Is US a melting pot? Interracial marriages slow

WASHINGTON - Melting pot or racial divide? The growth of interracial marriages is slowing among US-born Hispanics and Asians. Still, blacks are substantially more likely than before to marry whites.

The number of interracial marriages in the US has risen 20 percent since 2000 to about 4.5 million, according to the latest census figures. While still growing, that number is a marked drop-off from the 65 percent increase between 1990 and 2000.

About 8 percent of US marriages are mixed race, up from 7 percent in 2000.