Diversity Is Increasing In Every U.S. State

 The charts above, using Census Bureau numbers, are from usafacts.org. They show that diversity is increasing in all of the states.

2021 U.S. Population Growth Was Historically Small

The U.S. Census Bureau has released statistics for 2021. Those stats showed the United States growth for the year was estimated to be the slowest percentage growth in the nation's history -- and it marked the first time since 1937 that the country grew by less than a million people.

Why did this happen? It was a mixture of three things. 1. Deaths are up (thanks to COVID-19 and the country's poor reaction to it). 2. Births are down. 3. Immigration is down.

Right-wingers may think this is a good thing, but it's not. With millions of baby boomers retiring, business needs to replace them -- and there's simply not enough people to do that without help from immigration (or a marked increase in the birth rate -- which is not going to happen).

Like it or not, we need more immigration to this country -- not less. And this is especially true of the dirty, dangerous, and low-wage jobs (the jobs most Americans don't want).

We need to stop demonizing immigrants, and provide them a path to become full members of our society.

The U.S. Is Much More Diverse And That Scares Republicans

The Census Bureau has finally released it 2020 report, and it's a report that has to be scaring Republicans. It showed that the white (non-hispanic) portion of the population dropped in all fifty states. And for the first time, the percentage of whites in the population dropped below the 60% mark. Whites now make up only 57.8% of the population. 

The population grew by 7.4% -- the lowest since the Great Depression. And non of that growth was among whites. Non-white minorities made up all of the growth of the country.

Predictions are that in another 20-30 years, whites will be less than 50% of the population.

If you wondered why Republicans are trying to suppress voting (especially among minorities), this can give you a clue. They want to maintain white superiority in the government, because the policies they pursue advantage whites over everyone else.

Seeing the demographic change that is happening (and is unstoppable), the Republicans had a choice -- they could change their policies to be more inclusive of minorities, or they could try to make it much harder for those minorities to vote. They chose the latter.

The GOP leaders really had no choice. After letting the racists and white supremacists into the party, they lost control over them. Now the racists make up too large a share of the party, and they dictate the whites-only policies of the party.

Voter suppression is a last-ditch effort, and it's doomed to fail in the long run. But the racists controlling the GOP are not very bright people. They actually think they can preserve white privilege in our society. They are wrong.

Trump Likely Will NOT Be Able To Change Census Rules

The United States conducts a census count every 10 years. The most recent one was done in 2020. This count not only tells us the population of the country and each of its states, but also determines the number of representatives each state will get in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Donald Trump wanted to change the rules. Instead of counting every person living in the United States (as has always been done in the past), Trump issued an order that only citizens should be counted to determine each state's representation in Congress.

This would have substantially changed how some states were represented -- those state with a large undocumented immigrant population. 

Trump's order was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court refused to rule on the matter, saying the change had not happened, and might not happen (depending on when the census numbers were reported to the president). 

It looks like the court might have foreseen the case was moot. Now the Census Bureau is saying they cannot report the numbers by the end of the year (2020). Instead, they will probably report those numbers by the end of January 2021. That means the numbers would be reported to President Joe Biden -- not Trump.

Joe Biden will then be the one to report the census numbers, and he will report all people -- not just citizens.

It will be the final failure (among many) for the Trump administration.

Whites Are Not A Majority Of The Texas Population

The numbers in the chart above are from the United States Census Bureau. It shows why Texas Republicans are scared to death of the demographic change happening in Texas -- and why they are doing everything they can to suppress voting in the state.

While Whites are still the largest group in the state -- both in population and registered voters -- it is just barely. And the future is coming fast. By next year (2021), Hispanics will be the largest group in the state -- surpassing Whites.

And Whites are no longer the majority of the Texas population. They only make up 42.03% of the population -- while Hispanics comprise 40.53%, Blacks 12.31%, and Asians 5.13%. That means the Nonwhites make up 57.97% of the population. And both Hispanics and Blacks are growing faster as a portion of the population than Whites -- and Asians are growing almost as fast as Whites.

