Plain-language answers to the questions people ask about America — every statistic with its source and date right next to it.
Five views of the country behind the numbers. Tap a photo to browse its topic.
187 answers
The U.S. population was 341,784,857 on July 1, 2025. That is up 0.5% from a year earlier — about 1.8 million more people — as growth slowed to its lowest pace since 2021.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Vintage 2025 Estimates — July 1, 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
92.0% of people in the U.S. had health insurance for all or part of 2024. About 27.1 million people — 8.0% — had no health insurance at any point during the year.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Sept. 9, 2025 (2024 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The median age in the United States was 39.1 years in 2024, meaning half the population was older and half was younger. That is up 0.6 years from 38.5 in April 2020, as the population continues to age.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — June 2025 (2024 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
14.8% of people in the United States were foreign-born in 2024 — 50.2 million people out of a total population of 340.1 million. That share matches the previous peak of 14.8% reached in 1890, after falling to a low of 4.7% in 1970.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Life expectancy at birth in the United States was 79.0 years in 2024, the highest level ever recorded. That is up from 78.4 years in 2023. Women averaged 81.4 years and men averaged 76.5 years.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — 2026-01-29
Last updated: October 29, 2026
About 61.2 million people in the United States were age 65 or older in 2024, which is 18.0% of the population. The group grew 3.1% in one year, and older adults now outnumber children in 11 states.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates — 2025-06-26
Last updated: October 29, 2026
About 15.7 million military veterans lived in the United States in 2024. Veterans made up about 5.9% of the civilian adult population, down from 9.3% in 2010 as older generations pass away.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 — 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
There were 35.9 million people in poverty in 2024 under the official poverty measure. The Supplemental Poverty Measure rate was higher, at 12.9% in 2024.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Sept. 9, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The U.S. population reached 340.1 million on July 1, 2024. That was up 0.98% from 336.8 million on July 1, 2023, the highest year-over-year increase since 2000-2001.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
A total of 3,628,934 babies were born in the United States in 2024, up 1% from 2023. The birth rate was 10.7 births per 1,000 people.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The U.S. total fertility rate fell to a record low of about 1.6 births per woman in 2024. That is well below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The U.S. population grew by 0.5% (about 1.8 million people) between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025 — the slowest growth since the early pandemic. Growth slowed mainly because net international migration fell from 2.7 million to 1.3 million.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Jan. 27, 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
One-person households made up 29% of all U.S. households in 2024 — 38.5 million households. That is up from just 19% of households in 1974.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
About 80% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, according to the 2020 Census, while 20% lives in rural areas. The rural share rose slightly from 19.3% in 2010, largely because the Census Bureau changed how it defines urban areas.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Dec. 29, 2022
Last updated: October 30, 2026
57% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 24 live in a parent's home, up from 53% in 1993. Young adults are also marrying and having children later than their parents' generation did.
Source: Pew Research Center — Jan. 25, 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Violent crime went down. It fell an estimated 4.5% in 2024 compared with 2023. Murder fell 14.9%, robbery fell 8.9%, rape fell 5.2%, and aggravated assault fell 3.0%.
Source: FBI — Reported Crimes in the Nation — Aug. 5, 2025 (2024 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
There were 370.8 violent offenses per 100,000 people in the U.S. in 2024, down from 393.9 per 100,000 in 2023. Property offenses also fell 9%, to 1,835.1 per 100,000.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics / FBI NIBRS — Mar. 16, 2026 (2024 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
1,852,900 people were incarcerated in state or federal prisons or local jails in the United States at the end of 2023. Another 3,772,000 people were supervised in the community on probation or parole, bringing the total correctional population to about 5.6 million.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics — 2023
Last updated: October 29, 2026
About 48% of violent victimizations in 2024 were reported to the police, roughly half. The Bureau of Justice Statistics counted 23.3 violent victimizations per 1,000 people age 12 or older in 2024.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Criminal Victimization 2024 — 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
There were an estimated 16,935 murders in the United States in 2024, a rate of about 5.0 per 100,000 people. That was a 14.9% drop from 2023, one of the largest one-year declines on record.
Source: FBI, Reported Crimes in the Nation 2024 — 2025-08-05
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The rate of violent offenses reported to law enforcement was 370.8 per 100,000 people in 2024. That was a 6% decrease from 393.9 per 100,000 in 2023.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics — March 16, 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The property crime rate was 1,760.1 offenses per 100,000 people in 2024. An estimated 5,986,400 property crimes were committed nationwide, down 8.1% from 2023.
