Ethnic Composition of the U.S. Population

Thinking about the ethnic makeup of the U.S. population helps explain the rising importance of sociocultural theory and the limitations of the concept of race. The traditional bifurcation of the population into “White” and “non-White” is increasingly irrelevant with growing numbers of Latino and Asian Americans. Every one of these broad categories includes many distinct ethnic groups. Furthermore, a growing number of people consider themselves more than one race.

Observation Quiz: Which ethnic group is growing most rapidly in the United States?

Answer to Observation Quiz (from page A-4) Asian Americans, whose share of the U.S. population has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Latinos are increasing most rapidly in numbers, but not in proportion.

Percent of U.S. Population
Ethnic origin 1970 1980 1990 2000 2012
European American 83.7 80 75 69.1 63
African American 10.6 11.5 12 12.5 13.1
Hispanic (Latino) 4.5 6.4 9 12.3 16.9
Asian 1.0 1.5 3 3.6 5.1
Native American 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.9 1.2

A-5