The white majority in the U.S. will be outnumbered by Americans of other races by 2042, eight years sooner than previously projected by the Census Bureau.

Minorities, defined by the agency as everyone except non- Hispanic, single-race whites, will make up 54 percent of the U.S. population in 2050, compared with 34 percent of the population today, the Census Bureau said in a statement. The data updates predictions made by the bureau in 2004.

The projections released today, based on census results and assumptions about future childbearing, mortality and migration, show the minority population of the U.S. will be 235.7 million out of a total of 439 million in 2050. More than half of all U.S. children are expected to be from minority ethnic groups by 2023.

The non-Hispanic, single-race white population is expected to rise slightly to 203.3 million in 2050 from 199.8 million in 2008, while the Hispanic population is expected to almost triple to 132.8 million from 46.7 million, with its share of the total increasing to 30 percent from 15 percent, the Bureau said.

The black population is expected to increase to 65.7 million, or 15 percent, in 2050 from 41.1 million, or 14 percent, in 2008. The Asian population will increase to 40.6 million from 15.5 million this year, almost doubling its share of the total, to 9.2 percent from 5.1 percent.

….and I care, why?

For those of you who do care, you have some time to fix the numbers. It’s easy. Pick someone of the opposite sex representing the race you like best and, ahem, “make more people.” Not sure you have time to change stats that are counted in the millions, but you’ll be having fun.