Demographics of the United States
The United States is the third-most populous country in the world, with an estimated population of 330,020,103 as of 2020. The United States Census Bureau shows a population increase of 0.75% for the twelve-month period ending in July 2012. Though high by industrialized country standards, this is below the world average annual rate of 1.1%. The total fertility rate in the United States estimated for 2019 is 1.71 children per woman, which is below the replacement fertility rate of approximately 2.1.
The U.S. population almost quadrupled 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 is estimated to have reached the 200 million mark in 1967, and the 300 million mark on October 17, 2006. Foreign-born immigration has caused the U.S. population to continue its rapid increase, with the foreign-born population doubling from almost 20 million in 1990 to over 45 million in 2015, representing one-third of the population increase. Population growth is fastest among minorities as a whole, and according to the Census Bureau's estimation for 2020, 50% of U.S. children under the age of 18 are members of ethnic minority groups.
White people constitute the majority of the U.S. population, with a total of about 234,370,202 or 73% of the population as of 2017. "Non-Hispanic Whites" make up 60.7% of the country's population, their share of the U.S. population is expected to fall below 50% by 2045, primarily due to immigration and low birth rates.
Hispanic and Latino Americans accounted for 48% of the national population growth of 2.9 million between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006. Immigrants and their U.S.-born descendants are expected to provide most of the U.S. population gains in the decades ahead.
The Census Bureau projects a U.S. population of 417 million in 2060, a 38% increase from 2007, and the United Nations estimates that the U.S. will be among the nine countries responsible for half the world's population growth by 2050, with its population being 402 million by then. In an official census report, it was reported that 54.4% of births in 2010 were to "non-Hispanic whites". This represents an increase of 0.3% compared to the previous year, which was 54.1%.
Population
the United States is estimated to have a population of 328,953,020.The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook estimated as of 2018, unless otherwise indicated.
Immigration
In 2017, out of the U.S. foreign-born population, some 45% were naturalized citizens, 27% were lawful permanent residents, 6% were temporary lawful residents, and 23% were unauthorized immigrants. Among current living immigrants to the U.S., the top five countries of birth are Mexico, China, India, the Philippines and El Salvador. Some 13% of current living immigrants come from Europe and Canada, and 10% from the Caribbean. Among new arrivals, Asian immigrants have been more numerous than Hispanic immigrants since 2010; in 2017, 37.4% of immigrant arrivals were Asian, and 26.6% were Hispanic. Until 2017 and 2018, the United States led the world in refugee resettlement for decades, admitted more refugees than the rest of the world combined. From fiscal year 1980 until 2017, 55% of refugees came from Asia, 27% from Europe, 13% from Africa, and 4% from Latin America, fleeing war and persecution.Structure
| age | men | women | total | % of total US | % male | % female | male/female ratio |
| 0–14 | 31,255,995 | 29,919,938 | 61,175,933 | 18.73% | 51.09% | 48.91% | 1.04 |
| 15–24 | 22,213,952 | 21,137,826 | 43,351,778 | 13.27% | 51.24% | 48.76% | 1.05 |
| 25–54 | 64,528,673 | 64,334,499 | 128,863,172 | 39.45% | 50.08% | 49.92% | 1.00 |
| 55–64 | 20,357,880 | 21,821,976 | 42,179,856 | 12.91% | 48.26% | 51.74% | 0.93 |
| 65+ | 22,678,235 | 28,376,817 | 51,055,052 | 15.63% | 44.42% | 55.58% | 0.80 |
| all | 161,034,735 | 165,591,056 | 326,625,791 | 100.00% | 49.30% | 50.70% | 0.97 |
The median age of the total population is 38.2 years; the male median age is 36.9 years; the female median age is 39.5 years.
Birth rate
- 12.4 births/1,000 population Country comparison to the world: 157th
Death rate
- 8.2 deaths/1,000 population Country comparison to the world: 86th
Total fertility rate
The drop in the U.S. fertility rate from 2.08 per woman in 2007 to 1.76 in 2017 was mostly due to the declining birth rate of Hispanics, teenagers, and young women, although the birth rate for older women rose, below the replacement rate of 2.1.
- 1.73 children born/woman
Mother's mean age at first birth
- 26.4 years
Life expectancy
- Total population: 78.6 years for a child born in 2017.
- Male: 77.8 years
- Female: 82.3 years
Density
The most densely populated state is New Jersey.The population is highly urbanized, with 82.3% of the population residing in cities and suburbs. Large urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the United States and the western tier states; mountainous areas, principally the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian chain, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prairie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast – with particular emphasis on the city of Anchorage – and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu. California and Texas are the most populous states, as the mean center of U.S. population has consistently shifted westward and southward. New York City is the most populous city in the United States and has been since at least 1790.
In the U.S. territories, population centers include the San Juan metro area in Puerto Rico, Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, and the island of Tutuila in American Samoa.
Growth
- Population growth rate: 0.8%. Country comparison to the world: 130th
Births and fertility by race
U.S.-born people
Note: Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number. Also note that growth arrows indicate an increase or decrease in the number of births, not in the fertility rate.| Race of mother | Number of births in 2014 | % of all born | TFR | Number of births in 2015 | % of all born | TFR | Number of births in 2016 | % of all born | TFR | Number of births in 2017 | % of all born | TFR | Number of births in 2018 | % of all born | TFR | |
| White | 75.72% | 1.876 | 75.73% | 1.864 | ||||||||||||
| > Non-Hispanic whites | 53.89% | 1.763 | 53.54% | 1.746 | 52.11% | 1.719 | 51.68% | 1.666 | 51.60% | 1.640 | ||||||
| Black | 16.06% | 1.872 | 16.09% | 1.853 | ||||||||||||
| > Non-Hispanic Blacks | 14.77% | 1.874 | 14.80% | 1.857 | 14.16% | 1.832 | 14.54% | 1.824 | 14.56% | 1.792 | ||||||
| Asian | 7.09% | 1.715 | 7.07% | 1.646 | 6.45% | 1.690 | 6.46% | 1.597 | 6.35% | 1.525 | 3.39% | |||||
| Native | 1.13% | 1.289 | 1.11% | 1.263 | 0.80% | 1.794 | 0.78% | 1.702 | 0.77% | 1.651 | 2.89% | |||||
| Hawaiian | 0.23% | 2.076 | 0.24% | 2.085 | 0.25% | 2.106 | 0.53% | |||||||||
| Total | 100% | 1.862 | 100% | 1.843 | 100% | 1.820 | 100% | 1.765 | 100% | 1.729 | 2.29% |
NOTE:
- TFR = Total fertility rate.
