America is a nation of profound change, where a graying population is reshaping communities, an economy is navigating turbulent waters, and our collective health is telling a complex story.
Key Takeaways
- In 2020, the United States had a population of 331,449,281 people according to the decennial census
- The median age in the United States in 2023 was 38.9 years, up from 38.2 in 2020
- As of 2022, 13.7% of the U.S. population identified as Black or African American alone
- The U.S. GDP in 2023 was $27.36 trillion in nominal terms
- Unemployment rate in the U.S. averaged 3.6% in 2023
- U.S. federal debt held by the public was $26.3 trillion as of Q4 2023
- Life expectancy at birth for males in the U.S. was 73.8 years in 2021
- Obesity prevalence among U.S. adults was 41.9% in 2017-2020
- COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. totaled 1,118,992 as of May 2023
- High school graduation rate was 86% for public high school students in 2019-20
- 38% of U.S. adults aged 25+ had a bachelor's degree in 2022
- Average undergraduate tuition and fees at public four-year institutions was $9,750 in 2023-24
- U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were 6,343 million metric tons CO2 eq. in 2022
- Forest cover in the U.S. was 755 million acres or 33% of land area in 2023
- Renewable energy consumption was 8.2 quads or 12.9% of total U.S. energy in 2022
The United States is an aging nation growing slowly with a diverse and largely urban population.
Demographics
- In 2020, the United States had a population of 331,449,281 people according to the decennial census
- The median age in the United States in 2023 was 38.9 years, up from 38.2 in 2020
- As of 2022, 13.7% of the U.S. population identified as Black or African American alone
- In 2021, 19.1% of Americans were foreign-born, totaling about 44.8 million people
- The U.S. fertility rate in 2022 was 1.64 births per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1
- Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. in 2021 was 76.1 years, down from 78.8 in 2019 due to COVID-19
- In 2022, 59.3% of the U.S. population lived in urban areas defined as urbanized areas or clusters
- Households headed by married couples accounted for 47.8% of all U.S. households in 2022
- The poverty rate in the United States was 11.6% in 2022, affecting 38.9 million people
- In 2023, California had the largest state population at 38,940,231
- As of 2022, 18.7% of Americans had a bachelor's degree or higher for those aged 25 and older
- The U.S. population density in 2020 was 93 people per square mile
- In 2021, 6.1% of the U.S. population was aged 75 and older
- Hispanic or Latino population made up 19.1% of the U.S. total in 2022
- Asian Americans comprised 6.3% of the U.S. population in 2022
- In 2022, the U.S. had 128.5 million households
- Veterans numbered 16.2 million in the U.S. civilian population aged 18 and over in 2022
- In 2023, the U.S. population growth rate was 0.49%
- People under 18 years old were 21.7% of the U.S. population in 2022
- In 2022, 82.5% of Americans aged 25 and older had at least a high school diploma
Demographics Interpretation
America is a graying, suburbanized, and increasingly diverse nation that is barely replacing itself, navigating a tightrope between education and poverty, all while trying to recover from a pandemic that reminded us just how fragile our collective lifespan really is.
Economy
- The U.S. GDP in 2023 was $27.36 trillion in nominal terms
- Unemployment rate in the U.S. averaged 3.6% in 2023
- U.S. federal debt held by the public was $26.3 trillion as of Q4 2023
- Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate was 4.1% for 2023 annually
- U.S. exports of goods and services totaled $3.05 trillion in 2023
- Corporate profits in the U.S. reached $3.4 trillion before tax in 2023 Q4
- Median household income in the U.S. was $74,580 in 2022
- U.S. personal savings rate was 3.8% in December 2023
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 37,689.54 on December 29, 2023
- U.S. trade deficit was $773.4 billion in 2023
- Housing starts in the U.S. averaged 1,410,000 units annually in 2023
- Retail sales in the U.S. increased 3.8% in 2023 adjusted for inflation
- Federal Reserve interest rate (federal funds rate) was 5.25-5.50% at end of 2023
- U.S. manufacturing output grew 0.9% in 2023
- Labor force participation rate was 62.5% in 2023 average
- Average hourly earnings for private sector workers rose 4.1% in 2023
- U.S. current-account deficit was $818.3 billion in 2023
- Venture capital investment in U.S. startups totaled $170.6 billion in 2023
- U.S. budget deficit was $1.7 trillion for fiscal year 2023
- S&P 500 total return was 26.29% in 2023
- U.S. oil production averaged 12.9 million barrels per day in 2023
- Personal consumption expenditures increased 2.5% in 2023 real terms
- U.S. GDP per capita was $81,632 in 2023 nominal
Economy Interpretation
The U.S. economy appears to be a very well-paid, hard-working individual who is nonetheless living in a spectacularly expensive house they bought with an enormous, high-interest credit card, while nervously watching their retirement account soar.
