Has the white population in America peaked?

White deaths outnumbered births for the the first time in a century

The caucasian population lost nearly 12,000 people in 2012.
(Image credit: Thinkstock/iStockphoto)

In a surprise to demographers, deaths exceeded births among American whites for the first time in a century, according to new data released this week by the Census Bureau.

For the year ending July 2012, there were 12,000 more deaths among the white population than the number off births. That decline came a decade earlier than was previously expected; the Census Bureau estimated last year that the white population would peak in 2024 and then decline by about 20.6 million through 2060.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.