In a surprising find from the latest Census reports, ethnic minorities now account for more than half of the babies born in the US.

Minorities made up roughly 2.02 million, or 50.4 percent of U.S. births in the one year period from July 2010 to 2011. As of now, 1 in 9 counties have minority populations that comprise more than 50 percent of the general populace.

“This is an important landmark,” explained Roderick Harrison, a sociologist form Howard University. “This generation is growing up much more accustomed to diversity than its elders.”

This increase in diversity also comes with a more divided opinion on domestic politics. “We remain in a dangerous period where those appealing to anti-immigration elements are fueling a divisiveness and hostility that might take decades to overcome,” Harrison added.

However, despite the increase in population, the growth rates for the Hispanic and Asian populations fell sharply, one of the lowest rates in a decade. The slowdown may be attributed to the job slump and negative economic outlook.

Demographers even believe the Hispanic population boom may have peaked. “The Latino population is very young, which means they will continue to have a lot of births relative to the general population,” explained Mark Mather from Population Reference Bureau. “But we’re seeing a slowdown that is likely the result of multiple factors: declining Latina birth rates combined with lower immigration levels. If both of these trends continue, they will lead to big changes down the road.”

Interesting enough, overall birth rates across the entire country has dropped significantly due to the economic downturn. The number of white births fell by 11.4 percent while it decreased by 3.2 percent for minorities.