- Growth arrows indicate an increase or decrease in the number of births, not in the fertility rate, comparing to the previous year.
| Ethnicity of mother | Number of births in 2014 | TFR | Number of births in 2015 | TFR | Number of births in 2016 | TFR | Number of births in 2017 | TFR | Number of births in 2018 | TFR | |
| Non-Hispanic | 1.793 | 1.770 | 1.73% | ||||||||
| Hispanic | 2.131 | 2.124 | 2.093 | 2.007 | 1.959 | 1.40% |
| Race | 2008 | 2011 | 2013 |
| White | 2.29 | 2.01 | 1.94 |
| Black | 2.51 | 2.57 | 2.35 |
| Asian | 2.25 | 2.02 | 1.93 |
| Other | 1.80 | 2.04 | 2.06 |
| Hispanic | 3.15 | 2.77 | 2.46 |
| Total | 2.75 | 2.45 | 2.22 |
Immigration
- Net migration rate: 3.8 migrants/1,000 population Country comparison to the world: 35th
- Net migration rate: 3.9 migrants/1,000 population
| Country | 2018 |
| Mexico | 160,132 |
| Cuba | 75,159 |
| China | 61,848 |
| Dominican Republic | 57,286 |
| India | 56,761 |
| Philippines | 44,776 |
| Vietnam | 33,236 |
| El Salvador | 22,884 |
| Haiti | 21,091 |
| Jamaica | 19,986 |
| Region | 2018 |
| Asia | 383,145 |
| Americas | 489,291 |
| Africa | 112,745 |
| Europe | 85,486 |
| Oceania | 5,422 |
| Not Specified | 20,522 |
| Total | 1,096,611 |
| Class of Admission | 2018 |
| Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens | 478,961 |
| Family-sponsored preferences | 216,563 |
| Employment-based preferences | 138,171 |
| Diversity | 45,350 |
| Refugees | 155,734 |
| Asylees | 30,175 |
| Parolees | 14 |
| Children born abroad to alien residents | 69 |
| Certain Iraqis and Afghans employed by U.S. Government and their spouses and children | 10,297 |
| Cancellation of removal | 4,421 |
| Victims of human trafficking | 1,208 |
| Victims of crimes and their spouses and children | 15,012 |
| Other | 636 |
Vital statistics
Vital statistics from 1935
Current vital statistics
Number of births :- from January–March 2018 = 915,000
- from January–March 2019 = 894,000
- from January–March 2018 = 773,000
- from January–March 2019 = 742,000
- from January–March 2018 = 142,000
- from January–March 2019 = 152,000
Historical data
Under the law, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the number of first-generation immigrants living in the United States has increased, from 9.6 million in 1970 to about 38 million in 2007. Around a million people legally immigrated to the United States per year in the 1990s, up from 250,000 per year in the 1950s.
In 1900, non-Hispanic whites comprised almost 97% of the population of the 10 largest U.S. cities. The Census Bureau reported that minorities made up 50.4% of the children born in the U.S. between July 2010 and July 2011, compared to 37% in 1990.
In 2014, the state with the lowest fertility rate was Rhode Island, with a rate of 1.56, while Utah had the greatest rate with a rate of 2.33. This correlates with the ages of the states' populations: Rhode Island has the ninth-oldest median age in the US—39.2—while Utah has the youngest—29.0.
In 2017, the U.S. birth rate remains well below the replacement level needed – at least 2.1 children per woman so as not to experience population decreases – as white American births fell in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Among non-Hispanic white women, no states had a fertility rate above the replacement level. Among non-Hispanic Black women, 12 states reached above the replacement level needed. Among Hispanic women, 29 states did. For non-Hispanic white women, the highest total fertility rate was in Utah, at 2.099, and the lowest in the District of Columbia, at 1.012. Among non-Hispanic Black women, the highest total fertility rate was in Maine, at 4.003, and the lowest in Wyoming, at 1.146. For Hispanic women, the highest total fertility rate was in Alabama, at 3.085, and the lowest in Vermont, at 1.200, and Maine, at 1.281. Due to the aging and low birth rates among white people, deaths now outnumber births among white people in more than half the states in the country.
In 2018, U.S. births fell to the lowest level in 32 years.
Median age of the population
of the U.S. population through history. Source: U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census, United States Census Bureau and The World Factbook.| Years | 1820 | 1830 | 1840 | 1850 | 1860 | 1870 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 |
| Median age of the total population | 16.7 | 17.2 | 17.8 | 18.9 | 19.4 | 20.2 | 20.9 | 22.0 | 22.9 |
| Median age of males | 16.6 | 17.2 | 17.9 | 19.2 | 19.8 | 20.2 | 21.2 | 22.3 | 23.3 |
| Median age of females | 16.8 | 17.3 | 17.8 | 18.6 | 19.1 | 20.1 | 20.7 | 21.6 | 22.4 |
| Years | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2018 |
| Median age of the total population | 24.1 | 25.3 | 26.5 | 29.0 | 30.2 | 29.6 | 28.1 | 30.0 | 32.9 | 35.3 | 37.2 | 38.2 |
| Median age of males | 24.6 | 25.8 | 26.7 | 29.1 | 29.9 | 28.7 | 26.8 | 28.8 | 31.7 | 34.0 | 35.8 | 36.9 |
| Median age of females | 23.5 | 24.7 | 25.2 | 29.0 | 30.5 | 30.4 | 29.8 | 31.2 | 34.1 | 36.5 | 38.5 | 39.5 |
Vital statistics
The U.S. total fertility rate as of 2018 is 1.728:- 1.86 for white Americans
- * 1.64 for non-Hispanic whites
- 1.79 for non-Hispanic Blacks
- 1.65 for Native Americans
- 1.53 for Asian Americans
- 1.96 for Hispanics
Total Fertility Rates from 1800 to 2010
The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. Sources: Ansley J. Coale, Zelnik and National Center for Health Statistics.| Years | 1800 | 1810 | 1820 | 1830 | 1840 | 1850 | 1860 | 1870 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 |
| Total Fertility Rate in the United States | 7.0 | 6.9 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
Life expectancy at birth from 1901 to 2015
Life expectancy in the United States from 1901 to 2015. Source: Our World In Data and the United Nations.1901–1950
| Years | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 |
| Life expectancy in the United States | 49.3 | 50.5 | 50.6 | 49.6 | 50.3 | 50.2 | 50.1 | 51.9 | 52.8 | 51.8 |
| Years | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 |
| Life expectancy in the United States | 58.2 | 58.1 | 57.5 | 58.5 | 58.5 | 57.9 | 59.4 | 58.3 | 58.5 | 59.6 |