Source: FBI — August 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
An estimated 880,327 motor vehicles were stolen in the United States in 2024. That was a sharp drop of 18.6% from 2023, when thefts had topped one million.
Source: FBI — August 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Law enforcement agencies reported 11,679 hate crime incidents in the United States in 2024. Those incidents involved 14,243 victims, down slightly from 11,862 incidents in 2023.
Source: FBI — August 5, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
About 71% of state prisoners released in 2012 were arrested again within five years. Roughly 62% had already been arrested within the first three years after release.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics — July 2021
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Nearly half — 46% — of state prisoners released in 2012 returned to prison within five years. They went back either for a parole or probation violation or for a new sentence.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics — July 2021
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The Federal Trade Commission received 1,135,291 identity theft reports in 2024. That was up 9.5% from 2023, and credit card fraud was the largest single category with about 449,000 reports.
Source: Federal Trade Commission — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
About 1 in 5 U.S. adults — 19% — say they have invested in, traded, or used cryptocurrency. That share is similar to 16% in 2021, so adoption has held steady rather than surging in recent years. Use is higher among Republicans (22%) than Democrats (17%).
Source: Pew Research Center — 2025 survey
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Only 2% of U.S. adults used cryptocurrency to buy something or make a payment in 2024, and 8% used it for any purpose at all in that year. Most holders treat crypto as an investment, not as everyday money.
Source: Federal Reserve — Survey of Household Economics (SHED) — 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
7% of U.S. adults bought cryptocurrency or held it as an investment in 2024. That share was down from 11% in 2021, even though 8% of adults used cryptocurrency for any purpose in 2024.
Source: Federal Reserve — Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking — May 2025 (2024 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
63% of U.S. adults say they have little or no confidence that the current ways to invest in, trade, or use cryptocurrency are reliable and safe. Only about 5% say they are extremely or very confident.
Source: Pew Research Center — 2024-10-24
Last updated: October 29, 2026
14% of U.S. adults owned cryptocurrency in 2025, up from 2% of investors in 2018. Ownership is highest among men ages 18 to 49 at 25%, and 60% of adults say they have no interest in ever buying crypto.
Source: Gallup — 2025-07-22
Last updated: October 29, 2026
About one in five U.S. adults, 19%, say they have invested in or used a cryptocurrency. Republicans' use rose from 16% in 2021 to 22%, compared with 17% among Democrats in the January 2026 survey.
Source: Pew Research Center — June 8, 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Americans reported losing about $9.3 billion in cryptocurrency-related fraud and crime in 2024, up roughly 66 percent from 2023. The FBI received more than 140,000 complaints referencing cryptocurrency that year.
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Reported losses from cryptocurrency investment fraud rose to more than $7.2 billion in 2025, up 24 percent from $5.8 billion in 2024. Officials note these figures underrepresent actual losses because many victims never report them.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice — 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
38 percent of U.S. men ages 18 to 29 say they have invested in, traded or used cryptocurrency, compared with 15 percent of women the same age. Men ages 30 to 49 reported a similar rate of 40 percent.
Source: Pew Research Center — June 8, 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Republicans are now more likely than Democrats to have used cryptocurrency: 22 percent of Republican adults have invested in, traded or used it, versus 17 percent of Democrats. Republican use has risen from 16 percent in 2021 while Democratic use has held steady.
Source: Pew Research Center — June 8, 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
60 percent of U.S. adults say they have no interest in ever buying cryptocurrency, and only 4 percent say they plan to buy it in the near future. Another 17 percent say they are intrigued by it but do not own any.
Source: Gallup — July 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
63 percent of U.S. investors describe cryptocurrency as a very risky investment, and another 31 percent call it somewhat risky. Even among current crypto owners, 47 percent say it is very risky.
