1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:11,119 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum here. Every ten years since 3 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: the federal government of the United States conducts a census 4 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: of the country's population, which includes a headcount of the 5 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: people living in the country in addition to a distribution 6 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: breakdown of where those people live. The U. S Constitution 7 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: created the census in order to figure out how many 8 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: seats in the House of Representatives and how much federal 9 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: funding each state will get. The census asks questions about 10 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: every member of each household in America, including their sex, age, 11 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: stated race, and relationship to each other. Here are some 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: key takeaways from the U. S Census, now that the 13 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: results are in. The U S population grew slowly between 14 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: twenty from three eight point seven million to one point 15 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: four million people. That's an increase of twenty two point 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: seven million, but it's a percentage increase in total population 17 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,760 Speaker 1: of only seven point four percent. This percentage increase in 18 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: total population of only seven point four percent rivals the 19 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:16,399 Speaker 1: great depressions for slow growth in contrast, For example, the 20 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 1: period between nineteen fifty and nineteen sixty saw an eighteen 21 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: point five percent increase in the total US population. A 22 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: fewer children were born in the past decade than usual, 23 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: and the percentage of the US population under the age 24 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: of eighteen declined by almost one point five percent. A 25 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 1: Children now make up about twenty two percent of the population, 26 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: although that varies by factors like region. The population in 27 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: the Northeast is only twenty percent children, while in the 28 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: Southeast it's twenty two point five percent. American families have 29 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: become more multi racial, or are at least describing themselves 30 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: as such. Among the non Hispanic population alone, there was 31 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: a one hundred and twenty seven percent jump in people 32 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: who I identified as multi racial, and among the Hispanic 33 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: population it was even higher. The number of Hispanic Americans 34 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: who identifies multiracial grew from three million to twenty point 35 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,359 Speaker 1: three million, a whopping five hundred and seventy six percent increase. 36 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: Americans who identify as multiracial still only make up around 37 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 1: four percent of the population, but this spike is significant. 38 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: It's possible that it has to do with an increase 39 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: in multiracial families, Americans reporting their race differently, or something 40 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: about the design of the is that caused people to 41 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: answer questions differently than before, or possibly all three. Along 42 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: with this, for the first time on record, the white 43 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: population of the United States, the largest racial group in 44 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: the country, shrank, falling from sixty percent of the population 45 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: to fifty eight percent. In Meanwhile, the Hispanic and Asian 46 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:55,079 Speaker 1: populations grew, as of one in four Americans identified as 47 00:02:55,160 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: either Hispanic or Asian, according to demographers. A part of 48 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: the reason for the declining numbers of white Americans has 49 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: to do with their age. The median age of white 50 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: people in twenty nineteen was forty four years, compared with 51 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: thirty years for Hispanic people and thirty eight years for 52 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:15,639 Speaker 1: the American population overall. This has to do with declining 53 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,239 Speaker 1: birth rates, but also the baby Boomer generation moving into 54 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 1: their sixties and seventies. The growth in the US happened 55 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: almost exclusively in urban areas. Over the past decade. People 56 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: flocked from rural to metropolitan counties. Even in states that 57 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: are growing rapidly like Georgia and North Carolina, the rural 58 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,839 Speaker 1: areas shranken population. Interestingly, a retirement community in Florida called 59 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: The Villages was the fastest growing metro area in the country, 60 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: seeing thirty nine percent growth between twenty and twenty Phoenix 61 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: Arizona overtook Philadelphia as the fifth largest city in America, 62 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: its population growing eleven percent in the past decade. Similarly, 63 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,080 Speaker 1: Dallas and Houston, Texas are two of the fast is 64 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: to growing cities in the country. These are just a 65 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: few numbers from the Census. We'll have to stay tuned 66 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: to see what lawmakers choose to do with this information. 67 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: Today's episode is based on the article eight Fascinating Findings 68 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: from the Census on how Stuff works dot Com, written 69 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,280 Speaker 1: by Desolin Shields. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart 70 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com and 71 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: is produced by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts from my 72 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: heart Radio. Visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 73 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.