Demographics of the United States

As of 2012^[update], the United States has a total resident population of 313,134,000, making it the third most populous country in the world.^[1] It is a very urbanized population, with 82% residing in cities and suburbs as of 2008 (the worldwide urban rate is 50.5%^[2]). This leaves vast expanses of the country nearly uninhabited.^[3] California and Texas are the most populous states,^[4] as the mean center of United States population has consistently shifted westward and southward.^[5] New York City is the most populous city in the United States.^[6]

The total fertility rate in the United States estimated for 2009 is 2.01 children per woman, which is below the replacement fertility rate of approximately 2.1.^[9] However, U.S. population growth is among the highest in industrialized countries,^[10] since the vast majority of these have below-replacement fertility rates and the U.S. has higher levels of immigration.^[11][12] The United States Census Bureau shows population increases ranging between 0.85% and 0.89% for the twelve-month periods ending in 2009.^[13] Nonetheless, though high by industrialized country standards, this is below the world average annual rate of 1.19%.^[10]

There were 155.6 million females in the United States in 2009. The number of males was 151.4 million. At age 85 and older, there were more than twice as many women as men. People under 20 years of age made up over a quarter of the U.S. population (27.3%), and people age 65 and over made up one-eighth (12.8%) in 2009.^[14] The national median age was 36.8 years.^[14] Racially, the U.S. has a White American majority.

The American population more than tripled during the 20th century—at a growth rate of about 1.3% a year—from about 76 million in 1900 to 281 million in 2000. It reached the 200 million mark in 1967, and the 300 million mark on October 17, 2006.^[15][16] Currently, population growth is fastest among minorities as a whole, and according to the Census Bureau's estimation for 2005, 45% of American children under the age of 5 belonged to minority groups.^[17]

Hispanic and Latino Americans accounted for almost half (1.4 million) of the national population growth of 2.9 million between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006.^[18] Immigrants and their U.S.-born descendants are expected to provide most of the U.S. population gains in the decades ahead.^[19]

The Census Bureau projects a U.S. population of 439 million in 2050, which is a 46% increase from 2007 (301.3 million).^[20] However, the United Nations projects a U.S. population of 402 million in 2050, an increase of 32% from 2007 (the UN projects a gain of 38% for the world at large).^[21] In either case, such growth is unlike most European countries, especially Germany, Russia, and Greece, or Asian countries such as Japan or South Korea, whose populations are slowly declining, and whose fertility rates are below replacement.

History

In 1900, when the U.S. population was 76 million, there were 66.8 million Whites in the United States, representing 88% of the total population,^[22] 8.8 million Blacks, with about 90% of them still living in Southern states,^[23] and slightly more than 500,000 Hispanics.^[24]

Under the current law, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965,^[25] the number of first-generation immigrants living in the United States has quadrupled,^[26] from 9.6 million in 1970 to about 38 million in 2007.^[27] During the 1950s, 250,000 legal immigrants entered the country annually; by the 1990s, the number was almost one million, and the vast majority of new immigrants have come from Latin America and Asia. In 2009, 37% of immigrants originated in Asia, 42% in the Americas, and 11% in Africa.^[28] Almost 97% of residents of the 10 largest American cities in 1900 were non-Hispanic whites.^[29] In 2006, non-Hispanic whites were the minority in thirty-five of the fifty largest cities.^[30] The Census Bureau reported that minorities accounted for 48.6% of the children born in the U.S. between July 2008 and July 2009.^[31]

Cities

The United States has dozens of major cities, including 8 of the 60 "global cities"^[32] of all types, with three in the "alpha" group of global cities: New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.^[33][34] As of 2008^[update], the United States had 52 metropolitan areas with a population of over 1,000,000 people each. (See Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas.)

As of 2011, about 250 million Americans live in or around urban areas. That means more than three-quarters of the U.S. population shares just about three percent of the U.S. land area.^[35]

The following table shows the populations of the top ten cities and their metropolitan areas, as of July 1, 2008.

Population density

The most densely populated state is New Jersey (1,121/mi² or 433/km²). See List of U.S. states by population density for maps and complete statistics.

The United States Census Bureau publishes a popular "dot" or "nighttime" map showing population distribution at a resolution of 7,500 people,^[39] as well as complete listings of population density by place name. ^[40]

Race and ethnicity

The U.S. population's distribution by race and ethnicity in 2010 was as follows:^[41]

Note : Due to rounding, figures may not add up to the totals shown.

