Population articles
What is infrastructure and what does the government have to do with it?
The federal government has a long history of investing in infrastructure — facilities, structures, and utilities intended for long-term use —at least as far back as 1806 when Congress authorized the construction of the first highway built entirely with federal money. In the decades since, federal, state, and local governments have spent trillions of dollars on the networks and facilities the country needs to function. Infrastructure includes transportation systems such as bridges, highways, and railways, as well as energy assets like power plants and electric grids. It can also include drinking water and wastewater systems, broadband access, and public buildings like schools. Funding for building and maintaining it comes from the government, the private sector, or a combination.How much does the US spend on infrastructure annually? In 2020, government at all levels, and the private sector spent a combined $865 billion on infrastructure, the highest sum since infrastructure spending tracking began in 1947. The federal government spent $15.9 billion, or 1.8% of all infrastructure spending. State and local governments spent $300.6 billion, 34.8% of the total. The remaining 63.4% of funding came from the private sector.
Why does daylight saving time exist?
The ritual of changing the clocks twice a year to get more daylight has been in place for more than 50 years. But debates in state legislatures and Congress show that there’s interest in stopping the process. When does daylight saving time start and end? In 2026, daylight saving time starts on Sunday, March 8, and will end on Sunday, November 1. It will begin again on Sunday, March 14, 2027, and run through Sunday, November 7, 2027.
How do voting laws differ by state?
For many of us, “voting” conjures an image of people going to a ballot box on Election Day, but the way voters submit ballots varies from state to state. Some have in-person voting, others have mail-in ballots. Some states allow early voting, and others have day-of voting only.While the Constitution and Congress establish certain election rules, most elections are run by counties, so state and local governments also create their own voting laws.What are the voter registration methods and timelines in each state?Most states provide at least two of three registration options: online registration, mail-in registration, and in-person registration. The requirements and timelines for each vary by state. One state, North Dakota, doesn’t require voter registration at all. Twenty-one states and Washington, DC, allow same-day in-person registration. Two of these states — Hawaii and Vermont — allow same-day online registration as well. Vermont is also the only state that accepts mail-in registrations received by or on Election Day. The other 28 states require would-be voters to register anywhere from one to 30+ days in advance.
How many people receive SNAP benefits in the US every month?
About 42.1 million people during fiscal year (FY) 2025. That’s 12.3% of the US population. Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is determined based on household income levels. SNAP, once known as the Food Stamp program, is administered by the Department of Agriculture providing food assistance to low-income individuals.
What is the US poverty rate?
About 10.6% of the 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 subsidized housing units are available in the United States?
There were about 5.1 million in 2023, of which around 13% were unoccupied and available to rent. 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 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).
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.
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 immigrate to the US via authorized channels each year?
About 2.6 million in 2022. This is a 67.2% increase from the 1.5 million new immigrant arrivals in 2021.
What percent of jobs in the US are held by immigrants?
About 17.9% of jobs in 2023. Immigrants are defined as foreign-born residents, including those who became US citizens, are authorized to work in the US, or are undocumented residents.
How many people live in subsidized housing in the United States?
About 9.05 million people in 2023, or 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 2023 had lived in their units for ten years and two months.
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.
What is the homeownership rate in the US?
About 65.6% in 2024. That means about 2 in 3 households owned their home while the remainder rented.
How long do people wait for subsidized housing in the United States?
Two years and three months, on average, in 2024. That’s an 8% increase since 2023, when recipients spent two years and one month on waiting lists before moving in to subsidized housing.
How many households in the United States spend too much on housing?
About 42.5 million 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 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 refugees come to the US every month?
Around 12.5K people in December 2024. The US refugee system helps people fleeing persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a social group to resettle in the US. Unlike asylum seekers who apply for protection after arriving in the US or at its borders, refugees apply from outside the country. If approved, they undergo security screenings and health checks before being resettled by various agencies.
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.
What is the income of a US household?
About $81,600 in median income 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.
How many people are on Medicaid in the US?
