Demographics of the United States

Demographics of the United States
Population pyramid of the United States as of December 1, 2020
Population	331,449,281 (2020 U.S. Census)[1]
Density	86.16/sq mi (33.27/km2)
Growth rate	0.72% (2020)[2]
Birth rate	10.9 births/1,000 population (2020)[2]
Death rate	10.2 deaths/1,000 population (2020)[2]
Life expectancy	77.3 years (2020)[3]
• male	74.5 years[3]
• female	80.2 years[3]
Fertility rate	1.638 children born/woman (2020)[4]
Net migration rate	3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2020)[2]
Age structure
Under 18 years	24.0% (2010)[5]
18–44 years	36.5% (2010)[5]
45–64 years	26.4% (2010)[5]
65 and over	13.0% (2010)[5]
Language
Official	No official language at national level. English is designated official in 32 of 50 states (and the 5 U.S. territories). Hawaiian is official in Hawaii, 20 native languages are official in Alaska, and Sioux is official in South Dakota.[6] Samoan is an official language in American Samoa,[7] Chamorro is an official language in Guam,[8] Chamorro and Carolinian are official languages in the Northern Mariana Islands,[9] and Spanish is an official language in Puerto Rico.[10]
Spoken	(primary language at home) English 78.2% Spanish 13.4% Other Indo-European 3.7% Asian and Pacific Islander 3.3% Other 0.8%
Source: The World Factbook[2]

The United States had an official resident population of 331,449,281 on April 1, 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.^[1] This figure includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia but excludes the population of five unincorporated U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands) as well as several minor island possessions. The United States is the third most populous country in the world.^[11] The Census Bureau showed a population increase of 0.8% 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%.^[12] The total fertility rate in the United States estimated for 2020 is 1.638 children per woman,^[4] 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.^[13] It is estimated to have reached the 200 million mark in 1967, and the 300 million mark on October 17, 2006.^[13][14] 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,^[15] representing one-third of the population increase.^[16] The U.S. population grew by 1.6 million from 2018 to 2019, with 38% of growth from immigration. ^[17] 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.^[18]

As of 2019, white people (including Latinos) numbered about 236,475,401, or 72.0% of the population.^[19] According to the 2020 Census, Non-Latino white make up 60.1% of the country's population.

Latino Americans accounted for 48% of the national population growth of 2.9 million between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006.^[20] Immigrants and their U.S.-born descendants are expected to provide most of the U.S. population gains in the decades ahead.^[21]

The Census Bureau projects a U.S. population of 417 million in 2060, a 38% increase from 2007 (301.3 million),^[22] 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,^[23] with its population being 402 million by then (an increase of 32% from 2007).^[24] In an official census report, it was reported that 54.4% (2,150,926 out of 3,953,593) of births in 2010 were to "non-Latino whites". This represents an increase of 0.3% compared to the previous year, which was 54.1%.^[25]

Population[]

Counties in the United States by population per square mile of land area according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates and 2010 United States Census.^[26][27] Counties more densely populated than the United States as a whole are in full blue.

States in the United States by population per square mile of land area according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates and 2010 United States Census.^[26][27] States more densely populated than the United States as a whole are in full blue.

Counties in the United States by population growth since 2010 according to the U.S. Census Bureau 2018 Annual Estimate of the Resident Population.^[28] Counties with population growth greater than the United States as a whole are in dark green, counties with population growth slower than the United States in light green, and counties with declining populations in light red.

States in the United States by population growth since 2010 according to the U.S. Census Bureau 2018 Annual Estimate of the Resident Population.^[28] States with population growth greater than the United States as a whole are in dark green, states with population growth slower than the United States in light green, and states with declining populations in light red.

On April 1, 2020, the United States had an official population of 331,449,281.^[29]

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook estimated as of 2018,^[2] unless otherwise indicated.

Age and sex distribution[]

*civilian household members, including armed forces off post or with their families on post

The median age of the total population is 38.3 years; the male median age is 37.1 years; the female median age is 39.5 years.

