Demographics
Visualizing the U.S. Population by Race
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Visualizing the U.S. Population by Race
The American population is a unique mosaic of cultures—and almost 40% of people identify as racial or ethnic minorities today.
In this treemap, we use data for 2019 from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which bases its analysis on the latest American Community Survey (ACS) data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Then we break down the same data on a state-by-state basis.
Growing Diversity in America
As of 2019, here is the current distribution of the U.S. population by race and ethnicity:
- White: 60.1% (Non-Hispanic)
- Hispanic: 18.5%
- Black: 12.2%
- Asian: 5.6%
- Multiple Races: 2.8%
- American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.7%
- Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: 0.2%
Note that the U.S. totals do not include Puerto Rico.
However, these race and ethnicity projections are expected to change over the coming years. By the year 2060, it’s expected that the distribution of Non-Hispanic Whites as a percentage of total population will fall from 60.1% to 44.3% of Americans.
| Year | White* | Black | Hispanic | Asian | Multiple Races | Other** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 59.7% | 12.5% | 18.7% | 5.8% | 2.3% | 0.9% |
| 2025 | 57.7% | 12.7% | 19.9% | 6.3% | 2.6% | 0.9% |
| 2030 | 55.8% | 12.8% | 21.1% | 6.7% | 2.8% | 0.9% |
| 2035 | 53.8% | 12.9% | 22.3% | 7.1% | 3.1% | 0.9% |
| 2040 | 51.7% | 13.0% | 23.5% | 7.5% | 3.4% | 0.9% |
| 2045 | 49.7% | 13.1% | 24.6% | 7.9% | 3.8% | 0.9% |
| 2050 | 47.8% | 13.3% | 25.7% | 8.2% | 4.1% | 0.9% |
| 2055 | 46.0% | 13.4% | 26.6% | 8.5% | 4.5% | 0.9% |
| 2060 | 44.3% | 13.6% | 27.5% | 8.9% | 4.9% | 0.9% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. *Excludes Hispanics **Other includes American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). Both proportions remain unchanged in these projections.
Interestingly, the proportion of those from multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds will more than double, from 2.3% to 4.9% alongside rising patterns of interracial marriage.
Over time, the U.S. Census has been vastly expanded to reflect the true diversity that the country holds. In fact, it was only from 1960 onwards that people could select their own race—and only from 2020 can those who chose White or Black provide further information on their roots.
A State-by-State Breakdown
Of course, racial diversity in the United States differs widely from region to region.
In the Northeast—particularly the states Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire—the Non-Hispanic White population accounts for 90% or more of the total. In contrast, Black populations are highest in the District of Columbia (45%) and several Southern states.
| Location | White | Black | Hispanic | Asian | Multiple Races | American Indian /Alaska Native | Native Hawaiian /Other Pacific Islander |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 65% | 27% | 4% | 1% | 2% | 0% | - |
| Alaska | 60% | 2% | 7% | 6% | 8% | 15% | 2% |
| Arizona | 54% | 4% | 32% | 3% | 2% | 4% | 0% |
| Arkansas | 72% | 15% | 8% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 0% |
| California | 36% | 5% | 40% | 15% | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Colorado | 68% | 4% | 22% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 0% |
| Connecticut | 66% | 10% | 17% | 5% | 3% | 0% | - |
| Delaware | 61% | 22% | 10% | 4% | 3% | 0% | - |
| District of Columbia | 37% | 45% | 11% | 4% | 3% | 0% | - |
| Florida | 53% | 15% | 27% | 3% | 2% | 0% | 0% |
| Georgia | 52% | 31% | 10% | 4% | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Hawaii | 20% | 1% | 10% | 39% | 18% | 0% | 10% |