On average, 88.8 million or 26.2% of the US population 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 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.
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.
Is flying safer than driving?
Is it safer to travel the US by plane than by car? Yes, according to Department of Transportation (DOT) data. Stats tracked for the last 20–years show that people were less likely to be hurt or killed each year while flying than riding in passenger cars and trucks. Flying is also safer than riding subways, trains, buses, or motorcycles. What is the safest way to travel? Air travel is the nation’s safest form of transit. Injury and death rates in US air travel are measured by the rate of incidents per 100 million passenger miles, the total miles traveled by all air passengers. Since 2002, the rates have been almost zero, and the yearly number of aviation accidents declined. In 2023, 33 plane passengers were injured over 773 billion miles of air travel. Put another way, you could circle the globe over 940,000 times for every one airplane injury.
Are fewer kids playing sports?
In 2023, the percentage of children participating in sports increased for the second consecutive year.According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), playing sports can improve a child’s physical and mental health. This includes improvements in bone health, cardiorespiratory and muscular health, and a reduced risk of depression. Sports can also help children develop confidence and self-esteem, as well as social and interpersonal skills.How many kids play sports?The National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) found that an estimated 55.4% of children aged 6 to 17 played on a sports team or took lessons as of 2023 — up from 53.8% in 2022.
How many people die by suicide in the United States each year?
About 49,316 people in 2023. 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.
Is the US population growing or shrinking?
It grew by 3.3 million people between 2023 and 2024, a 0.98% increase. That’s more than the population of Chicago. Between 2014 and 2024, it grew by 6.5%. Changes in population reflect things like shifting birth and death rates, immigration patterns, and even the overall health of the economy. The recent 0.98% increase was primarily driven by immigration to the US.
How many executive orders has each president signed?
When a president takes office, they often sign executive orders soon after inauguration, sometimes on Inauguration Day itself. An executive order is a presidential action that directs federal agencies on how to operate. It carries the effect of law provided it aligns with constitutional powers. Executive orders can also amend or revoke prior orders. In addition to executive orders, other presidential actions can include memorandums, and proclamations. How many executive orders have recent presidents signed? Since 1969, the 10 most recent presidents who completed full terms signed an average of 269 executive orders. Two-term presidents averaged 328, while single-term presidents averaged 216. Jimmy Carter, a single-term president, signed the most executive orders per year, averaging 80. Barack Obama, who served two terms, signed the fewest per year: 35. President Trump has signed 227 executive orders so far in his second term: 225 in 2025, and two in January 2026.
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.
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 are the top causes of death for people 65 and older?
The top two causes of death for senior citizens in 2023 were heart diseases and cancer at 935.7 and 778.7 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Cerebrovascular diseases (237.7 per 100,000 people), chronic lower respiratory diseases (212.0 per 100,000), and Alzheimer disease (190 per 100,000) followed as the next most common causes of death for seniors. COVID-19 was a top-five cause of death among adults 65 and older from 2020 to 2022, but was surpassed by Alzheimer’s disease in 2023.
Which states have the largest elderly populations?
As of 2024, 18% (61.2 million) of Americans are 65 or older, according to Census Bureau data.The national population over the age of 65 has more than doubled since 1980, with three-quarters of that growth occurring in the 21st century. The 65 and older group grew by more than 26.2 million people, a 74.6% increase, during that time.
How many immigrants get green cards every year?
About 1.17 million during fiscal year (FY) 2023, 15.2% more than the previous year. That’s the number of people who became lawful permanent residents (LPR) of the U.S., 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.
How red or blue is your state?
In American political discourse, states are often labeled “red” for leaning towards Republican politics or “blue” for leaning Democratic. State political profiles are shaped by a host of factors — voting patterns in national elections, the party affiliations of governors and congresspeople, and state laws.Most states vote and act consistently along party lines, but some have less predictable political leanings. These states, which can “swing” to either major party in a presidential election, are sometimes called “swing states” or “purple” states.How have red and blue states voted in presidential elections?Voters in most states stick with presidential candidates from one party: In the 10 presidential elections held since 1988, 41 states stuck with candidates from the same party eight times or more. Twenty of them, along with Washington, DC, voted for the same party’s candidates in all 10 elections.