Birth rate[]

• 11.4 births/1,000 population (2019 est.) Country comparison to the world: 157th

Death rate[]

• 8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 86th

Total fertility rate[]

In 1800 the average U.S. woman had 7.04 children;^[31] by the first decade of the 1900s, this number had already decreased to 3.56.^[32] Since the early 1970s the birth rate has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 with 1.73 children per woman in 2018.^[33]

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.^[34]

• 1.638 children born/woman (2020)

Mother's mean age at first birth[]

• 27.0 years (2019 est.) ^[35]

Life expectancy[]

• Total population: 77.3 years for a child born in 2020, decreasing from 78.8 years in 2019.^[3]
• Male: 74.5 years (2020), 76.3 years (2019)
• Female: 80.2 years (2020), 81.4 years (2019)

The average life expectancy in the United States has been on a decline since 2014. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites three main reasons: a 72% increase in overdoses in the last decade (including a 30% increase in opioid overdoses from July 2016 to September 2017, but did not differentiate between accidental overdose with a legal prescription and overdose with opioids obtained illegally and/or combined with illegal drugs i.e., heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, etc.), a ten-year increase in liver disease (the rate for men age 25 to 34 increased by 8% per year; for women, by 11% per year), and a 33% increase in suicide rates since 1999.^[36]

From 2019-2020, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to approximately 74% of the decrease in life expectancy in the United States.^[37]

Density[]

The most densely populated state is New Jersey (1,121/mi² or 433/km²).

The population is highly urbanized, with 82.3% of the population residing in cities and suburbs.^[2] Large urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the United States (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) 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.^[2] California and Texas are the most populous states, as the mean center of U.S. population has consistently shifted westward and southward.^[38][39] New York City is the most populous city in the United States^[40] and has been since at least 1790.

In the U.S. territories, population centers include the San Juan metro area in Puerto Rico,^[41] Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands,^[42] and the island of Tutuila in American Samoa.^[43]

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.^{[44][45][46][47]}

Race of mother	Number of births in 2014	% of all born	TFR (2014)	Number of births in 2015	% of all born	TFR (2015)	Number of births in 2016	% of all born	TFR (2016)	Number of births in 2017	% of all born	TFR (2017)	Number of births in 2018	% of all born	TFR (2018)
White	3,019,863	75.7%	1.876	3,012,855	75.7%	1.864	2,900,933	73.5%	1.77	2,812,267	72.9%	1.76	2,788,439	73.5%	1.75
> Non-Hispanic whites	2,149,302	53.9%	1.763	2,130,279	53.5%	1.746	2,056,332	52.1%	1.719	1,992,461	51.7%	1.666	1,956,413	51.6%	1.640	1.8%
Black	640,562	16.1%	1.872	640,079	16.1%	1.853	623,886	15.8%	1.90	626,027	16.2%	1.92	600,933	15.8%	1.87
> Non-Hispanic Blacks	588,891	14.8%	1.874	589,047	14.8%	1.857	558,622	14.2%	1.832	560,715	14.5%	1.824	552,029	14.6%	1.792	1.6%
Asian (incl. Pacific islander until 2015)	282,723	7.1%	1.715	281,264	7.1%	1.646	254,471	6.5%	1.690	249,250	6.5%	1.597	240,798	6.4%	1.525	3.4%
American Indian and Alaska native	44,928	1.1%	1.289	44,299	1.1%	1.263	31,452	0.8%	1.794	29,957	0.8%	1.702	29,092	0.8%	1.651	2.9%
Hawaiian (incl. other Pacific Islander)							9,342	0.2%	2.076	9,426	0.2%	2.085	9,476	0.3%	2.106	0.5%
Total	3,988,076	100%	1.862	3,978,497	100%	1.843	3,945,875	100%	1.820	3,855,500	100%	1.765	3,791,712	100%	1.729	2.3%

NOTE:

• TFR = Total fertility rate (number of children born per woman).
• 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 (2014)	Number of births in 2015	TFR (2015)	Number of births in 2016	TFR (2016)	Number of births in 2017	TFR (2017)	Number of births in 2018	TFR (2018)
Non-Hispanic (of any race)	3,074,011	1.793	3,054,449	1.770	3,027,428		2,956,736		2,905,502		1.7%
Hispanic (of any race)	914,065	2.131	924,048	2.124	918,447	2.093	898,764	2.007	886,210	1.959	1.4%

