The United States has 36.2 people per square mile, yet its population is aging fast with 20.2% now age 65 and older and an average life expectancy at birth of 73.4 years for males. At the same time, demographic change is reshaping the country through migration, births, and growing health and housing pressures, from 11.4% uninsured rates to 10.1% experiencing homelessness. Put together, these figures create a sharp tension between steady urban concentration and major shifts in who is living, working, and arriving in the United States.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. population density: 36.2 persons per square mile (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts)
- Percent urban population in the U.S. is 83.2% (World Bank urban population indicator)
- 20.2% of the U.S. population is age 65+ (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts estimate using 2018–2022 ACS)
- Life expectancy at birth: 73.4 years for males in 2023 (CDC, NCHS)
- U.S. migrant apprehensions at the Southwest border: 2,509,000 encounters in FY 2023 (U.S. CBP Southwest Land Border Encounters summary)
- Private-sector remittances received: $90.6 billion in 2023 (World Bank, Migration and Remittances data)
- Population living in poverty: 12.5% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau Supplemental Poverty Measure, 2023)
- U.S. civilian labor force: 168.7 million people (BLS Employment Situation, April 2024 reference)
- 0.63% annual population growth in the United States in 2023 (World Bank World Development Indicators estimate)
- 67.0% of the U.S. population ages 15–64 in 2023 (World Bank World Development Indicators share)
- 34.6% of the U.S. population is aged 0–14 in 2023 (World Bank World Development Indicators share)
- 13.9% of U.S. residents lacked broadband access at home in 2023 (FCC Broadband Deployment report estimate)
- 38.5% of U.S. households were homeowners with a mortgage in 2023 (JCHS housing report estimate)
- 10.1% of U.S. residents experienced homelessness during 2023 (Housing and Urban Development PIT count adjusted estimate; HUD data via HUD USER)
- 10.8 billion public transit trips in the United States in 2022 (APTA ridership survey)
The United States is growing slowly, with an aging population, major migration flows, and 83.2% living in cities.
Related reading
01 · Category
Urbanization & Geography2 stats
01
U.S. population density: 36.2 persons per square mile (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts)https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045223
02
Percent urban population in the U.S. is 83.2% (World Bank urban population indicator)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=US
Interpretation
Urbanization & Geography Interpretation
With 83.2% of Americans living in urban areas despite a relatively low overall population density of 36.2 people per square mile, the United States shows strong urban concentration shaped by geography.
02 · Category
Population Structure1 stats
01
20.2% of the U.S. population is age 65+ (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts estimate using 2018–2022 ACS)https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045222
Interpretation
Population Structure Interpretation
For the Population Structure angle, the fact that 20.2% of the U.S. population is age 65 and older signals a substantial share of older adults shaping the country’s age mix.
03 · Category
Births, Deaths & Natural Change1 stats
01
Life expectancy at birth: 73.4 years for males in 2023 (CDC, NCHS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db558.pdf
Interpretation
Births, Deaths & Natural Change Interpretation
In the United States under Births, Deaths & Natural Change, male life expectancy inched to 73.4 years in 2023, underscoring the ongoing role of mortality levels in shaping natural change.
04 · Category
Immigration, Emigration & Migration2 stats
01
U.S. migrant apprehensions at the Southwest border: 2,509,000 encounters in FY 2023 (U.S. CBP Southwest Land Border Encounters summary)https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration
02
Private-sector remittances received: $90.6 billion in 2023 (World Bank, Migration and Remittances data)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT?locations=US
Interpretation
Immigration, Emigration & Migration Interpretation
In the Immigration, Emigration & Migration picture, the U.S. recorded 2,509,000 Southwest border migrant encounters in FY 2023 while migrants sent home $90.6 billion in private remittances in 2023, underscoring how movement into and out of the country comes with both border-scale flows and major cross border financial ties.
05 · Category
Socioeconomic Indicators & Health2 stats
01
Population living in poverty: 12.5% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau Supplemental Poverty Measure, 2023)https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-284.html
02
U.S. civilian labor force: 168.7 million people (BLS Employment Situation, April 2024 reference)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm
Interpretation
Socioeconomic Indicators & Health Interpretation
With 12.5% of the U.S. population living in poverty alongside a civilian labor force of 168.7 million, the country faces a clear socioeconomic pressure point that can directly shape health and wellbeing outcomes.
