Census: U.S. becoming older and more diverse

June 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. population is getting older and more diverse, according to numbers released Thursday by the Census Bureau.

Over a course of 16 years, the country's estimated median age rose by almost three years, from 35.3 years in 2000 to 37.9 in 2016.

"The baby-boom generation is largely responsible for this trend," said Peter Borsella, a demographer in the Population Division. "Baby boomers began turning 65 in 2011 and will continue to do so for many years to come."

As baby boomers continue to age, the 65-and-up crowd continues to grow -- from 35 million in 2000 to 49.2 million in 2016. Baby boomers now represent 15.2 of the nation's population, the statistics said. That's almost twice the average world population of people over the age of 64, which stands at 8.2 percent. However, it doesn't even crack the top 25 list of countries with percentages of their populations over that age.

While the United States gets older, it is also becoming more diverse.

All non-white races grew by more than 1 percent, with Asians (3 percent), Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (2.1 percent), and Hispanics (2 percent) representing the highest growths between mid-2015 and mid-2016.

Native Americans grew by 1.4 percent, the black population by 1.2 percent, and whites by 0.5 percent. The aging white population has been pointed to as a major reason for the increase in other races.

According to a University of New Hampshire study, deaths among whites exceeded births in more states than at any time in U.S. history.

"In contrast, births exceed deaths by a considerable margin among the younger Latino population, and the combination of these very different demographic trends is increasing the diversity of the U.S. population," the study found.