Immigration[]

In 2017, out of the U.S. foreign-born population, some 45% (20.7 million) were naturalized citizens, 27% (12.3 million) were lawful permanent residents (including many eligible to become citizens), 6% (2.2 million) were temporary lawful residents, and 23% (10.5 million) were unauthorized immigrants.^[49] Among current living immigrants to the U.S., the top five countries of birth are Mexico (25% of immigrants), China (6%), India (6%), the Philippines (5%) and El Salvador (3%). Some 13% of current living immigrants come from Europe and Canada, and 10% from the Caribbean.^[49] 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.^[49] Until 2017 and 2018, the United States led the world in refugee resettlement for decades, admitting more refugees than the rest of the world combined.^[50] 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.^[50]

• Net migration rate: 3.8 migrants/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 35th^{[citation needed]}
• Net migration rate: 3.9 migrants/1,000 population (2017 est.)^{[citation needed]}

As of 2017, 13.6% (44.4 million) of the population was foreign born – an increase from 4.7% in 1970 but less than the 1890 record of 14.8%. 45% of the foreign born population were naturalized US citizens. 23% (10.3 million) of the foreign born community is undocumented, accounting for 3.2% of the total population.^[51] According to the 2010 census, Latin America and the Caribbean is the largest region-of-birth group, accounting for 53% of the foreign born population. As of 2018 this region is still the largest source of immigrants to the United States^[52][53][54] In 2018, there were almost 90 million immigrants and U.S. born children of immigrants (second-generation Americans) in the United States, accounting for 28% of the overall U.S. population.^[55] In 2018, 1,096,611 immigrants were granted either permanent or temporary legal residence in the United States^[56]

Vital statistics[]

U.S. demographic table, 1935–2020[]

Current vital statistics[]

^[68]

Number of births :

• from January–March 2020 = 889,000
• from January–March 2021 = 842,000

Number of deaths :

• from January–March 2020 = 777,000
• from January–March 2021 = 917,000

Natural increase :

• from January–March 2020 = 112,000
• from January–March 2021 = -75,000

U.S. projected population table, 2017–2060[]

The United States Census Bureau's 2017 projections were produced using the cohort-component method. In the cohort-component method, the components of population change (fertility, mortality, and net migration) are projected separately for each birth cohort (persons born in a given year). The base population is advanced each year by using projected survival rates and net international migration. Each year, a new birth cohort is added to the population by applying the projected fertility rates to the female population.

Since 2011[]

The US Census Bureau has a U.S. and World Population Clock with a "Select a Date" feature.^[11] "U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. and World Population Clock, AKA popclock".

Since 1790[]

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Update once 2021 Estimate Available. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (April 2021)

In 1900, when the U.S. population was 76 million, there were 66.8 million White Americans in the United States, representing 88% of the total population,^[74] 8.8 million Black Americans, with about 90% of them still living in Southern states,^[75] and slightly more than 500,000 Hispanics.^[76]

Under the law, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965,^[77] the number of first-generation immigrants living in the United States has increased,^[78] from 9.6 million in 1970 to about 38 million in 2007.^[79] Around a million people legally immigrated to the United States per year in the 1990s, up from 250,000 per year in the 1950s.^[80]

In 1900, non-Hispanic whites comprised almost 97% of the population of the 10 largest U.S. cities.^[81] The Census Bureau reported that minorities (including Hispanic whites) made up 50.4% of the children born in the U.S. between July 2010 and July 2011,^[82] compared to 37% in 1990.^[83]

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.^[44] 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.^[84]

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.^[85] 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.^[85][86] Due to the aging and low birth rates among white people, deaths now outnumber births among white people (non-Hispanic) in more than half the states in the country.^[87]

In 2018, U.S. births fell to the lowest level in 32 years.^[88]

Median age of the population[]

Median age of the U.S. population through history. Source: U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census, United States Census Bureau and The World Factbook.^[61][89]

Vital statistics[]

States in the US shown with population change 2010 to 2020 census^[1]

  -2.00% or less

  -0.01% to -1.99%

  0% to 0.99%

  1% to 2.49%

  2.5% to 4.99%

  5% to 8.99%

  9% to 11.99%

  12% or more

The U.S. total fertility rate as of 2018 is 1.728:

• 1.86 for white Americans (including White Hispanics)
  • 1.64 for non-Hispanic whites
• 1.79 for non-Hispanic Blacks
• 1.65 for Native Americans (including Hispanics)
• 1.53 for Asian Americans (including Hispanics)

Other:^[44]

• 1.96 for Hispanics (of all racial groups)

(Note that ≈95% of Hispanics are included as "white Hispanics" by CDC, which does not recognize the Census's "Some other race" category and counts people in that category as white.)