How does marriage vary by state?
Does love last? According to the Census Bureau (CENSUS), American marriages last a median of 20 years as of 2024. But that could vary depending on where you live or how old you are — residents in the northeast, where the population is older on average, tend to report longer marriages than folks in the rest of the country. The government doesn’t just track marriage data for the romanticism of evaluating love against national and state averages: federal agencies use marriage and divorce data to assess funding needs for programs with spousal benefits, measure the effectiveness of current family policies, and forecast future policy. How do marriage and divorce rates vary by state? The Census Bureau calculates marriage and divorce rates by looking at the number of people age 15 and up who married or divorced in the last year. Utah had the nation’s highest marriage rate in 2024: 24.5 new marriages for every 1,000 people. Second highest was Washington, DC, with 22.1, followed by Idaho with 21.2.
How many children experience abuse or neglect in the US?
In 2023, 4.4 million children were involved in maltreatment referrals, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).Out of those referrals, 546,159 children were found to be victims of abuse or neglect. More than 75% of the perpetrators of the abuse are parents of the victims.More than two-thirds of the cases in 2023 were reported by professionals that have contact with the victims through their job, such as teachers, lawyers, police, and social services personnel. The highest percentage of reports in 2023 came from legal and law enforcement personnel (21.4%).
How many DACA recipients are there?
About 515,600 people at the end of June 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.
USAFacts’ top 10 articles of 2025
In 2025, Americans turned to USAFacts seeking information about the 2024 election, federal government employment and aid, immigration data, US debt ownership, government shutdowns, and crime statistics.Here are the 10 most-read articles of the year:10. How many voters have a party affiliation?Americans remained interested in the number of voters with a declared political affiliation long after the presidential election. Records from the 32 states and Washington, DC, that require party affiliation when registering to vote offer insight into voter alignment.As of August 2025, 45% of all registered voters had declared a party affiliation — 37.4 million registered as Republicans and 44.1 million as Democrats. Wyoming had the highest percentage of registered Republicans at 77%, while Washington, DC, had the highest percent of registered Democrats at 76%. Among all states, Maryland had the highest percentage of registered Democrats at 52%.
Who funds the FAA? You, whenever you fly
The majority of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) budget comes from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF), established by the Treasury Department in 1970 to support American aviation infrastructure. It collects revenue by taxing domestic flight tickets, international arrivals and departures, air cargo, plane fuel, and travelers’ purchases in loyalty and frequent flier programs.Passenger taxes are applied at the time of ticket purchase. Domestic passenger tickets were taxed at 7.5% in 2025. Flights between the continental US and Hawaii or Alaska added another $11.40 per passenger. These taxes contribute to the FAA’s budget.
US obesity rates have tripled over the last 60 years
According to National Institutes of Health surveys conducted since the early 1960s, US obesity rates have tripled over the last 60 years. The number of people classified with severe obesity has risen tenfold. How is obesity measured?A person’s weight class can range from underweight to obese and is calculated with a screening tool called the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is calculated by dividing someone’s weight (in kilograms) by their height (in meters) and a common stand-in for body fat measurement in children and adults, although it doesn’t distinguish between fat, muscle, and bone mass. Severe obesity is a sub-class within the obesity category. How have obesity rates changed over time?In the early 1960s, roughly 13% of people were considered obese under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Recent figures suggest that the current national obesity rate is closer to 40%. Almost 10% of Americans were categorized as severely obese during the 2021–2023 survey, compared to fewer than 1% in 1960–1962. Childhood obesity rates also rose, tripling from 5% in the early 1970s to over 21% by 2021–2023.
How will the government shutdown impact SNAP?
