Demographics of the United States

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.

The population is distributed by age as follows:

• 0–14 years: 18.62% (male 31,255,995/female 29,919,938)
• 15–24 years: 13.12% (male 22,213,952/female 21,137,826)
• 25–54 years: 39.29% (male 64,528,673/female 64,334,499)
• 55–64 years: 12.94% (male 20,357,880/female 21,821,976)
• 65 years and over: 16.03% (male 22,678,235/female 28,376,817)

Sex ratios:

• 0–14 years: 1.04 male/female
• 15–24 years: 1.05 male/female
• 25–54 years: 1 male/female
• 55–64 years: 0.93 male/female
• 65 years and over: 0.79 male/female
• Total population: 0.97 male/female

• 12.4 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 157th

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

• 1.73 children born/woman (2018 est.)

• 26.4 years (2015 est.)

• Total population: 78.6 years for a child born in 2017.[23]
• Male: 77.8 years
• Female: 82.3 years

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 (men 25 to 34 increased by 8%; women by 11%), and a 33% increase in suicide rates since 1999.[23]

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.[1] 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.[1] California and Texas are the most populous states, as the mean center of U.S. population has consistently shifted westward and southward.[24][25] New York City is the most populous city in the United States.[26]

• Population growth rate: 0.8%. Country comparison to the world: 130th

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.[27][28][29]

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)
White	3,019,863	75.72%	1.876	3,012,855	75.73%	1.864
> Non-Hispanic whites	2,149,302	53.89%	1.763	2,130,279	53.54%	1.746	2,056,332	52.11%	1.719	1,992,461	51.68%	1.666	3.10%
Black	640,562	16.06%	1.872	640,079	16.09%	1.853
> Non-Hispanic blacks	588,891	14.77%	1.874	589,047	14.80%	1.857	558,622	14.16%	1.832	560,715	14.54%	1.824	0.37%
Asian (incl. Pacific islander until 2015)	282,723	7.09%	1.715	281,264	7.07%	1.646	254,471	6.45%	1.690	249,250	6.46%	1.597	2.05%
Native (incl. Alaska native)	44,928	1.13%	1.289	44,299	1.11%	1.263	31,452	0.80%	1.794	29,957	0.78%	1.702	4.75%
Hawaiian (incl. other Pacific Islander)							9,342	0.23%	2.076	9,426	0.24%	2.085	0.90%
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	2.29%

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.

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)
Non-Hispanic (of any race)	3,074,011	1.793	3,054,449	1.770	3,027,428		2,956,736		2.33%
Hispanic (of any race)	914,065	2.131	924,048	2.124	918,447	2.092	898,764	2.006	2.14%

• Net migration rate: 3.8 migrants/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 35th
• Net migration rate: 3.9 migrants/1,000 population (2017 est.)

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.[31] 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[32][33][34] 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.[35] In 2018, 1,096,611 immigrants were granted either permanent or temporary legal residence in the United States[36]

[45]

Number of births :

• from January–March 2018 = 915,000
• from January–March 2019 = 894,000

Number of deaths :

• from January–March 2018 = 773,000
• from January–March 2019 = 742,000

Natural increase :

• from January–March 2018 = 142,000
• from January–March 2019 = 152,000

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.[41][64]

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:[27]

• 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[19]

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. Sources: Ansley J. Coale, Zelnik and National Center for Health Statistics.[65]

Life expectancy in the United States from 1901 to 2015. Source: Our World In Data and the United Nations.

1901–1950

1950–2015

Source: UN World Population Prospects[67]

Population pyramid of United States in 1950

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, United Nations medium variant projections.[68][69]

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:[74]

• White: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe.[75] It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian or Caucasian.
• Black or African American: a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.[75] 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.[75] 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, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.[75]
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.[75]
• 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:[76]

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

Hispanic are shown like part of the races. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.[68][64]

^*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.[77]

Median age of each race, 2017 (Not Hispanic)

Source: United States Census Bureau.[77]

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.”[81] People who identify their origin as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.[74]

Population distribution by Hispanic origin 1970–2010 (in %)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial census of population, 1970 (5-percent sample), 1980 to 2010.[64]

Median age of each race, 2010 (Hispanic)

Source: United States Census Bureau.[77]

Median age of each race, 2017 (Hispanic)

Source: United States Census Bureau.[77]

Note: Hispanic origin is considered an ethnicity, not a race. Hispanics may be of any race.