Source: National Vital statistics report based on 2010 US Census data^[25]

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.^[90]

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

1901–2015

Source: UN World Population Prospects^[93]

Percent distribution of the total population by age: 1900 to 2015[]

Population pyramid of United States in 1950

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, United Nations medium variant projections.^[94][95]

Population centers[]

The United States has dozens of major cities, including 31 "global cities"^[96] 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.^[97] As of 2011, the United States had 51 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.^[98]

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 (Puerto Rico) metro area has more than 2 million residents.^[99]

Leading population centers (see complete list)					view talk
Rank	Core city (cities)	Metro area population	Metropolitan Statistical Area	Region[100]	New York Los Angeles Chicago Dallas
1	New York	19,979,477	New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA MSA	Northeast
2	Los Angeles	13,291,486	Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA MSA	West
3	Chicago	9,498,716	Chicago–Joliet–Naperville, IL–IN–WI MSA	Midwest
4	Dallas–Fort Worth	7,539,711	Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX MSA	South
5	Houston	6,997,384	Houston–The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA	South
6	Washington, D.C.	6,249,950	Washington, D.C.–VA–MD–WV MSA	South
7	Miami	6,198,782	Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach, FL MSA	South
8	Philadelphia	6,096,372	Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA–NJ–DE–MD MSA	Northeast
9	Atlanta	5,949,951	Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA MSA	South
10	Boston	4,875,390	Boston–Cambridge–Quincy, MA–NH MSA	Northeast
11	Phoenix	4,857,962	Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, AZ MSA	West
12	San Francisco	4,729,484	San Francisco–Oakland–Berkeley, CA MSA	West
13	Riverside–San Bernardino	4,662,361	Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, CA MSA	West
14	Detroit	4,326,442	Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI MSA	Midwest
15	Seattle	3,939,363	Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA MSA	West
16	Minneapolis–St. Paul	3,629,190	Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI MSA	Midwest
17	San Diego	3,343,364	San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos, CA MSA	West
18	Tampa–St. Petersburg	3,142,663	Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL MSA	South
19	Denver	2,932,415	Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO MSA	West
20	St. Louis	2,805,465	St. Louis, MO-IL MSA	Midwest
Based on 2018 MSA population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau

Race and ethnicity[]

Counties in the United States by nonwhite population (i.e. excluding non-hispanic whites) according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[26] Counties with larger nonwhite populations than the United States as a whole are in full purple.

States in the United States by nonwhite population according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[26] States with larger nonwhite populations than the United States as a whole are in full purple.

Race[]

The United States Census Bureau collects racial data in accordance with guidelines provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 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:^[101]

• White: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.^[102] It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Afghan, Iranian, 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.^[102] 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 (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.^[102] 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, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.^[102]
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.^[102]
• 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 (non European 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.

Data about race and ethnicity are self-reported to the Census Bureau. Since the 2000 census, Congress has authorized people to identify themselves according to more than one racial classification by selecting more than one category. Only one ethnicity may be selected, however, because the U.S. Census recognizes only two ethnicities – Hispanic and Non-Hispanic – which are mutually exclusive since you can be one or the other, but not both. The Census Bureau defines "Hispanic" as any person who has an ancestral connection to Latin America.