| Idaho | 82% | 1% | 13% | 1% | 3% | 1% | - |
| Illinois | 61% | 14% | 18% | 6% | 2% | 0% | <.01 |
| Indiana | 79% | 9% | 7% | 2% | 2% | 0% | - |
| Iowa | 85% | 4% | 6% | 2% | 2% | 0% | <.01 |
| Kansas | 76% | 6% | 12% | 3% | 3% | 1% | - |
| Kentucky | 85% | 8% | 4% | 2% | 2% | 0% | - |
| Louisiana | 59% | 32% | 5% | 2% | 2% | 1% | - |
| Maine | 93% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 1% | - |
| Maryland | 50% | 30% | 11% | 6% | 3% | 0% | - |
| Massachusetts | 71% | 7% | 12% | 7% | 3% | 0% | <.01 |
| Michigan | 75% | 13% | 5% | 3% | 3% | 1% | - |
| Minnesota | 79% | 6% | 6% | 5% | 3% | 1% | - |
| Mississippi | 57% | 38% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 0% | - |
| Missouri | 79% | 11% | 4% | 2% | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Montana | 86% | 1% | 4% | 1% | 3% | 6% | - |
| Nebraska | 79% | 5% | 11% | 2% | 2% | 1% | - |
| Nevada | 48% | 9% | 29% | 9% | 4% | 1% | 1% |
| New Hampshire | 90% | 1% | 4% | 3% | 2% | - | - |
| New Jersey | 55% | 12% | 21% | 10% | 2% | 0% | - |
| New Mexico | 37% | 2% | 50% | 2% | 2% | 9% | - |
| New York | 55% | 14% | 19% | 9% | 3% | 0% | - |
| North Carolina | 63% | 21% | 10% | 3% | 3% | 1% | <.01 |
| North Dakota | 84% | 2% | 4% | 1% | 3% | 5% | - |
| Ohio | 79% | 12% | 4% | 2% | 3% | 0% | - |
| Oklahoma | 65% | 7% | 11% | 2% | 7% | 8% | 0% |
| Oregon | 75% | 2% | 13% | 5% | 4% | 1% | 0% |
| Pennsylvania | 76% | 10% | 8% | 4% | 2% | 0% | <.01 |
| Puerto Rico | 1% | 0% | 98% | - | 0% | - | - |
| Rhode Island | 71% | 6% | 17% | 3% | 3% | 0% | - |
| South Carolina | 64% | 26% | 6% | 2% | 2% | 0% | - |
| South Dakota | 82% | 2% | 4% | 1% | 2% | 8% | - |
| Tennessee | 74% | 16% | 6% | 2% | 2% | 0% | - |
| Texas | 41% | 12% | 40% | 5% | 2% | 0% | 0% |
| Utah | 78% | 1% | 14% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 1% |
| Vermont | 93% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | - |
| Virginia | 61% | 19% | 10% | 7% | 3% | 0% | <.01 |
| Washington | 68% | 4% | 13% | 9% | 5% | 1% | 1% |
| West Virginia | 93% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 0% | - |
| Wisconsin | 81% | 6% | 7% | 3% | 2% | 1% | - |
| Wyoming | 84% | 1% | 10% | 1% | 2% | 2% | - |
| U.S. | 60.1% | 12.2% | 18.5% | 5.6% | 2.8% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
Note: A dash (-) indicates estimates with relative standard errors greater than 30%, which were not included in the data
Of all the 50 states, Hawaii is home to the largest share of Asian populations at 39%. It also has one of the most diverse racial breakdowns in the nation overall, including the highest proportion of mixed race individuals.
Looking to another island, an overwhelming majority (98%) of Puerto Ricans are of Hispanic origins. While it’s not a state, its inhabitants are all considered U.S. citizens.
Charting the U.S. population by race is crucial for a number of reasons. This information can be used to better understand existing income and wealth gaps, track public health outcomes, and to aid in policy decision-making at higher levels.
We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.
—Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the U.S.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to better reflect U.S. Census Bureau categories.
Demographics
Animation: The Global Population Over 300 Years, by Country
This animated video shows how much the population has grown over the last three centuries, and which regions have driven this growth.
Creator Program
Animation: The Global Population Over 300 Years, by Country
Since the 1800s, our global population has grown from 984 million people to almost 8 billion—an increase of more than 700%.
