The population projections offer a glimpse of what the United States might look like at the turn of the next century. Without substantial immigration, older adults will outnumber children, and white, non-Hispanic residents will account for less than 50%. However, a forecast decades into the future can’t predict the unexpected like a global pandemic.

BY MIKE SCHNEIDER

Updated 10:33 PM CET, November 9, 2023

By the end of the century, the U.S. population will be declining without substantial immigration, older adults will outnumber children and white, non- Hispanic residents will account for less than 50% of the population, according to projections released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The population projections offer a glimpse of what the nation may look like at the turn of the next century, though a forecast decades into the future can’t predict the unexpected like a global pandemic.

The projections can help the U.S. prepare for change, from anticipating the demands of health care for seniors to providing insight into the number of schools that need to be built over the coming decades, said Paul Ong, a public affairs professor at UCLA.

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