Aren't Americans white? I mean, the vast majority? Suivre l’histoire

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So, this is a question whose answer isn’t as simple as it might seem. On the one hand, take major cities:

Los Angeles

• almost 1.9 million Latinos/Hispanics, outnumbering the non-Hispanic white people there

Chicago

• has over 840 thousand blacks, just a pinch less compared to the white population

New York

• has over 2 million Hispanics and black people each, although the Asians aren’t far behind

Atlanta

• with almost 70 thousand more blacks than whites

New Orleans

• with over 100 thousand more blacks than whites

Houston

• over 400 thousand more Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites.

Other major cities with a majority of minorities: Washington, D.C., Saint Louis (MO), San Jose (CA), San Antonio (TX), Philadelphia (PA), Milwaukee (WI), Miami (FL), Memphis (TN), Long Beach (CA), Honolulu (HI), Fresno (CA), El Paso (TX), Detroit (MI), Dallas (TX), Cleveland (OH), Baltimore (MD), Albuquerque (NM)

Just looking at statistics for individual cities, you can clearly see how diverse America’s urban areas are.

Despite this, I can tell you from experience that when leaving these cities you’ll encounter a lot more white than anything else, which attributes to 60% of Americans claiming to be white but not Hispanic, almost 200 million of the 330 million Americans. Now the next largest demographic would be Hispanics, but that’s a confusing class as well. “Hispanics” can be white or black, though generally mixed or mestizo (mixed white and indigenous American), and the only thing that qualifies them is their being from some country in the huge expanse of Latin America. Latin America doesn’t even have a solid definition, so that tells you how reliable that qualifier is.

Another thing that complicates this answer is the growing population of non-white or mixed-race people. Because there are so many non-white people in big cities, their cultures often are the ones that have the biggest hits on radio, TV, and in the mainstream. That, mixed with a general resentment among the minorities about the country’s racist past, generate a culture that is heavily influenced by non-white American ideals and priorities, though we’ve got a long way to go before those take complete hold.

It would be nice if Americans could live as a true melting pot where everyone mixed and melded together. As for your question, just don’t be surprised on your next trip to Mardi Gras.

Resources:

U.S. cities by racial majorities:

https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/morning_roundup/2015/09/minority-groups-account-for-55-of-buffalo-s.html

Demographics of Albuquerque and other U.S. cities:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/albuquerque-nm-population

Demographics of the United States:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/united-states-population

Who’s Hispanic in the U.S.:

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/15/who-is-hispanic/

Growing diversity in the U.S.:

https://www.brookings.edu/research/new-census-data-shows-the-nation-is-diversifying-even-faster-than-predicted/