Minorities now make up about 35% of the country's population, and about 57% of the population in California.
The white population, however, continues to decline, the Los Angeles Times quotes the latest US census estimates, as saying on Thursday.
"More of the country is going to be like California," warned Brookings Institution demographer William Frey.
Last year, minorities helped the overall US population grow by two percent, boosted by a surge in births and people who identified themselves as multiracial.
In 2009, 5.3 million Americans classified themselves as multiracial, up 26% from 3.9 million in 2000.
Much of the nation's demographic change is seen among children. In California, minorities make up 72% of those under age 15. In 2000, they made up 65%.
Nationally, 46% of children under 15 are minorities, compared with 40% in 2000.
In 2000, the District of Columbia and three states — Hawaii, New Mexico and California — had minority populations that exceeded 50%. In 2009, Texas joined that group.
The figures released Thursday come from estimates based on data collected last year.
