Page 29 - The City of Greensboro Conditions and Trends

CITY OF GREENSBORO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CONDITIONS & TRENDS

Demographics: The Changing Face of America

The Trend

Municipalities across the country are dealing with, and adapting to, the changing demographics of American cities which
have changed in a variety of ways. Over the last 20 years, statistics on America’s population, including race, age, place of
birth, home-ownership, and family structure, have undergone significant transformations.

Background

Population Growth

The US Census Bureau estimates that by the year 2055, America will have added approximately 100 million people,
reaching a total of around 400 million. According to the Pew Research Center, over the next five decades, the majority of US
population growth is projected to be linked to new Asian and Hispanic immigration. At the state and local level, this
population growth will be primarily in urban areas, which will in turn equate to increases in the need for city services,
infrastructure, housing, and multilingual services.

Race and Ethnicity

The racial composition of America’s population is shifting towards a more diverse and multicultural nation. This trend holds
true for both North Carolina and Greensboro. According to the Pew Research Center, by 2055, the US will not have a
defined racial ethnic majority. According to the Economic Policy Institute, by 2043, Latino and Asian populations are
expected to nearly triple, and approximately 60% of people under age 18 will be non-white. Research also indicates that a
large percentage of babies born in the coming decades will be of mixed race/ethnicity with one white parent. The way race
is defined and categorized will change drastically during the coming decades.

Greensboro’s white population has decreased annually as a percentage for some time, from 53% of the population in 2010
to 48% in 2015. Conversely, the non-white population in Greensboro has been increasing since 2012 with Hispanic or Latino
populations representing 7.8% of the total in 2015. Being inclusive and having equitable distribution of city services will be
an even larger responsibility for Greensboro in years to come.

Age

Age composition trends for the US as a whole and for its major cities are starkly different. The median age for the nation is
rising, while the median age in many cities is steadily decreasing. The rise of the median age in the country is due to a
variety of factors tied to longer life expectancy, which has improved due to better access to health care and education.
Urban areas tend to have a younger population while rural areas tend to be older. Research shows that young college
graduates prefer dense, urban, walkable areas. The number of young college graduates living in urban areas has risen since
2000, while the share of working-class high school graduates has decreased. Working class young adults are responding to
higher urban rents by moving to cheaper and less dense areas of the cities, which means longer and more expensive
commutes. This trend is especially apparent in revitalized areas like Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.

Greensboro’s median age is on the rise; between 2000 and 2015 the percentage of residents 44 and under have decreased
by 5.4%, while residents 45 and up have increased by 14.8%.

DRAFT -29- March 15, 2018