October 17 - The United States’ population grew to more than 300 million people, according to the Census Bureau. The U.S. joins China and India as the only countries to pass this milestone. China hit the 300 million mark about three centuries ago, and India passed it in 1909. By way of comparison, the entire European Union only has 470 million citizens across its 25 countries.
The Census Bureau calculates population growth from information based on the latest census. According to the bureau, the U.S. has a birth every seven seconds, a death every 13 seconds, and a new immigrant every 31 seconds. The result is a net gain of one person every 11 seconds, or about 7,855 people daily.
Various National Academies reports have studied population growth and demographic issues. Beyond Six Billion: Forecasting the World’s Population critically examines the methods employed to predict population growth, including those employed by the U.S. Census Bureau. Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes: Studies from India, China, and the United States examines how populations in these three nations utilize and transform their resources, and thus looks to the sustainability of current growth.
Within two decades, Hispanics are expected to make up nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population. Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies examines the United States' largest and fastest-growing ethnic group and recommends making targeted investments to improve the education and training of the nation's Hispanic workers and their children. Such investments would benefit not only Hispanics but also the country as a whole by enhancing U.S. productivity as baby boomers shift into retirement. A companion volume of authored papers, Hispanics and the Future of America, examines in detail the demographics of the Hispanic population in America.
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