America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2011
Demographic Background
Understanding the changing demographic characteristics of America's children is critical for shaping social programs and policies. The number of children determines the demand for schools, health care, and other social services that are essential to meet the daily needs of families. While the number of children living in the United States has grown, the ratio of children to adults has decreased. At the same time, the racial and ethnic composition of the Nation's children continues to change. When combined, these measures provide an important context for understanding the indicators presented in this report and provide a glimpse of what the future may be like for American families.
According to the 2010 census, there were 74.2 million children in the United States, 1.9 million more than in 2000. This number is projected to increase to 87.8 million in 2030. There were approximately equal numbers of children in three age groups: 0–5 (25.5 million), 6–11 (24.3 million), and 12–17 (24.8 million) years of age in 2009 (the latest data year available by age at time of publication).
Indicator Pop1: Number of children ages 0–17 in the United States, 1950–2010 and projected 2011–2050
NOTE: Population projections are based on the Census 2000 counts.
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Censuses and Population Estimates and Projections.
Since the mid-1960s, children have been decreasing as a proportion of the total U.S. population. In 2010, children made up 24 percent of the population, down from a peak of 36 percent at the end of the "baby boom" (1964). Children's share of the population is projected to remain fairly stable through 2050, when they are projected to make up 23 percent of the population.
Indicator Pop2: Children ages 0–17 and adults ages 65 and older as a percentage of the U.S. population, 1950–2010 and projected 2011–2050
NOTE: Population projections are based on the Census 2000 counts.
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Censuses and Population Estimates and Projections.
Racial and ethnic diversity has grown dramatically in the United States in the last three decades. This increased diversity appeared first among children and later in the older population. The population is projected to become even more diverse in the decades to come. In the 2010 census, 54 percent of U.S. children were White, non-Hispanic; 23 percent were Hispanic; 14 percent were Black; 4 percent were Asian; and 5 percent were "All other races."
The percentage of children who are Hispanic has increased faster than that of any other racial or ethnic group, growing from 9 percent of the child population in 1980 to 23 percent in 2010. In 2023, fewer than half of all children are projected to be White, non-Hispanic. By 2050, 39 percent of U.S. children are projected to be Hispanic (up from 23 percent in 2010), and 38 percent are projected to be White, non-Hispanic (down from 54 percent in 2010).
Indicator Pop3: Percentage of children ages 0–17 in the United States by race and Hispanic origin, 1980–2010 and projected 2011–2050
NOTE: Data from 2000 onward are not directly comparable with data from earlier years. Data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately; Hispanics may be any race. In 1980 and 1990, following the 1977 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards for collecting and presenting data on race, the decennial census gave respondents the option to identify with one race from the following: White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or Asian or Pacific Islander. The Census Bureau also offered an "Other" category. Beginning in 2000, following the 1997 OMB standards for collecting and presenting data on race, the decennial census gave respondents the option to identify with one or more races from the following: White, Black, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. In addition, a "Some other race" category was included with OMB approval. Those who chose more than one race were classified as "Two or more races." Except for the "All other races" category, all race groups discussed from 2000 onward refer to people who indicated only one racial identity. (Those who were "Two or more races" were included in the "All other races" category, along with American Indians or Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders.)
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates and Projections.
