Multicultural Markets at a Glance

Any advertiser striving to reach U.S. consumers must realize that nearly one third of their audience, or 87 million people, belongs to a non-White racial or ethnic group.

In 2000, the U.S. population included 34.7 million Blacks/African Americans, 35.3 million Hispanics and 10.1 million Americans of Asian descent. Growth trends show that these ethnic populations will continue to fuel the growth of the total population. In fact, while the White population of the U.S. grew only 5.9 percent between 1990 and 2000, the African American, Hispanic and Asian populations combined grew 35 percent.

The African American Market at a Glance

• The population identifying themselves African American alone grew 15.6 percent between 1990 and 2000 to 34.7 million. An additional 1.7 million people identify themselves as African American in combination with another race.
• The median age of African Americans is 30.3 years compared to 35.3 years for the total population.
• There are more African American households in the U.S. - 12.1 million - than any other ethnic group.
  
  

The Hispanic Market at a Glance

• At 35.3 million, Hispanics are the largest ethnic group in the U.S.
• The Hispanic population is also the fastest-growing ethnic segment. The Hispanic population grew 58 percent between 1990 and 2000.
• Hispanics are a young population with a median age of 25.9 years.
• Hispanic households are larger on average with 3.9 members per household.

The Asian Market at a Glance

• In 2000, 10.2 million people in the U.S. identified themselves as Asian alone and another 1.7 million identified themselves as Asian in combination with another race.
• The Asian population is slightly younger than the population as whole with a median age of 32.7 years.
• Asian Americans are more likely than the population as whole to live in metropolitan areas. Nearly 96 percent live in metropolitan areas of the U.S.