Page 6 - AT

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 25 OctOber 2019
Census report: U.S. population will get older, more diverse

By MIKE SCHNEIDER rently 2.3 million people per
Associated Press year, is expected to slow to
The U.S. population will 1.6 million people a year by
grow older and more di- 2060.
verse over the next four de- Growth comes from im-
cades, according to new migration and from births
Census Bureau projections outpacing deaths, but that
presented Thursday at a natural increase will de-
meeting of demographers. cline as the nation ages.
As the U.S. median age The nation's median age is
increases, there will be a expected to go from 38 to-
smaller ratio of workers in day to 43 by 2060.
the labor force able to pay Young adults are getting
the payroll tax that funds married and having chil-
Social Security payments to dren at older ages than their
people of retirement age. parents and grandparents,
In 15 years, the number of and they won't be having
people over age 65 will be children in the numbers to
larger than the number of replace the Baby Boomers,
children for the first time said Andrew Beveridge, a
in U.S. history, according demographer at the City
to the presentation at a University of New York. As
Southern Demographic As- the number of people over
sociation meeting in New age 65 grows, the share of
Orleans. working-age adults — who
A "demographic tidal pay, along with their em-
wave" is one big reason ployers, for Social Security
for the nation's expected In this June 21, 2019, file photo, commuters walk through a corridor in the World Trade Center through a payroll tax — will
aging and the eventual Transportation Hub, in New York. also decline. Next year,
drop in natural population Associated Press there are expected to be
increase from births out- they will likely experience 2060, the projections show. Other fast-growing groups 3.5 working-age adults for
pacing deaths. That wave mortality," Plyer said. "Immigrants do continue to include Asians, whose every person of retirement
is the Baby Boomers, born As the U.S. grows older, it fill in the ranks of working- growth will be driven by age, but that ratio declines
between the end of World will also become more di- age population and work- migration, and Hispanics, to 2.5 by 2060, according
War Two and around the verse, with children lead- force as the Baby Boomers whose growth in the U.S. to the projections.
time of the American inva- ing the way. By next year, age," Plyer said. "The most will be driven by natural in- That ratio will put the U.S.
sion of The Beatles. no single race group alone likely people to replace creases, according to the more in line with Europe,
"The youngest Baby Boom- will make up more than half them will be people of col- projections. though it won't be as se-
ers are 55 and older now, of U.S. children, the projec- or, particularly Latinos who The U.S. is expected to vere as in Japan, which
said Allison Plyer, a demog- tions show. are already here and have cross the 400 million-per- for years has had an ag-
rapher attending the meet- Although non-Hispanic children." son threshold by 2058, as it ing population without the
ing. "In 10 years, they will be whites currently are a ma- People who identify as two adds 79 million more peo- help of migration to add
65 and older, and as those jority in the U.S., their num- or more races will be the ple in 40 years, but annual to the population, the de-
folks pass away over the bers will dip below 50% of fastest-growing group in growth will slow down. The mographers said.
decades, that's a very larg- the population in 40 years, the next 40 years, with their U.S. has about 326 million "It's definitely a shift, but
er section of our population declining from 199 million population expanding as people today. we're not going to be like
reaching an age where next year to 179 million in births outpace deaths. Population growth, cur- Japan," Beveridge said.q

Fewer U.S. children in foster care; first drop since 2012

By DAVID CRARY The number dropped children in foster care. They bers had soared earlier in in their late teens aged out
AP National Writer steadily to about 396,000 in credited the expansion this decade. Parental ne- of the system in 2018 with-
NEW YORK (AP) — The 2012 before rising again as of prevention programs glect was the most com- out being placed with per-
number of children in the the opioid epidemic and aimed at supporting fami- mon reason for children manent families.
U.S. foster care system has other forms of drug abuse lies before a need arises to to be removed from their During the surge in the fos-
dropped for the first time began to worsen across remove a child from their homes in 2018 — a factor ter care population, many
since 2012, stemming a the U.S. The new data home. “We hope to see a in placing about 163,500 state child welfare agen-
surge that was linked to also showed that a record continued indication that children into foster care. cies struggled to recruit an
substance abuse by par- 63,100 children were ad- child welfare systems are About 94,400 children were adequate number of foster
ents, according to new opted out of the U.S. child relying less on foster care removed because of pa- parents. A recent survey
federal data released on welfare system in the 2018 and serving more chil- rental substance abuse, up by the Chronicle of Social
Thursday. fiscal year, up from 59,500 dren and families in their from 92,100 in 2017. change, which tracks fos-
The annual report from the in 2017. home and communities,” About 10% of foster chil- ter-care trends nationwide,
Department of Health and However, the number of said Jerry Milner, associate dren were residing in institu- found that the total number
Human Services counted children in foster care wait- commissioner of HHS’s Chil- tions or group homes at the of licensed foster homes in
437,283 children in foster ing to be adopted also in- dren’s Bureau. close of the 2018 fiscal year the U.S. had increased from
care as of Sept. 30, 2018, creased, rising from 123,754 The biggest decreases in — down from 14% in 2015 2018 to 2019. However, the
down from about 441,000 a to 125,400. the foster care population and reflecting new policies Chronicle said the num-
year earlier. HHS officials said they were occurred in Arizona and In- aimed at reducing the use ber of licensed homes de-
The peak was 524,000 chil- encouraged by the slight diana, which were among of so-called congregate clined by more than 10% in
dren in foster care in 2002. decrease in the number of the states where the num- care. About 17,000 youths 11 states.q