Policy

Census Bureau: U.S. population to peak in 2080

With drops in fertility rates expected to continue, most of the growth in the future will come from immigration.
New York’s Lower Manhattan skyline, including the One World Trade Center, left, is reflected in water on April 6, 2013, as seen from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

America’s population will balloon to nearly 370 million people toward the end of this century before beginning to decline, according to new calculations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Drops in fertility rates, as couples delay the decision to have children until later in life, have slowed America’s population growth for decades. The Census Bureau foresees further declines, which, along with growing life expectancy, means that the number of Americans who are over 65 will be greater than the number of Americans who are under 18 as soon as 2028.

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