| Years | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 |
| Life expectancy in the United States | 63.8 | 64.6 | 64.3 | 65.1 | 65.6 | 66.3 | 66.7 | 67.3 | 67.6 | 68.1 |
1950–2015
| Period | Life expectancy in Years | Period | Life expectancy in Years |
| 1950–1955 | 68.7 | 1985–1990 | 74.9 |
| 1955–1960 | 69.7 | 1990–1995 | 75.7 |
| 1960–1965 | 70.1 | 1995–2000 | 76.5 |
| 1965–1970 | 70.4 | 2000–2005 | 77.2 |
| 1970–1975 | 71.4 | 2005–2010 | 78.2 |
| 1975–1980 | 73.3 | 2010–2015 | 78.9 |
| 1980–1985 | 74.4 | 2015-2020 | 78.8 |
Source: UN World Population Prospects
Percent distribution of the total population by age: 1900 to 2015
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, United Nations medium variant projections.| Ages | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2015 |
| 0–14 years | 34.5 | 32.1 | 31.8 | 29.4 | 25.0 | 26.9 | 31.1 | 28.5 | 22.6 | 21.5 | 21.4 | 20.2 | 19.8 |
| 15–24 years | 19.6 | 19.7 | 17.7 | 18.3 | 18.2 | 14.7 | 13.4 | 17.4 | 18.8 | 14.8 | 13.9 | ||
| 25–44 years | 28.1 | 29.2 | 29.6 | 29.5 | 30.1 | 30.0 | 26.2 | 23.6 | 27.7 | 32.5 | 30.2 | ||
| 45–64 years | 13.7 | 14.6 | 16.1 | 17.5 | 19.8 | 20.3 | 20.1 | 20.6 | 19.6 | 18.6 | 22.0 | ||
| 65 years and over | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 6.8 | 8.1 | 9.2 | 9.9 | 11.3 | 12.6 | 12.4 | 13.0 | 14.3 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 33.2 | 34.1 |
Population centers
The United States has dozens of major cities, including 31 "global cities" of all types, with 10 in the "alpha" group of global cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Atlanta., the United States had 51 metropolitan areas with a population of over 1,000,000 people each., 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.
The following table shows the populations of the top twenty metropolitan areas. Note Denver and Baltimore have over 2.5 million residents in their metro areas, and the San Juan metro area has more than 2 million residents.
Race and ethnicity
Race
The United States Census Bureau collects racial data in accordance with guidelines provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and these data are based on self-identification. Many other countries count multiple races based on origin while America compiles multiple dozens of ethnicity groups into skin color grouping them together. The racial classifications and definitions used by the U.S. Census Bureau are:- White: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as “White” or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Arab, Moroccan, or Caucasian.
- Black or African American: a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as “Black, African Am.” or report entries such as African American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.
- American Indian or Alaska Native: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. This category includes people who indicate their race as "American Indian or Alaska Native" or report entries such as Navajo, Blackfeet, Inupiat, Yup'ik, Central American Indian groups, or South American Indian groups.
- Asian: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
- Some other race: includes all other responses not included in the “White,” “Black or African American,” “American Indian or Alaska Native,” “Asian,” and “Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander” racial categories described above includes Asians from Western Asia or Russia and White Africans
- Two or more races: people may choose to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, providing multiple responses, or some combination of check boxes and other responses.
According to the 2013–2017 American Community Survey, the racial composition of the United States in 2017 was:
| Race | Population | Share of total population |
| Total | 321,004,407 | 100% |
| One race | 310,923,363 | 96.9% |
| White | 234,370,202 | 73.0% |
| Black or African American | 40,610,815 | 12.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 2,632,102 | 0.8% |
| Asian | 17,186,320 | 5.4% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 570,116 | 0.2% |
| Other races | 15,553,808 | 4.8% |
| Two or more races | 10,081,044 | 3.1% |
| White and Black or African American | 2,657,560 | 0.8% |
| White and American Indian and Alaska Native | 1,905,946 | 0.6% |
| White and Asian | 2,057,321 | 0.6% |
| Black or African American and American Indian and Alaska Native | 319,097 | 0.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 56,510,571 | 17.6% |
| Mexican | 35,709,528 | 11.1% |
| Puerto Rican | 5,418,521 | 1.7% |
| Cuban | 2,158,962 | 0.7% |
| Other Hispanic or Latino | 13,223,560 | 4.1% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 264,493,836 | 82.4% |
| White | 197,277,789 | 61.5% |
| Black or African American | 39,445,495 | 12.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 2,098,763 | 0.7% |
| Asian | 16,989,540 | 5.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 515,522 | 0.2% |
| Some other race | 715,432 | 0.2% |
| Two or more races | 7,451,295 | 2.3% |
;Distribution of Total Population by Race, 1900 to 2010 :
Hispanic are shown like part of the races. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
| Years | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000* | 2010* |
| White | 87.9 | 88.9 | 89.7 | 89.8 | 89.8 | 89.5 | 88.6 | 87.5 | 83.0 | 80.3 | 75.1 | 72.4 |
| Black or African American | 11.6 | 10.7 | 9.9 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 10.0 | 10.5 | 11.1 | 11.7 | 12.1 | 12.3 | 12.6 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.9 | ||||||||
| Asian and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander | 1.5 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 5.0 | ||||||||
| Some other race | 3.0 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 6.2 | ||||||||
| Two or more races | 2.4 | 2.9 | ||||||||||
| Sum | 99.5 | 99.6 | 99.6 | 99.5 | 99.6 | 99.5 | 99.1 | 98.6 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
*Data are shown for the White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and Some other race alone populations.
