
A new trend for 2010? Minority births may be changing the U.S. majority population. Credit: Corbis
Nope, it's not the new must-have booties or the latest rad stroller. The latest baby trend could actually alter the makeup of the U.S. population.
For the first time in history, more
minority babies may be born in the United States than white babies, the New York Daily News reports. The research, released days before U.S. census forms are set to arrive at 120 million homes,
suggests this year's minority baby boom could be what spurs our country into a minority majority during the next 40 years, according to the newspaper.
Kenneth Johnson, a sociology professor
with the University of New Hampshire and senior demographer at the Carsey Institute, studied the trend and tells the News that 20 years ago, more than a third of children born in the U.S. were minorities. By 2008, that percentage had grown to almost half of U.S. births.
Although Johnson's not sure why, a few U.S. cities are bucking the trend. In New York City, namely Brooklyn and Manhattan, more kids are likely to be white, the newspaper reports.
"The number of white children went up, while the number of black and Hispanic children went down," Johnson tells the News, explaining that "it's hard to say why because there are so many competing demographic factors within New York City."
Another place moving against the trend is Fayette County, which is a suburban area near Memphis, Tenn.