US census: Hispanic and Asian-American driving US population growth

Population shifts revealed by the 2020 Census herald changes to come in US politics as the country becomes more diverse, experts say. The number of Americans who identify as white has fallen below 60% for the first time and population growth is being driven by ethnic minorities.

Results of the once-in-a-decade count will be used to draw voting districts ahead of next year's midterm elections.

The data, collected amid the Covid-19 pandemic, could fray political nerves.

It shows the demographic shift of every neighbourhood in the US over the last 10 years. It includes racial and ethnic data as well as the voting age population of each location.

The overall population grew by 7.4% over the last decade to reach 331 million. The rate of growth was the slowest since the 1930s.

Just over half of the total growth was a result of the increase in the US Hispanic population, which reached 62.1 million, or 18.7% of the total in 2020, compared to 16.4% in 2010 and 12.6% in 2000.