Hispanic or Latino origin

Each of the racial categories includes people who identify their ethnicity as Hispanic or Latino.^[42] U.S. federal law defines Hispanic or Latino as "those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the Census 2000 or ACS questionnaire - "Mexican", "Puerto Rican", or "Cuban" - as well as those who indicate that they are "other Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino.""^[43]

Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

The total population of Hispanic and Latino Americans comprised 50.5 million or 16.3% of the national total in 2010.

Breakdown by state

This table is incomplete: it is missing the category "Some other race".

All Data from 2010 U.S. Census Bureau^[44] :

* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander :

Projections

A report by the U.S. Census Bureau projects a decrease in the ratio of Whites between 2010 and 2050, from 79.5% to 74.0%.^[45] At the same time, Non-Hispanic Whites are projected to no longer make up the majority of the population by 2042, but will remain the largest single race. In 2050 they will compose 46.3% of the population. Non-Hispanic whites made up 85% of the population in 1960.^[46] The report foresees the Hispanic or Latino population rising from 16% today to 30% by 2050, the African American percentage barely rising from 12.9% to 13.0%, and Asian Americans upping their 4.6% share to 7.8%. The U.S. has 310 million people as of October 2010, and is projected to reach 400 million by 2039 and 439 million in 2050.^{[20][47][48][49]} It is further projected that 82% of the increase in population from 2005 to 2050 will be due to immigrants and their children.^[50]

Of the nation's children in 2050, 62% are expected to be of a minority ethnicity, up from 44% today. Approximately 39% are projected to be Hispanic or Latino (up from 22% in 2008), and 38% are projected to be single-race, non-Hispanic Whites (down from 56% in 2008).^[51]

In 2008, the US Census Bureau projected future censuses as follows:^[20]

• 2010: 310,232,863
• 2020: 341,386,665
• 2030: 373,503,674
• 2040: 405,655,295
• 2050: 439,010,253

Other groups

There were 22.1 million veterans in 2009.^[52]

In 2010, the Washington Post estimated that there were 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.^[53]

There were about 2 million people in prison in 2010.^[54]

The 2000 U.S. Census counted same-sex couples in an oblique way; asking the sex and the relationship to the "main householder", whose sex was also asked. One organization specializing in analyzing gay demographic data reported, based on this count in the 2000 census and in the 2000 supplementary survey, that same-sex couples comprised between 0.99% and 1.13% of U.S. couples in 2000.^[55] A 2006 report issued by The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation concluded that the number of same-sex couples in the U.S. grew from 2000 to 2005, from nearly 600,000 couples in 2000 to almost 777,000 in 2005. 4.1% of Americans aged 18–45 identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual^[56] A 2011 report by the Institute estimated that 4 million adults identify as gay or lesbian, representing 1.7% of the population over 18. A spokesperson said that, until recently, few studies have tried to eliminate people who had occasionally had behaved or had homosexual thoughts, from people who identified as lesbian or gay.^[57] (Older estimates have varied depending on methodology and timing; see Demographics of sexual orientation for a list of studies.) The American Community Survey from the 2000 U.S. Census estimated 776,943 same-sex couple households in the country as a whole, representing about 0.5% of the population.^[56]

Less than 1% of Americans serve in the Armed Forces.^[58]

Religion

The table below is based mainly on selected data as reported to the United States Census Bureau. It only includes the voluntary self-reported membership of religious bodies with 750,000 or more. The definition of a member is determined by each religious body.^[59] As of 2004^[update], the US census bureau reported that about 13% of the population did not identify itself as a member of any religion.^[60]

Religions of American adults

The United States government does not collect religious data in its census. The survey below, the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) 2008, was a random digit-dialed telephone survey of 54,461 American residential households in the contiguous United States. The 1990 sample size was 113,723; 2001 sample size was 50,281

Adult respondents were asked the open-ended question, "What is your religion, if any?". Interviewers did not prompt or offer a suggested list of potential answers. The religion of the spouse or partner was also asked. If the initial answer was "Protestant" or "Christian" further questions were asked to probe which particular denomination. About one third of the sample was asked more detailed demographic questions.

Religious Self-Identification of the U.S. Adult Population: 1990, 2001, 2008^[63]
Figures are not adjusted for refusals to reply; investigators suspect refusals are possibly more representative of "no religion" than any other group.

