A portrait of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) have an increasingly visible presence in the United States. This diverse population--encompassing persons with ancestry from East and Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Pacific islands--has grown at a faster rate than any other major racial or ethnic group. In 1996 Asian Americans numbered approximately 9.7 million (up from 3.8 million in 1980), nearly 4 percent of the U.S. population. The Census Bureau projects that this population group will reach 34.4 million by 2050, representing roughly 9 percent of all Americans. While immigration has fueled much of this growth, Asians' young age structure also will help boost their numbers in the next century. Fifty-six percent of Asian Americans live in three states--California, New York and Hawaii. Asian Americans comprise very small proportions of the populations of most other states. About 77 percent of the 2.8 million API households in 1996 were families, compared with 69 percent of white households. Roughly one in six Asian American households has five or more persons, compared with one in 12 white households. Educationally, Asians tend to be high achievers--42 percent of all API adults have at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 26 percent of while adults. Two-thirds of Asian Americans participated in the civilian labor force in 1996. Among employed Asians, one-third held managerial and professional jobs. Both proportions were roughly the same as for whites. Although the median income for API households was 9 percent higher than for white households in 1995, this difference is largely due to Asian households having more workers contributing to the household income. Despite these apparent measures of success, the poverty rates for Asian American families and individuals are nearly twice as high as those for whites.

Increasing diversity of the U.S. population.

Demographic changes have shaped the nation's past and will continue to shape its future. During the first half of the 1990s, the U.S. population grew, on average, by 2.7 million people each year, reaching 262.8 million in 1995. Population growth is projected to continue for the next 50 years, although at a slower rate. The forecast is for more than 390 million Americans by the year 2050. As the U.S. population grows, it will increasingly become more diverse along many socioeconomic dimensions. This increasing diversity will represent an historic shift in America's racial and ethnic composition with long-range implications for how we view racial issues, how we define racial categories and how the political landscape will be refashioned. By the middle of the 21st century the "minority" population will almost equal the size of the non-Hispanic white population. The minority population grew 14 percent during the first half of the 1990s compared with a 3 percent growth in the non-Hispanic white population. But even within the minority population, growth rates varied. Between 1990 and 1995, the Asian population grew 23 percent, the Hispanic population 20 percent and the African American population increased their numbers by 8 percent. Hispanics are projected to outnumber African Americans within the next 15 years. In part, these demographic changes are shifting because of U.S. immigration policies. Until the early 1960s, immigrants to the United States were primarily of white, European stock. Nowadays, Europeans account for about 20 percent of the immigrants. Three-quarters of legal immigrants in the mid-1990s now come from Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. The increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the United States will create both challenges and opportunities for U.S. schools and businesses in the future. The magnitude of these numbers and their geographic location will be important factors to consider as we prepare for the 21st century.

The United States at mid-decade.

PIP: This report examines the demographic forces at work in the US that will influence the country's future. A profile of the US population in the mid-1990s reveals that the US is the third most populated countries in the world and one of the fastest growing of the industrialized countries. 70% of this growth is due to natural increase and 30% to immigration. The first topic covered in this report, geographic patterns of growth and change, includes a consideration of regional patterns, population growth by state, residential patterns, and the increase in the number of minorities living in suburban areas. The second topic is the changing age structure, which is characterized by an aging of the population and an increase in the number of children. Racial and ethnic diversity is discussed in terms of fastest growing groups, where minorities live, the Native American population, and the impact of this diversity on political participation. Immigration is analyzed to reveal sources and destinations, linguistic diversity, effects on schools and the labor market, and socioeconomic effects. The section on American families focuses on trends in marriage and divorce, types of households and families, and household patterns by race/ethnicity. The last topic looks at the distribution of income and poverty as well as at regional and state differences, race/ethnicity differences, the effects of marital status on income, who constitutes the poor, and how income is distributed. In conclusion, it is noted that America's social and economic future depends upon whether current demographic trends will lead to a fragmented and divisive society or to a stronger nation built upon diversity.^ieng

New realities of the American family.

PIP: The demographic, social, and economic characteristics of American families have changed dramatically over the past few decades. While the male breadwinner/female homemaker model was long traditionally typical,l contemporary families may be openly made up of single-parents, remarried couples, unmarried couples, stepfamilies, foster families, extended or multigenerational families, or 2 families within 1 household. Families are now most likely to have 3 or fewer children, a mother employed outside of the home, and a 50% chance of parental divorce before the children are grown. These trends are common not only in America, but in most industrialized nations around the world. In fact, family trends are so fluid that the US Census Bureau and workplace policy find it difficult to keep pace. This report presents and discusses social and demographic trends behind the ever-changing face of the American family. Households and types of families are further defined, as are the living arrangements of children, young adults, and the elderly. Marriage, divorce, and remarriage trends, age at marriage rates, and interracial marriage are then discussed. Next examined are declining family size, teenage parents, contraception and abortion, unwed mothers, and technological routes to parenthood. The changing roles of family members and family economic well-being are discussed in sections preceding closing comments on the outlook for the American family.^ieng