;Median age of each race, 2010 :
Source: United States Census Bureau.
| Race | Median age | Median age | Median age |
| Total | 39.6 | 38.4 | 40.8 |
| White | 42.0 | 40.7 | 43.3 |
| Black or African American | 32.7 | 30.9 | 34.3 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 31.7 | 30.6 | 32.7 |
| Asian | 35.4 | 34.3 | 36.4 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 29.7 | 29.2 | 30.2 |
| Two or More Races | 19.0 | 18.1 | 19.8 |
;Median age of each race, 2017 :
Source: United States Census Bureau.
| Race | Median age | Median age | Median age |
| Total | 40.5 | 39.1 | 42.0 |
| White | 43.5 | 42.1 | 45.0 |
| Black or African American | 34.2 | 32.3 | 36.0 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 33.6 | 32.4 | 34.8 |
| Asian | 36.9 | 35.5 | 38.1 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 32.9 | 32.4 | 33.4 |
| Two or More Races | 20.3 | 19.5 | 21.2 |
| Race/ethnicity | White | Black or African American | Hispanic | Asian | American Indian and Alaska Native | Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander | Multiracial |
| Most common age | 58 yo | 27 yo | 11 yo | 29 yo | 26 yo | 28 yo | 3 yo |
| State or territory | Population | White | Black or African American | American Indian and Alaska Native | Asian | Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | Some other race | Two or more races |
| Alabama | 4,830,620 | 68.8% | 26.4% | 0.5% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 1.3% | 1.7% |
| Alaska | 733,375 | 66.0% | 3.4% | 13.8% | 5.9% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 8.4% |
| Arizona | 6,641,928 | 78.4% | 4.2% | 4.4% | 3.0% | 0.2% | 6.5% | 3.2% |
| Arkansas | 2,958,208 | 78.0% | 15.5% | 0.6% | 1.4% | 0.2% | 2.1% | 2.1% |
| California | 38,421,464 | 61.8% | 5.9% | 0.7% | 13.7% | 0.4% | 12.9% | 4.5% |
| Colorado | 5,278,906 | 84.2% | 4.0% | 0.9% | 2.9% | 0.1% | 4.3% | 3.5% |
| Connecticut | 3,593,222 | 77.3% | 10.3% | 0.2% | 4.2% | 0.0% | 5.1% | 2.8% |
| Delaware | 926,454 | 69.4% | 21.6% | 0.3% | 3.6% | 0.0% | 2.3% | 2.7% |
| District of Columbia | 647,484 | 40.2% | 48.9% | 0.3% | 3.7% | 0.0% | 4.2% | 2.7% |
| Florida | 19,645,772 | 76.0% | 16.1% | 0.3% | 2.6% | 0.1% | 2.5% | 2.4% |
| Georgia | 10,006,693 | 60.2% | 30.9% | 0.3% | 3.6% | 0.0% | 2.8% | 2.1% |
| Hawaii | 1,406,299 | 25.4% | 2.0% | 0.2% | 37.7% | 9.9% | 1.1% | 23.7% |
| Idaho | 1,616,547 | 91.7% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.1% | 2.4% | 2.6% |
| Illinois | 12,873,761 | 72.3% | 14.3% | 0.2% | 5.0% | 0.0% | 5.8% | 2.2% |
| Indiana | 6,568,645 | 84.2% | 9.2% | 0.2% | 1.9% | 0.0% | 2.3% | 2.2% |
| Iowa | 3,093,526 | 91.2% | 3.2% | 0.3% | 2.0% | 0.1% | 1.3% | 2.0% |
| Kansas | 2,892,987 | 85.2% | 5.8% | 0.8% | 2.6% | 0.1% | 2.2% | 3.3% |
| Kentucky | 4,397,353 | 87.6% | 7.9% | 0.2% | 1.3% | 0.0% | 0.9% | 2.1% |
| Louisiana | 4,625,253 | 62.8% | 32.1% | 0.6% | 1.7% | 0.0% | 1.0% | 1.8% |
| Maine | 1,329,100 | 95.0% | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 2.0% |
| Maryland | 5,930,538 | 57.6% | 29.5% | 0.3% | 6.0% | 0.0% | 3.6% | 3.0% |
| Massachusetts | 6,705,586 | 79.6% | 7.1% | 0.2% | 6.0% | 0.0% | 4.2% | 2.9% |
| Michigan | 9,900,571 | 79.0% | 14.0% | 0.5% | 2.7% | 0.0% | 1.1% | 2.6% |
| Minnesota | 5,419,171 | 84.8% | 5.5% | 1.0% | 4.4% | 0.0% | 1.5% | 2.7% |
| Mississippi | 2,988,081 | 59.2% | 37.4% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| Missouri | 6,045,448 | 82.6% | 11.5% | 0.4% | 1.8% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 2.4% |
| Montana | 1,014,699 | 89.2% | 0.5% | 6.5% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 2.5% |
| Nebraska | 1,869,365 | 88.1% | 4.7% | 0.9% | 2.0% | 0.1% | 1.9% | 2.2% |
| Nevada | 2,798,636 | 69.0% | 8.4% | 1.1% | 7.7% | 0.6% | 8.8% | 4.4% |
| New Hampshire | 1,324,201 | 93.7% | 1.3% | 0.2% | 2.4% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| New Jersey | 8,904,413 | 68.3% | 13.5% | 0.2% | 9.0% | 0.0% | 6.4% | 2.5% |
| New Mexico | 2,084,117 | 73.2% | 2.1% | 9.1% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 10.9% | 3.3% |
| New York | 19,673,174 | 64.6% | 15.6% | 0.4% | 8.0% | 0.0% | 8.6% | 2.9% |
| North Carolina | 9,845,333 | 69.5% | 21.5% | 1.2% | 2.5% | 0.1% | 3.0% | 2.4% |
| North Dakota | 721,640 | 88.7% | 1.6% | 5.3% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 2.2% |
| Ohio | 11,575,977 | 82.4% | 12.2% | 0.2% | 1.9% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 2.5% |
| Oklahoma | 3,849,733 | 73.1% | 7.2% | 7.3% | 1.9% | 0.1% | 2.6% | 7.8% |
| Oregon | 3,939,233 | 85.1% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 4.0% | 0.4% | 3.4% | 4.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 12,779,559 | 81.6% | 11.0% | 0.2% | 3.1% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 2.1% |
| Puerto Rico | 3,583,073 | 69.7% | 8.4% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 12.0% | 9.3% |
| Rhode Island | 1,053,661 | 81.1% | 6.5% | 0.5% | 3.2% | 0.0% | 5.8% | 2.8% |
| South Carolina | 4,777,576 | 67.2% | 27.5% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 1.5% | 2.0% |
| South Dakota | 843,190 | 85.0% | 1.6% | 8.6% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 0.9% | 2.6% |
| Tennessee | 6,499,615 | 77.8% | 16.8% | 0.3% | 1.6% | 0.1% | 1.5% | 2.0% |
| Texas | 26,538,614 | 74.9% | 11.9% | 0.5% | 4.2% | 0.1% | 6.0% | 2.5% |
| Utah | 2,903,379 | 87.6% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 0.9% | 4.5% | 2.6% |
| Vermont | 626,604 | 94.9% | 1.1% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 1.9% |
| Virginia | 8,256,630 | 69.0% | 19.2% | 0.3% | 6.0% | 0.1% | 2.2% | 3.2% |
| Washington | 6,985,464 | 77.8% | 3.6% | 1.3% | 7.7% | 0.6% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| West Virginia | 1,851,420 | 93.6% | 3.3% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 2.0% |
| Wisconsin | 5,742,117 | 86.5% | 6.3% | 0.9% | 2.5% | 0.0% | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| Wyoming | 579,679 | 91.0% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 2.1% | 2.7% |
| Year | White Alone | Black Alone | Hispanic | Native American Alone | Asian Alone | Pacific Islander Alone |
| 2018 | 51.6% | 14.6% | 23.4% | 0.8% | 6.4% | 0.3% |
| Year | White | Black or African American | Hispanic | Asian | Pacific Islander | American Indian Alaska Native | Two or more races |
| 2000 | 60% | 15% | 16% | 3% | -- | 1% | 2% |
| 2017 | 51% | 14% | 25% | 5% | -- | 1% | 4% |
| Age group | 85+ | 80-84 | 75-79 | 70-74 | 65-69 | 60-64 | 55-59 | 50-54 | 45-49 | 40-44 | 35-39 | 30-34 | 25-29 | 20-24 | 15-19 | 10-14 | 5-9 | <5 |