Marriage

In 2010, the median age for marriage for men was 27; for women, 26.^[64]

Income

In 2006, the median household income in the United States was around $46,000. Household and personal income depends on variables such as race, number of income earners, educational attainment and marital status.

Social class

Social classes in the United States lack distinct boundaries and may overlap. Even their existence (when distinguished from economic strata) is controversial. The following table provides a summary of some currently prominent academic theories on the stratification of American society:

References: Gilbert, D. (2002) The American Class Structure: In An Age of Growing Inequality. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; Thompson, W. & Hickey, J. (2005). Society in Focus. Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon; Beeghley, L. (2004). The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States. Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.

¹ The upper middle class may also be referred to as "Professional class" Ehrenreich, B. (1989). The Inner Life of the Middle Class. NY, NY: Harper-Colins.

Health

In 2010, the average man weighed 194.7 pounds (88.3 kg); the average woman 164.7 pounds (74.7 kg).^[65]

A nationwide study in 2010 indicated that 19.5% of teens, aged 12–19, have developed "slight" hearing loss. "Slight" was defined as an inability to hear at 16 to 24 decibels.^[66]

In 2011, an estimated 1.2 millon people were living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.^[67]

Cohorts in the United States

A study by William Strauss and Neil Howe, in their books Generations and Fourth Turning, looked at generational similarities and differences going back to the 15th century and concluded that over 80 year spans, generations proceed through 4 stages of about 20 years each. The first phase consists of times of relative crisis and the people born during this period were called "artists". The next phase was a "high" period and those born in this period were called "prophets". The next phase was an "awakening period" and people born in this period were called "nomads". The final stage was the "unraveling period" and people born in this period were called "heroes". The most recent "high period" occurred in the 50s and 60s (hence baby boomers are the most recent crop of "prophets").

The most definitive recent study of the US generational cohorts was done by Schuman and Scott (1989) in 1985 in which a broad sample of adults of all ages were asked, "What world events are especially important to you?"^[68] They found that 33 events were mentioned with great frequency. When the ages of the respondents were correlated with the expressed importance rankings, seven (some put 8 or 9) distinct cohorts became evident. Today the following descriptors are frequently used for these cohorts (currently mainly alive in 2000-10):

