Race Statistics & Growth Of Whites vs Nonwhites In The United States 1940-2020

Peter Clark
December 26, 2021
Filed in: Politics •

After attempting to research race data and population for the United States, unfortunately I encountered many mainstream websites and news sites with false data and false statistics, such as one that said the US was 65% white in 1950, when the real number was about 90% white.

As a result, I spent many hours researching the official census records to come up with the most accurate race data for the United States. This may be the only source for such data, as most publications would not allow such facts to be posted in such a matter of fact manner, as it would not be politically correct.

Below are statements of fact and raw data without political rhetoric, watering down the results, or any attempts to present biased views on the data like most sources will do. As the data is listed plain and clear, you can interpret the data for yourself. The sources to the official US Census data are linked below so you can review them for yourself to confirm the accuracy of this data without concern of false or intentionally skewed data like on most if not all mainstream websites.

——- TABLE OF CONTENTS ——-

Summary Overview
Summary Data
Detailed Summary
Notes on White-Only Statistics
Important Dates
1940 US Census Race Statistics
1950 US Census Race Statistics
1960 US Census Race Statistics
1970 US Census Race Statistics
1980 US Census Race Statistics
1990 US Census Race Statistics
2000 US Census Race Statistics
2010 US Census Race Statistics
2020 US Census Race Statistics
Sources & References

——- SUMMARY OVERVIEW ——-

While the white race in the United States had a decrease in population by 10 million since 1980 (or increase of only 1.6%, 2.9 million, if you include Jews, Arabs, and North Africans), the nonwhite population increased by over 100 million since 1980.

Since 1950, there was an increase of 137,136,219 nonwhites*, compared with only 35,062,032 whites*, and most of these whites were born before 1980, with the majority now an aging and dying population.

Most nonwhite growth occurred since the 1980s, after the Immigration Reform Act of 1986 was passed. Most of this growth was due to nonwhite immigration – around 100 million nonwhite immigrants including black immigrants since 1980.

* [excluding Jews, Arabs, and North Africans from white numbers]

——- SUMMARY DATA ——-

% OF POPULATION – WHITE:
1950: 90.08%
1960: 89.03%
1970: 87.47%
1980: 83.15%
1990: 80.29%
2000: 69.13%
2010: 63.75%
2020: 53.80%*

TOTAL WHITE POPULATION:
1950: 143,049,063
1960: 166,232,574
1970: 177,748,975
1980: 188,371,622
1990: 199,686,070
2000: 194,552,774
2010: 196,817,552
2020: 178,111,095*

TOTAL NONWHITE POPULATION:
1950: 15,755,333
1960: 20,487,996
1970: 25,462,951
1980: 38,174,183
1990: 49,023,803
2000: 86,869,132
2010: 111,927,986
2020: 152,891,552*

INCREASE/DECREASE IN WHITE POPULATION SINCE 1980:
-10,260,527 (5.0% DECREASE: 10 MILLION LESS*)

INCREASE/DECREASE IN NONWHITE POPULATION SINCE 1980:
114,717,369 (300.51% INCREASE*)

* [excluding Jews, Arabs, and North Africans from white numbers]

——- DETAILED SUMMARY ——-

TOTAL WHITE POPULATION:
1940: 118,214,870
1950: 143,049,063
1960: 166,232,574
1970: 177,748,975
1980: 188,371,622
1990: 199,686,070
2000: 194,552,774
2010: 196,817,552
2020: 178,111,095*
* 191,319,530 – 13,208,435 (Jews, Arabs, North Africans officially classified as “white”^[c])

INCREASE IN WHITE POPULATION SINCE 1950:
35,062,032 (24.5% INCREASE)

INCREASE IN WHITE POPULATION SINCE 1980:
-10,260,527 (5.0% DECREASE – LESS 10 MILLION)

[Numbers not excluding Jews, Arabs, and North Africans]

INCREASE IN WHITE POPULATION SINCE 1950:
48,270,467 (33% INCREASE) [not excluding Jews, Arabs, and North Africans]

INCREASE IN WHITE POPULATION SINCE 1980:
2,947,908 (1.6% INCREASE – ALMOST NO INCREASE) [not excluding Jews, Arabs, and North Africans]

TOTAL NONWHITE POPULATION:
1940: 13,454,405
1950: 15,755,333
1960: 20,487,996
1970: 25,462,951
1980: 38,174,183
1990: 49,023,803
2000: 86,869,132
2010: 111,927,986
2020: 152,891,552**
** 139,683,117 + 13,208,435 (Jews, Arabs, North Africans classified as “white”[c])

