While America’s population quietly inches toward 335 million, a deeper look at the latest national statistics reveals a nation of surprising contrasts, from shifting demographics and economic resilience to persistent health challenges and political divides.
Key Takeaways
- As of July 1, 2023, the U.S. population was estimated at 334,914,895 people, reflecting a 0.5% increase from the previous year.
- The median age of the U.S. population in 2022 was 38.9 years, up from 38.5 in 2021.
- In 2022, the U.S. had 131.4 million households, with an average household size of 2.51 persons.
- U.S. GDP in Q2 2024 grew at an annualized rate of 3.0%, according to BEA estimates.
- Unemployment rate stood at 4.1% in June 2024, with 6.8 million unemployed persons.
- Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 3.0% over the 12 months ending June 2024.
- The 115th Congress (2017-2019) had 541 members serving at some point.
- Voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election was 66.6% of the voting-eligible population.
- There are 435 voting members in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was 77.5 years in 2023.
- Obesity prevalence among U.S. adults was 41.9% in 2022.
- COVID-19 deaths totaled 1,118,992 as of May 2024.
- Public high school graduation rate was 86% for class of 2022.
- 38% of U.S. adults aged 25+ have a bachelor's degree or higher in 2022.
- K-12 enrollment was 49.6 million in fall 2022.
The United States population is gradually growing, aging, and becoming more racially diverse.
Economic Indicators
- U.S. GDP in Q2 2024 grew at an annualized rate of 3.0%, according to BEA estimates.
- Unemployment rate stood at 4.1% in June 2024, with 6.8 million unemployed persons.
- Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 3.0% over the 12 months ending June 2024.
- Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 206,000 in June 2024.
- Average hourly earnings for all employees increased 3.9% over the year ending June 2024.
- U.S. national debt stood at $34.4 trillion as of June 2024.
- Personal saving rate was 3.4% in May 2024.
- Retail sales increased 0.0% in June 2024 (+2.3% unadjusted year-over-year).
- Housing starts in June 2024 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,340,000 units.
- Industrial production rose 0.0% in June 2024.
- U.S. trade deficit in goods and services was $75.1 billion in May 2024.
- Corporate profits increased $101.4 billion (4.8%) in Q1 2024.
- Labor force participation rate was 62.6% in June 2024.
- Median weekly earnings for full-time workers were $1,138 in Q2 2024.
- Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 39,118.86 on July 11, 2024.
- S&P 500 index reached 5,633.91 on July 11, 2024.
- Labor force totaled 167.8 million in June 2024.
- Inflation rate (PCE) was 2.6% in May 2024.
- Existing-home sales at 3.79 million annualized rate in June 2024.
- Capacity utilization rate was 78.0% in June 2024.
- Producer Price Index rose 2.2% over 12 months to June 2024.
- U.S. exports of goods and services: $278.5 billion in May 2024.
- Imports: $353.6 billion in May 2024.
- Disposable personal income increased 0.1% in May 2024.
- ISM Manufacturing PMI was 48.5 in June 2024 (contraction).
- Job openings: 8.1 million in May 2024.
- Quit rate: 2.1% in May 2024.
- Productivity increased 0.9% in Q2 2024.
- Unit labor costs fell 0.7% in Q2 2024.
- NASDAQ Composite closed at 18,518.61 on July 11, 2024.
Economic Indicators Interpretation
Despite a humming job market and resilient corporate profits, the American economy feels like a sprint on a treadmill—everyone is working harder to buy less while the national debt watches from the sidelines like an uninvited, ever-expanding party guest.
Education & Technology
- Public high school graduation rate was 86% for class of 2022.
- 38% of U.S. adults aged 25+ have a bachelor's degree or higher in 2022.
- K-12 enrollment was 49.6 million in fall 2022.
- Federal R&D funding was $201.0 billion in FY 2023.
- 94% of U.S. public schools had high-speed internet in 2022.
- College enrollment: 15.4 million undergraduates in fall 2022.
- Student loan debt totaled $1.61 trillion owed by 42.4 million borrowers in 2024.
- NAEP math scores for 8th graders averaged 274 in 2022, down from 282 in 2019.
- 93% of teens aged 13-17 have smartphone access in 2023.
- U.S. broadband penetration: 89% of adults have home broadband in 2023.