As the second-longest shutdown in US history continues, its effects increase over time: thousands of federal employees are furloughed, airport controllers and TSA agents work without pay, and without federal funding, millions of people may be without food assistance. The Agriculture Department (USDA) runs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, to provide food assistance to low-income people. SNAP is funded by open-ended mandatory spending, meaning that spending is not capped, and spending on the program depends on how many people qualify and claim benefits. Although the program is considered essential, its benefits rely on annual budgets. Without a budget or a continuing resolution, funds may run out. The USDA announced that no additional program funding is available beginning November 1, 2025. Twenty-five states and Washington, DC, have filed a lawsuit against the USDA for suspending SNAP funds. As of October 31, two federal judges have ruled that the administration must use contingency funding to support SNAP.As of this publication, at least three bills have been introduced to Congress to cover SNAP funding during the shutdown.
What is the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program?
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, provides federal grants to states to support low-income women who are pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding, as well as infants and children under age 5 who are at nutritional risk. These grants fund state and local WIC agencies to provide participants with food benefits through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, along with nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to health and social services. WIC is a federal program run by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). It was created in 1972 as a pilot program to provide supplemental foods and nutrition education to low-income women, infants, and young children, and it was made permanent in 1975 in the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. How many people get WIC benefits?In FY 2024, 6.7 million women, infants, and children received WIC benefits. For comparison, 41.7 million people received SNAP benefits in FY 2024, more than six times as many as received WIC. WIC participation has changed over time: It grew steadily from 1975 by around 245,000 participants per year until its peak in 2010 at 9.2 million participants. After 2010, participation declined each year until 2021, but WIC participation increased again in 2022. The USDA attributes the drop in participation to declining unemployment and poverty rates, and falling birth rates. The agency also cites barriers such as eligibility confusion, transportation challenges, and stigma associated with participating in the program for the decline.
What are the best and worst airports and airlines for on-time performance?
As of late September 2025, an average of more than 2.4 million people on average were clearing security in American airports every day. That figure is about 9% higher than the number of passengers in September 2019, the last comparison before the pandemic. Two million commercial domestic flights were scheduled from April to June of 2025, about 3.5% lower than the same period in 2019. In spring 2025, nearly a quarter of flights did not arrive on time. That’s the tardiest second quarter for commercial air travel since 2014. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics defines a flight as on time if it arrives within 15 minutes of the originally scheduled time.
What are the main sources of US greenhouse gas emissions?
In 2022, the transportation sector released more greenhouse gas emissions than any other: more than 1.8 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions, or 28.4% of emissions overall. Since 1990, emissions have increased for the transportation, agricultural, commercial and residential sectors. Conversely, emissions from the electric power, industrial and US territories have declined. Power plants stood out among the highest greenhouse gas-emitting facilities reported to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2023: — 82 of the top 100 reporting facilities were power generation sites. In September 2025, the EPA proposed a rule change to eliminate greenhouse gas emission reporting until 2034.How much greenhouse gas does the US emit?In 2022, the US emitted 6.3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent metric tons. That’s 3.0% lower than measured in 1990, and 15.8% lower than 2007, when the US hit its recorded peak of 7,530 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. For context, a typical passenger vehicle in the US emits an average of 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Emissions in 2022 were equivalent to nearly 1.4 billion cars. While total emissions declined by 3.0% from 1990 to 2022, greenhouse gas emissions per person decreased by 27.3%.
How many voters cast ballots early and by mail?
In the 2024 election, nearly 60% of voters cast their ballots early or by mail: 29.0% voted by mail, 30.7% voted early, and 39.6% went to the polls on Election Day. That’s up from about 40% in 2018 and 50% in 2022 but lower than 2020, when 69% voted early or by mail as states expanded early in-person and mail-in options in response to COVID-19.
Are hate crimes on the rise?
Nationwide, the number of reported hate crimes have increased by about 100% since 2015, rising from 5,843 to 11,679. 2015’s numbers marked a near low in reported crimes, the 3rd fewest since this data collection began in 1991. However, there’s a chance low numbers of any kind are due to underreporting rather than fewer hate crimes. For example, between 2010 and 2019, an estimated 56% of hate crimes were not reported to the police.
