This graph shows the population of the U.S. by race and ethnic group from 2000 to 2023. In 2023, there were around 21.39 million people of Asian origin living in the United States. A ranking of the most spoken languages across the world can be accessed here. U.S. populationCurrently, the white population makes up the vast majority of the United States’ population, accounting for some 252.07 million people in 2023. This ethnicity group contributes to the highest share of the population in every region, but is especially noticeable in the Midwestern region. The Black or African American resident population totaled 45.76 million people in the same year. The overall population in the United States is expected to increase annually from 2022, with the 320.92 million people in 2015 expected to rise to 341.69 million people by 2027. Thus, population densities have also increased, totaling 36.3 inhabitants per square kilometer as of 2021. Despite being one of the most populous countries in the world, following China and India, the United States is not even among the top 150 most densely populated countries due to its large land mass. Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world and has a population density of 24,621.5 inhabitants per square kilometer as of 2021. As population numbers in the U.S. continues to grow, the Hispanic population has also seen a similar trend from 35.7 million inhabitants in the country in 2000 to some 62.65 million inhabitants in 2021. This growing population group is a significant source of population growth in the country due to both high immigration and birth rates. The United States is one of the most racially diverse countries in the world.

This web map summarizes racial and ethnic diversity in the United States. The Diversity Index shows the likelihood that two persons chosen at random from the same area, belong to different race or ethnic groups. The index ranges from 0 (no diversity) to 100 (complete diversity). The diversity score for the entire United States in 2010 is 60. This data variable is included in Esri’s Updated Demographics (2010/2015). Diversity in the U.S. population is increasing. The states with the most diverse populations are California, Hawaii, and New Mexico. This map shows Esri's 2010 estimates using Census 2000 geographies. The geography depicts States at greater than 25m scale, Counties at 1m to 25m scale, Census Tracts at 250k to 1m scale, and Census Block Groups at less than 250k scale.Esri's Updated Demographics (2010/2015) – Population, age, income, sex, and race are among the variables included in the database. Each year, Esri's data development team employs its proven methodologies to update more than 2,000 demographic variables for a variety of geographies. See Updated Demographics for more information. Information about the USA Diversity Index map service used in this map is here.

This statistic shows the public opinion on the racial diversity of selected music genres in the United States as of May 2018, by age. During the survey, 25 percent of respondents stated that they considered rap/hip-hop to be the most racially diverse music genre.

In 2022, 51 percent of Generation Z in the United States were White. In comparison, 48 percent of Gen Alpha were White in that year, making it the first generation that does not have a majority White population in the United States.

Institutions of higher education (IHE) throughout the United States have a long history of acting out various levels of commitment to diversity advancement, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Despite decades of DEI “efforts,” the academy is fraught with legacies of racism that uphold white supremacy and prevent marginalized populations from full participation. Furthermore, politicians have not only weaponized education but passed legislation to actively ban DEI programs and censor general education curricula (https://tinyurl.com/antiDEI). Ironically, systems of oppression are particularly apparent in the fields of Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (EECB)–which recognize biological diversity as essential for ecological integrity and resilience. Yet, amongst EECB faculty, people who do not identify as cis-heterosexual, non-disabled, affluent white males are poorly represented. Furthermore, IHE lack metrics to quantify DEI as a priority. Here we show that only 30.3% of US-faculty positions advertised in EECB from Jan 2019-May 2020 required a diversity statement; diversity statement requirements did not correspond with state-level diversity metrics. Though many announcements “encourage women and minorities to apply,” empirical evidence demonstrates that hiring committees at most institutions did not prioritize an applicant’s DEI advancement potential. We suggest a model for change and call on administrators and faculty to implement SMART (i.e., Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) strategies for DEI advancement across IHE throughout the United States. We anticipate our quantification of diversity statement requirements relative to other application materials will motivate institutional change in both policy and practice when evaluating a candidate’s potential “fit”. IHE must embrace a leadership role to not only shift the academic culture to one that upholds DEI, but to educate and include people who represent the full diversity of our society. In the current context of political censure of education including book banning and backlash aimed at Critical Race Theory, which further reinforce systemic white supremacy, academic integrity and justice are more critical than ever. Methods Here we investigated the (lack of) process in faculty searches at IHE for evaluating candidates’ ability to advance DEI objectives. We quantified the prevalence of required diversity statements relative to research and/or teaching statements for all faculty positions posted to the Eco-Evo Jobs Board (http://ecoevojobs.net) from January 2019 - May 2020 as a proxy for institutional DEI prioritization (Supplement). We also mapped the job posts that required diversity statements geographically to gauge whether and where diversity is valued in higher education across the US. Data analysis We pulled all faculty jobs posted on Eco-Evo jobs board (http://ecoevojobs.net) from Jan 1, 2019, to May 31, 2020. For each position, we recorded the Location (i.e., state), Subject Area, Closing Date, Rank, whether or not the position is Tenure Track, and individual application materials (i.e., Research statement, Teaching statement, combined Teaching and Research statement, Diversity statement, Mentorship statement). Of the 543 faculty positions posted during this time, we eliminated 299 posts because the web links were broken or application information was no longer available (i.e., “NA”), leaving 244 faculty job posts. For each of the retained posts, we coded the requirement of teaching, research, diversity, and/or mentorship statements as follows:

"Yes” = statement required “No” = statement not required “Other” = application materials did not explicitly require a Diversity Statement (i.e., option or suggested that applicants include a statement on diversity and inclusion as a component of their teaching and/or research statement or in their cover letter)

Data visualization We created a Sankey diagram using Sankey Flow Show (THORTEC Software GmbH: www.sankeyflowshow.com) to compare diversity and representation from the general population, through (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) STEM academia (a career hierarchy often referred to as the “leaky pipeline”). We procured population data from the US Census Bureau (US Department of Commerce: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219) and quantified the diversity/representation in Conservation Biology (https://datausa.io/profile/cip/ecology-evolution-systematics-population-biology#demographics) and Ecology (https://datausa.io/profile/cip/conservation-biology) using Data USA (developed by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and Datawheel). We used the 2015 Diversity Index (produced by PolicyLink and the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity: https://nationalequityatlas.org/indicators/Diversity_index/Ranking:33271/United_States/false/Year(s):2015/) to quantify relative ethnic diversity per state, and graphed Figure 2B using the tidyverse, rgdal, broom, and rgeos packages in R (see Base code used to produce Figure 2 in R, below). The Diversity index measures the representation of White, Black, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, and Mixed/other race in a given population. A maximum possible diversity score (1.79) would indicate even representation of all ethnic/racial groups. We checked all figures using the Color Blindness Simulator (ColBlindor: https://www.color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator/) to maintain inclusivity.

In 2023, California had the highest Hispanic population in the United States, with over 15.76 million people claiming Hispanic heritage. Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois rounded out the top five states for Hispanic residents in that year. History of Hispanic people Hispanic people are those whose heritage stems from a former Spanish colony. The Spanish Empire colonized most of Central and Latin America in the 15th century, which began when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492. The Spanish Empire expanded its territory throughout Central America and South America, but the colonization of the United States did not include the Northeastern part of the United States. Despite the number of Hispanic people living in the United States having increased, the median income of Hispanic households has fluctuated slightly since 1990. Hispanic population in the United States Hispanic people are the second-largest ethnic group in the United States, making Spanish the second most common language spoken in the country. In 2021, about one-fifth of Hispanic households in the United States made between 50,000 to 74,999 U.S. dollars. The unemployment rate of Hispanic Americans has fluctuated significantly since 1990, but has been on the decline since 2010, with the exception of 2020 and 2021, due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Despite comprising of a smaller share of the U.S. population than African Americans or Hispanics, the most represented non-white U.S. CEOs were of an Asian background. They made up 55 percent of CEO positions at Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies in 2024. By comparison, 11 percent of CEOs at the time were African American. The rise of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) Investments in ESG have risen dramatically over last few years. In November 2023 there were approximately 480 billion U.S. dollars in ESG ETF assets worldwide, compared to 16 billion U.S. dollars in 2015. ESG measures were put in place to encourage companies to act responsibly, with the leading reason for ESG investing stated to be brand and reputation according to managers and asset owners. Gender diversity With the general acceptance of ESG in larger companies, there has still been a significant employment gap of women working in senior positions. For example, the share of women working as a partner or principal at EY, one of the largest accounting firms in the world, was just only 28 percent in 2023.

The statistic shows the share of U.S. population, by race and Hispanic origin, in 2016 and a projection for 2060. As of 2016, about 17.79 percent of the U.S. population was of Hispanic origin. Race and ethnicity in the U.S. For decades, America was a melting pot of the racial and ethnical diversity of its population. The number of people of different ethnic groups in the United States has been growing steadily over the last decade, as has the population in total. For example, 35.81 million Black or African Americans were counted in the U.S. in 2000, while 43.5 million Black or African Americans were counted in 2017.

The median annual family income in the United States in 2017 earned by Black families was about 50,870 U.S. dollars, while the average family income earned by the Asian population was about 92,784 U.S. dollars. This is more than 15,000 U.S. dollars higher than the U.S. average family income, which was 75,938 U.S. dollars.

The unemployment rate varies by ethnicity as well. In 2018, about 6.5 percent of the Black or African American population in the United States were unemployed. In contrast to that, only three percent of the population with Asian origin was unemployed.

How racially diverse are residents in Massachusetts? This topic shows the demographic breakdown of residents by race/ethnicity and the increases in the Non-white population since 2010.

California was the state with the highest resident population in the United States in 2024, with 39.43 million people. Wyoming had the lowest population with about 590,000 residents. Living the American Dream Ever since the opening of the West in the United States, California has represented the American Dream for both Americans and immigrants to the U.S. The warm weather, appeal of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, as well as cities that stick in the imagination such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, help to encourage people to move to California. Californian demographics California is an extremely diverse state, as no one ethnicity is in the majority. Additionally, it has the highest percentage of foreign-born residents in the United States. By 2040, the population of California is expected to increase by almost 10 million residents, which goes to show that its appeal, both in reality and the imagination, is going nowhere fast.