- STEM jobs projected to grow 10.4% from 2020-2030.
- Patent grants: 325,457 utility patents issued in 2023.
- 71% of 5-17 year-olds used a computer for schoolwork daily in 2022.
- Federal student aid: $149.6 billion disbursed in FY 2023.
- High school dropout rate: 5.2% for ages 16-24 in 2022.
- U.S. ranked 28th in math and 12th in science in PISA 2022.
- 57.5 million public school students in 2023-24 school year.
- Teacher shortage: 55% of public schools reported vacancies in 2023.
- Pell Grant recipients: 6.4 million in FY 2023.
- R&D expenditure: 3.46% of GDP in 2021 ($885 billion).
- Charter school enrollment: 3.7 million students in 2022-23.
- Average public school teacher salary: $69,544 in 2022-23.
- 16.3 million students enrolled in postsecondary institutions fall 2023.
- Federal R&D to universities: $47.3 billion in FY 2023.
- 1 in 5 public schools offered computer science in 2022.
- NAEP reading scores for 4th graders: 217 in 2022.
- Adult literacy rate: 79% proficient in prose in 2017 (latest).
- Venture capital investment: $170.6 billion in 2023.
- AI patents filed: 14,000+ in USPTO 2023.
- 85% of K-12 teachers use digital tools daily in 2023.
- Community college enrollment: 5.1 million in 2022.
- ACT average composite score: 19.5 for class of 2023.
- SAT participation: 1.9 million students in 2023.
- NSF grants awarded: 11,000 in FY 2023.
- Women in STEM workforce: 28% in 2021.
- Cybersecurity incidents reported: 2,200+ to US-CERT in 2023.
Education & Technology Interpretation
We are investing heavily in a digital future, yet our foundation seems to be built on increasingly shaky academic ground, as if we're wiring every classroom for a race we're not entirely sure how to run.
Government & Politics
- The 115th Congress (2017-2019) had 541 members serving at some point.
- Voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election was 66.6% of the voting-eligible population.
- There are 435 voting members in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- The U.S. Senate consists of 100 senators, two from each state.
- Federal budget for FY 2024 is approximately $6.4 trillion in outlays.
- Supreme Court has 9 justices as of 2024.
- Women hold 152 seats (28%) in the 118th Congress (2023-2025).
- In 2022 midterms, Republicans gained 9 House seats for a 222-213 majority.
- President Biden signed 139 bills into law in his first two years.
- Federal government employed 2.9 million civilian workers in 2023.
- U.S. has 50 states, 1 federal district, and 5 major territories.
- Electoral College has 538 electors for presidential elections.
- In 2020, Biden won 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232.
- Campaign finance: 2020 presidential cycle saw $14.4 billion spent.
- FBI reported 21,156 murders in 2022.
- Active duty military personnel: 1.3 million in FY 2023.
- U.S. ratified 16 international human rights treaties since 1980.
- Republican Party holds 53 seats in the Senate (118th Congress).
- Democrats hold 222 seats in the House (as of 2024).
- 27 women serve in the Senate (2024).
- 125 women in the House (2024).
- Black members: 57 in 118th Congress.
- Hispanic/Latino members: 54 in 118th Congress.
- Asian Pacific American members: 18 in 118th Congress.
- Federal revenue for FY 2023: $4.44 trillion.
- Defense spending: $816 billion in FY 2023.
- 2024 presidential popular vote: Biden 81.3M, Trump 74.2M (2020).
- States with Republican governors: 27 as of 2024.
- Supreme Court decisions: 61 opinions issued in 2023 term.
- Impeachment trials: 21 presidential (1 conviction).
- Registered voters: 168 million in 2020 election.
- Early voting: 101 million ballots in 2020.
- Mail-in ballots: 43% of 2020 votes.
Government & Politics Interpretation
A nation of 334 million entrusts 541 changeable mortals in Congress with a $6.4 trillion checkbook, while its citizens debate, campaign for billions, and vote at a two-thirds rate, all in a delicate, often fractious, balance built on a foundation of 50 states, 538 electoral votes, and one famously resilient constitution.
Health & Social Services
- Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was 77.5 years in 2023.
- Obesity prevalence among U.S. adults was 41.9% in 2022.
