U.S. Majority-Minority States
By 2037 Minorites are expected to make up 40% of U.S. Population
Jun 25, 2009
As the American government begins in earnest to ramp up for the constitutionally required census some interesting and far reaching implications related to the U.S. minority community are in the offing.
With the percentage of people seemingly ever-increasing in America's minority communities, the census which by law has to be completed every ten (10) years has become a hotly contested political and moral issue.
Hotly contested because according to the U.S Census website over US$100 billion dollars are allocated and dispersed annually as a direct result of the census data and those dollars are fixed in a general way for a decade. Consequently this important population information has a direct affect on the local, state and national economy throughout the United States.
Again according to the U.S. Census website, this impact is felt in and around the annual funding allocations for education, housing, and community development programs. The census also impacts health care related services for the elderly, job training services, and new library and school construction.
Some States may Gain from an Influx of Minorities
Currently there are four states in addition to the District of Columbia that may benefit greatly in terms of census dollars allocated to them based on their increases in minority population. They include Texas, California, New Mexico and Hawaii and make up what some experts have termed a minority-majority state.
Puerto Rico would also be added on this list if ethnic minorities are to be included, as according to their 2000 census data 80% of Puerto Ricans are Spanish. However they are currently precluded from being counted in this way because their population is considered of European descent or in other words white.
However the states of Texas, New Mexico, California and Hawaii may gain substantially from their large minority populations. Texas has the distinction of being the newest member of this group and has in this respect at least benefited just as New Mexico and California have from their proximity to the Mexican border.
What Does Majority-Minority Actually Mean
Majority-Minority (or conversely Minority-Majority) is a term used to describe a U.S. State or jurisdiction that has a majority population whose composition is less than fifty (50) percent Caucasian. In addition to the states already mentioned the percentage of non-Hispanic white residents has fallen below sixty (60) percent in the states of Maryland, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, New York and Mississippi, according to voter registration data.
The upcoming U.S. Census will be an interesting and necessary exercise in American politics that will have ramifications for many years to come.
 |
 |
 |
 |