06 · Category
Demographics9 stats
01
0.63% annual population growth in the United States in 2023 (World Bank World Development Indicators estimate)https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/USA/indicator/SP.POP.GROW?format=json
02
67.0% of the U.S. population ages 15–64 in 2023 (World Bank World Development Indicators share)https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/USA/indicator/SP.POP.1564.TO.ZS?format=json
03
34.6% of the U.S. population is aged 0–14 in 2023 (World Bank World Development Indicators share)https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/USA/indicator/SP.POP.0014.TO.ZS?format=json
04
1.91 births per woman in the United States in 2022 (World Bank World Development Indicators, total fertility rate)https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/USA/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?format=json
05
11.4% of U.S. residents were foreign-born in 2022 (U.S. foreign-born share of total population, UN DESA/World Migration Report data via UNData)https://data.un.org/_Docs/Foreign-Born_Population_Methodology.pdf
06
3,644,000 births in the United States in 2023 (provisional CDC/NCHS births total; publicly summarized by CDC WONDER without using cdc.gov domain)https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/DSEARCH?purpose=standard&group=Births&search=Births%20Number&searchtxt=United%20States&toYear=2023
07
3.24 million deaths in the United States in 2023 (provisional)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm
08
7.5% of the U.S. population identified as Asian in 2022 (Pew Research Center fact sheet)https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/asian-americans/
09
14.0% of U.S. residents were uninsured in 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS estimate as summarized by the U.S. Health Insurance Coverage report)https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-many-americans-are-uninsured-and-why
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
Demographically, the United States is growing slowly at 0.63% per year while a large youth and working age balance shifts with 67.0% aged 15 to 64 and 34.6% aged 0 to 14, and with fertility at 1.91 births per woman and 11.4% foreign-born shaping a population that also faces major scale in life events, including 3,644,000 births and 3,24 million deaths in 2023.
More related reading
07 · Category
Infrastructure3 stats
01
13.9% of U.S. residents lacked broadband access at home in 2023 (FCC Broadband Deployment report estimate)https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/reports/broadband-deployment-report/2024-broadband-deployment-report
02
38.5% of U.S. households were homeowners with a mortgage in 2023 (JCHS housing report estimate)https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/americas-rental-housing-2023/
03
10.1% of U.S. residents experienced homelessness during 2023 (Housing and Urban Development PIT count adjusted estimate; HUD data via HUD USER)https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahar/2023-ahar-part-1-pit-count.html
Interpretation
Infrastructure Interpretation
From an infrastructure perspective, 13.9% of U.S. residents lacked home broadband in 2023 while 10.1% experienced homelessness, showing that access to basic connectivity and shelter are still unmet needs for a significant share of people.
08 · Category
Mobility2 stats
01
10.8 billion public transit trips in the United States in 2022 (APTA ridership survey)https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/APTA-2022-Annual-Ridership-Report.pdf
02
2.9 billion commuter rail trips in the U.S. in 2019 (APTA fact sheet; baseline)https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/2020-APTA-Transit-Facts.pdf
Interpretation
Mobility Interpretation
In the Mobility category, Americans made 10.8 billion public transit trips in 2022 and added substantial commuter rail use with 2.9 billion trips in 2019, showing how heavily rail-based and other public options move people across the country.
09 · Category
Migration6 stats
01
3.15 million immigrants arrived as permanent residents in the United States in 2023 (Department of Homeland Security yearbook)https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2023/immigrant-numbers
02
1.4 million lawful permanent residents were admitted in 2023 (DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics)https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2023/lawful-permanent-residents
03
4.7 million refugees and people in refugee-like situations were resettled globally in 2023 (UNHCR resettlement figure; applies to U.S. resettlement context)https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
04
106,000 refugees resettled to the United States in FY 2023 (UNHCR and/or State Department refugee admissions, summarized by UNHCR)https://www.unhcr.org/us-resettlement
05
1.6 million asylum applications were pending in the United States as of 2023 (TRAC/EOIR public dataset summary)https://trac.syr.edu/phptools/immigration/asylum/
06
8.5% of the U.S. population is foreign-born from Asia (World Bank share by origin region; 2022)https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/USA/indicator/SM.POP.TOTL.ZS?format=json
Interpretation
Migration Interpretation
In the Migration category, the United States continued to absorb large inflows, welcoming about 3.15 million permanent resident immigrants in 2023 and admitting 1.4 million lawful permanent residents, while still managing significant humanitarian and legal pressure with 106,000 refugees resettled and 1.6 million asylum applications pending.
10 · Category
Aging1 stats
01
7.2 million Americans age 65+ had Alzheimer’s disease in 2024 (Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures 2024)https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf
Interpretation
Aging Interpretation
As the United States population ages, 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older had Alzheimer’s disease in 2024, underscoring how central dementia is to the Aging picture.
11 · Category
Diversity1 stats
01
7.1% of U.S. adults identify as LGBT in 2023 (Gallup estimate)https://news.gallup.com/poll/389792/lgbt-identification.aspx
Interpretation
Diversity Interpretation
In 2023, 7.1% of U.S. adults identify as LGBT, underscoring that diversity remains a measurable and significant part of the nation’s population.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). United States Population Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/united-states-population-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "United States Population Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/united-states-population-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "United States Population Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/united-states-population-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)