- COVID-19 deaths totaled 1,118,992 as of May 2024.
- 92.0% of children aged 12 months had received MMR vaccine in 2022.
- Opioid overdose deaths reached 81,806 in 2022.
- 91.7% of U.S. population had health insurance in 2022.
- Cancer incidence rate was 439.0 per 100,000 in 2020.
- Infant mortality rate was 5.44 per 1,000 live births in 2022.
- 18.2% of adults reported serious psychological distress in 2022.
- Heart disease caused 695,547 deaths in 2022.
- Medicare enrollment: 65.7 million beneficiaries in 2023.
- Medicaid covered 80.6 million people in FY 2022.
- SNAP (food stamps) averaged 41.9 million participants monthly in FY 2023.
- Child poverty rate was 12.4% in 2022 under official measure.
- Homeless population estimated at 653,104 on a single night in 2023.
- Social Security paid benefits to 66 million recipients in 2023.
- Cancer deaths: 609,820 in 2023 estimate.
- Diabetes prevalence: 11.6% of adults (38.4 million) in 2021.
- 8.4% of adults smoke cigarettes in 2022.
- Hospitalizations for flu: 450,000 in 2022-2023 season.
- Mental health treatment: 22.8% of adults received in 2022.
- Suicide rate: 14.2 per 100,000 in 2021.
- Drug overdose deaths excluding opioids: 25,610 in 2022.
- Alzheimer's deaths: 119,399 in 2021.
- Emergency department visits: 139 million in 2022.
- Physician visits: 917 million in 2022.
- Nursing home residents: 1.3 million in 2022.
- TANF (welfare) caseload: 1.1 million families in FY 2023.
- SSI recipients: 7.5 million in 2023.
- Foster care children: 369,000 in FY 2022.
- Food insecurity affected 12.8% of households in 2022.
- Disability rate: 13.7% of population in 2022.
Health & Social Services Interpretation
We may have broad health coverage and advanced medical interventions, but the statistics paint a stark portrait of a nation battling epidemics of despair, preventable disease, and profound socioeconomic disparities that our healthcare system is perpetually scrambling to patch up.
Population & Demographics
- As of July 1, 2023, the U.S. population was estimated at 334,914,895 people, reflecting a 0.5% increase from the previous year.
- The median age of the U.S. population in 2022 was 38.9 years, up from 38.5 in 2021.
- In 2022, the U.S. had 131.4 million households, with an average household size of 2.51 persons.
- Non-Hispanic White population accounted for 59.3% of the U.S. total in 2022, down from 60.1% in 2021.
- The Hispanic or Latino population grew by 1.0% to 62.1 million in 2022.
- Black or African American population reached 41.1 million in 2022, comprising 12.3% of the total.
- Asian population in the U.S. was 20.6 million in 2022, growing by 1.9% from 2021.
- Foreign-born population was 46.2 million in 2022, or 13.9% of the total population.
- U.S. birth rate in 2022 was 11.0 per 1,000 population, the lowest on record.
- Net international migration contributed 1.0 million to U.S. population growth in 2022-2023.
- Veteran population in 2022 was 17.9 million, with 5.4 million female veterans.
- Homeownership rate for U.S. households was 65.9% in 2022.
- Urban population accounted for 80.0% of the total U.S. population in 2020.
- Population density in the U.S. averaged 94 people per square mile in 2023.
- States with highest population growth 2022-2023: Florida (1.9%), Texas (1.6%), Idaho (1.9%).
- As of July 1, 2023, the U.S. population under age 18 was 72,690,529.
- Population aged 65 and over reached 58,901,639 in 2023.
- The U.S. fertility rate was 1.62 births per woman in 2022.
- Net domestic migration outflow from California was 167,000 in 2022-2023.
- American Indian and Alaska Native population was 3.7 million in 2022.
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population: 0.8 million in 2022.
- Two or more races population grew 276% from 2010 to 2020 census.
- In 2022, 10.6% of the population lived in poverty.
- Median household income was $74,580 in 2022.
- Gini index for income inequality was 0.410 in 2022.
Population & Demographics Interpretation
America is an aging nation where our growth increasingly hinges on immigration, as we become more diverse, urban, and collectively poorer at raising children while wealth becomes more unevenly distributed.
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