How are Americans doing financially?
More than a quarter of US adults say they’re struggling financially: 73% of Americans reported “living comfortably” or “doing okay,” according to October 2024 survey data from the Federal Reserve. Another 27% said they were either “just getting by” (19%) or “finding it difficult to get by” (8%). The share of people who say they’re doing okay or better is two percentage points lower than pre-pandemic levels, and the lowest since 2016.
How many voters have a party affiliation?
As of August 2025, 189.5 million Americans are registered to vote. That’s almost eight in 10 Americans who are 18 or older.Forty-five percent of registered voters declared a party affiliation on their registration. And some states have comparatively high percentages of one affiliation or another.How many registered voters are in each state?Among states reporting 2025 voter registration data, California has the most registered voters, 22.9 million, followed by Texas (18.3 million) and Florida (13.5 million). These states also rank highest in overall populations.
How does voter turnout in the US differ by state, age and race?
In the 2024 presidential election, 73.6% of eligible Americans were registered to vote, and 65.3% of them did. Most likely to cast ballots? Older and white voters.How many Americans turn out to vote?Voter turnout is consistently highest in presidential election years.So far this century, 47.8% of voting-age US citizens turned out for the average midterm election, compared to 63.8% for the average presidential elections.
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.
Does access to healthcare differ by race and ethnicity?
Across several measures of health and access to healthcare, American Indian and Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic adults often fare worse than other racial or ethnic identities. In 2024, about 14.8% of Americans were in fair or poor health. Zooming in on demographics reveals disparities between racial and ethnic groups. Adults in four groups — American Indian and Alaska Native, Black, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic — report higher rates of fair or poor health than the national average.
How many kids are in foster care?
An estimated 527,180 children passed through the foster care system in 2023. This number represents the number of children who were already in the system at the beginning of the federal fiscal year, and the children who entered or exited foster care as of September 30, 2022. On the last day of the fiscal year, 343,077 children remained in foster care.Foster care is intended to provide a temporary stable home for children who cannot safely remain in their current situations due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. The federal foster care program, known as title IV-E, funds services that are managed locally — in 50 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and tribes with approved title IV-E plans.How has the number of children in foster care changed?Over the last two decades, the number of children in foster care has declined each year, with the exception of a five-year span between 2013–2018.
Which states have the highest and lowest adult literacy rates?
Between 2017 and 2023, the percentage of adults performing at the lowest proficiency level in literacy increased by 9 percentage points. This is the first statistically significant drop since the initial round of data collection in 2012.This recurring survey, called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), measures the competency of working-age adults ages 16–65 in three areas: literacy, numeracy, and digital problem-solving.
How many high schoolers are trans?
About one in 30 high schoolers identifies as transgender, according to the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. What does it mean to be transgender?Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s glossary, “transgender” is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity is different from their sex assigned at birth. People whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth are called “cisgender.”What percentage of US high schoolers are trans?When given a description of what it means to be trans, 3.3% of high schoolers reported that it applied to them. Of the other students, 93.3% of reported not identifying as trans, 2.2% weren’t sure, and 1.3% didn’t understand the question.
How many people are in the US military? A demographic overview
As of March 2025, the US military consisted of 2.86 million people worldwide. Data from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) indicates that, in 2024, the US has the world’s third-largest active military by size, surpassed by China and India, respectively.These forces are spread across six main service branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force – all tasked to protect and serve the US.How many people are in the military?The US military includes approximately 2.07 military personnel and 788,470 civilians as of March 2025. With 2.86 million troops and civilians combined, the military is slightly greater than the population of Chicago, the country's third-largest city.Of those military members, the Department of Defense (DOD) listed nearly 1.31 million people as active-duty troops, and 765,495 as National Guard/reserves.
How many Americans voted in 2024?
According to the Census Bureau, 65.3% of US citizens voted in the 2024 election, the third-highest turnout in the past 34 years. Turnout increased by 13.1 percentage points since the most recent mid-term elections in 2022, but decreased by 1.5 percentage points since the 2020 presidential election.