INCREASE IN NONWHITE POPULATION SINCE 1950:
137,136,219 (870.41% INCREASE)

INCREASE IN NONWHITE POPULATION SINCE 1980:
114,717,369 (300.51% INCREASE)

[Numbers not including Jews, Arabs, and North Africans]

INCREASE IN NONWHITE POPULATION SINCE 1950:
123,927,784 (786.58% INCREASE) [not including Jews, Arabs, and North Africans]

INCREASE IN NONWHITE POPULATION SINCE 1980:
101,508,934 (265.91% INCREASE) [not including Jews, Arabs, and North Africans]

BLACK POPULATION:
1940: 12,865,518
1950: 15,044,598
1960: 18,848,619
1970: 22,580,289
1980: 26,495,025
1990: 29,986,060
2000: 34,658,190
2010: 42,020,743
2020: 40,051,320

INCREASE IN BLACK POPULATION SINCE 1950:
25,006,722 (166.21% INCREASE)

INCREASE IN BLACK POPULATION SINCE 1980:
13,556,295 (51.17% INCREASE)

NONWHITE/NONBLACK (MOSTLY IMMIGRANT) POPULATION:
1940: 588,887
1950: 710,735
1960: 1,639,377
1970: 2,882,662
1980: 11,679,158
1990: 19,037,743
2000: 52,210,942
2010: 69,907,243
2020: 99,631,797

INCREASE IN IMMIGRANT POPULATION SINCE 1980:
98,921,062 (13,918.14% INCREASE – 139x growth)

INCREASE IN IMMIGRANT POPULATION SINCE 1980:
87,952,639 (753.07% INCREASE – 8x growth)

* Most immigrant growth occurred since the 1980s, after the Immigration Reform Act of 1986 was passed.

——- NOTES ON WHITE-ONLY STATISTICS ——-

What is not stated by recent statistics is that many categories of high-influx of immigrants since 1980, such as Jews^[a], Arabs^[b], North Africans^[c], some Indian (Asia subcontinent)^[d], and other races no longer listed, including those Hispanic/Latino/Cuban who identify as white but are not, are classified under “White”, which dilutes the true statistics for the current demographics.

It would be important to note:

JEWS
A total of 7.6 million people in the US are Jewish in 2020 ^[i]

ARABS
Arab Americans alone represent an estimated 3.7 million individuals, a figure that excludes other Middle Eastern groups such as Persians and Kurds. ^[ii][b]

NORTH AFRICANS
2014 statistics show 1,303,910 million foreign born North Africans, up from 900,895 in 2010. Extrapolation is 1,908,435 million at the same rate of growth (100,754 per year) ^[iii]

This brings the total officially non-europeans classified as white, to 13,208,435.
This is not counting Pakistani, Southeast Asian, Indian (subcontinent), or hispanics identifying as white.

HISPANIC
Additionally, the “hispanic” category did not exist prior to 1990, leading to further skews in “white-only” data after the 1965 and 1986 immigration reforms which opened up the floodgates to nonwhite immigration.

Before 1986 and especially before 1965, there were a statistically irrelevant number of nonwhite immigrants. However, after the immigration reforms, the huge influx of new immigrants, many whom would call themselves “white”, dilutes the true “white only” statistics, especially in 1990 onward.

Some calculate the true number as of the 2010 statistics of “white only, non-hispanic” is actually closer to 20% instead of the 57% listed on the 2020 census.

Natural segregation due to human behavior likely skews the apparent racial representation to many whites, since most nonwhites segregate themselves, making whiter areas appear less nonwhite than is statistically represented across the entire country. This would account why some believe the official 57% white numbers given by the 2020 census.

Additional note: Until the 2000s, the nonwhite races were mostly segregated from the white communities, so that most white communities were still 95-100% white until the 2000s. After Obama passed laws forcing nonwhites into white neighborhoods, the demographics of white communities quickly shifted.

