The Children of America - Diversity Of Children

Census data show that white, non-Hispanic children steadily declined as a percentage of the child population from 74% in 1980 to 63% in 1999. That decline was projected to continue to 53% by 2020. In a reverse trend, Hispanic children, who were 9% of the child population in 1980, were projected to rise to 24% by 2020 (America's Children in Brief: Key Indicators of Well-Being, 2004).

The distribution of children by race and ethnicity varied widely by relationship to the householder in Census 2000. Although 15% percent of all children were identified as African-American, they represented 32% of all grandchildren, 35% of all foster children, and 29% of all children who were other relatives of the householder. This data suggested that African-American children were more likely to live in extended family households. Twenty-eight percent of Hispanic children age fifteen to seventeen were householders or spouses, a statistic that the Census Bureau suggested may have indicated early marriage patterns. (See Table 3.1.)

Children with disabilities posed unique challenges for families. While 5.7% of all children counted in 2000 had disabilities, they represented 22.4% of all foster children. The most significant proportion of children with disabilities (4.5%) had difficulty learning, remembering, or concentrating. Just over 1% of children had multiple disabilities. (See Table 3.1.)