Between 2010 and 2011, the U.S. population increased by 0.7 percent, after averaging 0.9 percent growth each year from 2000 through 2010, reported Mark Mather, PRB associate vice president for Domestic Programs.  We added just 2.3 million people from 2010 to 2011, compared with 2.9 million from 2005 to 2006, just five years earlier.

The current decline is a “significant departure” from recent trends but “it’s too soon to tell whether it will continue or is a short-term result of the recession,” he said.

The U.S. population is currently projected to reach “majority-minority” status (the point at which less than 50 percent of the population is non-Hispanic white) in 2042. But a sustained drop in immigration levels and fertility rates would slow the pace of minority population growth.

Drop in Immigration: Between 2010 and 2011, net migration was estimated at around 700,000, down from 1.4 million per year in 2000 and 2001. This decline contributes to slower growth in the Latino and Asian American populations, and has been linked to job losses in occupations often filled by recent immigrants, as well as stricter immigration law enforcement.

Population Aging:  Between 2010 and 2011, the number of children declined by 190,000, while the number of elderly increased by 917,000; just a decade ago we added more children than elderly. Also down sharply is growth in the number of working-age adults, including those in prime childbearing ages. With more baby boomers retiring and fewer people of reproductive age, births could decline further, and the United States could start to resemble elderly-heavy, slow-growth European countries, Mather noted.

Declining Fertility Rates: There were an estimated 4 million births between 2010 and 2011, down from 4.2 million at the recent peak of U.S. population growth between 2005 and 2006. The total fertility rate (TFR) stood at an average of 2.0 lifetime births per woman in 2009—down from 2.1 a few years ago—but preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics suggest that the TFR could drop below 2 births per woman in 2010. Births among Latina women, a group with historically high fertility rates, could drop below 2.5 per woman in the near future.

Demographics have been changing in the United States for decades. Anyone over the age of fifty would have grown up in a country largely dominated by white and black citizenry. Those of generation X, generation Y, the millennials and younger grew up a nation with a much more hispanic population.

Hispanics are the fastest growing and second largest demographic in the United States behind non-Hispanic whites. The reason – white families are having few babies while Hispanic families are having more. On average, white mothers gave birth to 1.8 babies per mom while Hispanic women gave birth to 2.4.

While many point to a younger Hispanic average age as a root cause of a higher birth rate, it may actually be simpler than that – their belief system. Hispanics are overwhelmingly pro-life Catholics – abortion is not as socially acceptable as it is in other groups. Catholic families are also much less likely to use birth control.

As this new generation grows, it will ultimately spell the end of notion of America as a largely Caucasian population. Non-Hispanic whites will simply be one of several minorities that make up the nation’s citizenry – which could cause problems for affirmative action programs, minority business designations and other social justice programs based on the concept of “minority”. How will those determinations be made once all races are in the minority?

Whites of European decent still make up a large portion of American society – roughly 70%. What this new report shows is that in just a few generations, that will change drastically.

The report showed a return from weakness mainly in automobiles and aircraft manufacturing. And some renewed weakness in the defense sector.

Excluding transportation, new orders increased just 0.7 percent. Cars and auto parts grew a much more than expected 11.7% over June probably illustrating a recovery from the impacts of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

Commercial aircraft and parts also contributed to the positive report with a 7.9% month-over-month increase in shipments and a surprising increase of 43.4% in new orders.

The negative side of the report focused on defense spending. Military aircraft and parts shipments dropped 9.7% and new orders were 6.1%. In June the same sector had seen new orders drop more than 20%.