Family & Parenting

Minority births make up the majority in the US for the first time, new study finds

Monday, February 2, 2026 6:59AM PT

Sandra Bookman has the latest on birth trends in the United States.

A major demographic shift is underway in the United States.

White births in the country have fallen below 50% for the first time ever.

That's among the findings in a new study published Friday by professors from the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

One of those researchers, Dr. Amos Grunebaum, calls it a historic milestone.

"Minority women were now the majority... the majority of births in the United States for the first time," Grunebaum said.

The study analyzed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on 33 million births in the U.S., tracking trends by the mother's race and ethnicity.

It revealed white births at 49.6%, while all other groups taken together, including Hispanic, Black and Asian, made up 50.4% of all births.

The analysis also offered an explanation for the shifting demographics.

"Among Hispanic women, they have children usually at an earlier age and they have more children than white women," Grunebaum said. "White women usually delay childbirth. It is a known fact and they have less children."

Coupled with well-documented disparities when it comes to maternal health for minority women and children, Grunebaum says these findings aren't just statistics. He says current efforts to restrict immigration and cut Medicaid hurt the very women keeping American births alive and growing the country.

"If you really want to increase birth, if you want to have more babies, as this government has repeatedly said they want to, then we need to address these issues," Grunebaum said.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5830790&forum_id=2...id#49645477)