Changes in America's Racial Composition

Race and ethnic groups have seen major shifts from the 1990s to today, according to this report from the Brookings Institution.

1 minute read

May 16, 2011, 10:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


Minority groups are growing and moving to different areas.

"Minorities represent 35 percent of suburban residents, similar to their share of overall U.S. population. Among the 100 largest metro areas, 36 feature "melting pot" suburbs where at least 35 percent of residents are non-white. The suburbs of Houston, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. became majority minority in the 2000s.

More than half of all minority groups in large metro areas, including blacks, now reside in the suburbs. The share of blacks in large metro areas living in suburbs rose from 37 percent in 1990, to 44 percent in 2000, to 51 percent in 2010. Higher shares of whites (78 percent), Asians (62 percent), and Hispanics (59 percent) in large metro areas live in suburbs."

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