New US census shows the US is getting more diverse, white population dropping

The data released from the new US census shows that the population is more urban than ever, and also more diverse, with the numbers of those identifying as white decreasing for the first time since the census began.

"The U.S. population is much more multiracial and much more racially and ethnically diverse than what we have measured in the past," commented an official working for the Census Bureau.

According to the Associated Press, the percentage of people identifying as "white" went down in the past 10 years from 63.7 percent to 57.8 percent between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. However, they continue to be the majority in every state except for California, where people who identify as "Hispanic" are.

The new data shows other continuing trends as well. The population appears to keep moving away from the Northeastern and Midwestern states, in favor of Southern and Western states.

The AP does also, however, report that this current census was conducted during April 2020, at the height of the lockdown measures stemming from the pandemic, which may influence the quality of the data.  

Thomas Saenz, President of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), mentions:

"This is our first opportunity to see if there’s any indication of an unprecedented undercount. There always is an undercount. This census will be no different, but our concern is to make sure this isn’t hugely out of proportion to undercounts we have seen in prior censuses."

The issue is extremely pressing, as this data will probably influence things like the re-drawing of  potentially game-changing congressional districts and electoral vote counts in the near future.