| non-Hispanic white | 83% | 81% | 79% | 78% | 77% | 74% | 72% | 69% | 65% | 61% | 58% | 57% | 57% | 56% | 55% | 54% | 52% | 50% |
| Minority | 17% | 19% | 21% | 22% | 23% | 26% | 28% | 31% | 35% | 39% | 42% | 43% | 43% | 44% | 45% | 46% | 48% | 50% |
Hispanic or Latino origin
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines "Hispanic or Latino" as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. People who identify with the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the decennial census questionnaire and various Census Bureau survey questionnaires – “Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano” or ”Puerto Rican” or “Cuban” – as well as those who indicate that they are “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.” People who identify their origin as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.| Hispanic or Latino and Race | Population | Percentage of total population |
| United States population | 316,515,021 | 100% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 54,232,205 | 17.1% |
| White | 35,684,777 | 11.3% |
| Black or African American | 1,122,369 | 0.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 490,557 | 0.1% |
| Asian | 181,231 | 0.0% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 46,724 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 14,226,829 | 4.5% |
| Two or more races | 2,479,718 | 0.8% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 262,282,816 | 82.9% |
;Population distribution by Hispanic origin 1970–2010 :
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970, 1980 to 2010.
| Years | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 95.5 | 93.6 | 91.0 | 87.5 | 83.7 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4.5 | 6.4 | 9.0 | 12.5 | 16.3 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
;Median age of each race, 2010 :
Source: United States Census Bureau.
| Race | Median age | Median age | Median age |
| Total | 27.3 | 26.7 | 27.9 |
| White | 27.8 | 27.2 | 28.4 |
| Black or African American | 24.5 | 23.5 | 25.6 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 26.0 | 26.1 | 25.8 |
| Asian | 25.0 | 24.4 | 25.6 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 24.9 | 24.8 | 24.9 |
| Two or More Races | 19.6 | 19.1 | 20.0 |
;Median age of each race, 2017 :
Source: United States Census Bureau.
| Race | Median age | Median age | Median age |
| Total | 29.3 | 28.8 | 29.8 |
| White | 29.8 | 29.3 | 30.3 |
| Black or African American | 26.8 | 25.8 | 27.9 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 28.6 | 29.0 | 28.1 |
| Asian | 27.2 | 26.5 | 27.8 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 27.8 | 28.1 | 27.4 |
| Two or More Races | 20.9 | 20.4 | 21.3 |
Note: Hispanic origin is considered an ethnicity, not a race. Hispanics may be of any race.
Indigenous peoples
As of 2017, there are 2,098,763 American Indian and Alaska Native people in the United States, representing 0.7% of the U.S. population. There are 573 federally recognized tribal governments in the United States. As of 2000, the largest groups in the United States by population were Navajo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Sioux, Chippewa, Apache, Blackfeet, Iroquois, and Pueblo.Other groups
There were 22.1 million veterans in 2009, meaning that less than 10% of Americans served in the Armed Forces.In 2010, The Washington Post estimated that there were 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. As of 2017, Pew Research reported that there an estimated 10.5 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
There were about 2 million people in prison in 2010.
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. Community Marketing & Insights, an 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. 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. A 2006 UCLA study reported that 4.1% of Americans aged 18–45 identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
A 2011 report by the Williams Institute estimated that 9 million adults identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, representing 3.5% of the population over 18. A spokesperson said that, until recently, few studies have tried to eliminate people who had occasionally undertaken homosexual behavior or entertained homosexual thoughts, from people who identified as lesbian or gay. 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.
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%. At the same time, Non-Hispanic Whites are projected to no longer make up a majority of the population by 2045, but will remain the largest single ethnic group. In 2050 they will compose 46.3% of the population. Non-Hispanic whites made up 85% of the population in 1960.The report foresees the Hispanic or Latino population rising from 16% today to 30% by 2050, the Black percentage barely rising from 12.9% to 13.1%, and Asian Americans upping their 4.6% share to 7.8%. The United States had a population of 310 million people in October 2010, and is projected to reach 400 million by 2039 and 439 million in 2050. It is further projected that 82% of the increase in population from 2005 to 2050 will be due to immigrants and their children.
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, and 38% are projected to be single-race, non-Hispanic Whites. Racial and ethnic minorities surpassed non-Hispanic whites as the largest group of U.S. children under 5 years old in 2015.
;Pew Research Center projections:
The United Nations projects a population of just over 400 million in 2060.
The country's racial profile will be vastly different, and although whites will remain the single largest racial group in the U.S., they will no longer be a majority by 2055 according to Pew Research Center. Growth in the Hispanic and Asian populations is predicted to almost triple over the next 40 years. By 2055, the breakdown is estimated to be 48% white, 24% Hispanic, 14% Asian, and 13% Black.
, 14% of the United States' population is foreign born, compared to just 5% in 1965. Nearly 39 million immigrants have come to the U.S. since 1965, with most coming from Asia and Latin America. The 2015 Census Report predicts that the percentage of the U.S. population that is foreign-born will continue to increase, reaching 19% by 2060. This increase in the foreign-born population will account for a large share of the overall population growth.
The average person in the U.S. of 2060 is likely to be older than the average person of 2018 today, and almost one in four people will be 65 or older.
