San Francisco, Jul 9 (EFE).- Latinos outnumber non-Hispanic whites in California, according to the most recent figures released by the Census Bureau showing that in July 2014 there were 15 million Hispanics in the state compared with 14.9 million non-Hispanic whites.

Demographers expected Hispanics to become the largest ethnic group in the state in 2013, but a slower demographic growth rate than forecast caused that milestone not to be attained until last year.

Roberto Suro, the director of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California, said in remarks to the daily Los Angeles Times that the most recent figures represent “the official acknowledgement” of a process that has been under way for almost a generation.

According to the Census Bureau, there are four U.S. states where non-white minorities are in the majority: Hawaii, where minorities represent 77 percent of the population; California with 61.5 percent, New Mexico with 61.1 percent and Texas with 56.5 percent.

To those states can be added the District of Columbia, where minorities comprise 64.2 percent of the population.

The number of Latinos in the United States currently stands at about 55.4 million and California and Los Angeles County have the largest percentages of Hispanics of any state or county, respectively.

California’s Latinos are young, with an average age of 29, compared with 45 for non-Hispanic whites.

The state’s demographics indicate that Latinos will represent 49 percent of California’s population by 2060. EFE