About 1-in-every-3 U.S. residents was part of a group other than single-race non-Hispanic white according to national estimates by race, Hispanic origin and age released by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2005, the nation’s minority population totaled 98 million, or 33 percent, of the country’s total of 296.4 million.

“These mid-decade numbers provide further evidence of the increasing diversity of our nation’s population,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon.

Hispanics continue to be the largest minority group at 42.7 million. With a 3.3 percent increase in population from July 1, 2004, to July 1, 2005, they are the fastest-growing group.

Unless otherwise specified, the data refer to the population who reported a race alone or in combination with one or more other races. The tables show data for both this group and those who reported a single race only.

The second largest minority group was blacks (39.7 million), followed by Asians (14.4 million), American Indians and Alaska natives (4.5 million) and native Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders (990,000). The population of non-Hispanic whites who indicated no other race totaled 198.4 million in 2005.

Highlights for the various groups follow:

Hispanics

• Hispanics accounted for almost half (1.3 million, or 49 percent) of the national population growth of 2.8 million between July 1, 2004, and July 1, 2005.
• Of the increase of 1.3 million, 800,000 was because of natural increase (births minus deaths) and 500,000 was because of immigration.
• The Hispanic population in 2005 was much younger with a median age of 27.2 years compared to the population as a whole at 36.2 years. About a third of the Hispanic population was under 18, compared with one-fourth of the total population.

Arizona's Maricopa Leads Counties in Population
Growth Since Census 2000

Maricopa County, Ariz., gained 696,000 residents between 2000 and 2006, the largest numerical increase of the nation’s 3,141 counties, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The latest numbers for Maricopa County, Arizona according to the U.S. Census Bureau is 3,635,528 residents of which 1,055,573 are Hispanics.

This increase surpasses the total population of all but 15 U.S. cities. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, has 3.8 million residents, making it the nation’s fourth largest county.

“The dramatic increase in Maricopa County’s population is the main reason Arizona became the nation’s fastest-growing state between 2005 and 2006,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon, referring to the state population estimates released last December. “Maricopa’s growth has been remarkable, adding nearly 3 million residents since the 1970 census.”

Harris County, Texas, had the second largest numeric increase between 2000 and 2006, at 486,000, and totaled 3.9 million. Riverside, Calif. (481,000); Los Angeles (429,000); and Clark, Nev. (402,000) rounded out the top five county gainers.

Among the 20 fastest-growing counties from 2000 to 2006, 13 were in the South, four in the West and three in the Midwest.

Among the 10 counties that added the largest number of residents between 2000 and 2006, three were in Texas (Harris, Tarrant and Collin), three in California (Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino), one in Georgia (Gwinnett) and one in Illinois (Will). Among the 20 counties with the largest numeric gains, 19 were in the South or West.

Los Angeles continued to be the most populous county in the nation with 9.9 million residents on July 1, 2006, followed by Cook, Ill. (5.3 million); Harris, Texas (3.9 million); and Maricopa (3.8 million).

Of those counties or county equivalents that experienced declining populations, Orleans Parish in Louisiana, which was hard-hit by Hurricane Katrina, had the largest population loss during the six-year period: 261,000. Orleans was followed by Wayne County, Mich., which lost 89,000 residents, and Cook County, Ill., with a population decline of 88,000. In 2006, Orleans Parish totaled 223,000 residents, while the population in Wayne and Cook declined to 2 million and 5.3 million, respectively.

Florida’s Flagler, along the Atlantic Coast between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, was the nation’s fastest-growing county since Census 2000 with a 66.7 percent population increase from 2000 to 2006. The number of Flagler residents has reached 83,000.

Kendall, Ill. (61.7 percent), and Rockwall, Texas (60.5 percent), were the second and third fastest-growing counties. Three of the 10 fastest-growing counties between 2000 and 2006 were in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga., metropolitan area: Forsyth, ranking fifth with 53.4 percent growth; Henry, ranking eighth at 49.2 percent; and Paulding, ninth at 48.9 percent.

Among the 20 fastest-growing counties from 2000 to 2006, 13 were in the South, four in the West and three in the Midwest.

Note: Pertains to counties with 10,000 or more population as of July 1, 2006.