Source: Gallup — Sept. 21, 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
38.6% of adults age 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher — roughly 87 million people. Another 10.9% hold an associate degree as their highest credential, so 49.5% hold at least an associate degree.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Educational Attainment 2024 — Sept. 3, 2025 (2024 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Yes. 40.1% of women age 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 37.1% of men. Women are also more likely to hold any postsecondary credential: 51.7% versus 47.3% for men.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Educational Attainment 2024 — Sept. 3, 2025 (2024 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
49,618,464 students were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States in fall 2022. That was down 2.1% from fall 2017, after enrollment peaked at about 50.8 million in fall 2019.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) — Fall 2022
Last updated: October 29, 2026
About 91.5% of U.S. adults age 25 and older have a high school diploma or equivalent; only 8.5% do not. About 49.6% of adults age 25 and older hold some form of postsecondary credential.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Educational Attainment in the United States 2024 — 2025-09-03
Last updated: October 29, 2026
U.S. public schools spent an average of $17,619 per pupil in fiscal year 2024, a record high and up 6.6% from $16,526 in fiscal year 2023. New York spent the most at $31,918 per pupil and Idaho the least at $11,060.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances — 2026-05-07
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The public high school averaged freshman graduation rate for the United States was 89.0% in 2023-24. That was up from 87.4% in 2022-23 and 87.3% in 2018-19.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics — 2023-24
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average public school teacher salary was $74,495 in the 2024-25 school year. That was up 3.5% from $71,985 the year before, though pay has fallen about 5% over the past decade after adjusting for inflation.
Source: National Education Association — 2024-25
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The national average starting teacher salary was $48,112 in the 2024-25 school year. Starting pay varies widely by state and is well below the $74,495 average for all public school teachers.
Source: National Education Association — 2024-25
Last updated: October 30, 2026
There were 99,297 operating public elementary and secondary schools in the United States in the 2023-24 school year. They were spread across 19,186 operating school districts.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics — 2023-24
Last updated: October 30, 2026
There were 8,010 charter schools operating in the United States in the 2023-24 school year. Charter schools are publicly funded schools that operate under a contract, out of 99,297 public schools in total.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics — 2023-24
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average SAT score for the class of 2025 was 1029 out of 1600. That combines an average of 521 in Reading and Writing and 508 in Math, across more than 2 million test takers.
Source: College Board — 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
About 22.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2024-25 school year, meaning they missed at least 10% of school days. That was down slightly from 23.5% in 2023-24 but still far above pre-pandemic levels.
Source: American Enterprise Institute — June 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Renewable sources — wind, solar, hydropower, biomass and geothermal — generated 24.2% of US electricity in 2024, up from 23.2% in 2023. Wind and solar alone provided more than 17%.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — 2025-02-27
Last updated: October 29, 2026
About 6 million plug-in vehicles were registered in the United States at the end of 2024 — 4.5 million fully electric vehicles plus 1.5 million plug-in hybrids. California has the most, with about 1.5 million fully electric vehicles.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center — 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Renewables provided 24.2% of total U.S. electricity production in 2024, up from 23.2% a year earlier. Wind was the largest renewable source at 10.3% of total generation, and wind and solar together supplied over 17.2%.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Natural gas is the largest source of U.S. electricity, generating about 43.7% of the nation's total electricity in 2024. Coal was a distant second at about 15.1%, according to EIA data.
Source: American Public Power Association — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
U.S. crude oil production averaged a record 13.6 million barrels per day in 2025, the most of any country in the world. Output was about 40% higher than that of the next two largest producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration — 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The United States produced a record amount of energy in 2024 — more than 103 quadrillion British thermal units, 1% above the previous record set in 2023. Crude oil alone accounted for about 27% of total U.S. energy production.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration — June 9, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions totaled about 4,789 million metric tons (roughly 4.79 billion tons) in 2024. Transportation was the largest emitting sector, followed by electric power and industry.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions fell 20% between 2005 and 2023, mainly because utilities burned much less coal. Because the population grew 14% over the same period, emissions per person fell even faster — by 30%.
Source: Utility Dive — Sept. 17, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Americans owed $1.21 trillion in credit card debt at the end of 2024 — a record high. That is up $81 billion in one year, and up more than 40% from the pandemic-era low in early 2021.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Household Debt and Credit — Q4 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The average balance per cardholder was $6,501 in late 2024. The median balance is much lower — about $3,000 to $4,000 — because a smaller number of high balances pulls the average up.
Source: TransUnion / Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Q3 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The average cardholder balance ($6,501) equals about 7.8% of the median household income ($83,730). This site calculated that ratio from the two sourced figures above so you can compare debt and income in one number. It is this archive's own calculation, not a figure published by the Fed or Census.
Source: US Questions and Answers — Original Calculation (from NY Fed / TransUnion + Census figures above) — Calculated Oct. 2026 from 2024 data
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Americans had $18.39 trillion in total household debt in the second quarter of 2025, up $185 billion from the previous quarter. Mortgage balances were the largest part at $12.94 trillion, followed by auto loans at $1.66 trillion and student loans at $1.64 trillion.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Household Debt and Credit — Q2 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The median U.S. family net worth was $192,900 in 2022. The average (mean) was much higher at $1,063,700, because a smaller number of very wealthy families pull the average up. The median rose 37% after inflation from 2019 to 2022.