Here's how The Texas Tribune reports the demographic change happening:

Texas’ Hispanic population has grown by more than 2 million since 2010, according to new population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, and the state's demographer now predicts that Hispanics will be the state's largest population group by mid-2021.

An annual gain of 201,675 between July 2018 and July 2019 pushed the count of Hispanic residents to more than 11.5 million, the census estimates show. Although annual growth has slowed slightly in recent years, the new figures put a sharp point on how quickly the Hispanic population continues to climb. The annual growth in Hispanic residents has outpaced the combined growth among white, Black and Asian residents every year since 2010.

Texas still has a bigger white population — up to 11.95 million last year — but it grew by just 36,440 last year and by about half a million since 2010. White population growth has been so sluggish this decade that the increase in the number of Asian Texans, who make up a small share of the total population, has almost caught up with the increase in white Texans.

Nothing Can Stop U.S. From Becoming More Diverse

The current anti-immigration efforts by Trump and his Republican cohorts are a futile effort to stave off the demographic changes happening to the population in this country. They are afraid of an America where Whites are the minority, and White privilege no longer exists. But they can't stop it, no matter how hard they try. The change is happening, whether they like it or not.

The chart above shows the increase in diversity between 2016 and 2017 as noted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Here is what's happening -- as reported by Think Progress:

As the nation grows older, it’s also becoming more racially and ethnically diverse.  “Nationally, the population of all race and ethnic groups, except for the non-Hispanic white alone group, grew between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017,” the Census statement said.

Specifically, the Census Bureau reported:

• The Hispanic population increased 2.1 percent to 58.9 million.
• The black or African-American population increased 1.2 percent to 47.4 million.
• The Asian population increased 3.1 percent to 22.2 million.
• The American Indian or Alaska Native population increased 1.3 percent to 6.8 million.
• The Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander population increased 2.1 percent to 1.6 million.
• The population of those Two or More Races increased 2.9 percent to 8.7 million.
• The white alone-or-in-combination population increased 0.5 percent to 257.4 million.
• The non-Hispanic white alone population decreased .02 percent to 197.8 million.

Of course, none of these revelations are particularly earth-shaking. Keen demographers and social scientists have been tracking the so-called “browning of America,” for years.

But in the current political environment, it bears repeating over and over, if for no other reason than to remind more Americans of the inevitability of change. Soon — within the lifetimes of the vast majority of Americans alive today — the U.S. will no longer be a white-majority nation.

And that’s why this column is directed to Trump’s MAGA crowd, which seems hell-bent on returning the country to some idealized era of the 1950s or earlier, when white men were the unquestioned arbiters and beneficiaries of the nation’s politics, culture, and economy.

Indeed, the hateful atmosphere brought about by Trumpism and echoed in archly right-wing media has its roots in a vocal white nationalist movement, which seized on the president’s embrace of their racist rhetoric as permission to openly act on impulses that previously were tucked away from public view.  . . .

For all their bluster and bravado, however, white nationalists are whistling past their own graveyards. The numbers and unrelenting facts of demography stare in the face of those who believe they can restore some non-existant glory of white supremacy.

Valerie Wilson, director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy (PREE), estimates that by the year 2043 — about 25 years from now — the U.S. will reach the tipping point when the country transitions to a majority-minority population. Among working-class Americans — made up of working adults without a college degree — she estimates the tipping point may arrive nearly a decade sooner, possibly by 2032, . . .

The sooner most Americans come to terms with this reality, the sooner the public will rally support and encourage politicians to deal with the changing demographics from a position of national strength, and not as the fearsome dilution of white superiority. One thing is certain: the changes coming to America aren’t going to suddenly shift into reverse, no matter how loudly Trump, his subservient congressional leaders, and white nationalists complain.

Figures Show Obamacare Is Working But Could Be Better

These charts were made with information from the new report from the United States Census Bureau. It shows that the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare) has been successful in reducing the number of uninsured Americans -- from 14.5% in 2013 (before implementation) to 9.4% in 2015.

