Economy GDP grew 2.3% in 2019. Monthly unemployment reached a 50-year low of 3.5% in 2019. The economy added 2.1 million jobs in 2019, a 1.4% increase from the total number of jobs at the end of 2018. Median wages increased 0.1% (inflation adjusted) from 2017 to 2018. From November 2018 to November 2019, we imported $624 billion more in goods and services than we exported, a 1.1% increase from the previous 12 months.

Population In 2019, 328 million people lived in the United States. Our population grew by 1.6 million from 2018 to 2019, with 38% of growth coming from immigration. Our population is getting older. A greater proportion of people are living alone than at any point since 1980. There were 12% fewer children born in 2018 than in the recent 2007 peak. The absolute number of non-Hispanic white people has been falling since 2017.

Budget The federal government collected $3.5 trillion in revenue in 2019, or $10,548 per person. The federal government collected $3.5 trillion in revenue in 2019, or $10,548 per person. Federal revenue grew 2% (inflation adjusted) in 2019. Federal spending grew 6% (inflation adjusted) in 2019. We spent 28% more than we collected in revenue, creating a $984 billion deficit.

Standard of Living Middle-class families (the middle 20% of income earners) average $49,000 in market income from sources including wages, investments, and retirement. Middle-class families receive an average $19,000 in government assistance from programs like Medicare, Social Security, and food stamps. On average, middle-class families pay $15,000 in combined federal, state, and local taxes. Middle-class families collectively own 7% of all wealth. The poverty rate decreased from 15% in 2010 to 11.8% in 2018.

Education Since 2000, spending per public school student increased 22% to $12,000, adjusting for inflation. Two-thirds of 8th graders are not proficient in math and reading. Two out of three high school graduates attend college. College tuition averaged $23,835 in 2016, nearly double the cost in 1993, adjusting for inflation. People with a bachelor’s degree earn 64% more than those with just a high school diploma. More than a third of the adult population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Health Personal healthcare spending in 2018 reached $3.1 trillion, or $9,414 per capita. Average insurance spending is unequal across programs. The percent of Americans who are uninsured increased to 8.5% in 2018, up from the 2017 low of 7.9%. Life expectancy increased for the first time since 2014, from 78.6 in 2017 to 78.7 in 2018. Nearly half of deaths are caused by heart disease and cancer.

Crime Reported property and violent crime rates are falling, and are down more than 50% since their 1991 peaks. Arrests are decreasing. The number of prisoners is falling, and is down 8% from a peak in 2009. Firearm deaths increased 18% from 2014 to 2017, accounting for 1.5% of all deaths. Active shooter events are increasing but make up a small proportion of gun deaths.

Defense Defense spending increased in 2019 but is 14% lower than its 2010 peak. The military is larger today than in 2016 but smaller than in 1980. We have fewer troops abroad, particularly in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Adjusting for inflation, foreign aid has declined slightly since 2008, and makes up less than 1% of the federal budget Veterans have higher levels of employment, lower rates of poverty, and higher rates of disability than the overall population.

Immigration We are again increasingly a nation of immigrants. Excluding tourism, most people who come to the US on visas or green cards are temporary workers, students, or coming to be with their families. The number of non-tourist visas and green cards granted as well as the number of refugees and asylees admitted fell from 2017 to 2018 In 2015, the federal government estimated there were 12 million unauthorized immigrants in the country. Border apprehensions more than doubled from 2018 to 2019. In 2018, immigration officials removed 337,000 people from the US.

Infrastructure In 2019, the federal government spent $29 billion on infrastructure and transferred an additional $67 billion in infrastructure spending to states. Half of federal transportation spending goes to highways, with air and rail the next biggest categories. Our bridges are improving. The condition of urban interstates and minor roads is improving. Train infrastructure is degrading. In 2017, traffic congestion delayed vehicle commuters by an average of 54 hours a year.

Energy & Environment We are producing more energy than ever. Energy consumption per person in 2018 was 11% lower than in 2000. The share of our energy consumption from nuclear and renewable sources has nearly doubled since 1980. We are emitting less greenhouse gases per person than in 1990. We import 17% more energy than we export. Last decade averaged twelve $1 billion natural disasters per year. Wildfires burned an average of 7 million acres of land per year last decade.

Federal Government Actions There was one population action: There were 10 budget actions, There were 15 economy actions, There were five actions related to the standard of living, There were six education actions, There were 17 health actions, There were 14 crime actions, There were 31 defense actions, There were 11 immigration actions, There were nine infrastructure actions, There were 28 actions for energy and the environment, There were 65 other actions that did not fit in these categories.