A. Land and People
The United States of America is a federal republic of fifty states, together with a number of commonwealths, territories and possessions. The District of Columbia - a federal enclave - is the seat of the national government. The 50 states include 48 contiguous states, which span the North American continent, and the states of Alaska and Hawaii. As reported in the 1990 census, the United States had a land area of 9.2 million square kilometers, a population of 249 million, and an average population density of 27 per square kilometer.
There are several outlying areas under U.S. jurisdiction. These include Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and several very small islands. In 1990, the outlying areas of the United States had a land area of 11,000 square kilometers and a population of 3.9 million. The U.S. population living abroad was not enumerated as part of the 1990 census; however, administrative data from U.S. government agencies indicate that a total of 923,000 federal employees and their dependents lived abroad in 1990.
The population of the United States increased from 249 million on April 1, 1990, to an estimated 273 million on July 1, 1999, yielding an average annual increase of about 1.0 percent. The population doubled from 76 million in 1900 to 152 million in 1950 and, based on a projection of 275 million for 2000, will increase slightly more than 80 percent from 1950 to 2000.
The United States is an increasingly diverse society. Virtually every national, racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious group in the world is represented among its population. Federal statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau recognize four racial categories: White (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa); Black (a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa); American Indian, Eskimo or Aleut (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America - including Central America); Asian or Pacific Islander (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent or in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands); and two ethnic categories: Hispanic origin (a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race) and not of Hispanic origin.2 Members of each of the racial categories may belong to either of the ethnic categories.
2 The classification of the population by race and ethnicity is based on a statistical standard issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1977. OMB issued a revised standard in 1997. Under the revised standard,The United States recognizes that these racial and ethnic classifications are by no means perfect. Indeed, the people of the U.S. struggle with issues of racial and ethnic identity, continually re-evaluating both the question, "What is race?" and its numerous, complex responses. Racial and ethnic groups are comprised of individuals of substantial diversity, making simple classifications difficult. Placing such individuals in racial and ethnic categories can even lead to further discrimination through perpetuating stereotypes. Nevertheless, classifications - imperfect as they may be - are necessary for reasons of governance and administration, and the U.S. Census Bureau regularly reviews its methodology to ensure accuracy and inclusiveness.
The population of the United States is primarily White non-Hispanic; however, due partly to large-scale immigration in the past three decades, primarily from Latin America and Asia, the White non-Hispanic proportion has dropped. Between 1990 and 1999 while the White non-Hispanic population increased from 188.3 million to 196.1 million, its percentage of the total population dropped from 75.7 percent to 71.9 percent.
While the White non-Hispanic population grew by 4 percent from 1990 to 1999, each of the "minority" groups increased much more rapidly. During that period, the Asian and Pacific Islander population increased by 46 percent (from 7.5 million to 10.9 million); the Hispanic population increased by 40 percent (from 22.4 million to 31.4 million); the American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut population increased by 16 percent (from 2.1 million to 2.4 million); and the Black population increased by 14 percent (from 30.5 million to 34.9 million).3
Based on population projections issued in January 2000 by the U.S. Census Bureau, the White non-Hispanic proportion of the U.S. population will have declined to 53 percent of a projected total population of 404 million by the year 2050. These projections indicate an Hispanic population in 2050 of 24 percent; a Black population of 15 percent; an Asian and Pacific Islander population of 9.3 percent; and an American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut population of 1.1 percent.4
The results of the 1990 census showed that the distribution of the U.S. population by urban residence and region of the country varied considerably by race and ethnicity. Blacks and Hispanics are much more likely to live in large urban areas than are non-Hispanic Whites. In 1990, 75 percent
individuals may report more than one race; the Asian and Pacific Islander category is divided into two categories; and there are changes in terminology. The five racial categories are: White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. The two ethnic categories are Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino. Data on the population by race and ethnicity from the 2000 census will reflect the 1997 standard and will become available in 2001.
3 Since the population of Hispanic origin may be of any race, the four minority groups are not mutually exclusive. In 1999, 2.8 million individuals were classified in two minority groups, including 1.8 million Black and Hispanic; 0.4 million American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut, and Hispanic; and 0.6 million Asian and Pacific Islander and Hispanic.
