United States of America eSeries: Census shows how much America has changed

Census shows how much America has changed

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Thursday 08.12.21

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by Paul LeBlanc and Zachary B. Wolf

: Today's America

The US is more diverse and more multiracial than ever before, according to new 2020 Census data released earlier Thursday.

The once-a-decade report describes a country in flux, with the White population shrinking, the Hispanic or Latino population growing and cities attracting more people than ever before.

"Our analysis of the 2020 Census results show that the US population is much more multiracial, and more racially and ethnically diverse than what we measured in the past," said Nicholas Jones, the director and senior adviser of race and ethnic research and outreach in the US Census Bureau's population division.

Key findings:

The White population remained the largest race or ethnicity group in the United States, with 204.3 million people identifying as White alone. Overall, 235.4 million people reported White alone or in combination with another group. However, the data showed that the "White alone" population decreased by 8.6% since 2010.
The "two or more races population" (also referred to as the multiracial population) changed considerably this past decade. The multiracial population was "measured at 9 million people in 2010 and is now 33.8 million people in 2020, a 276% increase."
Meanwhile, the Hispanic or Latino population, which includes people of any race, "was 62.1 million in 2020." It grew 23%, while the population that was not of Hispanic or Latino origin grew 4.3% since 2010, the Census said.
Cities have grown faster than the nation as a whole. Population in metro areas grew by 8.7% since 2010.
The US population grew from roughly 308.7 million in 2010 to 331.4 million, a 7.35% increase. That's the slowest population growth since 1930-1940 — the decade of the Great Depression.

Get ready to hear a lot about redistricting. The data released Thursday will be used to draw congressional and state legislative district lines.

The declining rural population and increasing concentration of Americans in cities could in some places provide favorable conditions for Democrats — whose voters are more urban than Republicans' rural base — as states begin their processes of drawing new legislative boundaries.

The sad pandemic reality. Because the census is a snapshot of the country as of April 1, 2020, the count doesn't include hundreds of thousands of Americans who have died from Covid-19 in the time since.

🎧🔌: For more on the Census count and its considerable political impact, listen to Thursday's CNN Political Briefing podcast hosted by CNN national correspondent Kristen Holmes.

: Rethinking 'breakthrough' infections

The term "breakthrough" infection is being thrown around more and more as the Delta coronavirus variant fuels a new spike in cases nationwide.

The expression has been used to describe an infection that "broke" through the protective immunity of the vaccine -- and this is sometimes misinterpreted as a sign the vaccine is not working.

In reality, it's just the opposite.

As CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta puts it: Maybe it's time to shelve the freighted term "breakthrough infection" and look for a new name. After all, the vaccine isn't like building an impenetrable fortress around our house that gets broken through. It's more like stationing sentries -- lookouts -- who can give early warning of an imminent attack and get the rank-and-file immune system soldiers ready to defend.

An alternative phrase I've heard in some circles is "post-vaccine infection." I like it because it doesn't carry the connotation of vaccine failure -- it's just a neutral term for what we expect to happen in some people over the course of time.

Mask mess. Read this New York Times report. The CDC's latest mask guidance has some experts asking: Would it have made more sense just to call for everyone to mask up?

(We spoke to three experts back in May who were deeply divided over what role masks should play in the US pandemic response.)

The President takes on anti-mask ordinances. "This isn't about politics. This is about keeping our children safe," President Joe Biden said at the start of remarks at the White House Thursday afternoon.

Another federal vaccine mandate. Covid-19 vaccinations will be required for the more than 25,000 health care staff and volunteers working at the Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Xavier Becerra announced Thursday.

Should you cancel travel plans? "The most important factor to consider is the medical risk of your household. Specifically, is everyone in your house vaccinated? If everyone is vaccinated and generally healthy, you are very well-protected from getting severely ill from Covid-19," CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen explained.

"Many people in this circumstance might decide that they could take the risk of mild symptoms if they were to contract coronavirus and proceed with all their original travel plans."

: What else?

Texas Senate advances restrictive voting bill. SB1 includes broad new protection and access for partisan poll watchers, mail-in ballot restrictions, a drive-thru voting ban, restrictions to the early voting timeframe, video surveillance and assistance restrictions.

Big trouble for Big Lie peddlers. Three major defamation lawsuits from Dominion Voting Systems against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and the right-wing lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani will move forward toward a trial, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday.

US considering moving embassy in Afghanistan. The Biden national security team has been holding calls and meetings Thursday with what sources describe as a growing sense of urgency about the accelerating Taliban gains in Afghanistan.

Dangerous heat wave continues. Nearly 58 million people are under excessive heat warnings, with major cities like New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Kansas City, Seattle and Portland included in this highest-level alert.

: What are we doing here?

We're trying to connect the dots at a time of political, cultural and economic upheaval.