Census: Minorities comprise half of under-5 group

WASHINGTON — For the first time, America’s racial and ethnic minorities now make up about half of the under-5 age group. It’s a historic shift that shows how young people are at the forefront of sweeping changes by race and class. The latest 2012 census estimates come a year after the Census Bureau reported that whites had fallen to a minority among babies. Fueled by immigration and high rates of birth, particularly among Hispanics, racial and ethnic minorities are now growing more rapidly in numbers than whites. Thomas Mesenbourg, who is the Census Bureau’s acting director, says that based on current rates of growth, whites in the under-5 age group are expected to tip to a minority this year or next.