Minimum wage in America: How many people are earning $7.25 an hour?
Although the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the minimum an employer must pay depends on the state in which the employee resides. Many states have mandated minimum wages that are different from the federal minimum
Data on Pacific Islander ethnicities, education, and income
There are 1.6 million Americans who identify as Pacific Islander, making up 0.49% of the population in 2023. From 2013 to 2023, the Pacific Islander population grew by 32.7%, or 400,000 people. Asian Americans are sometimes grouped with Pacific Islanders under the “AAPI” umbrella and are jointly celebrated every May during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This population is diverse, with education and income varying widely between ethnic groups. What are the different ethnic groups among Pacific Islanders?There are three Pacific Islands regions: Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Ethnicities are based on the island that a person’s family and ancestors originated from.
What are the current swing states, and how have they changed over time?
Swing states, also known as battleground states, are states that could “swing” to either Democratic or Republican presidential candidates depending on the election. Because of their potential to go either "blue" or "red", political parties often spend much of their time and campaign resources on winning these states.While there is no universal definition of a swing state, they typically have small vote margins and vote for candidates from both major political parties over time. In the last nine elections, 20 states have “swung” from one party to the other at least twice. And 26 states were won by less than three points in at least one presidential election. What are the current swing states?Six states that voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 swung to Republican Donald Trump in 2024. These states were Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. All but Nevada also swung from Republican to Democratic in 2020.
AAPI Demographics: Data on Asian American ethnicities, geography, income, and education
There are 25.8 million Asian Americans living in the US, making up 7.7% of the population. Among them, 3.6 million identify as Asian in combination with another race.Asian Americans are sometimes grouped with Pacific Islanders under the “AAPI” umbrella, and the joint Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month is celebrated annually in May. The AAPI population is the fastest growing racial group in the US, with a population that nearly doubled from 2000 to 2023.The demographics of Asian Americans vary drastically across ethnic groups. Taiwanese and Indian Americans have the highest educational and income outcomes, while Southeast Asian Americans have lower incomes and educational attainment.
Who are the nation’s veterans?
The population of living veterans in the US — nearly 16 million people — is both shrinking in size and growing more diverse. What is a veteran, and who is considered one? Title 38 of the United States Code defines a veteran as “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.” The code also outlines who qualifies for veteran status beyond active duty to include service members such as reservists, members of the National Guard, cadets and midshipmen at military academies, commissioned officers outside the Armed Forces, and those in training for military service. The Department of Veteran Affairs is responsible for determining veteran status and maintaining veteran benefit eligibility. What is a protected veteran? The Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 prohibits discrimination against certain veterans. Protected veterans meet the Title 38 qualifications but are afforded additional consideration due to disability, recent discharge, participation in wartime, or service recognition.
Six charts on the age of federal workers
The average federal worker is around 47 years old, and one out of 20 federal workers were over 65 in 2024. Of the 2.1 million full-time, permanent federal workers, over 28% were age 55 or above, according to September 2024 data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Which states have the highest and lowest life expectancy?
From 2022 to 2023, life expectancy across the United States rose from 77.5 to 78.4 years, according to final death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).But what exactly does life expectancy mean? And how does it vary by state?How does the government define life expectancy?Life expectancy — also called life expectancy at birth — is a projection of what the average age of death will be for people born today. The estimate is based on age-specific death rates reported in the year of birth.Note that life expectancy is not the same as the average age of death and the death rate. The average age of death in the US is calculated using the ages of every person who died in a given year. Meanwhile, the death rate is based on the proportion of people who died in a specific year.
Do women live longer than men in the US?
In the United States, women are expected to outlive men by 5.3 years. This longevity gap, which was two years in 1900, grew to nearly eight around 1980 before dropping to its current level. What are the average lifespans for men and women born in the US? In 2023, the life expectancy for men born in the United States was 75.8. For women, it was 81.1.
Where has diversity changed in recent years?