U.S. Census Census Bureau projections
;Percent minority 1970–2042 :| Years | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | 2030 | 2040 | 2042 |
| Percent minority | 16.5 | 20.4 | 24.4 | 30.9 | 36.3 | 39.9 | 44.5 | 49.2 | 50.1 |
Note: “Minority” refers to people who reported their ethnicity and race as something other than non-Hispanic White alone in the decennial census.
;Total US population:
| Year | Projection | Projection | Actual result |
| 2010 | 310,233 | 309,011 | 308,745,538 |
| 2020 | 341,387 | 331,003 | - |
| 2030 | 373,504 | 349,642 | - |
| 2040 | 405,655 | 366,572 | - |
| 2050 | 439,010 | 379,419 | - |
Foreign-born population
As of 2017, there is a total of 44,525,458 foreign-born people in the United States that represents the 13.5% of the total population of the country.It is important to note that the foreign-born people are not necessarily recent immigrants, in general, Europeans have resided in the United States longer than the total immigrant population, approximately the 66 percent of the European inmigrants arrived prior to 2000.
| Place of birth | Estimate | Percentage of total foreign-born people |
| Americas | 23,241,959 | 52.2% |
| Caribbean | 4,414,943 | 9.9% |
| > Cuba | 1,311,803 | 3.0% |
| > Dominican Republic | 1,162,568 | 2.6% |
| Central America | 14,796,926 | 33.2% |
| > Mexico | 11,269,913 | 25.3% |
| > El Salvador | 1,401,832 | 3.2% |
| South America | 3,213,187 | 7.2% |
| Canada | 809,267 | 1.8% |
| Europe | 4,818,662 | 10.8% |
| Northern Europe | 941,796 | 2.1% |
| Western Europe | 949,591 | 2.1% |
| Southern Europe | 761,390 | 1.7% |
| Eastern Europe | 2,153,855 | 4.8% |
| Asia | 13,907,844 | 31.2% |
| Eastern Asia | 4,267,303 | 9.6% |
| > China | 2,639,365 | 5.9% |
| > Korea | 1,064,960 | 2.4% |
| South Central Asia | 4,113,013 | 9.2% |
| > India | 2,348,687 | 5.3% |
| South Eastern Asia | 4,318,647 | 6.7% |
| > Philippines | 1,945,345 | 4.4% |
| > Vietnam | 1,314,927 | 3.0% |
| Western Asia | 1,159,835 | 2.6% |
| Africa | 2,293,028 | 5.2% |
| Eastern Africa | 693,784 | 1.6% |
| Middle Africa | 163,364 | 0.4% |
| Northern Africa | 359,559 | 0.8% |
| Southern Africa | 116,297 | 0.2% |
| Western Africa | 837,290 | 1.9% |
| Oceania | 263,965 | 0.6% |
| Australia and New Zealand Subregion | 123,080 | 0.3% |
Citizens living abroad
As of April 2015, the US State Department estimated that 8.7 million American citizens live overseas. Americans living overseas are not counted in the US Census unless they are a US government employee or the dependent of a US government employee. A 2010 paper estimated the number of civilian Americans living abroad to be around 4 million. So-called 'accidental Americans' are citizens of a country other than the United States who may also be considered U.S. citizens or be eligible for American citizenship under American nationality law but are not aware of having such status, or have only become aware of it recently during adulthood.Religion
Religious affiliations
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., the US census bureau reported that about 13% of the population did not identify themselves as a member of any religion.In a Pew Research Survey performed in 2012, Americans without a religion approached the numbers of Evangelical Protestant Americans with almost 20% of Americans being nonreligious. If this current growth rate continues, by 2050, around 51% of Americans will not have a religion.
Surveys conducted in 2014 and 2019 by Pew indicated that the percentage of Americans unaffiliated with a religion increased from 16% in 2007 to 23% in 2014 and 26% of the population in 2019.
| Religious body | Year reported | Places of worship | Membership | Clergy |
| !a | 0000 | −9999 | −9999 | −9999 |
| African Methodist Episcopal Church | 1999 | no data | 2,500 | 7,741 |
| African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church | 2002 | 3,226 | 1,431 | 3,252 |
| American Baptist Association | 2009 | 1,600 | 100 | 1,740 |
| Amish, Old Order | 1993 | 898 | 227 | 3,592 |
| American Baptist Churches USA | 2017 | 5,057 | 1,146 | 4,145 |
| Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America | 1998 | 220 | 65 | 263 |
| Armenian Apostolic Church | 2010 | 153 | 1,000 | 200 |
| Armenian Catholic Church | 2010 | 36 | ||
| Assemblies of God | 2018 | 13,017 | 1,857 | 38,199 |
| Baptist Bible Fellowship International | 2010 | 4,000 | 1,100 | 4,190 |
| Baptist General Conference | 1998 | 876 | 141 | no data |
| Baptist Missionary Association of America | 2010 | 1,272 | 138 | 1,525 |
| Buddhism | 2001 | no data | 1,082 | no data |
| Christian and Missionary Alliance, The | 1998 | 1,964 | 346 | 1,629 |
| Christian Brethren | 1997 | 1,150 | 100 | no data |
| Christian Church | 2018 | 3,624 | 382 | 2,066 |
| Christian churches and churches of Christ | 1998 | 5,579 | 1,072 | 5,525 |
| Christian Congregation, Inc., The | 1998 | 1,438 | 117 | 1,436 |
| Christian Methodist Episcopal Church | 1983 | 2,340 | 719 | no data |
| Christian Reformed Church in North America | 1998 | 733 | 199 | 655 |
| Church of God in Christ | 1991 | 15,300 | 5,500 | 28,988 |
| Church of God of Prophecy | 1997 | 1,908 | 77 | 2,000 |
| Church of God | 1998 | 2,353 | 234 | 3,034 |
| Church of God | 1995 | 6,060 | 753 | 3,121 |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 2014 | 14,018 | 6,466 | 38,259 |
| Church of the Brethren | 1997 | 1,095 | 141 | 827 |
| Church of the Nazarene | 1998 | 5,101 | 627 | 4,598 |
| Churches of Christ | 2019 | 11,989 | 1,116 | 14,500 |
| Conservative Baptist Association of America | 1998 | 1,200 | 200 | no data |
| Community of Christ | 1998 | 1,236 | 140 | 19,319 |
| Coptic Orthodox Church | 2003 | 200 | 1,000 | 200 |
| Cumberland Presbyterian Church | 1998 | 774 | 87 | 630 |
| Episcopal Church | 2018 | 6,423 | 1,676 | 8,131 |
| Evangelical Covenant Church, The | 1998 | 628 | 97 | 607 |
| Evangelical Free Church of America, The | 1995 | 1,224 | 243 | 1,936 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 2018 | 9,091 | 3,363 | 9,646 |
| Evangelical Presbyterian Church | 1998 | 187 | 61 | 262 |
| Free Methodist Church of North America | 1998 | 990 | 73 | no data |
| Full Gospel Fellowship | 1999 | 896 | 275 | 2,070 |
| General Association of General Baptists | 1997 | 790 | 72 | 1,085 |
| General Association of Regular Baptist Churches | 1998 | 1,415 | 102 | no data |
| U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches | 1996 | 368 | 82 | 590 |