• Depression cohort, or GI (General Issue) (born from 1905/10 to 1919/21).
  • Distinction: Currently, they represent the largest number of Nonagenarians and Centenarians alive in any time of US history.
  • Memorable events: The Great Depression, high levels of unemployment, poverty, lack of creature comforts, financial uncertainty, peak of European immigration (though started from 1840 to ended by 1920), grew up during World War I, prohibitionism, radical politics, not too religious but mostly morally conservative, shorter life spans, and stressed Americanization or acculturation into a common mainstream U.S. culture.
  • Key characteristics: strive for financial security, risk averse, waste-not-want-not attitude, strive for comfort, social cooperative, can be reactionary or hostile towards change, but are idealistic or progressive in improvements of quality of life.
• Pre 'World War II cohort', or Greatest (born from 1920/22 to 1927/30).
  • Distinction: Established mainstream American culture in the mid-20th century.
  • Memorable events: men left to go to war and some did not return, the personal experience of the war, women working in factories, focus on defeating a common enemy, unity of peoples in a country, sacrifice (i.e. food rations and donated material), devoted to the war effort, and placed white ethnics or those of Irish, Italian, Jewish and Southern or Eastern Europeans in prominence.
  • Key characteristics: the nobility of sacrifice for the common good, patriotism, socialism to a certain degree, team player, soldier, volunteerism, high work ethic, and some youthful experimentation in socially liberal practices but have generally been more socially conservative.
• World War II cohort, War Babies, or Silent (born from 1925/29 to 1942/45) - others subdivide them to Crash and New Deal cohorts.
  • Distinction: Second smallest generation born in US history, the birth rate peaked low due to the Depression.
  • Memorable events: sustained economic growth, social tranquility, The Cold War, McCarthyism, anti-communism, drug culture, conformity, the rise and peak of jazz music (1940s), early rock n' roll (1950s), fear of a nuclear war, and avoidance of discomfort with high emphasis on optimism.
  • Key characteristics: conformity, social conservatism, patriotism, comparatively chaste or emphasized traditional values (i.e. manners or taboos) than younger cohorts (whom disagreed with them), traditional family values, but had the nuclear family replaced the multi-generational kind, known as the "Silent" majority/generation, and had the appearance of sameness or "cookie cutter" type of sameness.
• Baby Boomer (born from 1943/46 to 1953/57).
  • Distinction: One of two largest generations in size in US history.
  • Memorable events: assassinations of JFK, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Liberalism, political unrest, walk on the moon, Vietnam War, anti-war protests, social experimentation, sexual freedom, civil rights movement, environmental movement, women's movement, protests and riots, rise and peak of rock and roll, and experimentation with various intoxicating recreational substances.
  • Key characteristics: idealistic, experimental, progressive, individualism, free spirited, social cause oriented, activism, social change, "Live and let live", "Do your own thing", Pacifism, Spiritualism, alternative lifestyles, deeply against racism as well sexism and ethnic prejudice, and first generation thought to demand an eradication of poverty by government programs (War on Poverty).
• Boomer cohort #2 - "Generation Jones," born 1954/56-1965/69.
  • Distinction: The Peak years due to being children or teenagers when American power peaked in the global scene.
  • Memorable events: Watergate, Nixon resigns, the cold war, the oil embargo, raging inflation, Disco, gasoline shortages, the American hostage crisis of Iran (1979–81), the U.S. Bicentennial celebrations in the 1970s, and cultural shift from McCarthyist conformity to hippie idealism to Yuppie fiscal conservative and/or social liberal phases.
  • Key characteristics: less optimistic, fatalistic, principled, general cynicism, somewhat reactionary, easily bored, impatient, an urgent desire that things must change, born again Christian movement, yuppie social trends, challenged gender roles and racial stereotypes, and used drugs illegal since the early 1900s^[69][70][71] thereby precipitating the modern War on Drugs in the 1970s and 80s; yet often conservative & reactionary in later age.
• Generation X cohort (born from 1965/1967 to 1979/1985).
  • Distinction: Dubbed Baby Bust they are the smallest generation born in US history.
  • Memorable events: Challenger explosion, Iran-Contra, Reaganomics, AIDS, Star Wars, MTV, home computers, video games, safe sex, divorce, single-parent families, end of Cold War-fall of Berlin Wall, Gulf War, 1992 L.A. Riots, 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, the 1998 Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinski sex scandal, and the arrival of the year 2000: new century/ new millennium.
  • Key characteristics: quest for emotional security; pragmatic; independent, informality; entrepreneurial; anti-political, paleoliberal or left-wing attitudes; fatalistic worldview; somewhat pessimist; many grew up in single-parent households and thought to be the first generation to live worse than their parents' cohorts.
• Generation Y Cohort Millennials - MTV Generation (born from 1977/1985 to 2000/2005) - esp. anyone born after 1982/83 and before 1993/94 (currently over ages 16–18).
  • Distinction: Echo Boom they are second highest birth rate generation in US history.
  • Memorable events: The Death of Osama Bin laden, rise of the Internet, September 11 attacks, iPods, social network services, war on crime (reduced crime rates), cultural diversity, Afghanistan War and Iraq War, and affected by the 2008-09 global financial crisis or "Great Recession".
  • Key characteristics: acceptance of change, technically savvy, environmental issues, globally minded, more liberal than previous generations, ideal of a nanny state, stricter laws on minors, high tech surveillance of public places, political correctness, no expectation of military service, and increased local volunteerism or community service.
• Generation Z Millennials, also called Homeland or Y2K babies are the generation who, at the earliest, were born after 1994/95 (more like since 2000 or even 2005) through at least the years 2010/11 and are currently children or teenagers, but they may share some of Generation Y characteristics. They be more tolerant and accepting of social groups (i.e. homosexuality, gay rights and same-sex marriage) than recent previous generations (such as the moralistic Jones or conformistic Gen Y), but may also have some right-wing traits when it comes to politics, religion and economics, due to their upbringing and parents' fiscal conservative values; and perhaps increasingly more likely to have extended adult stays with parents (continuing the trends started by Gen X and Gen Y).

U.S. Demographic birth cohorts

Subdivided groups are present when peak boom years or inverted peak bust years are present, and may be represented by a normal or inverted bell-shaped curve (rather than a straight curve). The boom subdivided cohorts may be considered as "pre-peak" (including peak year) and "post-peak". The year 1957 was the baby boom peak with 4.3 million births and 122.7 fertility rate. Although post-peak births (such as trailing edge boomers) are in decline, and sometimes referred to as a "bust", there are still a relative large number of births. The dearth-in-birth bust cohorts include those up to the valley birth year, and those including and beyond, leading up to the subsequent normal birth rate. The Baby boom began around 1943 to 1946.

