America, and Americans, look different today than they did 30 years ago. The country’s population has grown more ethnically diverse, and so too have registered voters. In 1996, the country was 72% white. By 2023, that had fallen to 59%, largely as a result of strong growth in the Hispanic and Asian populations.
The two main political parties have also gotten more diverse, but one has done so much faster than the other. In 1996, 77% of Democrats and 93% of Republicans were white. Since then, white representation in the Democratic party has fallen more than 20 points. In the GOP, it fell 14 points.
Here’s a look at how the racial and ethnic composition of the US population and parties have changed over the past three decades.
Want more? There’s only one demographic subgroup in America in which a majority considers diversity to be a “threat.” Can you guess which it is? See Alex Kliment’s recent column on that here.