According to the 2013–2017 American Community Survey, the racial composition of the United States in 2017 was:^[103]

Distribution of Total Population by Race, 1900 to 2010 (in %)

Hispanic are shown like part of the races. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.^[94][89]

^*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 (Not Hispanic)

Source: United States Census Bureau.^[104]

Median age of each race, 2017 (Not Hispanic)

Source: United States Census Bureau.^[104]

Hispanic or Latino origin[]

CensusViewer US 2010 Census Latino Population as a heatmap by census tract.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 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."^[111] People who identify their origin as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.^[101]

Population distribution by Hispanic origin 1970–2020 (in %)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 (5-percent sample), 1980 to 2020.^[89]

Median age of each race, 2010 (Hispanic)

Source: United States Census Bureau.^[104]

Median age of each race, 2017 (Hispanic)

Source: United States Census Bureau.^[104]

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,^[103] representing 0.7% of the U.S. population. There are 573 federally recognized tribal governments^[112] 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,^[113] meaning that less than 10% of Americans served in the Armed Forces.^[114]

In 2010, The Washington Post estimated that there were 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.^[115] As of 2017, Pew Research reported that there an estimated 10.5 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.^[116]

There were about 2 million people in prison in 2010.^[117]

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%.^[119] 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.^[120] However, White Americans overall are still projected to make up over 70% of the population in 2050.

The report foresees the Hispanic or Latino population rising from 16% today to 30% by 2050, the Black percentage barely rising from 13.2% to 14.4%, 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.^{[22][121][122][123]} It is further projected that 82% of the increase in population from 2005 to 2050 will be due to immigrants and their children.^[124]

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).^[125] Racial and ethnic minorities surpassed non-Hispanic whites as the largest group of U.S. children under 5 years old in 2015.^[126]

Pew Research Center projections

The United Nations projects a population of just over 400 million in 2060.^[127]

The country's racial profile will be vastly different, and although whites will remain the single largest ethnic group in the U.S., they will no longer be a majority excluding White Hispanics 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% non-Hispanic white, 24% Hispanic, 14% Asian, and 13% Black.^[127]

As of 2015, 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.^[127]

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.^[127]

U.S. Census Census Bureau projections[]

Percent minority 1970–2042 (2008 projections)

^[89]

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

LGBT Americans[]

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 1.0% and 1.1% of U.S. couples in 2000.^[130] 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.^{[citation needed]} A 2006 UCLA study reported that 4.1% of Americans aged 18–45 identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.^[131]

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.^[132] 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.^[133] (Older estimates have varied depending on methodology and timing; see Demographics of sexual orientation for a list of studies.)

Foreign-born population[]

As of 2017, there is a total of 44,525,458 foreign-born people in the United States^[134] that represents 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 66 percent of the European immigrants arrived prior to 2000.^[135]

Citizens living abroad[]

As of April 2015, the U.S. State Department estimated that 8.7 million American citizens live overseas. Americans living abroad are not counted in the U.S. Census unless they are a federal government employees or dependents of a federal employee.^[136] A 2010 paper estimated the number of civilian Americans living abroad to be around 4 million.^[137] 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 U.S. citizenship under specific laws but are not aware of having such status (or became aware of it only recently).^[138]

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.^[140] In 2004, the US census bureau reported that about 13% of the population did not identify themselves as a member of any religion.^{[141][clarification needed]}

In a Pew Research Survey performed in 2012, Americans without a religion (atheists, agnostics, nothing in particular, etc.) approached the numbers of Evangelical Protestant Americans with almost 20% of Americans being nonreligious (compared to just over 26% being Evangelical Protestant). If this current growth rate continues, by 2050, around 51% of Americans will not have a religion.^[142]

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.^[143][144]

• 

  Religious affiliation within each state that has the largest deviation compared to the national average, 2001.

• 

  Percentage of state populations that identify with a religion rather than "no religion", 2014.

• 

  Plurality religion by state, 2001. Data is unavailable for Alaska and Hawaii.

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.^[170]

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 (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^[171]
Figures are not adjusted for refusals to reply; investigators suspect refusals are possibly more representative of "no religion" than any other group.

• 

  States in the United States by Catholic population according to the Pew Research Center 2014 Religious Landscape Survey.^[172] States with Catholic population greater than the United States as a whole are in full red.

• 

  States in the United States by Evangelical Protestant population according to the Pew Research Center 2014 Religious Landscape Survey.^[172] States with Evangelical Protestant populations greater than the United States as a whole are in full orange.

• 

  States in the United States by Mainline or Black Protestant population according to the Pew Research Center 2014 Religious Landscape Survey.^[172] States with Mainline or Black Protestant population greater than the United States as a whole are in full purple.

