Census 2000: A Diverse Population

The number of Hispanics in last year's U.S. Census increased by 58 percent from 1990, which means the proportion of the United States' population that is Hispanic (12.5 percent) is almost equal to the proportion that is African-American (12.9 percent). The proportion of U.S. residents of Asian origins rose by 48 percent in the same period, to 4.2 percent. About 6.8 million respondents, or 2.4 percent, selected more than one race, an option offered for the first time in the 2000 Census. White non-Hispanic or non-Latino respondents represent about 69 percent...