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- U.S. Female Population
U.S. Female Population
In 2000, more than two-thirds of the total female population was non-Hispanic White (69.5 percent), followed by non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic females (12.6 and 12.1 percent, respectively). By 2010, the proportion of the female population that was non-Hispanic White dropped to 63.8 percent and the proportion Hispanic increased to 15.9 percent. By 2025, non-Hispanic White females are projected to account for 57.7 percent of the female population and by 2050 they are projected to no longer be the majority (46.1 percent). By 2050, the proportions of females who are Hispanic, non-Hispanic Asian, and non-Hispanic multiple race are expected to double or triple compared to the start of the millennium.
The increasing diversity of the U.S. population is a function of different fertility, mortality, and migration patterns according to race and ethnicity. The younger female population (under 18 years) is significantly more diverse than the older female population (data not shown in graph images or in data tables on this site). In 2010, 53.4 percent of females under 18 years of age were non-Hispanic White, while 23.2 percent of that group were Hispanic. In contrast, among women aged 65 years and older, 79.3 percent were non-Hispanic White and only 7.0 percent were Hispanic.1
The increasing diversity of the U.S. population underscores the importance of promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and health care. Significant racial and ethnic disparities persist in health status and access to health care which can be attributed to a variety of social, behavioral, environmental, and biological determinants. 2 The future health of America will greatly depend on using a multifaceted approach to improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged groups.
1 U.S. Census Bureau , Population Division. Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population by Single Year of Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2010. September 2011. Accessed 3/22/12.
2 National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities. National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Minority Health , April 2011. Accessed 3/22/12.
|Race/Ethnicity||Percent of Females|
*Totals may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding, and the exclusion of non-Hispanic females of other races.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2010 (USEST00INT-02). September 2011. Accessed 3/22/2012.
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Projections of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: 2010 to 2050 (NP2008-T4). August 2008. Accessed 3/22/2012.
|Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native||0.7||0.7||0.8||0.8|
|Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander||0.1||0.2||0.2||0.2|
|Non-Hispanic Multiple Races||1.2||1.8||2.0||3.0|