From the decline in U.S. birth rates starting in 1958 and the introduction of the birth control pill in 1960, the Baby Boomer normal distribution curve is negatively skewed. The trend in birth rates from 1958 to 1961 show a tendency to end late in the decade at approximately 1969, thus returning to pre-WWII levels, with 12 years of rising and 12 years of declining birth rates. Pre-war birth rates were defined as anywhere between 1939 and 1941 by demographers such as the Taeuber's, Philip M. Hauser and William Fielding Ogburn.^[72] From 1962 to 1964, trend analysis points to 1965 as being the first year to return to baseline birth rates, possibly referring to this cohort as "Generation X". Then came "Generation Y" sometimes a second cohort of the Baby Bust era, and finally "Generation Z" are children of Generation X, although Z shares similar characteristics of Generation Y whom are akin to X-ers. But all of them are post-Boomers.

Demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.^[73]

Median age

36.8 years (male: 35.5 years, female: 38.1 years, 2010 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704)

15–64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321)

65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696) (2010 est.)

Population growth rate

0.963% (2011 est.)

Birth rate

13.5 births/1,000 population (2010 est.). This is the lowest in a century. There were 4,136,000 births in 2009.^[74]

13.9 births/1,000 population/year (Provisional Data for 2008)

14.3 births/1,000 population/year (Provisional Data for 2007)^[75]

In 2009, Time magazine reported that 40% of births were to unmarried women.^[76] The following is a breakdown by race for unwed births: 17% Asian mothers, 29% white, 53% Hispanics, 66% Native Americans, and 72% black.^[77]

The drop in the birth rate from 2007 to 2009 is believed to be associated with the Late-2000s recession^[78]

Death rate

8.38 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Immigration

13% of the population was foreign-born in 2009.^[80]

Net migration rate

4.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Sex ratios

at birth: 1.048 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 6.22 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.11 years

male: 75.65 years

female: 80.69 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.06 children born/woman (2011 est.)

Unemployment rate

As of October 2011 the U6 unemployment rate is 16.2 percent. ^[82] The U6 unemployment rate counts not only people without work seeking full-time employment (the more familiar U-3 rate), but also counts "marginally attached workers and those working part-time for economic reasons." Note that some of these part-time workers counted as employed by U-3 could be working as little as an hour a week. And the "marginally attached workers" include those who have gotten discouraged and stopped looking, but still want to work. The age considered for this calculation is 16 years and over.^[83]

As of July 2011^[update] the U.S. unemployment rate was 9.1 (U3 Rate) percent.^[84]

Nationality

• noun: American(s)
• adjective: American

See also

• Outline of the United States
  
• Index of United States-related articles
  

• U.S. demographic birth cohorts
• Maps of American ancestries
• Languages of the United States
• Immigration to the United States
• Emigration from the United States
• Places in the United States with notable demographic characteristics
• Demographic history of the United States
• Racial and ethnic demographics of the United States
• Historical Statistics of the United States

Lists:

• Lists of U.S. cities with non-white majority populations
• List of the largest metropolitan areas in the Americas
• List of U.S. states and territories by population

Income:

• Household income in the United States
• Personal income in the United States
• Affluence in the United States
• Highest-income places in the United States
• Lowest-income counties in the United States

Population:

• United States
  • United States Census Bureau
    • Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas (CSA)
    • Table of United States Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSA)
      • Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA)
      • Table of United States Micropolitan Statistical Areas (µSA)
    • Table of United States primary census statistical areas (PCSA)
    • List of United States urban areas
  • United States Office of Management and Budget
    • Combined Statistical Area
    • Core Based Statistical Area
      • Metropolitan Statistical Area
      • Micropolitan Statistical Area

References

External links

• United States Census Bureau
• New York Times: "Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census"
• 2000 Census of Population and Housing United States, U.S. Census Bureau
• U.S. Demographics and State Rankings
• Asian-Nation: Demographics of Asian American /2006-07-04-us-population_x.htm?csp=34 Countdown to 300 million
• Census Ancestry Map
• USA Today 2004 Election County by County Map
• BeliefNet State by State Religious Affiliation (archived from the original on 2008-04-21)
• Health by State
• U.S. Demographics and Maps
• America's Changing Demographics a Nightly Business Report special
• The Realignment of America - The Wall Street Journal
• Religion U.S. Census Bureau
• Google - public data "Population in the U.S."