Wednesday, May 02, 2012
(photo: Flora Wallechinsky)
More Americans had biracial children last decade compared to the previous 10-year period, according to statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Of the 3.5 million children born in 2009, about 7% were of two or more races. At the end of the 1990s, the rate was barely 5%.
There are two major factors in the growth. Interracial marriage is more common than it used to be. According to Census Bureau figures, interracial and interethnic marriage grew by 28% between 2000 and 2010. This was seen most frequently in states with large Hispanic populations.
In addition, biracial children are more comfortable self-identifying as biracial rather than picking one race. President Barack Obama exemplifies the older generations: even though his mother was white, on his census form he identified himself as black.
-David Wallechinsky, Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
Number of Biracial Babies Soars Over Past Decade (by Carol Morello, Washington Post)
2010 Census Shows Interracial and Interethnic Married Couples Grew by 28 Percent over Decade (U.S. Census Bureau)
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