As of 2017, there are 2,098,763 American Indian and Alaska Native people in the United States,[76] representing 0.7% of the U.S. population. There are 573 federally recognized tribal governments[82] 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.

There were 22.1 million veterans in 2009,[83] meaning that less than 10% of Americans served in the Armed Forces.[84]

In 2010, The Washington Post estimated that there were 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.[85] As of 2017, Pew Research reported that there an estimated 10.5 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S..[86]

There were about 2 million people in prison in 2010.[87]

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.[88] 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.[89]

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.[90] 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.[91] (Older estimates have varied depending on methodology and timing; see Demographics of sexual orientation for a list of studies.) The American Community Survey from the 2000 U.S. Census estimated 776,943 same-sex couple households in the country as a whole, representing about 0.5% of the population.[89]

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%.[93] 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.[94]

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.[17][95][96][97] It is further projected that 82% of the increase in population from 2005 to 2050 will be due to immigrants and their children.[98]

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).[99] Racial and ethnic minorities surpassed non-Hispanic whites as the largest group of American children under 5 years old in 2015.[100]

Pew Research Center projections

The United Nations projects a population of just over 400 million in 2060.[101]

The country's racial profile will be vastly different, and although whites will remain the single largest racial group in the US, 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.[101]

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 US since 1965, with most coming from Asia and Latin America. The 2015 Census Report predicts that the percentage of the US 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.[101]

The average US citizen of 2060 is likely to be older than the average citizen of today, and almost one in four people will be 65 or older.[101]

Percent minority 1970–2042 (2008 projections)[64]

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

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.[110] In 2004, the US census bureau reported that about 13% of the population did not identify themselves as a member of any religion.[111]

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.[112]

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.[113][114]

• 
  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.[136]

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[137]
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.[138] 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.[138] 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.[138] 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.[138] 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.[138] States with non-Catholic/non-Protestant Christian population greater than the United States as a whole are in full green.

USA Birth rate has dropped since 1957.

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.

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.[147]

Live births, deaths and natural increase in the United States, 1935-present

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

The growth rate is 0.81% as estimated from 2017.[1]

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.[148]

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

14.3 births/1,000 population per year (provisional data for 2007)[149]

In 2009, Time magazine reported that 40% of births were to unmarried women.[150] 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.[151]

The drop in the birth rate from 2007 to 2009 is believed to be associated with the Great Recession.[152]

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.[153]

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.[154] Births have declined for three consecutive years, and are now 7% below the peak in 2007.[155] This drop has continued through 2010, according to data released by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics in June 2011.[156] Numerous experts have suggested that this decline is largely a reflection of unfavorable economic conditions.[157] 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.[158] Teen birth rates in the U.S. are at the lowest level in U.S. history.[159] 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.[159] 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.[159] Despite these years of decrease, U.S. teen birth rates are still higher than in other developed nations.[159] 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.[160]

U.S. unemployment by state in December 2015 (official, or U3 rate).[161]

  <3.0%

  <3.5%

  <4.0%

  <4.5%

  <5.0%

  <5.5%

  <6.0%

  <6.5%

  ≥6.5%

As of July 2019, the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent (U3 rate).

As of July 2018, the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent (U3 rate).

As of July 2017, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3 percent (U3 rate).[162]

As of July 2016, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.9 percent (U3 rate).[162]

As of July 2015, the U.S. unemployment rate was 5.3 percent (U3 rate).[163]

As of July 2014, the U.S. unemployment rate was 6.2 percent (U3 rate).[162]

The U6 unemployment rate as of April 2017 was 8.6 percent.[164] The U6 unemployment rate counts not only people without work seeking full-time employment (the more familiar U3 rate), but also counts "marginally attached workers and those working part-time for economic reasons." Note that some of these part-time workers counted as employed by 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.[165]

In terms of internal migration, in 2013, about 15% of Americans moved. Most of these, 67%, moved within the same county. Of the 33% who moved beyond local county boundaries, 13% of those moved more than 200 miles (320 km).[166]