Posted on 01/01/2007 2:45:09 PM PST by Sharks
Immigrants and children of immigrants keep U.S. population young
Washington – A steady stream of immigrants to the United States and moderate growth keep the U.S. population younger than other developed countries, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which projects population in the United States on New Year’s Day 2007 to be 301 million people.
Younger population growth keeps the economy and society vital, William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution in Washington, told USINFO. “With people coming into our country from around the world, as a population overall, we have become more open to new ideas,” Frey said.
The U.S. population has been growing about 1 percent yearly since 1950, and nearly 40 percent of that growth is due to foreign-born individuals coming into the United States. (See related article.)
The U.S. Census Bureau uses the term “foreign born” to refer to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth. This includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or immigrants, refugees, students and illegal immigrants.
Many industrialized countries do not come close to having as many immigrants and young children of immigrants as the United States, according to Frey. As a result, with a fertility rate of just 1.1 per female in many industrialized countries, including in Japan and Europe, their populations are aging. The larger elderly segments of these societies place demands on health and social resources.
Just 12 percent of the U.S. population is over the age of 65, yet, Frey said, like all industrialized countries, the United States faces a rapidly aging population. That figure is expected to jump to 20 percent by the year 2025. Nearly 20 percent of Japan’s population is already over the age of 65.
Frey said that an aging population, especially when it includes large numbers of people over age 85, can strain a country’s economy. One trend that might slow economic problems caused by an aging population is an increasing tendency by older Americans to continue working after retirement age, either part time or in small businesses.
“Older Americans today want to stay mentally engaged,” Frey said, “particularly women who are well-educated and are likely already in the labor force by the time they turn 65.” For any number of reasons, some baby boomers, 78 million Americans born from 1946 to 1964, have to continue to work, Frey said. (See related article.)
According to the Census Bureau, in January 2007 the United States is expected to register one birth every eight seconds and one death every 11 seconds. Immigration to the United States is expected to add one person every 27 seconds. The result is an increase in the total population in the United States of one person every 15 seconds.
For more information about life in the United States, see U.S. Life and Culture.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
Just another gumball...
Can we hurry up and get that $60 billion dollar fence put up?
Meadow Muffin
Yeah, gotta keep crankin' out those anchor babies...
4 every minute.
240 every hour.
5760 every day.
172,800/178,560 per month.
I wonder if this figure includes Bush's 20 million 'guests' from Mexico?
I'm probably not going to be as excited about this as those in the so-called "media" are. More and more third world nations are exporting their poverty and crime to our country so WE can deal with THEIR problems. Not a good thing.
No question according to the article we're very "fortunate" to have all this immigration legal and illegal. So how come I don't feel so fortunate ???
You ain't seen nothing yet. There are plans being made in DC that if enacted will make the last 20 years of runaway population growth look like a trickle...
Well, think on the bright side. We could have the other problem too. Japan is a mess mainly because of their declining population rate. Young people aren't having kids. So you have all these senior citizens on social security, and a declining worker base.
You try to strike a happy medium, but we don't have much choice to grow our population. Part of the problem with longevity is you get benefits for more years. When Social Security was instituted, half of workers didn't hit 65, so they paid in and didn't get a penny. Now most people make 65, so we need bodies giving uncle sam their money to take care of the oldsters.
Or Russia.
Well here's a wake up check because a sizable number of these illegals who are coming here a older then this article would suggest and the general consensus is if Bush and the Democraps get their way these people are going to JOIN us on the train wreck known as Social Security !!!
wow, that didn't take us long, huh? we just hit 3 mil recently
oops.. 300 mil
Domestic or imported? ;)
Like putting up a fence along our borders.
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