The introductory text reads, It is often repeated that ‘the United States is becoming more diverse,’ a
phrase that usually refers only to ethnic diversity and not to economic and religious diversity (which are also
increasing and merit attention). From a developmental perspective, two other diversities are also important —
age and region, as shown below. What are the implications for schools, colleges, employment, health care, and
nursing homes in the notable differences in the ages of people of various groups? And are attitudes about
immigration, or segregation, or multiracial identity affected by the ethnicity of one’s neighbors?
A
graph titled The Changing Ethnic Makeup of the United States plots Age along the horizontal axis and Population in
the U. S. along the vertical axis. The population of European Americans from below 5 years to 44 years is between
10,750,000 and 12,500,000. It increases to 15,250,000 until the age group 55 to 59 years that then decreases sharply
to 100,000 by the 100 plus age group. The population of the Hispanic Americans shows a gradual decline from
5,000,000 people in the age group under 5 years to 2,500,000 people in the age group 50 to 54 years, and further to
100,000 people in the age group 100 plus. The population of African Americans is close to 2,500,000 people from the
age group under 5 years to 55 to 59 years. It then declines to 100,000 people by the age group 100 plus years.
Nearly 500,000 to 1,000,000 Native Americans/ Hawaiians from the age group under 5 years to 79 years reside in the
U. S. The population, however, decreases to below 250,000 people from 80 to 100 plus years. The population of Asian
Americans in the United States from below 5 years to 100 plus is less than 250,000, while that of Multiethnic groups
is close to 250,000. All data are approximate.
A subheading reads, Regional Differences in Ethnicity across
the United States. The following text reads, In the United States, there are regional as well as age differences in
ethnicity. This map shows which counties have an ethnic population greater than the national average. Counties where
more than one ethnicity or race is greater than the national average are shown as multiethnic. Areas for which data
are unavailable are left unshaded.
The U. S. map shows that the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States and the
eastern part of the Midwest region have a majority of European Americans. Several counties in the Northwest,
Southwest, and Southeast United States also have a majority of European Americans. The eastern part of the Southwest
region and some counties in the Northwest and Southeast regions show Hispanic Americans as the major ethnic group.
African American is the major ethnic group in the counties in the Southeast region of the United States. A few
counties in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions also have a majority of African Americans. The northern counties of
Maine and several counties in the Midwest, Northwest, Southwest, and West regions have a majority of Native
Americans. Pacific Islander is the major ethnic group in a few counties in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Northwest
regions. The population of Asian Americans is greater than the national average in some of the counties in the
Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Southwest regions. There is a strong presence of multiethnic groups in most of the
counties in the West, in the western part of Northwest, and the central part of the Southwest region. Several
counties in the Southeast and Midwest regions also show multiethnic groups as the majority. Hawaii and the northern
and southern parts of Alaska have a multiethnic majority. The central region of Alaska has a majority of Native
Americans.