Source: Federal Reserve, Survey of Consumer Finances — 2023-10
Last updated: October 29, 2026
62% of U.S. adults own stock in 2025, either directly or through mutual funds and retirement accounts like a 401(k). That matches 2024 and is near the highest level Gallup has recorded.
Source: Gallup — 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The average federal student loan balance was $37,850 per borrower at the end of 2024. In total, 42.8 million borrowers owed $1.77 trillion in federal student loans.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid — 2024-Q4
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Credit card balances totaled $1.21 trillion in the second quarter of 2025. Balances rose by $27 billion during the quarter and were 5.87% above the level a year earlier.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Q2 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Total household debt stood at $18.39 trillion in the second quarter of 2025. Balances rose by $185 billion in that quarter and were $4.24 trillion higher than at the end of 2019.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Q2 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
63 percent of U.S. adults said they would cover a hypothetical $400 emergency expense using cash or its equivalent, such as savings or a credit card paid off at the next statement. The other 37 percent would have to borrow money, sell something, or would not be able to pay at all.
Source: Federal Reserve Board — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
73 percent of U.S. adults said they were doing okay financially or living comfortably, about the same as the year before but below the high of 78 percent in 2021. Only 26 percent rated the national economy as good or excellent.
Source: Federal Reserve Board — 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average 401(k) balance at Fidelity reached $146,400 at the end of 2025, up more than 11 percent for the year. It was the third straight year of double-digit growth in average balances.
Source: Fidelity Investments — Q4 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
A record 665,000 Fidelity 401(k) account holders had balances of at least $1 million at the end of 2025. That was up from 512,000 in the first quarter of the year.
Source: Fidelity Investments — Q4 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average individual retirement account (IRA) balance at Fidelity was $137,095 in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 7 percent from a year earlier. IRA contributions in that quarter hit a record high.
Source: Fidelity Investments — Q4 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The personal saving rate was 4.7 percent in September 2025, meaning Americans saved 4.7 percent of their disposable personal income. Total personal saving that month was $1.09 trillion.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — September 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average federal income tax refund was $3,167 for the 2025 filing season. About 104 million taxpayers received refunds, out of more than 165 million individual returns processed.
Source: Internal Revenue Service — 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
There were 1,900,487 farms and ranches in the United States in 2022, down 6.9% from 2017. They covered 880 million acres — about 39% of all US land — and the average farm was 463 acres.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture — 2024-03
Last updated: October 29, 2026
An average of 41.7 million people a month received SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2024 — about 12.3% of the US population, or roughly 1 in 8 Americans. The average benefit was $187 per person per month.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service — 2025-07
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The number of farms in the United States fell to 1.88 million in 2024, the lowest in more than a century. Land in farms decreased to 876 million acres, and the average farm size was 466 acres.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average age of U.S. farm producers was 58.1 years in 2022, up 0.6 years from 2017. Only about 9% of farmers were age 34 or younger, while beginning farmers averaged 47.1 years old.
Source: Modern Farmer — 2022
Last updated: October 30, 2026
About 95% of U.S. farms were family-owned in 2022, meaning the operator and their relatives own the majority of the business. Small family farms made up 85% of all farms, while large-scale family farms were under 4% of farms but produced 51% of the value of agricultural products sold.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service — 2022
Last updated: October 30, 2026
In 2024, 13.7% of U.S. households — 18.3 million households — were food insecure, meaning they had difficulty providing enough food for all members at some point during the year. About 5.4% of households had very low food security.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
40.3% of US adults age 20 and older had obesity in August 2021–August 2023, and 9.7% had severe obesity. Among children and teens ages 2–19, the obesity rate was 21.1%.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NHANES) — 2026-02
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with 683,491 deaths in 2024. Cancer is second, with about 620,000 deaths, followed by unintentional injuries (accidents).
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Nineteen states had adult obesity rates at or above 35% in 2024, down from 23 states the prior year. West Virginia had the highest rate at 41.4%, while Colorado had the lowest at 25.0%.