While the 5.1 point reduction is definitely a good thing, it is not yet enough. Having 9.4% of the population without any health insurance (and therefore denied life-saving preventative care) is unacceptable. But much of that 9.4% is due not to Obamacare, but to Republican-controlled states that refuse to expand Medicaid. If Medicaid had been expanded in all states, the uninsured figure would be much lower -- and Obamacare could be adjusted to cover all citizens.

The charts below show the percentage of uninsured citizens in each of the 50 states (and the District of Columbia). Note that the percentage of uninsured citizens has gone down in every state. It is, however, lower in the states that have expanded Medicaid.

Texas still leads the nation in the percentage of uninsured at 17.1% (about 4,697,184 people), followed by Alaska (14.9%), Georgia (13.9%), Oklahoma (13.9%), Florida (13.3%), and Mississippi (12.7%). Note that they are all Republican-controlled states that refused to expand Medicaid.

The states with the lowest percentage of uninsured citizens are Massachusetts (2.8%), District of Columbia (3.8%), Vermont (3.8%), Hawaii (4%), and Iowa (5%) -- all states that have expanded Medicaid.

Obamacare is not perfect, and reasonable changes need to be made to it -- but it is undeniably working better than the previous system.

The Poverty Rate This Century Among Racial/Ethnic Groups

This chart was made from information in the new United States Census Report. Note that poverty began to rise with the election of Republican George W. Bush among all groups, and rose sharply when the recession kicked in near the end of his presidency.

Also note that the poverty rate for all groups is still higher now than at the beginning of the Bush presidency. This is because the congressional Republicans have cut government help through a severe austerity program, refused to raise the minimum wage, and blocked all proposed job creation programs.

The chart also points out that poverty is not evenly distributed among the racial/ethnic groups. Whites have the lowest poverty rate -- due to the white privilege they enjoy in jobs and opportunities. Meanwhile, Blacks and Hispanics have a much higher poverty rate than the national average.

This country not only needs to do a much better job in fighting poverty, it also needs to do much better in eliminating racial disparities.

NOTE -- This figures above are percentages of each group living in poverty. Whites actually make up the largest percentage of people living in poverty (41.2%), since they still make up the largest percentage of the total population.

The U.S. Has Both A Wage And Poverty Gender Gap

The two charts above are from the latest report from the United States Census Bureau. It highlights a very troubling fact about the United States. We have a serious gender gap between men and women in both the poverty rate and the wage rate.

Far more women than men are living in poverty in the United States. Part of the reason is because there are more single women trying to support a family than single men doing the same -- and many times they are doing it without any help from the absent parent. But I have to believe that the second chart above highlights a major reason why this is true. Women are still making less than men in the workplace.

According to the Census Bureau, women only make 80 cents for each dollar men earn. That is unfair, but it also contributes to the problem of a higher percentage of women living in poverty. This is just wrong in a country that prides itself on valuing equal treatment and opportunity.

Democrats have tried to eliminate the wage gap between men and women, but Republicans have blocked every attempt to do that. Democrats have also tried to raise the minimum wage, which would raise millions of women (and men) out of poverty. The Republicans have also blocked all attempts to do that.

The only way to eliminate the gender pay gap, and raise millions of people out of poverty, is to vote the Republicans out of power this November.

Median Income Rises -- Still Below The Median For 2007

According to the United States Census Bureau, the median income of Americans rose last year -- from $53,718 in 2014 to $56,516 in 2015. That's good news, but not as good as it should be. That median income is still below what it was before the Bush recession.

It also means that half of the people in this country make less than that median income -- many of them making far less. About 20% of U.S. workers make at or near the minimum wage ($15,080), and by 2025 it is expected that 25% of workers will be making at or near the minimum wage.

And that median income is not spread evenly throughout the different demographic groups. While Whites and Asians are above the general median wage, Blacks and Hispanics are well below it. Also below it are single parents with children, women, those over age 65, and those living in the South.

