California's Next Minority: White People

Latinos expected to take top spot in March
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 16, 2014 11:12 AM CST
California's Next Minority: White People
Magali Ortiz, center, bags some traditional Mexican baked goods as her daughter Emily counts out change, and her husband Adonay looks on at their Ortiz Oaxacan Bakery in Escondido, Calif.   (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Latinos will be the single largest "race or ethnic group" in California as soon as this March, according to a new demographics report from Gov. Jerry Brown's office. That's actually behind schedule—demographers expected non-Hispanic whites to pass the crown in the middle of last year, but Latino birth rates were lower than expected, the San Francisco Chronicle explains.

Previous data indicated Latinos would reach a majority, meaning they'd comprise more than 50% of the state, around 2042 (they're currently on the verge of making up 39% of the population). But the new data indicates they won't ever fully get there. Still, their numbers are set to continue growing, in part because the median age for Latinos is 28. That puts them in prime childbearing years and gives them a higher birthrate than other groups—even though that rate is not, in isolation, terribly high. Overall, California is getting older. Birth rates are falling, and more than 1,000 people a day will turn 65 over the next 15 years. (More demographics stories.)

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