U.S. Hispanic and Asian Population Growth Levels Off
U.S. Asian and Hispanic/Latino population growth rates have started to slow, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Latinos and Asians are still the country's two fastest-growing minority groups, but their growth rates have slipped below the peaks reported earlier in the decade. This slowdown could dampen U.S. racial and ethnic change in the coming years. (May 2009)

Children in U.S. Immigrant Families Chart New Path
A new PRB report, Children in Immigrant Families Chart New Path, looks at the U.S. children of immigrants through a demographic lens. There are more than 16 million children living in America's immigrant families. The vast majority are U.S. citizens who were born in the United States to foreign-born parents. However, the well-being of children in immigrant families varies based on their parents' country of origin, education, and the circumstances of their migration to the United States. (March 2009)

U.S. Regional Population Losses Linked to High Unemployment
High unemployment rates are not just creating a drag on the U.S. economy, but are also linked to lagging population growth in economically distressed areas, according to a PRB analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Between 2007 and 2008, the population in distressed counties—areas with unemployment rates of 6 percent or more in 2007—grew 0.3 percent, compared with a 1.2 percent growth rate in areas with relatively low unemployment (less than 4 percent). (March 2009)

Immigration Response in Suburban Washington, DC
With a lack of clear federal legislation on immigration, some municipal governments are enacting restrictionist policies to address the changing demographics of their communities. Prince William County, an outer suburb of Washington, D.C., that has seen its immigrant population rise dramatically in recent years, has enacted strict laws to restrict immigration. The experience of Prince William County, and its implications for immigration debates at the local level across the United States, is studied in a new report by the Brookings Institution, "Immigrants, Politics, and Local Response in Suburban Washington."  (March 2009)

Immigrant Residential Segregation in U.S. Metropolitan Areas, 1990 to 2000
On Feb. 25, 2009, John Iceland, professor of sociology and demography at Pennsylvania State University, led a PRB Policy Seminar on racial and ethnic segregation in U.S. cities. According to Iceland, we are witnessing a pattern of "spatial assimilation" over time and across generations—a reduction in differences in the residential patterns across groups. He notes, however, that the extent and pace of spatial assimilation among immigrants is nevertheless affected by their race and ethnicity. His recent book,Where We Live Now: Immigration and Race in the United States, looks at the issue of residential segregation and examines trends among various groups using a variety of measures. (February 2009)

Sex Ratio at Birth Deteriorating Among Asian Immigrants in the United States
A new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports on a sex ratio that favors boys among U.S.-born children in Indian, Korean, and Chinese families. Using the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses, the study found that the ratio of male to female births is much higher if the first child is a girl and even higher, by as much as 50 percent, if the first two children are girls. (November 2008)

Finding and Using the Best Immigration Data Resources
Immigration is a polarizing topic in the United States, with people sharply divided about whether it is a positive or negative force for the country. Underlying these strong opinions are assumptions about the number and characteristics of foreigners living in the United States. What are the data behind these assumptions and how credible is the information? On Oct. 16, 2008, the Migration Policy Institute and Population Reference Bureau  held a seminar on how to find and use the most accurate and accessible data on immigration. View a webcast of the seminar. (October 2008)

Remittances Grow Along With International Migration
The number of cross-border migrants and the amount of cash flows across borders to support home communities continue to grow every year. Remittances, as these flows of money are known, are among the fastest-growing international financial flows. Formal remittances doubled between the late 1980s and mid-1990s to almost $60 billion a year, doubled again by 2002, and almost doubled yet again to $208 billion by 2006. The World Bank estimates that recorded remittance flows worldwide added up to $318 billion in 2007. This unprecedented transfer of cash raises new possibilities for economic growth and has captured the interest of policymakers.(October 2008)

Offshoring U.S. Labor Increasing
Offshoring is the movement of jobs and tasks from one country to another, usually from high-cost countries, such as the United States, to low-cost countries where wages are significantly lower. Offshoring is often confused with outsourcing, which is instead the movement of jobs and tasks from within a company to a supplier firm. The offshoring of manufacturing jobs has been occurring for decades, but the offshoring of services jobs is an incipient phenomenon, emerging in substantial numbers since 2002 and growing rapidly. (October 2008)

World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet (PDF: 854KB)

 This Population Bulletin is the companion report to PRB's 2008 World Population Data Sheet. The Bulletin highlights key findings from the data sheet on: world population trends, nutrition, environment, HIV/AIDS, urbanization, and migration. (BUL63.3, September 2008)