U.S. Society

Demographics

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau makes a complete count, or census, of its people and industries. When the first census was taken in 1790, the new nation had fewer than 4 million people, almost all living along the East Coast.Today, the total resident population of 281.4 million, is a rich mosaic of national origins, spanning a broader age spectrum and exhibiting a more diverse range of living arrangements then ever before, as illustrated by Census Bureau demographic data. Here are a few examples:

Racial and Ethnic Composition

Of the 2000 population, an estimated 217 mil (77.1%) were White, 36.4 mil (12.9%) were Black or African American; Asians and Pacific Islanders numbered 12.7 mil (4.5%); and the American Indian and Alaska Native population was about 4 mil (1.5%); 35.3 mil (13%) were of Hispanic origin. The Latino or Hispanic population rose nearly 13 million (or 57.9%) between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. In 2000 one half of Hispanics lived in California and Texas.

Age Structure

The United States has seen a rapid growth in its elderly population during the 20th century. The number of Americans aged 65 and older climbed to 35 million in 2000, compared with 3.1 million in 1900. For the same years, the ratio of elderly Americans to the total population jumped from one in 25 to one in eight. The trend is guaranteed to continue in the coming century as the baby-boom generation grows older. Between 1990 and 2020, the population aged 65 to 74 is projected to grow 74 percent.The elderly population explosion is a result of impressive increases in life expectancy.

When the nation was founded, the average American could expect to live to the age of 35. Life expectancy at birth had increased to 47.3 by 1900 and the average American born in 2000 can expect to live to the age of 77. Because these older age groups are growing so quickly, the median age (with half of all Americans above and half below) reached 35.3 years in 2000, the highest it has ever been. West Virginia's population continued to be the nation's oldest, with a median age of 38.6 years; Utah was the youngest state, with a median age of 26.7 years.

Marriage and Families

About 52% of American adults in 2000 were married and living with their spouse. Another 24% had never married, 7% were widowed. and 10% were divorced.
Of the 105.5 mil households in the United States, 71.8 % included or constituted a family -- that is, 2 or more people related by blood, marriage, or adoption. The remaining households consisted of a person living alone (25.8%) or 2 or more unrelated people (6.1%).

About half (49%) of all families included parents and children under 18. All in all, 36% could be considered "traditional" families, that is, consisting of a married couple with children. Since 1970, these traditional families have declined significantly as a percentage of all families, dropping 14 percentage points. However, their percentage has dropped only 1 point since 1990.

While the number of single mothers (9.8 mil remained about the same from 1995 to 1998, the number of single fathers rose from 1.7 mil to 2.1 mil. About 28% of children under 18 years of age lived with just I parent in 1998 (around 23% with their mother only, 4% with their father only), while 68% lived with both parents and 4% with other relatives or people not related to them. Nearly 6% of all children under 18 lived in their grandparents' home.

Population Growth

Some parts of the nation are growing much faster than others. The fastest growth, as usual, was concentrated in the West, where the population rose 19.7 % between 1990 and 2000. Close behind was the South (17.3%). Growing more slowly were the Midwest (7.9%) and the Northeast (5.5%).
Nevada remained the nation's fastest-growing state, with its population increasing 19.7% between 1990 and 2000.

Nevada's population had climbed by a staggering 66.3.% since April 1, 1990 Arizona was 2d in population growth during the recent 10-year period, with a 40% increase, followed by Colorado (30.6% ), Utah (29.6%) and Idaho (28.5%). California recorded the largest numeric increase of any state: 4.1 million people.

Reflecting the movement of the population during the 1990s and continuing a decades-old southwesterly trend, the nation's center of population moved 12.1 miles south and 32.5 miles west during the decade to a point about 3 miles east of Edgar Springs, MO.

Background

· Censusscope (Social Science Data Analysis Network at the University of Michigan)
· Historial Background on the Census (University of Virginia)
· Population Reference Bureau
· U.S. Census Bureau
· Washington Post. Special Report: Census 2000 [free registration required]

Original Documents
· A Century of Change (U.S. Census Bureau Press Release)
· Census Bureau Population Clock
· Population Profile of the United States (U.S. Census Bureau Press Release)
· U.S. Population Center 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau Press Release)

Multimedia
· Behind the Numbers (PBS Online Newshour)
· Portrait of America. (PBS Online Newshour)

Statistics & Maps
· Census 2000 Gateway (U.S. Census Bureau)
· Demographic Statistics (White House)
· United States Historical Census Data Browser (University of Virginia)
· U.S. Statistics in Brief (U.S. Census Bureau)

For High School Students
· America's melting pot: Census 2000 (PBS. Newshour Extra)
· How the Census Works (HowStuffWorks.com)
· Kids' Corner ( U.S. Census Bureau)
· Population (World Almanac for Kids Online)

Teacher Resources
· Census in Schools (U.S. Census Bureau)
· Human Migration Within and Into the United States Lesson Plan. (National Geographic. Xpeditions)
· Interpreting Population Statistics. Lesson Plan. (National Geographic. Xpeditions)
· Lessons Using Census 2000 Data (U.S. Census Bureau)
· A Look at the Population Density of the United States. Lesson Plan. (National Geographic. Xpeditions)
· Making Sense of Census 2000. Lesson Plan. (C.R.E.A.T.E for Mississippi)
· Teaching With Documents: Little House in the Census: Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder (NARA)

Link Lists
· U.S. Statistics in Brief
· InfoUSA: Statistics

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