Education
- High school graduation rate was 86% for public high school students in 2019-20
- 38% of U.S. adults aged 25+ had a bachelor's degree in 2022
- Average undergraduate tuition and fees at public four-year institutions was $9,750 in 2023-24
- Student loan debt totaled $1.61 trillion owed by 42.6 million borrowers in Q4 2023
- PISA 2022 math score for U.S. students was 465, ranking 28th among OECD countries
- 94% of U.S. public schools offered instruction in English language arts in 2020-21
- Federal K-12 education funding was $82.8 billion in FY 2023
- Chronic absenteeism affected 26% of students in 2021-22
- 57% of Asian students proficient in math at grade 8 NAEP 2022
- Teacher shortage in special education was 90% unfilled positions in 2023
- 15-year-olds spent 6.3 hours/week on homework in PISA 2022
- Pell Grant recipients numbered 6.4 million in 2022-23
- 49% of U.S. adults read below 6th grade level per PIAAC 2017
- STEM bachelor's degrees awarded: 228,043 in 2021-22
- Public school per-pupil expenditure averaged $15,424 in 2021
- 71% of 9th graders graduated high school on time in 2020-21 adjusted cohort
- NAEP grade 4 reading score averaged 217 in 2022
- College enrollment fell 15% from 2019 to 2023 peak to trough
- 62% of recent high school completers enrolled in college in 2022
Education Interpretation
We have created a high-stakes system that, despite commendable efforts and substantial investment, sees too many students graduate into debt, too many struggle with basic literacy, and too few teachers to meet urgent needs, leaving us with a costly apparatus that is not yet reliably producing the widely educated citizenry a modern democracy demands.
Environment
- U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were 6,343 million metric tons CO2 eq. in 2022
- Forest cover in the U.S. was 755 million acres or 33% of land area in 2023
- Renewable energy consumption was 8.2 quads or 12.9% of total U.S. energy in 2022
- Endangered species listed: 1,360 animals and 928 plants as of 2023
- Annual precipitation average across contiguous U.S. was 30.23 inches in 2023
- Solar power generation reached 164 billion kWh in 2023, up 36% from 2022
- Protected land area: 640 million acres or 28% of U.S. land in 2023
- Plastic waste generation: 42 million tons in 2018 latest data
- Wind power capacity installed: 148,014 MW at end of 2023
- Average U.S. temperature anomaly was +2.45°F above 20th century average in 2023
- Coastal wetlands loss: net gain of 58,000 acres from 2009-2019
- EV sales: 1.2 million new electric vehicles in 2023
- Municipal solid waste recycled/composted: 32.1% in 2018
- Drought covered 22% of contiguous U.S. on average in 2023
- Mercury emissions from U.S. sources: 3.7 tons in 2020
Environment Interpretation
While we're diligently measuring every hopeful uptick in renewables and conservation, the stubborn, suffocating tonnage of our emissions and waste suggests we're still trying to outrun a crisis by politely quickening our stroll.
Health
- Life expectancy at birth for males in the U.S. was 73.8 years in 2021
- Obesity prevalence among U.S. adults was 41.9% in 2017-2020
- COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. totaled 1,118,992 as of May 2023
- Infant mortality rate was 5.44 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022
- 90.6% of U.S. children aged 0-17 had health insurance in 2022
- Cancer incidence rate was 439.3 per 100,000 in 2020
- Heart disease caused 695,547 deaths in 2022
- Diabetes prevalence among adults was 11.6% in 2021
- Opioid overdose deaths reached 81,806 in 2022
- 92.0% of U.S. adults had a usual source of health care in 2022
- Maternal mortality rate was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021
- Suicide rate was 14.2 per 100,000 in 2021
- 10.6% of adults reported serious psychological distress in past month in 2022
- Vaccination coverage for MMR among children 19-35 months was 93.4% in 2022-23
- Hospitalization rate for flu was 105.4 per 100,000 in 2022-23 season
- 17.3% of adults smoked cigarettes in 2022
- Alzheimer's disease death rate was 35.0 per 100,000 in 2021
- 8.4% of population had asthma in 2022
- Stroke death rate was 37.4 per 100,000 in 2022
- 91.4% of U.S. youth aged 12-17 had health insurance in 2022
Health Interpretation
Despite having one of the world's most expensive healthcare systems, the American health profile resembles a luxury car stuck in traffic: impressive on paper with high coverage rates, yet critically hampered by preventable, chronic roadblocks like obesity, heart disease, and despair that are shortening our journey and making the ride unnecessarily rough.
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