| Grace Gospel Fellowship | 1992 | 128 | 60 | 160 |
| Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America | 2006 | 560 | 1,500 | 840 |
| Hinduism | 2001 | no data | 766 | no data |
| Independent Fundamental Churches of America | 1999 | 659 | 62 | no data |
| International Church of the Foursquare Gospel | 1998 | 1,851 | 238 | 4,900 |
| International Council of Community Churches | 1998 | 150 | 250 | 182 |
| International Pentecostal Holiness Church | 1998 | 1,716 | 177 | 1507 |
| Islam | 2011 | no data | 2,600 | no data |
| Jainism | no data | no data | 50 | no data |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 2014 | 13,871 | 1,243 | no data |
| Judaism | 2006 | 3,727 | 6,588 | no data |
| Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, The | 2017 | 6,046 | 1,969 | 6,055 |
| Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric | 2010 | 19 | 50 | no data |
| Mennonite Church USA | 2005 | 943 | 114 | no data |
| National Association of Congregational Christian Churches | 1998 | 416 | 67 | 534 |
| National Association of Free Will Baptists | 2007 | 2,369 | 186 | 3,915 |
| National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. | 1987 | 2,500 | 3,500 | 8,000 |
| National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. | 1992 | 33,000 | 8,200 | 32,832 |
| National Missionary Baptist Convention of America | 2004 | 300 | 400 | no data |
| Orthodox Church in America | 2010 | 750 | 131 | 970 |
| Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. | 1998 | 1,750 | 1,500 | 4,500 |
| Pentecostal Church of God | 1998 | 1,237 | 104 | no data |
| Pentecostal Church International, United | 2008 | 28,351 | 4,037 | 22,881 |
| Presbyterian Church in America | 1997 | 1,340 | 280 | 1,642 |
| Presbyterian Church | 2018 | 9,161 | 1,353 | 19,243 |
| Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. | 2017 | 1,200 | 1,500 | no data |
| Reformed Church in America | 2018 | 902 | 200 | 915 |
| Religious Society of Friends | 1994 | 1,200 | 104 | no data |
| Roman Catholic Church | 2002 | 19,484 | 66,404 | 50,017 |
| Romanian Orthodox Episcopate | 1996 | 37 | 65 | 37 |
| Salvation Army, The | 1998 | 1,388 | 471 | 2,920 |
| Scientology | 2005 | 1,300 | 55 | 1 |
| Serbian Orthodox Church | 1986 | 68 | 67 | 60 |
| Seventh-day Adventist Church | 1998 | 4,405 | 840 | 2,454 |
| Sikhism | 1999 | 244 | 80 | no data |
| Southern Baptist Convention | 2019 | 47,530 | 14,525 | 71,520 |
| Unitarian Universalism | 2001 | no data | 629 | no data |
| United Church of Christ | 2016 | 5,000 | 880 | 5,868 |
| United House of Prayer for All People | no data | 100 | 25 | no data |
| United Methodist Church, The | 2018 | 36,170 | 6,672 | no data |
| Wesleyan Church, The | 1998 | 1,590 | 120 | 1,806 |
| Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod | 2018 | 1,281 | 359 | 1,222 |
| Zoroastrianism | 2006 | no data | 11 | no data |
| ~z | 9999 | 99999999 | 99999999 | 99999999 |
According to Pew Research Center study released in 2018, by 2040, Islam will surpass Judaism to become the second largest religion in the US due to higher immigration and birth rates.
Religions of U.S. adults
The United States government does not collect religious data in its census. The survey below, the American Religious Identification Survey 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
Figures are not adjusted for refusals to reply; investigators suspect refusals are possibly more representative of "no religion" than any other group.
| Group | 1990 adults × 1,000 | 2001 adults × 1,000 | 2008 adults × 1,000 | Numerical Change 1990– 2008 as % of 1990 | 1990 % of adults | 2001 % of adults | 2008 % of adults | change in % of total adults 1990– 2008 |
| Adult population, total | 175,440 | 207,983 | 228,182 | 30.1% | ||||
| Adult population, Responded | 171,409 | 196,683 | 216,367 | 26.2% | 97.7% | 94.6% | 94.8% | −2.9% |
| Total Christian | 151,225 | 159,514 | 173,402 | 14.7% | 86.2% | 76.7% | 76.0% | −10.2% |
| Catholic | 46,004 | 50,873 | 57,199 | 24.3% | 26.2% | 24.5% | 25.1% | −1.2% |
| Non-Catholic Christian | 105,221 | 108,641 | 116,203 | 10.4% | 60.0% | 52.2% | 50.9% | −9.0% |
| Baptist | 33,964 | 33,820 | 36,148 | 6.4% | 19.4% | 16.3% | 15.8% | −3.5% |
| Mainline Protestant | 32,784 | 35,788 | 29,375 | −10.4% | 18.7% | 17.2% | 12.9% | −5.8% |
| Methodist | 14,174 | 14,039 | 11,366 | −19.8% | 8.1% | 6.8% | 5.0% | −3.1% |
| Lutheran | 9,110 | 9,580 | 8,674 | −4.8% | 5.2% | 4.6% | 3.8% | −1.4% |
| Presbyterian | 4,985 | 5,596 | 4,723 | −5.3% | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.1% | −0.8% |
| Episcopalian/Anglican | 3,043 | 3,451 | 2,405 | −21.0% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.1% | −0.7% |
| United Church of Christ | 438 | 1,378 | 736 | 68.0% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| Christian Generic | 25,980 | 22,546 | 32,441 | 24.9% | 14.8% | 10.8% | 14.2% | −0.6% |
| Jehovah's Witness | 1,381 | 1,331 | 1,914 | 38.6% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.1% |
| Christian Unspecified | 8,073 | 14,190 | 16,384 | 102.9% | 4.6% | 6.8% | 7.2% | 2.6% |
| Non-denominational Christian | 194 | 2,489 | 8,032 | 4040.2% | 0.1% | 1.2% | 3.5% | 3.4% |
| Protestant – Unspecified | 17,214 | 4,647 | 5,187 | −69.9% | 9.8% | 2.2% | 2.3% | −7.5% |
| Evangelical/Born Again | 546 | 1,088 | 2,154 | 294.5% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Pentecostal/Charismatic | 5,647 | 7,831 | 7,948 | 40.7% | 3.2% | 3.8% | 3.5% | 0.3% |
| Pentecostal – Unspecified | 3,116 | 4,407 | 5,416 | 73.8% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 0.6% |
| Assemblies of God | 617 | 1,105 | 810 | 31.3% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| Church of God | 590 | 943 | 663 | 12.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| Other Protestant Denomination | 4,630 | 5,949 | 7,131 | 54.0% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 3.1% | 0.5% |
| Seventh-Day Adventist | 668 | 724 | 938 | 40.4% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| Churches of Christ | 1,769 | 2,593 | 1,921 | 8.6% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 0.8% | −0.2% |
| Mormon/Latter-Day Saints | 2,487 | 2,697 | 3,158 | 27.0% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 0.0% |
| Total non-Christian religions | 5,853 | 7,740 | 8,796 | 50.3% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 0.5% |
| Jewish | 3,137 | 2,837 | 2,680 | −14.6% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 1.2% | −0.6% |
