Washington, April 15 (IANS) New York, Washington and 44 other of America's 366 metro areas have flipped from majority white to majority populations of minorities during the last decade, according to new census data.

That number is up from 32 in 2000, 10 in 1990 and nine in 1980, according to William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution with San Diego, Las Vegas and Memphis among others joining cities where white people are now in the minority.

The changes are a result of relatively slow growth among the white population, white people moving outside metropolitan areas, and huge increases in minority populations, especially Hispanic and Asian, including Indians.

Recent analysis also showed white children are in the minority in 10 states.

The 2010 Census figures "show we're becoming a more diverse nation, especially in our metropolitan areas, and it's filtering out from there," Frey was quoted as saying by CNN.

Meanwhile, the growing Hispanic population in the United States has reached a new milestone, topping 50 million, or 16.3 percent of the nation, officially solidifying its position as the country's second-largest group, US Census Bureau officials said Thursday.

"Overall, we've learned that our nation's population has become more racially and ethnically diverse over the past 10 years," said Nicholas A. Jones, chief of the bureau's racial statistics branch.

The most significant trend emerging from the 2010 census appeared to be the nation's new count of 50.5 million Latinos, officials said.

The Hispanic population grew 43 percent since 2000, they said. In stark contrast, all other populations together grew by only about 5 percent, officials said. The nation as a whole expanded by 9.7 percent.

The Asian population also grew 43 percent, increasing from 10.2 million in 2000 to 14.7 million in 2010, officials said. Asians now account for about 5 percent of the nation's population.

The African-American population, which grew by about 4.3 million, is now about 40 million, or 12.6 percent of the population, a slight increase over 12.3 percent in 2000, officials said.

The census data show that while the white population increased by 2.2 million to 196.8 million, its share of the total population dropped to 64 percent from 69 percent, officials said.

"The face of the country is changing," said Jeffrey Passel, demographer at the Pew Hispanic Centre.

       
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