The US has become more diverse over the past few years – but that doesn’t just mean “less white.” The Census Bureau uses the Diversity Index, which measures the probability that two people selected at random will be from different racial and ethnic groups. Based on this, each locale is given a score between 0% and 100%, where 0% indicates similar racial and ethnic backgrounds, and 100% indicates completely different racial backgrounds.
How is same-sex marriage in the US changing?
In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled on Obergefell v. Hodges, thereby legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. In the years since the decision, households headed by married same-sex couples have become more common, but the changes have differed by state. How have the number of same-sex households changed since 2015? By the end of 2015, the year of the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, the nation’s number married same-sex households increased by 27.0%, the third largest increase on record. The largest were in 2013 and 2014 following 29 states legalizing these unions. Households headed by same-sex couples have increased 131.3%, from 334,829 in 2014 before the ruling to 774,553 in 2023. The number of households nationwide headed by same-sex married couples surpassed same-sex unmarried couples for the first time in 2016 and it’s remained that way through 2023 (the latest year such data is available).
Which states have the highest and lowest rates of homelessness?
About 771,000 Americans experienced homelessness in January 2024 according to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) point-in-time data, which measures homelessness across the US on a single night each winter. That’s an 18% increase from 2023. Nationally, approximately 22.7 people out of every 10,000 experienced homelessness during the 2024 count. Mississippi had the lowest rate of homelessness, at 3.5 people per 10,000, while in Hawaii, the rate was more than 20 times that — 80.5 per 10,000. In the District of Columbia, comprised entirely of the city of Washington, 80.0 people experienced homelessness for every 10,000.
How many homeless people are in the US? What does the data miss?
Around 23 out of every 10,000 Americans — 771,480 people — experienced homelessness in January 2024 according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annual point-in-time report, which measures homelessness across the US on a single night each winter. That’s an 18% increase from the same report in 2023.
Mammograms are recommended beginning at age 50. Are women getting them?
Adjusting for age, 71.6% of women 50 and older have had a mammogram screening in the past two years. This figure includes women of all backgrounds, including education, race, income level, and other factors, including insurance status — which denotes the biggest gap between who does or doesn’t get screened.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, with approximately 119 per 100,000 women in the United States diagnosed with a new case in 2020. Among women’s cancer deaths, it is the second most common cause, responsible for approximately 19 deaths per 100,000 women in 2020.
Has vehicle traffic returned to pre-pandemic levels?
Preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration has American drivers logging a total of 2,154,571,000,000 miles this year to date — that’s 2.15 trillion — the most vehicle miles traveled during the first eight months of a calendar year since 2019.How much did the pandemic impact vehicle traffic?According to the USAFacts America in Facts 2023 report, the number of miles driven in the US increased at an average rate of 2% annually between 1970 and 2019. In 2020, fewer people traveled to work, school, or other destinations due to the pandemic, and vehicle miles dropped 11%. Miles driven rose again in 2021, 2022, and the first eight months of 2023.
Where mental illness is increasing in the US
In 2019, adults in the US experienced mental illness at a higher rate than the decade prior. Within the previous year, 20.6% of adults had experienced a mental illness, compared to 18.1% in 2009, according to estimates from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.The increase is more pronounced for adults ages 18–25, reflecting trends among children and teens in recent years. The implications reach throughout the world of public policy, prompting discussions about mental health and access to professional services, alternatives to police responses to mental health crises, and the role of schools in addressing mental health at an early age.
Native Americans and the US Census: How the count has changed
Between 2000 and 2018, the number of American residents who were at least partially Native American increased 39%, according to the US Census Bureau.The estimated 5.7 million Americans in 2018 – 1.6 million more than 2000 – identifying with “American Indian or Alaska Native” racial backgrounds represent less than 2% of the total national population. That share was double the Native American group’s share in 2000.It’s unclear if that increase is entirely due to population growth or because more people are identifying as Native American racially. The Census Bureau has historically counted the Native American population in varying ways. The agency is making counting Native Americans a priority for the 2020 Census, after an estimated 4.88% of Native Americans living on reservations went undercounted. (Nationally, there was a total overcount of 0.01%.)In addition to the official decennial census conducted at the beginning of each decade, the Census Bureau also conducts the American Community Survey each year to learn more about the American population. Here’s a look at the Census’s history with Native Americans and what the agency’s most recent surveys say about that demographic group today.Who makes up the Native American population?In 2018, there were an estimated 2.8 million people identifying racially as Native American alone and 2.9 million more identifying as multiple races, including Native American.
