Census Bureau: Asian American population grows

In recent findings from the US Census Bureau as reported in Washington File, it was found that the Asian American population has grown 3 percent from July 2004-July 2005. That's 3 percent in one year, so in another decade, our population will increase by 30%!

The study also had interesting data on how the minority populations are younger than the overall US population:

The nation's minority population is younger than the national average. It is thus expected both to contribute to continued economic growth and to help ensure the vitality of public welfare programs serving older Americans.

The Washington Post reported in May 2006 that nearly half of the nation's children under 5 are racial or ethnic minorities.

The article also finds that hapas are now the second largest Asian American subgroup, after Chinese Americans, and gives an example of how the movement is growing to encompass all people of mixed heritage, not just Asian Americans:

Hapas have grown significantly in number, and now are the second largest subgroup (after the Chinese) in the Asian Pacific American population. Hapa encompasses a kaleidoscopic range of identities. Early Sikh immigrants to California often intermarried with Mexican American women. Second- and third-generation Japanese Americans (nisei and sansei) have "out-married" in significant numbers.

At Cornell University, the student Hapa organization decided that "mixed Asian ancestry" was too restrictive a definition. It expanded criteria for membership to "all mixed (and non-mixed people)." Hapas are not a separate group, but part of the constituency of every ethnic community," the students wrote.

The article also covers how we have been part of the back bone of America, and continue to drive future growth.

Even as Hispanics, Blacks, Asians and American Indian/Alaska natives account for over four-fifths of recent U.S. population growth, the influence that these and other American cultures have on one another continues to develop, in a process as old as the nation itself.

Fascinating stuff, not just from a sociological perspective, but also because minorities (and Asian Americans) are the future voting base that both parties depend upon. 441,000 more people in one year means 4.4 million over the next decade - and since we have concentrations in many swing states including Minnesota, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, Florida, New Mexico, and Arizona, expect to see more politicians come begging for not just our contributions, but also our votes.

I love reading Census findings, even though the topic may seem boring. In these increasing figures, I see our political ascendency.

(Btw, please feel free to distribute these memes and the info, but please credit me. Thanks!)