Source: CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System via Trust for America's Health — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
U.S. life expectancy at birth reached 79 years in 2024, its highest level ever. It rose from 78.4 years in 2023 as the death rate fell by almost 4% to 722.1 deaths per 100,000 people.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — Jan. 29, 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
9.9% of U.S. adults smoked cigarettes in 2024, the first time the rate has fallen below 10%. The rate was higher in rural, nonmetropolitan counties at 15.4%, compared with 8.0% in large metro areas.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — March 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
7.0% of U.S. adults used e-cigarettes in 2024. Among adults aged 18 to 24, e-cigarette use was much more common than cigarette smoking, at 14.8% versus 3.4%.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — March 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
An estimated 80,391 people died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2024. That was a decrease of 26.9% from 110,037 deaths in 2023 — the largest one-year decline ever recorded.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — May 14, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
40.1 million people in the United States have diabetes, about 12.0% of the population. Of those, 29.1 million have been diagnosed, while an estimated 11.0 million have diabetes but have not been diagnosed.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — 2023
Last updated: October 30, 2026
An estimated 115.2 million U.S. adults — more than 1 in 3 — have prediabetes. Most people with prediabetes do not know they have it, even though it raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — 2023
Last updated: October 30, 2026
49.1% of adults age 20 and older have hypertension — measured high blood pressure and/or taking blood pressure medication. That figure covers August 2021 to August 2023 and works out to nearly half of all adults.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — August 2021-August 2023
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The U.S. infant mortality rate was 5.61 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, unchanged from 2022. A total of 20,162 babies died before their first birthday that year.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics — 2023
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The median price of an existing home sold in September 2025 was $415,200, up 2.1% from a year earlier — the 27th straight month of year-over-year price increases.
Source: National Association of Realtors — 2025-10-23
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The median gross rent in the United States was $1,413 a month in the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates. Gross rent includes utilities and fuels. The single-year 2024 estimate was higher, at $1,487 a month.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey — 2026-01
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The national rental vacancy rate was 7.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025. That was up from 6.9% a year earlier, a sign that more rental homes are sitting empty.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Fourth quarter 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025. That means only about 1 in 100 homes in the for-sale inventory stood empty, far below the 7.2% rental vacancy rate.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Fourth quarter 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Builders started an estimated 1,358,700 new housing units in the United States in 2025. That was 0.6% below the 1,367,100 units started in 2024, with single-family starts falling 6.9%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
49.4% of renter households — 22.7 million of them — were housing cost burdened in 2024, spending more than 30% of their income on housing. About 26.2% were severely cost burdened, spending more than half their income.
Source: Congressional Research Service — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The median down payment was 19% of the purchase price for home buyers in 2025. First-time buyers put down a median of 10%, while repeat buyers put down 23% — the highest levels in decades for both groups.
Source: National Association of Realtors — Nov. 4, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
First-time buyers made up just 21% of home purchases in 2025, the lowest share since tracking began in 1981. The typical first-time buyer was 40 years old, an all-time high.
Source: National Association of Realtors — Nov. 4, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
1,172,910 people became lawful permanent residents (green card holders) in fiscal year 2023. About 52% were already living in the United States when they received their green card; the rest arrived from abroad on immigrant visas.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Homeland Security Statistics — 2023
Last updated: October 29, 2026
818,500 immigrants became naturalized US citizens in fiscal year 2024, down 7% from 878,500 in fiscal year 2023. More than 7.9 million people have naturalized over the past decade.
Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
51.9 million immigrants lived in the United States as of June 2025, making up 15.4% of all U.S. residents. The foreign-born population had reached a record 53.3 million in January 2025 before declining.
Source: Pew Research Center — 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The unauthorized immigrant population reached a record 14 million in 2023, according to Pew Research Center estimates. That was about 4.1% of the total U.S. population and 27% of all foreign-born residents.
Source: LegalClarity — 2023
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The United States resettled 100,034 refugees in fiscal year 2024, the most in nearly three decades, though below the 125,000 ceiling set for that year. The largest groups came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Syria, and Burma.
Source: Center for Migration Studies — FY2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Mexico is the largest country of origin for U.S. immigrants. Mexican-born residents made up 22% of all U.S. immigrants in 2023, down from 29% in 2010, and about half of all immigrants were born in Latin America.
Source: Pew Research Center — 2023
Last updated: October 30, 2026
ICE removed 271,484 noncitizens in fiscal year 2024, nearly double the 142,580 removals of the year before and the highest total in over a decade. The removals went to 192 different countries.
