2020 U.S. Census Results: The Changing Demographics Of Morristown

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The last 10 years have marked a dramatic shift in the demographic makeup of the United States, with a marked shrinkage of the white population and the rapid growth of the Hispanic community.

Morristown had a slightly different story, with the white, Hispanic and Asian populations increasing and the Black population declining by more than 20 percent.

Nationally, the Black population has increased slightly. But Morristown's reduced by 20.9 percent. The town of 20,180 now has a Black population of 1,961, according to the census.

Meanwhile, Morristown saw the greatest growth in its Asian and Hispanic populations, at increases of 21.03 percent and 17.36 percent, respectively.

The white population grew by 7.44 percent over 10 years. White people, however, now comprise less than 50 percent of Morristown, representing 45.58 percent of the town.

Morristown also showed in increase in the number of people who identified themselves as multiracial, although the reasons are complex. Experts say the increase reflects changes in the way people identify themselves as well the number of children born to parents of mixed races or ethnicities, along with changes in the wording of census forms themselves.

Here are Morristown's 2020 numbers, according to the census:

• total population: 20,180
• white, non-Hispanic: 9,198
• Hispanic: 7,367
• Black, non-Hispanic: 1,961
• Asian, non-Hispanic: 961
• two-plus, non-Hispanic: 526
• other, non-Hispanic: 128
• percentage change, white, non-Hispanic: 7.44 percent
• percentage change, Hispanic: 17.36 percent
• percentage change, Black, non-Hispanic: -20.9 percent
• percentage change, Asian, non-Hispanic: 21.03 percent
• percentage change, other, non-Hispanic: 276.47 percent
• percentage change, two-plus, non-Hispanic: 115.57 percent

The Hispanic boom accounted for almost half of the overall U.S. population growth, which was the slowest since the Great Depression. By comparison, the non-Hispanic growth rate over the decade was 4.3 percent. The Hispanic share of the U.S. population grew to 18.7 percent of the U.S. population, up from 16.3 percent in 2010.

The share of the white population fell from 63.7 percent in 2010 to 57.8 percent in 2020, the lowest on record, driven by falling birthrates among white women compared with Hispanic and Asian women. The number of non-Hispanic white people shrank from 196 million in 2010 to 191 million.

Further reading:

• 5 Takeaways From The Release Of 2020 Census Data: AP Explainer
• U.S. Is Diversifying, White Population Shrinking: Census Data
• Census Data Sets Up Redistricting Fight Over Growing Suburbs

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