| Eastern Religions | 687 | 2,020 | 1,961 | 185.4% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Buddhist | 404 | 1,082 | 1,189 | 194.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Muslim | 527 | 1,104 | 1,349 | 156.0% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| New Religious Movements & Others | 1,296 | 1,770 | 2,804 | 116.4% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 0.5% |
| None/ No religion, total | 14,331 | 29,481 | 34,169 | 138.4% | 8.2% | 14.2% | 15.0% | 6.8% |
| Agnostic+Atheist | 1,186 | 1,893 | 3,606 | 204.0% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 0.9% |
| Did Not Know/ Refused to reply | 4,031 | 11,300 | 11,815 | 193.1% | 2.3% | 5.4% | 5.2% | 2.9% |
Income
In 2006, the median household income in the United States was around $46,326. Household and personal income depends on variables such as race, number of income earners, educational attainment and marital status.Economic class
Social classes in the United States lack distinct boundaries and may overlap. Even their existence is controversial. The following table provides a summary of some prominent academic theories on the stratification of American society:Generational cohorts
A definitive recent study of US generational cohorts was done by Schuman and Scott in which a broad sample of adults of all ages was asked, "What world events are especially important to you?" They found that 33 events were mentioned with great frequency. When the ages of the respondents were correlated with the expressed importance rankings, seven distinct cohorts became evident.Today the following descriptors are frequently used for these cohorts:
- Lost Generation – born from approximately 1883 to 1900.
- Greatest Generation – born from approximately 1901 to 1927.
- Silent Generation – born from approximately 1928 to 1945 during the Great Depression and World War II. The label was originally applied to people in North America but has also been applied to those in Western Europe, Australasia and South America. It includes most of those who fought during the Korean War.
- Baby Boomers – born from 1946 to 1964.
- Generation X – demographers and researchers typically use birth years ranging from the early-to-mid 1960s to the early 1980s.
- * In the U.S., some called Generation Xers the "baby bust" generation because of the drop in the birth rate following the baby boom. The drop in fertility rates in America began in the late 1950s.
- Millennials – demographers and researchers typically use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years.
- Generation Z – demographers and researchers typically use starting birth years that range from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, and as of yet there is little consensus about ending birth years.
U.S. demographic birth cohorts
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.
Demographic statistics
Birth, growth and death rates
The growth rate is 0.81% as estimated from 2017.The birth rate is 12.5 births/1,000 population, estimated as of 2017 and 2013. Country comparison to the world: 158th. This was the lowest since records began. There were 3,957,577 births in 2013.
In 2009, Time magazine reported that 40% of births were to unmarried women. The following is a breakdown by race for unwed births: 17% Asian, 29% White, 53% Hispanics, 66% Native Americans, and 72% Black American.
The drop in the birth rate from 2007 to 2009 is believed to be associated with the Great Recession.
A study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that more than half of live hospital births in 2008 and 2011 were male.
Per U.S. federal government data released in March 2011, births fell 4% from 2007 to 2009, the largest drop in the U.S. for any two-year period since the 1970s.
Births have declined for three consecutive years, and are now 7% below the peak in 2007. This drop has continued through 2010, according to data released by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics in June 2011. Numerous experts have suggested that this decline is largely a reflection of unfavorable economic conditions. This connection between birth rates and economic downturns partly stems from the fact that American birth rates have now fallen to levels that are comparable to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Teen birth rates in the U.S. are at the lowest level in U.S. history. In fact, teen birth rates in the U.S. have consistently decreased since 1991 through 2011, except for a brief increase between 2005 and 2007. The other aberration from this otherwise steady decline in teen birth rates is the 6% decrease in birth rates for 15- to 19-year-olds between 2008 and 2009. Despite these years of decrease, U.S. teen birth rates are still higher than in other developed nations. Racial differences prevail with teen birth and pregnancy rates as well. The American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Black teen pregnancy rates are more than double the non-Hispanic white teen birth rate.
| Age group | Total | White alone | Black alone | Mixed and/or Some Other Race | Asian alone | Either American Indian or Alaska Native | Either Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
| Total | | | | | | | |
| 0–4 | | | | | | | |
| 5–9 | | | | | | | |
| 10–14 | | | | | | | |
| 15–19 | | | | | | | |
| 20–24 | | | | | | | |
| 25–29 | | | | | | | |
| 30–34 | | | | | | | |
| 35–39 | | | | | | | |
| 40–44 | | | | | | | |
| 45–49 | | | | | | | |
| 50–54 | | | | | | | |
| 55–59 | | | | | | | |
| 60–64 | | | | | | | |
| 65–69 | | | | | | | |
| 70–74 | | | | | | | |
| 75–79 | | | | | | | |
| 80–84 | | | | | | | |
| 85+ | | | | | | | |
Unemployment rate
, the U.S. unemployment rate was 11.1 percent *Unemployement numbers impacted by the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic., the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent.
, the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent.
, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3 percent.
, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.9 percent.
, the U.S. unemployment rate was 5.3 percent.
, the U.S. unemployment rate was 6.2 percent.
The U6 unemployment rate as of 2017 was 8.6 percent. The U6 unemployment rate counts not only people without work seeking full-time employment, 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 U6 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.