America in Facts 2024: A Data-Driven Report for Congress

Latest update on June 5, 2024

To create America in Facts 2024, USAFacts interviewed Congressional staff on their topics of interest and the challenges they face when using data. These interviews spanned the House of Representatives and the Senate, included Republicans and Democrats, and identified several topics that we used to inform this report. We hope that members of Congress and their staff can use these metrics and data visualizations as starting points for debates on policy.

Explore the findings and interact with the data shared with Congress below. To learn more about these topics, download the report.

REPORT CHAPTERS

Government finances

Government revenue: Federal revenue totaled $4.5 trillion in fiscal year 2023, primarily from individual and payroll taxes. It decreased by 15% from the previous year but was still 8% higher than in FY 2019.
Government spending: In FY 2023, federal expenditures were $6.2 trillion, down 8% from FY 2022 but 16% higher than FY 2019.
Fiscal trends and deficit: In FY 2023, federal spending exceeded revenue by 38%, resulting in a $1.7 trillion deficit. The federal debt reached $33.2 trillion, with more than $26 trillion held by the public.
Government employment: In 2022, US governments employed 20.9 million people, with 79% in state or local government roles, primarily in education.

Population

Population growth: In 2023, the US population reached 334.9 million, growing by 1.6 million or 0.5% from the previous year. State populations grew most in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Deaths and births: The 2023 death rate decreased for a second year to 927 per 100,000 people. The birth rate dropped to 1,078 per 100,000 people, lower than any year since at least 1980.
Changing demographics: The US population is aging: 18% of people were over 65 in 2023, up from 11% in 1980. Households are also changing. Married, two-parent households have decreased from 31% of households in 1980 to 18% in 2023. The white population fell from 76% in 1990 to 59% in 2022.

Immigration & border security

Incoming authorized immigrants: In 2022, about 2.6 million authorized immigrants entered the US, with 41% coming for work.
Immigration enforcement and courts: There were a record 3.2 million border enforcement actions in FY 2023, a 16% increase from the previous fiscal year. Immigration court backlogs escalated to 2.5 million cases by the end of FY 2023.
Immigrants in the US: As of 2022, around 46 million foreign-born people lived in the US, over half of whom were naturalized citizens. About 24% were estimated to be unauthorized immigrants.
Immigrants in the workforce: The foreign-born labor force reached its highest level since 2007, particularly concentrated in the construction (29%) and other services industries (23%).

Economy

Inflation: The Consumer Price Index peaked at a 9.0% inflation rate in June 2022, then dropped below 4% from July to December 2023.
Economic growth: GDP adjusted for inflation grew by 2.5% in 2023, surpassing the average growth rate since 2000. The nation added 3.1 million jobs, though at a slower pace than previous years.
Labor market: In 2023, the average unemployment rate was 3.6%, the average job openings rate was 5.7%, and the labor force participation rate increased to 62.6%.
US trade: The trade deficit narrowed by 22% to $773.4 billion in 2023. For the first time in 20 years, the US imported more goods and services from Mexico than China.

Standard of living

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person: In 2023, real GDP per capita increased 2%, with it increasing most in Alaska.
Family income, taxes, and transfers: In 2022, the average middle-class family earned about $64,420, paid $21,620 in taxes, and received $25,780 in government assistance.
Median annual wages: The US median annual wage in 2023 fell by 0.3% to $48,151.
Poverty: The US poverty rate stood at 11.5% in 2022, with the highest rates predominantly in the South.
Food insecurity: About 12.8% of US households experienced food insecurity in 2022. The largest increase from the year prior was in households with children.

Wealth & savings

Wealth distribution: By the end of 2023, the top 20% of income earners held 71% of the nation's wealth, amounting to approximately $103.0 trillion. The middle class (middle 20%) held 8%, or $12.1 trillion.
Retirement accounts: As of 2022, 54% of families had at least one retirement account. Median retirement savings for families with accounts rose by 16% between 2013 and 2022.
Homeownership: The homeownership rate was 65.8% in 2022. Median net housing wealth for homeowners rose from $139,105 in 2019 to $200,000 in 2022.
Social Security and Disability Insurance: In 2023, there were 58.2 million Social Security recipients receiving an average monthly benefit of $1,742. Disability Insurance recipients reached 8.6 million, with benefits of $1,336 per month on average.

Health

Health risk factors: From 2021 to 2022, the share of adults who smoke tobacco or are obese decreased. Meanwhile, the proportion of adults who binge drink increased.
Mortality and causes of death: Life expectancy rose to 77.5 years in 2022, due partly to lower COVID-19 death rates. The rates of drug fentanyl and methamphetamine overdose deaths increased 75 and 52 times, respectively, between 1999 and 2022.
Mental health: Approximately 35% of adults aged 18 to 25 and 21% of those over 26 reported having a mental illness in the past year as of 2021–2022. Major depressive episodes affected 20% of people aged 12 to 25.
Health insurance coverage and spending: In 2022, 7.9% of the population lacked health insurance. Healthcare spending per enrollee decreased across Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and private insurance plans when adjusted for inflation.

Infrastructure

Federal infrastructure and transportation spending: In FY 2023, the federal government allocated $146.2 billion to transportation and infrastructure. The Federal Emergency Management Agency committed at least $326.3 million for repairing infrastructure damaged by 2023's natural disasters.
American infrastructure conditions: Urban roads are in poorer conditions than rural roads. The condition of commuter and heavy rail tracks has improved since 2018, while light rail conditions remained stable.
Transportation safety: Traffic injury rates per mile traveled decreased since 2016, although fatality rates rose in 2020 and 2021. From 2013 to 2022, US air carriers had 259 accidents, with three resulting in fatalities.
Broadband use: In 2022, 20.7% of Americans lacked a fixed broadband subscription at home, with the highest rates in Mississippi (33.5%) and Louisiana (29.8%).