USA: Population reaches the 300,000 million mark

Record ID: 679023

  • Title: USA: Population reaches the 300,000 million mark
  • Date: 17th October 2006
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NEWBORN BABIES IN A HOSPITAL NURSERY
  • Embargoed: 1st November 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA4RX7U11WHM9BSAWH7GIC38WH4
  • Story Text: The United States now has a population of more than 300 million people, the U.S. Census Bureau said on Tuesday (October 17), although it will not designate the person who broke the historic barrier.
    The Census Bureau keeps count of the estimated number of Americans, based on the birth rate, death rate and immigration rate, which means the United States adds another person to its population every 11 seconds.
    It estimated that the population hit the 300 million mark at 7:46 a.m. EDT (1146 GMT) -- 39 years after the U.S. population reached 200 million.
    "Population growth is seen by many as a source of strength, a source of political power and global strength. It means that we have a strong economy or we wouldn't be attracting all of the immigration that we do. As I said corporations love to see a larger market to be able to sell their products," he says.
    But Mather adds that while population growth is a positive sign it does have potential negative downside.
    "There are lots of challenges that come along with this rapid population growth, especially in terms of land use and potential environmental threats to our air, our water and our energy sources."
    When the population counter topped 200 million in 1967, Life magazine dispatched reporters to various maternity wards and ultimately determined that Robert Woo, a Chinese-American born in the Atlanta area, was the person who passed the mark.
    One demographer had said the 300 millionth person would be a Latino boy, since about half of U.S. population growth is due to Hispanics, more boys are born than girls and the population grows more from births than through immigration.
    The U.S. population has jumped in the past decade, after taking until 1915 to reach 100 million.
    In the time it has taken for the U.S. population to grow to 300 million from 200 million, the world population has jumped to 6.5 billion from 3.5 billion.
    Americans now live an average 77.8 years, compared to 70.5 years in 1967. About 85 percent of the population now has at least a high school education, compared to about 51 percent in 1967.
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