——- IMPORTANT DATES ——-

Naturalization Act of 1790

Only white Europeans of good character were permitted the constitutional right to citizenship by the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. The Naturalization Act of 1790 law limited naturalization to “free White person(s) … of good character”, thus excluding Native Americans, indentured servants, slaves, free black people and later Asians. America was never intended to be a multicultural nation, but an extension of Europe. ^[1]

Immigration Act Of 1882

Further restricted immigration to exclude idiots, lunatics, convicts, and persons likely to become a public charge. These national immigration laws created the need for new federal enforcement authorities.[2]

Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, 1943

The Chinese exclusion laws of the 1880s were repealed in 1943. In 1943, Congress passed a measure to repeal the exclusion laws against Chinese immigrants and to establish an immigration quota for China of around 105 visas per year. As such, the Chinese were both the first to be excluded in the beginning of the era of immigration restriction and the first Asians to gain entry to the United States. ^[3]

1921 Emergency Quota Law

National Origins Quota Act of 1924

The National Origins Act, a component of the Immigration Act of 1924, was a law enacted on May 26, 1924, to greatly reduce the number of immigrants allowed to enter the United States by setting immigration quotas for each European nation. ^[4] This greatly reduced immigration from Europe, increasing nonwhite immigration from other countries.

Immigration and Nationality Act, 1965

October 3, 1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Immigration and Nationality Act into law. Also known as the Hart-Celler Act, it puts an end to immigration policies based on ethnicity and race and quota systems, resulting in a wave of Asian immigrants who had been barred from entry. ^[5]

Civil Rights Act of 1968

The Civil Rights Act extends rights to nonwhite throughout the United States and compels non=discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. It resulted in radical law reforms that transformed the demographics of the continent, including immigration, voting rights, and many others. ^[6]

The Fair Housing Act of 1968

The House of Representatives passed the Fair Housing Act of 1968 — also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968 — which prohibited discrimination in the sale or rental of housing nationwide. Title VIII prohibits discrimination in housing sales, rentals or financing. ^[7]

Immigration Reform and Control Act, 1986

The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) signed into law by President Reagan is often described as a three-legged stool. The three main components were a big amnesty for the estimated million or so aliens who were illegally in the U.S. ^[8]

INCREASE IN NONWHITE IMMIGRATION 1960-2017:

In 1960, Pew notes, 84 percent of U.S. immigrants were born in Europe or Canada; 6 percent were from Mexico, 3.8 percent were from South and East Asia, 3.5 percent were from Latin America and 2.7 percent were from other parts of the world. In 2017, European and Canadian immigrants totaled 13.2 percent, while Mexicans totaled 25.3 percent, other Latin Americans totaled 25.1 percent, Asians totaled 27.4 percent and other populations totaled 9 percent.

(In 1960, 84% of immigrants were white Europeans.
In 2017, 13% of immigrants were white Europeans.)

——- 1940 ——-

TOTAL POPULATION OF US 1940:
132,164,569

TOTAL NONWHITE US POPULATION (1940 US CENSUS):
13,454,405

TOTAL NONWHITE US POPULATION – IMMIGRANTS
(FOREIGN BORN, 1940 US CENSUS):
175,758

% OF POPULATION – WHITE, 1940:
89.81%

% OF POPULATION – NONWHITE, 1940:
10.18%

============================
Source 2 (2002 data) – 1940 population by race (100-Percent Data), ^{[17, p.112]}:
White Pop: 118 214 870 – 89.81%
Nonwhite : 13 454 405 – 10.18%

Nonwhite Breakdown:
Black Pop: 12 865 518 – 9.8%
Native Am: 333 969 – 0.3%
Asian/Pac: 254 918 – 0.2%
============================

——- 1950 US Census Race Statistics ——-

TOTAL POPULATION OF US 1950:
158,804,396

TOTAL NONWHITE US POPULATION (1950 US CENSUS):
15,755,333 (15,044,598 negro, 710,735 nonwhite non-negro)

% OF POPULATION – WHITE, 1950:
90.08%

% OF POPULATION – NONWHITE, 1950:
9.92%

——- 1960 US Census Race Statistics ——-

TOTAL POPULATION OF US 1960:
186,720,570

WHITE
166,232,574

NEGRO
18,848,619

INDIAN
546,228

JAPANESE
473,170

CHINESE
236,084

FILIPINO
181,614

ALL OTHER NONWHITE
202,281

TOTAL NONWHITE US POPULATION (1960 US CENSUS):
20,487,996 (18,848,619 negro, 1,639,377 nonwhite non-negro)

