A more diversified America: state and local population changes, 1990-1997

Recently, the U.S. Bureau of the Census released state and county population estimates with age, gender, race and Hispanic origin detail for 1990-1997. These estimates illustrate the changing demographics of the United States. The 1997 state population estimates show that both Texas and Georgia experienced notable population growth since 1990. Texas replaced New York as the second largest state; Georgia bumped North Carolina from the list of top 10 most populous states to become the state with the 10th largest population. In both Texas and Georgia, migration flows have contributed to the population change. Texas is one of the most popular "intended states of residence" for international migrants, many coming from Latin American countries. On the other hand, Georgia's growth has largely been influenced by "rustbelt" to "sunbelt" domestic migration. At the county level, the largest total population increases again occurred in western and southern states. Population estimates for Asian and Pacific Islanders show that this population remained concentrated in the West in 1997. Similarly, the Hispanic population is primarily concentrated in southwestern states. However, as the Asian and Pacific Islander and Hispanic populations continue to grow, there is spillover into other regions, primarily the larger metropolitan areas in the South, including Washington, DC, and Atlanta, GA. The population projections produced by the Census Bureau indicate that racial and ethnic diversity will continue to increase in the United States well into the next century.