The bottom chart shows the unequal distribution of income by population quintile. The top 20% make about 51.1% of the nation's income, while the bottom 20% make only 3.1% (and the bottom 40% makes only 11.3%, the bottom 60% makes 25.6%, and the bottom 80% makes only 48.8%). That is an inexcusable and very unfair distribution of the nation's income.

The report also contained a new Gini index -- another way of looking at a nation's inequality, where 0.0 means complete equality and 1.0 means total inequality. The Gini index for the United States is 0.479, which puts us about the middle of the scale -- meaning we are the most unequal developed nation, and more unequal than many developing nations. The Gini index was only 0.001 below the index for 2014 (0.480), which is statistically insignificant -- and shows there has been no real improvement toward income equality.

This distribution of income is not only unfair, it is unsustainable -- and is the reason our economy is just limping alone. In a healthy economy, the income is distributed more evenly, giving the masses more buying power (which increases demand and job creation -- and business profits). If the masses cannot afford anything but necessities (which is becoming more true every day), then a capitalist economy cannot be sustained. And it cannot be fixed by giving more to the rich.

Unfortunately, that's all the Republicans have to offer on the economic front -- more and bigger tax cuts for the rich. They oppose raising the minimum wage, taking tax breaks away that help companies to offshore American jobs, and strengthening unions -- all of which would put more money in the hands of the bottom 80% (the masses that a capitalist economy depends on).

But there is a solution. Hillary Clinton (and the Democrats) want to raise the minimum wage to $12-$15 an hour. That would bring millions out of poverty, increase demand for goods/services (because that new money would be spent). They also want to strengthen unions and take the tax breaks away that companies get for offshoring American jobs. They would also invest in infrastructure, research, and clean energy, which would also boost the economy (and which the GOP opposes).

We can establish a fairer and more robust economy that would benefit all Americans -- but we can't do it as long as the Republicans have veto power. They must be voted out of power in November.

Who Votes In American Elections ?

The 2016 election will depend a lot on who shows up to vote, so I thought this was interesting. It is from the Pew Research Center. They looked at demographic groups -- both is the percentage of the population (determined by the U.S. Census) and the percentage of 2014 voters (according to 2014 national exit poll).

As expected, some groups failed to vote up to their percentage of the population -- which means their voice was diluted in the election. Other groups voted in a greater percentage than their percentage of the population -- which means their voice was increased beyond what it should have been.

I was a bit surprised to see that women and men voted exactly as their proportion of the population in 2014 (52% to 48%). That's a change, since several past elections have seen women voting beyond their percentage of the population and men voting below theirs. Women still have a larger voice, but only because they outnumber men in this country.

When it comes to race, Whites both beyond the population percentage, Blacks vote about equal to theirs, and Hispanics vote significantly less than their population percentage.

There are real differences among age groups also. While those under 40 make up 38% of the population, they were only 24% of 2014 voters. Those 40-49 voted equal to their population percentage. Those over 50 voted in a much larger percentage than their population percentage. They compromise 45% of the population, but made up 59% of voters.

As the charts show, there are also differences according to education (with voter participation going up as education level rises) and income (where those making the least vote significantly less than do those at least middle class).

Will these participation levels hold in the 2016 election? It is a presidential election, so there will undoubtably be a bigger turnout overall -- but that doesn't necessarily mean the participation percentages will change. It will be interesting to see what happens though.

New Census Dept. Figures Show Obamacare Is Working

Perhaps the best statistics for how the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is working comes from the new official Census Department figures just released. This figures show that the health care reform has had an effect on the percentage (and number) of Americans who have, or don't have, health insurance.

It shows that the percentage of Americans with no health insurance of any kind has dropped from 13.3% in 2013 to 10.4% in 2014  (and we know that 2015 figures, not included in this report, will show another slight decrease in that percentage). Is Obamacare working? Yes -- but it could be working even better.

A major reason why Obamacare is not working as well as it could is the refusal of nearly half the states (including some very big states like Texas) to expand Medicaid. This expansion would have been completely paid for by the federal government for 10 years (and paid 90% of after that), but those states (controlled by Republicans) don't care. They are willing to sentence many thousands of Americans to death (by denying them health insurance and thus, access to preventative care) to play political games (showing their disapproval of a Black president).

