Did you know that 1 out of 2,167 people have the privilege of being an American? Get ready for the 300 millionth birth this October!

Get ready – the USA is about to hit 300 million people this fall, possibly in October, and most likely the star of the show will be Hispanic.

As of midday a couple of Sundays ago, there were 299,061,199 people in the United States, according to the Census Bureau's population clock. The estimate is based on annual numbers for births, deaths and immigration, averaged throughout the year.

The U.S. is the third largest country in the world, behind China and India.

The U.S. adds a person every 11 seconds, according to the clock. A baby is born every eight seconds, someone dies every 13 seconds, and someone migrates to the U.S. every 30 seconds.

The world, with a population of 6.5 billion, is growing a little faster than 1% a year.

At that rate, the 300 millionth person in the U.S. will be born — or cross the border — in October, though bureau officials are wary of committing to a particular month because of the subjective nature of the clock.

Today, there are 36 million immigrants, about one in eight.

Latinos — immigrants and those born in this country — are driving the population growth. They accounted for almost half the increase last year, more than any other ethnic or racial group. White non-Hispanics, who make up about two-thirds of the population, accounted for less than one-fifth of the increase. The growth of the Latino population promises to have profound cultural, political and economic effects, and today make up more than 14% of the population.

The Census Bureau counted about 9.6 million Latinos, a little less than 5% of the population. The bureau acknowledged that the figure was inflated in the Midwest and South because some people who checked the box saying they were "Central or South American" thought that designation meant they were from the central or southern United States. Most people in the U.S. did not have any neighbors from Central America or South America in the 1960s. The baby boom had just ended in 1964, and the country was growing through birth rates, not immigration, said Howard Hogan, the Census Bureau's associate director for demographic programs.

Many people are embracing the changes, but some are not, as evidenced by the national debate on immigration. The growing number of Hispanics is closely tied to immigration because about 40% are immigrants. "I think there is a little bit of a culture shock effect, especially with the language," said Frey, the demographer. "But as people get to know their new neighbors, they find they are not that different from them."

The U.S. added 2.8 million people last year — a little more than a million from immigration and about 1.7 million because births outnumbered deaths.

By the time the U.S. population hits 400 million, in the 2040s, white non-Hispanics will be but a bare majority. Hispanics are projected to make up close to one-quarter of the population, and blacks more than 14%. Asians will increase their share of the population to more than 7%.
Those percentages, however, are just projections. They are subject to big revisions, depending on immigration policy, cultural changes and natural or manmade disasters.

"In terms of projecting out a year or two, we're not too bad," said Hogan of the Census Bureau. "In 2043, I don't think anybody here would think they are particularly accurate."

One thing is certain: A lot more people who say they are Central American or South American will actually be from those places.

"The over 40 population dominated by the baby boomers, they're the ones in power now," said Frey. "But when we get to 2043, a lot of them will not be with us anymore. Those under 40 will be in power and we will be even more of a global society."

So, with these changing demographics and a greter global society - fellow baby boomers.......don't you think it's time to collaborate, make sure we educate and privide healthcare to every child, care for our land, and make sure we leave things better than when we came?