5 million or 17% of the population lived in a multigenerational household, but by 2016, it was a record 64 million, or 20% of the total population. And, it’s growing among nearly all racial groups and age groups.
Asian Immigrants are the Primary Source of New Immigrants
While there’s lots of talk about immigrants moving in from south of the border, there are more Asian immigrants than Latin American immigrants, including Mexico, to the U.S. They’re now the only major racial or ethnic group with numbers that are rising, primarily due to immigration although African immigrants are growingly steadily.
There are More Millennials Than Baby Boomers Now
Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) take over baby boomers in 2019 as the largest population group in the U.S. The number of millennials is projected to reach 73 million, while the boomer population is expected to decline to 72 million as people in the age group die. In 1999, they’re numbers were nearly 79 million. Millennials have been the largest generation in the U.S. labor force since 2016 when they surpassed Generation X.
Changing Demographics Mean Changes in American Politics
There’s a significant gap between generations on political and social issues. Young adult millennials are much more likely to hold liberal views than those of older generations, which means as time goes on there’s likely to be an even more noticeable shift in politics.
Families are Changing
Just half of American adults are married today, down significantly from previous decades, while unmarried partners living together is on the rise. In 2007, 39% of U.S. adults lived without a partner or spouse, but 10 years later that figure had grown to 42%, with more choosing to live alone. The share of adults who have never married at all is at a historic high. At the same time, more women are having children, and they’re also having more children, with numbers that are growing for the first time in decades. In 2006, 80% of women aged 40 to 44 had ever given birth, but in 2016, that increased to 86% – and, on average they had 2.07 children, up from 1.86 a decade earlier.
