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Strollerderby
Population Jumps Even As Birth Rates Fall
The birth rate is the lowest in a century
The U.S. population increased 9.7% according to the 2010 census. There are over 308 million people calling the United States home now.
That increase comes in spite of a major recession and the lowest birth rate in a century. The population increase is being driven by immigration and longer lifespans. So we have fewer babies, but more people.
How will that change the country our kids grow up in?
The NYT article about population gains focuses on political impacts: how will redistricting affect the Republicans and Democrats in their wrestling for control of the legislature.
At the moment, I’m more interested in how a population that’s growing through immigration while the birth rate drops will affect politics on the playground. The population gains are mainly in the Southern and Western states, where large numbers of immigrants from Latin America have settled. We’ll have a more Hispanic-influenced culture. Spanish will be an even more useful job skill.
Will fewer babies now mean fewer classmates for mykids in the future? Less competition for spots at Harvard? Higher taxes as fewer workers struggle to pay Social Security for my parents, and eventually for me? Will we become more like Europe, where falling birthrates and large immigrant communities have been the norm for a generation? If we do, will we suddenly live in a paradise of modular furniture and family leave benefits?
Photo: jhecking
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