• 

  States in the United States by non-Christian (e.g. Non-religious, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist) population according to the Pew Research Center 2014 Religious Landscape Survey.^[172] States with non-Christian populations greater than the United States as a whole are in full blue.

• 

  States in the United States by non-Protestant and non-Catholic Christian (e.g. Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Eastern Orthodox) population according to the Pew Research Center 2014 Religious Landscape Survey.^[172] States with non-Catholic/non-Protestant Christian population greater than the United States as a whole are in full green.

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.

• 

  Counties in the United States by the percentage of the over 25-year-old population with bachelor's degrees according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[173] Counties with higher percentages of bachelor's degrees than the United States as a whole are in full orange.

• 

  States in the United States by the percentage of the over 25-year-old population with bachelor's degrees according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[173] States with higher percentages of bachelor's degrees than the United States as a whole are in full orange.

• 

  Counties in the United States by per capita income according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[174] Counties with per capita incomes higher than the United States as a whole are in full green.

• 

  States in the United States by per capita income according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[174] States with per capita incomes higher than the United States as a whole are in full green.

• 

  Counties in the United States by median nonfamily household income according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[174] Counties with median nonfamily household incomes higher than the United States as a whole are in full green.

• 

  States in the United States by median nonfamily household income according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[174] States with median nonfamily household incomes higher than the United States as a whole are in full green.

• 

  Counties in the United States by median family household income according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[174] Counties with median family household incomes higher than the United States as a whole are in full green.

• 

  States in the United States by median family household income according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2013–2017 5-Year Estimates.^[174] States with median family household incomes higher than the United States as a whole are in full green.

Economic 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 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 (2012) in which a broad sample of adults of all ages was asked, "What world events are especially important to you?"^[175] 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:

• Lost Generation – born from approximately 1883 to 1900.
• Greatest Generation – born from approximately 1901 to 1927^[176] (in the U.S., this was the "Depression cohort" who fought and won World War II).
• Silent Generation – born from approximately 1928 to 1945^[177] during the Great Depression and World War II.^[178] 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 (also known as Boomers) – born from 1946 to 1964.^[177]
• Generation X – born from approximately 1965 to 1980.^[177][179] In the U.S., some called Xers the "baby bust" generation because of the drop in birth rates following the baby boom.^[180]
• Millennials (also known as Generation Y) – born from approximately 1981 to 1996.^[177]
• Generation Z (also known as iGeneration, Digital Natives, or Zoomers) – born from approximately 1997 to 2012.^[177]
• Generation Alpha – born from approximately the early 2010s to mid-2020s.^[181]

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 relatively 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[182]

Demographic statistics[]

Birth, growth and death rates[]

Marriages, Families & Intimate Relationships in the US, 1970–2000

The growth rate is 0.81% as estimated from 2017.^[2]

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.^[183]

13.9 births/1,000 population per year (provisional data for 2008)

14.3 births/1,000 population per year (provisional data for 2007)^[184]

In 2009, Time magazine reported that 40% of births were to unmarried women.^[185] The following is a breakdown by race for unwed births: 17% Asian, 29% White, 53% Hispanics (of any race), 66% Native Americans, and 72% Black American.^[186]

The drop in the birth rate from 2007 to 2009 is believed to be associated with the Great Recession.^[187]

A study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found that more than half (51 percent) of live hospital births in 2008 and 2011 were male.^[188]

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.^[189] Births have declined for three consecutive years, and are now 7% below the peak in 2007.^[190] This drop has continued through 2010, according to data released by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics in June 2011.^[191] Numerous experts have suggested that this decline is largely a reflection of unfavorable economic conditions.^[192] 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.^[193] Teen birth rates in the U.S. are at the lowest level in U.S. history.^[194] 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.^[194] 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.^[194] Despite these years of decrease, U.S. teen birth rates are still higher than in other developed nations.^[194] 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.^[195]

U.S. unemployment by state in December 2015 (official, or U3 rate).^[196]

  <3.0%

  <3.5%

  <4.0%

  <4.5%

  <5.0%

  <5.5%

  <6.0%

  <6.5%

  ≥6.5%