Richmond's fastest-growing demographic groups
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Metro Richmond's Hispanic, Pacific Islander and Asian populations saw the biggest percentage increases between 2000 and 2022, per a new Axios analysis.
Why it matters: Such demographic data is a vital snapshot of how the Richmond area's racial and ethnic makeup is changing over time, helping to inform policies and programs across the city.
By the numbers: Metro Richmond's Hispanic population grew by 324% to 103,000 people.
- The Pacific Islander population grew about 218% to 1,836 people.
- And the Asian population grew about 183% to 61,000 people.
Driving the news: Demographic trends are driven by a combination of factors, including varied birth, mortality and immigration rates (both internal and external) among different socioeconomic groups.
The big picture: Nationwide, the country's Pacific Islander, Asian and Hispanic populations saw the biggest percentage increases between 2000 and 2022.
- The number of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders grew about 120% to nearly 879,000, while the Asian population grew about 105% to 21 million.
- The country's Hispanic population grew about 80% to nearly 64 million.
- The Black population, meanwhile, grew 31% to 45.4 million.
Of note: The U.S. is still predominantly white, with growth of 19% between 2000 and 2022 to nearly 252 million.
Zoom in: Some states are seeing far more rapid demographic shifts than others.
- In Texas, for instance, Hispanic residents now officially make up the largest share of the state's population, the Texas Tribune reports.
- "The new population figures show Hispanic Texans made up 40.2% of the state's population last summer, barely edging out non-Hispanic white Texans, who made up 39.8%," per the Tribune.
Meanwhile: The country is also rapidly aging, Axios' Emily Peck recently reported, with the median age reaching a record 38.9 last year.