The number of uninsured Americans could be significantly reduced further if those states would comply with the heal care reform. But while Obamacare has fixed a number of problems with our health care system (such as eliminating pre-existing conditions) and has reduced the non-insured, the sad fact is that it was never designed to cover 100% of American's citizens. In my opinion, that is its biggest failing.

We still need to go further in fixing our system of medical care. I believe we need to institute a single-payer, government-run system of health insurance (something like Medicare for all). Doing so would cover every single American with health insurance, and it would have another benefit -- it would significantly reduce the amount of money spent on medical care in this country. We know that other countries that have this system don't pay nearly as much per capita for health care that the United States pays.

Sadly, this will probably not happen soon. The political will, among the members of Congress or the public, just does not exist for the change yet. But it will come. There is simply no alternative if we truly believe health care is a right for all citizens.

Poverty In The United States Remains High

The United States Census Bureau has issued it's latest report on poverty in the United States. The report is for 2012 -- the latest full year for which there are statistics. In 2011, there were 46,247,000 people living below the poverty level. That number climbed to 46,496,000 in 2012 -- an increase of about 249,000 people. That was not enough new people in poverty to raise the official percentage, so it remains at about 15% of the total population -- but it's still an increase, and is indicative of the continuing economic problems in this country.

The top chart shows the demographic breakdown of poverty in this country, giving the percentage of each group living in poverty. Note that the South (where the Republicans are strongest and able to dictate economic policy) is the area of the country with the highest percentage of people living in poverty(16.5%), while the Midwest and Northeast have the lowest levels of poverty (13.3% and 13.6% respectively).

The report also shows that minorities, women, and young people also have high rates of poverty -- and this is especially true of those under the age of 18 (showing that 21.8%, or more than one out of 5 children in America, are living in poverty). In this poor economy, it's definitely better to be a white male adult living outside the South.

The second chart shows poverty by age and gender. Note that in all age groups, there are more women living in poverty than men. The last chart shows the picture of poverty on the family level. While it is too much in all groups, it is by far the worst among families headed by single women (which is not surprising, since this group has the largest percentage of people working for minimum wage or less).

These numbers are inexcusable, even in this struggling economy. All Americans should be ashamed that nearly 47 million people (about 15% of the population) live under the poverty level -- and that the number of those living in poverty continues to grow. This country has the money to significantly lower the number of people living in poverty, but instead of doing that, our politicians have chosen to give that money to the rich and the corporations (the only two groups in this country making record-breaking incomes/profits), and to waste it engaging in unnecessary wars.

Like it or not, this paints a picture of just what kind of society we are -- and it's an ugly picture.

The Newest Numbers On Americans Without Health Insurance

As more of the Affordable Care Act will soon kick in, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the number of Americans that still don't have any health insurance. The numbers are from the latest Census Bureau report (for 2012, the latest year with full statistics).

There are no real surprises in the report. The area of the country with the highest percentage of people without health insurance is the South (18.6%), which incidentally is the region controlled by the GOP (and in which many states have refused to expand Medicaid). The area with the smallest percentage is the Northeast (10.8%).

The top chart shows the demographic breakdown of the groups without insurance. The bottom chart shows the breakdown by income levels -- which also is no surprise, since those making the least in income have the highest percentage of no insurance.

The age groups with the highest percentage of no insurance are the 19 to 25 and the 26 to 34 age groups, both of which have a 27.2% level. And sadly, there are still nearly 1 out of every 10 children (under 19) which have no health insurance (9.2%).

It'll be interesting to look at these kind of numbers again in a couple of years, and see just what kind of effect Obamacare has had on the numbers. Of course, the Republicans are trying hard to make sure those numbers don't go down (with votes in Congress to repeal/defund the program, anti-health care reform propaganda, refusal to expand Medicaid, and efforts to stymie the establishment of state insurance exchanges), and that could have a negative effect on how successful Obamacare is in reducing the percentage of those without health insurance.