Which regions around the world have led this growth, and what’s expected for the rest of the century? This animated visualization by James Eagle shows 300 years of population growth, including historical figures as well as projections up to the year 2100.
Asia’s Current Dominance
For centuries, more than half of the world’s population has been concentrated in Asia. At certain points throughout history, the region has made up nearly 70% of the world’s population.
Here’s a look at 2021 figures, and how large each region’s population is relative to each other:
| Rank | Region | % of Global Population (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asia | 59.2% |
| 2 | Africa | 17.9% |
| 3 | Europe | 9.3% |
| 4 | North America | 7.5% |
| 5 | South America | 5.5% |
| 6 | Oceania | 0.6% |
China and India have been Asia’s largest population hubs, with China historically leading the front. In the 1950s China’s population was nearly double the size of India’s, but the gap has fluctuated over the years.
As China’s population growth continued, it was causing problems for the country as it struggled to scale up food production and infrastructure. By 1979, the Chinese government rolled out a one-child policy in an attempt to control the situation.
The program, which ended in 2016, had a number of unintended ramifications, but ultimately, it did succeed in slowing down the country’s population growth. And now, India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country as early as 2023.
Africa’s Growing Piece of the Pie
Although Asia dominates the charts when it comes to overall population numbers currently, Africa’s growing population numbers are often overlooked.
While the continent’s total population is smaller than Asia’s, it will soon be home to the world’s largest working-age population, which could have a significant impact on the global economy in the years ahead.
This growth is being led by Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. With megacities like Lagos (metro population: 21 million) and over 217 million inhabitants in total, Nigeria is projected to be the world’s third most populous country by the year 2050. Nigeria’s rapid growth is largely thanks to its high birth rate, which is nearly double the global average.
Demographics
Charted: The Working Hours of Americans at Different Income Levels
This graphic shows the average working hours between higher and lower-income groups in America, based on income percentile.
The Actual Working Hours of Different Income Levels
Do you really need to work 100-hour weeks for success?
In 2021, America’s top 10% of income earners made at least $129,181 a year—more than double the average individual income across the country.
When looking at differences between income groups, there are many preconceived notions about the work involved. But what are the actual average working hours for different income groups?
This graphic by Ruben Berge Mathisen uses the latest U.S. Census data to show the average working hours of Americans at different income levels.
Comparing Average Work Weeks
The data used for this graphic comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s May 2022 Current Population Survey, which surveys more than 8,000 Americans from various socioeconomic backgrounds.
Importantly, the data reflects the average work hours that respondents in each income percentile “actually” work each week, and not what’s on their contract. This also includes overtime, other jobs, or side gigs.
According to the survey data, America’s top 10% income percentile works 4.4 hours more each week than those in the bottom 10%. And in surveys across other countries, though with hundreds of respondents instead of thousands, the discrepancy was similar:
Do the rich really work longer hours than the poor?
The graph below plots data from 27 countries.
On average, the Top 10% actually works ~1 hour less per week than the Bottom 10%, among full-time workers. Working hours are usually pretty similar though.#dataviz pic.twitter.com/Ue23VweJ9C
— Ruben Mathisen (@rubenbmathisen) August 7, 2022
While both income and wealth gaps are generally widening globally, it’s interesting to see that higher earners aren’t necessarily working more hours to achieve their increasingly larger salaries.
In fact, the top 10% in the 27 countries shown in the graphic are actually working around 1 hour less each week than the bottom 10%, at least among full-time workers.
Zooming Out: Average Working Hours per Country
Similarities arise when comparing average working hours across different countries. For starters, people living in poorer countries typically work longer hours.
According to Our World in Data, the average worker in Cambodia works about 9.4 hours a day, while in Switzerland, people work an average of 6 hours a day.
While many factors contribute to this discrepancy in working hours, one large factor cited is tech innovation, or things like physical machines, processes, and systems that make work more efficient and productive. This allows wealthier countries (and industries) to increase their output without putting in as many hours.
For example, from 1948 to 2011, farm production per hour in the U.S. became 16x more productive, thanks to innovations like improved machinery, better fertilizers, and more efficient land management systems.
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