Knowledge Center

Population

The population of people of color* in the United States is on the rise. People of color will comprise approximately 49.9% of the population in the U.S. by 2050.1

• In 2011, people of color made up 36.2% of the US population (13.1% black, 5.0% Asian, 16.7% Hispanic or Latino Origin, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native Persons, and .2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Persons).2

According to briefs from the 2010 Census:3

• More than half of the growth in the total population of the United States between 2000 and 2010 was due to the increase in the Hispanic population.
• The Asian population grew faster than any other major race group between 2000 and 2010.
• The populations of California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, and New Mexico are "majority-minority," meaning over 50% of the population was a "minority."

Education

Labor Force

• In 2010, 18.7% of the labor force was people of color.4
  • This number will rise to 20.6% in 2020.5

People of Color in Management

• According to the EEOC, in 2010 people of color were 11.9% of Executive/Senior Level Officials and Managers and 20.1% of all First/Mid-Level Officials and Managers.6
• Black-owned firms comprised 7.1% of the total private businesses in the US in 2007, followed by 8.3% Hispanic-owned, 5.7% Asian-owned, .9% American Indian and Alaska Native-owned, and .1% for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms.7

• Fortune 100 boards were more diverse than Fortune 500 boards in 2010.12 In the Fortune 500 boards of 2010:
  • African-American women held 1.9% of board seats and African-American men held 5.7%.8
  • Hispanic women held 0.7% of board seats, and Hispanic men held 2.3%.9
  • Asian Pacific Islander women held 0.3% of board seats, and Asian Pacific Islander men held 1.8%.10

Income

• 7.0% of white people (white alone, not Hispanic), have income of $100,000 and over.11
• 3.0% of people of color have income of $100,000 and over.12

Notes:

*Latinos/Hispanics may be of any race.

* People of color include (but are not limited to) African-Americans/Black people, Asian-Americans/Asians, Latinos/Hispanics, and Native Americans.

^Non-resident aliens are not included in the calculation for people of color.

†Data is based on information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census. Comparable data is not available for all groups.

‡ For more in-depth statistics on specific demographic groups, please see the following Catalyst Quick Takes: African-Americans, African American Women, Latinas, Latinas/Latinos, Asians, Asian Women, and Native-American Women.

• 1. U.S. Census Bureau, "Table 1A: Projected Population of the United States, by Race and Hispanic Origin: 2000 to 2050" (March 18, 2004).
• 2. U.S. Census Bureau, "State and County Quickfacts, USA" (2012).
• 3. Karen R. Humes, Nicholas A. Jones, and Roberto R. Ramirez, "Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010," 2010 Census Briefs (March 2011).
• 4. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and Projected 2020" (2012).
• 5. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and Projected 2020" (2012).
• 6. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, "2010 Job Patterns For Minorities And Women In Private Industry (EEO-1) - 2010 EEO-1 National Aggregate Report."
• 7. U.S. Census Bureau, "State and County Quickfacts, USA" (2012).
• 8. Alliance for Board Diversity, Updated Datasheet: Alliance for Board Diversity Report: Missing Pieces: Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards(2011).
• 9. Alliance for Board Diversity, Updated Datasheet: Alliance for Board Diversity Report: Missing Pieces: Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards(2011).
• 10. Alliance for Board Diversity, Updated Datasheet: Alliance for Board Diversity Report: Missing Pieces: Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards(2011).
• 11. U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Current Population Survey, "Table PINC-01: Selected Characteristics of People 15 Years and Over, by Total Money Income in 2010, Work Experience in 2010, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Sex" (2011).
• 12. U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Current Population Survey, "Table PINC-01: Selected Characteristics of People 15 Years and Over, by Total Money Income in 2010, Work Experience in 2010, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Sex" (2011).