7 of 15 Most Populous U.S. Cities Are Majority-Minority

Stephanie Czekalinski and Doris Nhan

Seven of the nation's 15 largest cities are majority-minority people of color, according to a recently released analysis of census data.

Among those seven are New York and Los Angeles, the two most populous cities, with 8.24 million and 3.81 million residents, respectively.

In 2010, 68.5 percent of L.A.’s residents were members of a group considered a racial or ethnic minority; 51.2 percent of New York’s residents were, census numbers show.

The other large cities with majority-minority populations were San Diego, San Francisco, Houston, San Antonio, and San Jose, Calif.

New Orleans, a city still recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, grew faster than any other city in the country between 2010 and 2011, with a growth rate of 4.9 percent.

According to the report, eight of the country’s 15 most fastest-growing large cities are in Texas: Round Rock, Austin, Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Denton, McAllen, and Carrollton all grew at at a rate of between 3 and 4.8 percent.

Other notable facts:

  • 62 percent of Americans live in cities; 37 percent live in cities with populations of 50,000 or more.

  • Large cities in the South grew faster than cities in any other region. 

  • Of the 19,516 cities in the U.S., about 4 percent had populations of 50,000 or more.