Ethnic minorities were more likely to be in favor of racially diversifying adverts in the United States, a survey from June 2020 found. The African American demographic was most in favor of change, with 65 percent of respondents in saying they would like to see more racial diversity in ads. The same was true for 49 percent of Hispanics in the country.

In the fiscal year of 2019, 21.39 percent of active-duty enlisted women were of Hispanic origin. The total number of active duty military personnel in 2019 amounted to 1.3 million people.

Ethnicities in the United States The United States is known around the world for the diversity of its population. The Census recognizes six different racial and ethnic categories: White American, Native American and Alaska Native, Asian American, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are classified as a racially diverse ethnicity.

The largest part of the population, about 61.3 percent, is composed of White Americans. The largest minority in the country are Hispanics with a share of 17.8 percent of the population, followed by Black or African Americans with 13.3 percent. Life in the U.S. and ethnicity However, life in the United States seems to be rather different depending on the race or ethnicity that you belong to. For instance: In 2019, native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders had the highest birth rate of 58 per 1,000 women, while the birth rae of white alone, non Hispanic women was 49 children per 1,000 women.

The Black population living in the United States has the highest poverty rate with of all Census races and ethnicities in the United States. About 19.5 percent of the Black population was living with an income lower than the 2020 poverty threshold. The Asian population has the smallest poverty rate in the United States, with about 8.1 percent living in poverty.

The median annual family income in the United States in 2020 earned by Black families was about 57,476 U.S. dollars, while the average family income earned by the Asian population was about 109,448 U.S. dollars. This is more than 25,000 U.S. dollars higher than the U.S. average family income, which was 84,008 U.S. dollars.

In 2023, the number of Hispanic and Latino residents in California had surpassed the number of White residents, with about 15.76 million Hispanics compared to 12.96 million white residents. California’s residents California has always held a special place in the American imagination as a place where people can start a new life and increase their personal fortunes. Perhaps due partly to this, California is the most populous state in the United States, with over 39 million residents, which is a significant increase from the number of residents in 1960. California is also the U.S. state with the largest population of foreign born residents. The Californian economy The Californian economy is particularly strong and continually contributes a significant amount to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States. Its per-capita GDP is also high, which indicates a high standard of living for its residents. Additionally, the median household income in California has more than doubled from 1990 levels.

According to a study conducted in 2023, the majority of the most viewed TV shows in the United States featured white lead characters. Additionally, Black lead protagonists were present in 68 percent of these programs, while Hispanic actors were significantly lower represented, at 42 percent of the TV shows.

In 2021, the distribution by race and ethnicity reveals how diverse family caregivers are in the United States. That year, nearly two-thirds of family caregivers in the United States were white. However, with a 17 percent share in 2021, the second-most common race and ethnicity of family caregivers was Hispanic, followed by Black/African American.

The statistic presents the results of a survey on the share of adults who would watch more superhero movies if they were more diverse in the United States as of March 2019. During the survey, ten percent of respondents stated that they strongly agreed with the statement that they would watch more superhero movies if they were more diverse.

In 2021, New York had a total of 53 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state. California, Texas, Illinois, and Ohio rounded out the top five of states with the most Fortune 500 companies.

What is the Fortune 500?

The Fortune 500 is an annual list published by Fortune magazine that shows the largest corporations in the United States by total revenue within the fiscal year. The list includes both publicly and privately held companies. Being on the Fortune 500 list is one of the most prestigious marks a company can achieve.

Diversity in the Fortune 500

Increasing diversity has become a hot topic within the business world in recent years and it shows on the boards of Fortune 500 companies. Fortune 500 companies are appointing more diverse individuals to board of director positions and the share of women, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans in these positions have all more than doubled since 2009.

Zoom Video Communications was ranked the highest company for diversity and inclusion among the leading U.S. tech companies in 2021, according to the source's sentiment analysis*. Zoom had a ranking of 9.46 on a 0 to 10 scale. The company towered over any of the other companies' rankings, which were around 7 or below. At the bottom of the list for diversity and inclusion were Uber, Amazon, and PayPal with only 4 or below.

In 2022, racial diversity at Citigroup in the United States varied across job categories. On the executive and senior level, 66 percent of the officials and managers identified as white, 13.6 percent as Asian, approximately 8.7 percent as Hispanic or Latino, and Black or African American for each. The share of white employees decreased on lower corporate levels. The share of Asian employees was the highest among the professionals, at 27.1 percent. Hispanic employees were the most represented among technicians, at 29.2 percent, and the share of Black or African American employees was the highest among the administrative support workers, at 18.1 percent.

In 2023, almost 77 percent of people employed in the motion picture and video industries in the United States identified as white. About one out of ten employees identified as Black or African American. That same year, almost two-thirds of employees in the U.S. film industry were male.