What is the definition of poverty in the US?
Poverty remains a persistent issue in the United States, with millions of Americans unable to make ends meet each year. According to data from the Census Bureau, nearly 38 million Americans lived in poverty in 2021.How does the federal government define poverty?The federal government defines poverty based on family size and income. If a family’s total income is less than the poverty threshold set by the federal government, then that family is considered impoverished. The official poverty measure is adjusted annually to account for inflation.Let’s use 2021 poverty data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an example. Using the official poverty measure, a family of four would be considered in poverty if their annual household income was $26,500 or less before taxes. (For 2020-2021, the median household income for a family of such size was $90,657.)Since the measure is set at the federal level, it does not take into account the varying costs of living in different parts of the country, which can lead to errors in counting.
How many people die in traffic accidents in the US?
Traffic fatalities increased more than 10% in 2021, according to preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The increase came along with a rise in out-of-state travel and greater miles traveled in 2021, rebounding after stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Most of the fatalities occurred on multilane highways and freeways.
Can people with felony convictions vote?
In the US, almost all people with felony convictions lose their voting rights for a certain period.States set rules about how a felony conviction affects a resident’s ability to vote. Most states automatically restore voting rights either after release from prison or after probation or parole. Some states automatically restore voting rights under specific circumstances, depending on the nature of the crime or an individual’s criminal history. Meanwhile, two states, plus Washington, DC, never revoke the voting rights of individuals convicted of a felony.At the end of 2021, more than 1.2 million people were incarcerated in state or federal prisons, according to the Department of Justice.
Immigration is down and so are births: Why population growth slowed down
The population of the United States grew by 1.5 million between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019 — the smallest annual growth since the 1940s.There are a few methods for measuring these population changes. First, there’s natural population change, which is the number of deaths in a given year subtracted from births. There’s also change from migration, which counts the number of immigrants arriving in a given year. Plus, migration between states needs to be counted for state populations.A drop in every facet of population change has led to slowing population growth. The graphic below breaks down population changes by state and region.
What is the state of America’s highway bridges?
In 2021, there were 146,000 bridges in the US National Highway System. And as of that June, 44,000 of them were in “poor” condition.The National Bridge Inventory ranks bridge quality as good, fair, or poor. The inventory assigns bridges numerical ratings for the conditions of a bridge's roadway and structural components. A rating of seven or higher means that part is “good;” a five or six is “fair;” and four or less is “poor.” The four lowest ratings determine the overall bridge quality.
What is the H-1B visa?
The H-1B visa is one of several temporary visas that allow people from other countries to live and work in the US, with 389,354 people who received or renewed an H-1B visa in 2019. Here is an explanation of the program, the lottery selection process, and the people who hold H-1B visas.
Are train derailments becoming more common?
As of October 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has recorded 742 train derailments.The most publicized of these happened on February 3, 2023, when a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The train caught fire and sent smoke and particulate matter into the air, while crash runoff contaminated nearby waterways. Following the disaster, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued an evacuation order for residents of the surrounding area.Less than a month later, a bipartisan coalition of US senators introduced The Railway Safety Act of 2023. If passed, the law would increase safety requirements for freight trains, especially those carrying hazardous materials. It would also increase penalties for rail companies over safety violations and provide additional funding for first responders in need of additional safety equipment.The bill was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee in May and is headed for a vote on the Senate floor. The bill’s sponsors — including Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and J.D. Vance, a Republican — hope that additional scrutiny will prevent future train derailment disasters like the one in East Palestine.