4 Because the United States uses an acknowledgment process through which Native American tribes are given federal recognition (making them eligible to receive services and benefits provided to Native Americans), this figure may not reflect the number of people of Native American ancestry who do not belong to a federally recognized tribe.of the U.S. population lived in urban areas, defined generally as all places (incorporated or unincorporated) of 2,500 or more population. The corresponding proportions were as follows: 71 percent of the total White, non-Hispanic population lived in urban areas; 87 percent of the Black population; 56 percent of the American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut population; 95 percent of the Asian and Pacific Islander population; and 91 percent of the Hispanic population. The proportions of the population residing in urbanized areas of 1 million or more population were as follows: 38 percent of the total population lived in such areas; 32 percent of the country's White non-Hispanics lived in such areas; 51 percent of Blacks; 20 percent of American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts; 66 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders; and 61 percent of Hispanics.
Of the total population in 1990, 20 percent lived in the Northeast, 24 percent in the Midwest, 34 percent in the South, and 21 percent in the West. However, over one-half of the Black population (53 percent) lived in the South, despite massive migration to other regions of the country during the 20th century. Other minority groups were concentrated in the West, including 48 percent of American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts; 56 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders; and 45 percent of Hispanics.
Historically, immigration has had a profound effect on the culture of the United States, and immigration continues to be a driving force in the diversification of the population today. Between 1990 and 1997, the foreign-born population increased from 19.8 million to an estimated 25.8 million, or from 7.9 percent to 9.7 percent of the population. This continues an upward trend since 1970 when the foreign-born population reached a 20th century low of 9.6 million, or 4.7 percent of the population. In the first half of the 20th century, the proportion of the foreign-born population peaked at 14.7 percent in 1910, and the number of foreign-born peaked at 14.2 million in 1930.
From 1990 to 1997, the foreign-born population increased sharply from Latin America (8.4 million to 13.1 million) and from Asia (5.0 million to 6.8 million). During this same period, the foreign-born population from Europe did not change significantly (4.4 million to 4.3 million). The proportion of the foreign-born population from Europe, historically the primary source of immigration to the United States, dropped from 62 percent in 1970 to 23 percent in 1990 and to 17 percent in 1997.
In 1997, 7.0 million, or 28 percent, of the foreign-born population in the United States was from Mexico, up from 4.3 million, or 23 percent, of the foreign-born population in 1990. The estimated foreign-born population from Mexico in 1997 was about equal to the estimated foreign- born population from the other nine leading countries combined: the Philippines (1,132,000), China (1,107,000), Cuba (913,000), Vietnam (770,000), India (748,000), the Soviet Union prior to its division into 12 independent republics (734,000), the Dominican Republic (632,000), El Salvador ( 607,000), and the United Kingdom (606,000).
These estimates suggest that of the 10 leading countries of birth of the United States foreign- born population in 1997, 4 are in Latin America, 4 are in Asia, and 2 are in Europe. In 1970, the 10 leading countries included 7 in Europe (Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, the Soviet Union, Ireland, and Austria), Canada, Mexico, and Cuba.
Because of large-scale immigration to the United States in recent decades, many U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home and are not fluent in English. The 1990 census revealed that among the 230 million individuals 5 years of age and over, 31.8 million spoke a language other than English at home. Among these, 17.9 million spoke English "very well," 7.3 spoke English "well," 4.8 million spoke English "not well," and 1.8 million spoke English "not at all."
Of the 92 million households enumerated in the 1990 census, 2.9 million were "linguistically isolated." These were defined as households in which no person 14 years and over spoke only English at home or spoke a language other than English at home and also spoke English "very well."
Of the 31.8 million individuals who spoke a language other than English at home in 1990, 17.3 million spoke Spanish, 8.8 million spoke other Indo-European languages, 4.5 million spoke Asian and Pacific Island languages, and 1.2 million spoke other languages. In addition to Spanish, which accounted for 54 percent of non-English languages, the leading languages spoken at home by numbers of speakers were French (1,930,000), German (1,548,000), Chinese (1,319,000), Italian (1,309,000), Tagalog (843,000), Polish (723,000), Korean (626,000), and Vietnamese (507,000).
