Population articles
Just the Facts about the US population, demographics, and geography
Household size, racial demographics, the average age of an American: these stats are always changing. And who has a college degree? How many people are registered to vote? Here’s America by the numbers.
Is the US population growing or shrinking?
It grew by 1.78 million people between 2024 and 2025, a 0.52% increase. That’s more than the population of Phoenix, Arizona. Between 2015 and 2025, it grew by 6.2%. Changes in population reflect things like shifting birth and death rates, immigration patterns, and even the overall health of the economy. The recent 0.52% increase was primarily driven by immigration to the US.
Semiquincentennial snapshot: the US at 250 years
Insights about the nation's population, households, education, employment, and income.
How many subsidized housing units are available in the US?
In 2025, about 5.13 million subsidized housing units were available in the US. Federally subsidized rental housing began with 1937’s US Housing Act, which created the United States Housing Authority and provided financial assistance to state and local governments for housing low-income people. Since then, the government has provided housing assistance to low-income renters through programs overseen by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
How long do people wait for subsidized housing in the US?
People waited two years and one month, on average, for subsidized housing in 2025. That’s a 7.4% decrease since 2024, when recipients spent 2 years and 3 months on waiting lists before moving in to subsidized housing.
How many people live in subsidized housing in the US?
In 2025, about 8.86 million people lived in subsidized housing. This was equivalent to about 2.0 people per unit. Subsidized housing options vary by location, ranging from high-rise or garden-style apartments to single-family dwellings, duplexes, and more. On average, residents in 2025 have lived in their units for 10 years and 3 months.
Why don’t people vote?
Eighteen million registered voters didn't cast a ballot in 2024. What was their reason?
How many Americans are using AI — and how?
35% of American households are using AI to find information. 14% of people trust that information.
What is the US poverty rate?
The poverty rate was about 10.6% of the US population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 35.9 million people lived in poverty.
How many households in the US spend too much on housing?
About 42.5 million households were cost-burdened in 2024. That's 33% of all households. These households spent at least 30% of their total income on rent or mortgage payments and utilities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing to be cost-burdened. Cost-burdened households may have less money for other necessities such as food, healthcare, or savings.
How many same-sex married households are in the US?
In 2024, 835,900 US households were led by couples in a same-sex marriage — 1.3% of all households headed by a married couple.
Which US cities have the largest homeless populations?
In 2025, over a quarter of people experiencing homelessness in the US were concentrated in two major cities: New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA.
What is the main reason people immigrate to the US via authorized channels?
45.3% immigrated for work in 2022. That’s around 1.7 times higher than the number that came for education, the next most common reason. Other reasons for immigration included family, safety, and various other factors.
How many people immigrate to the US via authorized channels?
About 2.6 million new immigrant arrivals in 2022. This was a 67.2% increase from the 1.5 million new immigrant arrivals in 2021.
What states are people moving to and from overall?
In 2024, Florida, Texas, and California gained the most people from other states, while California, Florida, and Texas lost the most residents. Higher population states tend to lead both as states of origin or destination.
How are Americans doing financially?
In 2025, nearly a third of US adults reported being worse off than in 2024, with 91% stating that price increases were their main financial concern.
How many people are on Medicaid in the US?
On average, 88.2 million people or 26% of the US population were on Medicaid during FY 2024. Enrolling about 1 in 4 people in the US, Medicaid is one of the largest single health insurers in the country. Medicaid is a government-funded health insurance program that provides free or low-cost coverage to eligible low-income individuals and families, including children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities.
What kinds of jobs do young people have?
Over half of young people ages 16 to 24 have jobs in the leisure and hospitality, retail, or education and health services industries.
What percent of the workforce in the US are immigrants?
Immigrants were 18.4% of employed workers in the US in 2024. Immigrants are defined as foreign-born residents, including those who became US citizens, are authorized to work in the US, or are undocumented residents.
What is the income of a US household?
The median household income in the US was $81,600 in 2024. Household income is the total money received in a year — wages, pensions, investments, public assistance, and more — by everyone in a household over 15.
What are the most and least diverse states?
The Census Bureau’s formula for measuring diversity shows that every state but one is more varied racially or ethnically since 2020.
How have US fertility and birth rates changed over time?
Fertility rates in the US have declined by more than half over the past century and reached their lowest level ever in 2024.
How red or blue is your state?
In the last ten elections, 41 states voted for the same party eight times or more.
