Milestone will be reached tomorrow, say demographers
It could be a baby born in New York, an illegal immigrant crossing the border from Mexico, or a Cuban migrant landing on a beach in Florida. Somewhere, the United States will gain its 300-millionth resident, probably tomorrow, confirming America's status as the world's third most-populated nation, behind China and India.
According to the US Census Bureau, the milestone will be reached less than four decades after the number of people in the country passed 200 million, and only 91 years after the first 100 million.
The main reason, demographers say, is America's enduring popularity as a destination for immigrants. On average, a new migrant enters the country every 31 seconds, a significant factor in the bureau's population clock - which also accounts for births and deaths - rising by one every 11 seconds.
The Census Bureau goes so far as to predict the timing of the 300 millionth arrival - tomorrow at 11.46am, GMT (7.46pm in Hong Kong).
'I may have gone out on a limb with this, but I've put this 300 millionth American as a male baby born in Los Angeles county, a Mexican, born to an immigrant mother, and I've pinpointed October 17 as the day it will happen,' said Bill Frey, of the University of Michigan's Population Studies Centre.