The U.S. population is expected to peak at nearly 370 million in 2080 before declining. This raises difficult questions about the costs of childbearing and immigration, as the number of Hispanics rises and the number of whites falls to just 42%.

The U.S. population looks set to rise to nearly 370 million by 2080 before beginning to decline, new government data shows. This raises difficult questions about immigration and the costs of having children.

U.S. Census Bureau projections released Thursday show the population will fall to 366 million between 2081 and 2100, thanks to lower birth rates, an aging population, higher death rates and cross-border migration.

Population growth between 2022 and 2100 will be 9.7 percent, the agency said — far lower than the nation has grown for most of its history.

That change will put pressure on the American economy.

Steven Camarota, a researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies, says immigration is not significantly boosting the working-age population

With fewer younger, taxpaying workers to support the elderly, officials will struggle to balance budgets and make payouts for Medicare and other social services.

It could also affect Washington’s geopolitical position as it competes with rising powers such as China and India, each of which already has a population of more than 1.4 billion.

Sandra Johnson, a demographer at the Census Bureau, said the new projections were “critical for shaping policy and planning resources.”

They pointed to a “lower rate of population growth through 2060 than previously forecast,” she added.

The composition of the American population, which currently has approximately 332 million inhabitants, also appears to be changing.

It looks like the share of white Americans will drop from 58.9 percent today to 42.7 percent in 2060.

Meanwhile, the Hispanic population could grow from 19.1 percent to as high as 27.8 percent over the same period.

The share of black Americans seems to remain stable at 13 percent.

The agency offered different population projections based on whether the U.S. has a high, low or zero rate of incoming migrants.

Newly naturalized US citizens take the oath of allegiance at a ceremony in New York City – perhaps the only way America can increase its numbers

Immigrants tend to be younger and have more children than native Americans.

Letting in more migrants could grow the U.S. population.

Under the agency’s high immigration scenario, the U.S. population would rise to 435 million by 2100.

For some, the report is a wake-up call to boost immigration — perhaps the only leverage officials have to halt the decline.

But that is problematic. Republicans and Democrats have failed for decades to reach agreement on various packages to update the country’s immigration policy.

Meanwhile, chaos at the southern border and record numbers of asylum seekers entering the US have become hot-button issues in next year’s presidential race.

Nico Perrino, executive vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, warned on social media of “huge consequences for economic growth and the social safety net.”

But immigration remains a divisive issue, thanks to scenes like this of migrants, many undocumented, arriving at the southern border

Unless the U.S. lets in immigrants, the population could start falling as soon as next year, he said.

Steve Cortes disagreed. The founder of the League of American Workers, an advocacy group, said “globalists” are in the habit of saying that “the solution is always more immigration.”

The real problem was the hardship faced by American families – where 16 percent of children live in poverty and where child care costs have risen 32 percent since 2019 – he added.

“Let’s encourage more children for American families!” Cortes posted on X/Twitter.

Steven Camarota, a researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies, an anti-migrant think tank, disagreed with the agency’s findings.

Immigration “does not significantly increase the share of the working-age population,” Camarota wrote.

The data are the agency’s first updates since 2017 and the first to reflect death rates and other shifts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.