How many voters have a party affiliation?
As of April 2026, 43% of registered voters have declared a party affiliation—39.2 million Republicans and 45.4 million Democrats.
How many immigrants get green cards every year?
The US issued 1.36 million green cards during fiscal year (FY) 2024, 15.6% more than the previous year. That's the number of people who became lawful permanent residents (LPR) of the US, commonly known as green card holders. Green cards grant immigrants the right to live and work permanently in the US with a path toward citizenship. The total includes individuals who obtained green cards through family sponsorship, employment, refugee or asylum status, and other avenues.
Where are authorized immigrants to the US coming from?
In 2022, the largest number of immigrants came from Mexico. Immigrants from Mexico made up 20.8% of all people who immigrated to the US in 2022. Authorized immigrants are those who came to the US through channels such as a visa, green card, or as a refugee or asylee.
How many people die by suicide in the United States each year?
About 48,824 people died by suicide in 2024. In other words, there were about 14 suicides for every 100,000 people in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says several factors cause suicide and they exist at individual, community, and societal levels.
What is the homeownership rate in the US?
The homeownership rate in the US was 65.2% in 2025. That means about 2 in 3 households owned their home while the remainder rented.
How much do households in the US spend on rent?
About 32.8% of their income in 2024. This is measured by comparing median, or average, rent and median monthly income for renting households. Median rent, including utilities, was about $1,487 per month. Median monthly income among renting households was about $4,537 per month.
How many DACA recipients are there?
About 505,900 people at the end of September 2025 — about the same as the population of Killeen-Temple, TX Metro Area. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program created in 2012 for people who came to the US as children and who do not have legal immigration status. People accepted into DACA and who maintain active status with the program are protected from deportation and are allowed to apply for work authorization, but do not receive legal immigration status or have a path to citizenship.
How many people have a disability in the US?
About 45.8 million, as of 2024. That’s the equivalent to 13.7% of the US population, or 1 in 7 people. In Census data, a person with a disability is someone who reports difficulty with walking or climbing stairs, hearing, vision, self-care, cognition, or independent living.
What does the Census Bureau (CENSUS) do?
The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is a subdivision of the US Department of Commerce responsible for collecting and analyzing data about the population and economy of the United States. The agency conducts the decennial census, which provides data for government representation, allocation of federal funds, and policy making. It also conducts numerous other surveys on topics such as housing, business, and demographics. It was established in 1902.
What does the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) do?
The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) is a subdivision of the Department of Housing and Urban Development responsible for enforcing federal laws that prohibit discrimination in housing. The agency ensures equal access to housing and promotes inclusive communities through the administration of fair housing laws, public education, and outreach. It also investigates complaints of housing discrimination and works to eliminate discriminatory practices. It was established in 1968.
What does the Social Security Administration (SSA) do?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent executive branch agency responsible for administering Social Security, a program that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to eligible people. Its functions include managing the distribution of monthly payments to beneficiaries, enrolling Medicare recipients, and overseeing the issuance of Social Security numbers and cards. It was established in 1935 as part of the Social Security Act.
How many asylum applications does the US receive?
Around 945K applications in 2023. The US asylum system helps resettle people who fear persecution if they return to their home country. Unlike refugees who apply for protection before arriving in the US or at its borders, asylum seekers apply after they are already in the US.
How many refugees come to the US?
About 11,511 refugees came to the US in 2025. That’s 89% fewer than the prior year.
How many people are in prisons in the US?
About 1.25 million at the end of 2023, the most recent year for which data is available. This number is up 2% from 2022 and includes anyone under state or federal jurisdiction. Prisoners sentenced to one or more years — usually for a felony conviction — make up 96.5% of this group, and the remainder includes people who are serving shorter sentences or awaiting sentencing.
How many people live in the US?
In 2025, there were about 341.8 million living in the US. That makes the US the third-most populous country in the world, home to 4.2% or roughly 1 in every 24 people on the planet. The population count guides political representation and resource allocation.
How many people speak Spanish at home?
About 44.9 million people, or 1 out of every 7 people age 5 and up. Spanish is the most-common non-English language used in the US by far, with more than 12 times the number of speakers than the next most common language, Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese).
How did COVID-19 affect people in the US?
Note: This page is no longer being updated. This data was aggregated from national and state sources. As of July 2023, data collection and updates by federal, state, and local agencies was less comprehensive than in previous years.