% OF POPULATION – WHITE, 1960:
89.03%

% OF POPULATION – NONWHITE, 1960:
10.97%

——- 1970 US Census Race Statistics ——-

^{[17, p.102]}

TOTAL POPULATION OF US 1970 (100-Percent Data):
203,211,926

WHITE
177,748,975

NEGRO (BLACK)
22,580,289

AMER INDIAN/ESKIMO/ALEUT
827,255

ASIAN/PAC ISLANDER
1,538,721

ALL OTHER NONWHITE
516,686

TOTAL NONWHITE US POPULATION (1970 US CENSUS):
25,462,951 (22,580,289 negro, 2,882,662 nonwhite non-negro)

% OF POPULATION – WHITE, 1970:
87.47%

% OF POPULATION – NONWHITE, 1970:
12.53%

——- 1980 US Census Race Statistics ——-

^{[17, p.98]}

TOTAL POPULATION OF US 1980 (100-Percent Data):
226,545,805

WHITE
188,371,622

NEGRO
26,495,025

AMER INDIAN/ESKIMO/ALEUT
1,420,400

ASIAN/PAC ISLANDER
3,500,439

ALL OTHER NONWHITE
6,758,319

TOTAL NONWHITE US POPULATION (1980 US CENSUS):
38,174,183 (26,495,025 negro, 11,679,158 nonwhite non-negro)

% OF POPULATION – WHITE, 1980:
83.15%

% OF POPULATION – NONWHITE, 1980:
16.85%

——- 1990 US Census Race Statistics ——-

^{[17, p.95]}

TOTAL POPULATION OF US 1990:
248,709,873

WHITE
199,686,070

NEGRO
29,986,060

AMER INDIAN/ESKIMO/ALEUT
1,959,234

ASIAN/PAC ISLANDER
7,273,662

ALL OTHER NONWHITE
9,804,847

TOTAL NONWHITE US POPULATION (1990 US CENSUS):
49,023,803 (29,986,060 negro, 19,037,743 nonwhite non-negro)

% OF POPULATION – WHITE, 1990:
80.29%

% OF POPULATION – NONWHITE, 1990:
19.71%

——- 2000 US Census Race Statistics ——-

TOTAL POPULATION OF US 2000:
281,421,906

WHITE ALONE, NOT HISPANIC/LATINO
194,552,774

NEGRO
34,658,190

AMER INDIAN/ALASKAN
2,475,956

ASIAN
10,242,998

HAWAIIAN/PAC ISLANDER
398,835

SOME OTHER RACE
15,359,073

2 OR MORE
6,826,228

HISPANIC/LATINO
35,305,818

TOTAL NONWHITE US POPULATION (2000 US CENSUS):
105,267,098 (34,658,190 negro, 70,608,908 nonwhite non-negro)

[THERE MUST BE SOME OVERLAP. SO WE WILL USE TOTAL AGAINST NON-HISPANIC WHITE ALONE TO CALCULATE NONWHITES: 86,869,132]

% OF POPULATION – WHITE, 2000:
69.13%

% OF POPULATION – NONWHITE, 2000:
30.87%

——- 2010 US Census Race Statistics ——-

TOTAL POPULATION OF US 2010:
308,745,538

WHITE ALONE, NOT HISPANIC/LATINO
196,817,552

NEGRO
42,020,743

AMER INDIAN/ALASKAN
5,220,579

ASIAN
17,320,856

HAWAIIAN/PAC ISLANDER
1,225,195

SOME OTHER RACE
[No data]

2 OR MORE
9,009,073

HISPANIC/LATINO
50,477,594

TOTAL NONWHITE US POPULATION (2010 US CENSUS):
83,253,297 [PARTIAL DATA] (42,020,743 negro)

[THERE MUST BE SOME OVERLAP. SO WE WILL USE TOTAL AGAINST NON-HISPANIC WHITE ALONE TO CALCULATE NONWHITES: 111,927,986]

% OF POPULATION – WHITE, 2010:
63.75%

% OF POPULATION – NONWHITE, 2010:
36.25%

——- 2020 US Census Race Statistics ——-

TOTAL POPULATION OF US 2020:
331,002,647

WHITE ALONE, NOT HISPANIC/LATINO
191,319,530 [calculated from 57.8%, but this is unlikely to be factual, as it includes many nonwhites such as Jews, Arabs, etc]

NEGRO/BLACK
40,051,320 [calculated from 12.1%, but this is unlikely factual as it is a decline from 2010, which is inconsistent with the data]

% OF POPULATION – WHITE, 2020:
57.8%

% OF POPULATION – NONWHITE, 2020:
42.2%