Source: LegalClarity — FY2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The unemployment rate was 4.4% in September 2025. The rate has stayed in a narrow range around 4%–4.4% through 2025.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 2025-11-20
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The median weekly earnings of full-time workers were $1,196 in the second quarter of 2025 — about $62,000 a year. The median for men was $1,330 a week, and for women $1,078, which is 81.1% of the men's median.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 2025-07-22
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 119,000 in September 2025. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said payroll employment had shown little change since April.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — September 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The unemployment rate was 4.4% in September 2025, with 7.6 million people unemployed. Total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 119,000 in September.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — September 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
9.9 percent of U.S. wage and salary workers were union members in 2024, little changed from the year before. That amounts to 14.3 million workers, and the public-sector union rate of 32.2 percent was more than five times the private-sector rate of 5.9 percent.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Jan. 28, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
There were 7.7 million job openings in the United States in October 2025, unchanged from the month before. Employers made 5.1 million hires during the month.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — October 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls were $36.67 in September 2025. Average weekly earnings were $1,254.11 that month.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — September 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The labor force participation rate was 62.4 percent in September 2025, meaning about 62 of every 100 civilian adults were working or actively looking for work. The civilian labor force totaled about 171.2 million people.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — September 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average workweek for employees on private nonfarm payrolls was 34.2 hours in September 2025. For production and nonsupervisory employees, the average workweek was 33.7 hours.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — September 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
51 percent of U.S. employees in remote-capable jobs worked a hybrid schedule in mid-2025, splitting their time between home and the office. Another 28 percent worked fully remotely and 21 percent worked fully on-site.
Source: Gallup — Q2 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The median household income was $83,730 in 2024. That means half of U.S. households earned more than $83,730 and half earned less. It was not statistically different from $82,690 in 2023.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Sept. 9, 2025 (2024 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The official poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, down 0.4 points from 2023. That was about 35.9 million people. A family of two adults and two children was counted in poverty if its income was below $31,812.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Sept. 9, 2025 (2024 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The homeownership rate in the United States was 65.6% in the second quarter of 2024. In the same quarter, the rental vacancy rate was 6.6% and the homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Housing Vacancy Survey — Q2 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The average U.S. household has 2.53 people, based on Census Bureau American Community Survey data for 2020-2024. There were about 129.2 million households in total.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts — 2020-2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
In 2024, 47.1% of U.S. households were headed by married couples. That is the second-lowest share on record and down from 78.8% in 1949; the share has been below half since 2010.
Source: USAFacts, analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data — 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The Hispanic population of the United States was 68 million as of July 1, 2024. Hispanics made up 20% of the total population, making them the nation's largest racial or ethnic minority.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Real median household income was $83,730 in 2024. The Census Bureau said that was not statistically different from the 2023 estimate of $82,690.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Sept. 9, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average U.S. household spent $78,535 in 2024, up 1.8% from 2023. Spending rose more slowly than prices, which increased 2.9% that year.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Housing took 33.4% of the average U.S. household's spending in 2024 — $26,266 a year, the largest single category. Transportation was second at 17.0%.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Feb. 12, 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average U.S. household had income before taxes of $104,207 in 2024, up from $101,805 in 2023. This is an average across all consumer units, so it is higher than the median household income.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
About 64% of U.S. households were family households in 2024 — homes that include at least one person related to the householder by birth, marriage or adoption. Almost three-quarters of those family households were married couples.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
About 28.5% of U.S. households included at least one person under age 18 in 2024 — roughly 37.8 million households. About 32.8% of households included someone age 65 or older.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The median first-time home buyer was 40 years old in 2025, an all-time high. First-time buyers made up just 21% of home purchases, a record low, while the median age of all buyers reached 59.
Source: National Association of REALTORS — Nov. 4, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The US military had about 1.33 million active-duty troops as of December 2025, plus about 770,000 National Guard and reserve members — about 2.1 million people in uniform in total. The Army is the largest branch, with about 447,000 active-duty soldiers.
Source: USAFacts (U.S. Department of Defense data) — 2025-12
Last updated: October 29, 2026
The United States spent $997 billion on its military in 2024 — the most of any country, equal to 37% of all military spending worldwide and more than the next nine countries combined.
Source: SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) — 2025-04-28
Last updated: October 29, 2026
There are about 1.31 million active-duty service members in the U.S. military, with 1,308,495 counted in recent official figures. The combined military workforce, including reserves and civilian employees, is roughly 2.89 million people.
Source: U.S. Department of Defense — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The United States maintains roughly 750 military base sites in about 80 foreign countries and territories, based on Defense Department Base Structure Report data. Counting only larger permanent bases, the Congressional Research Service identified at least 128 overseas bases in at least 51 countries in 2024.
Source: WarCosts — FY2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Women made up 17.9% of active-duty U.S. military personnel in 2024, totaling about 227,114 service members. Their share has risen from 14.6% in 2005.
Source: USAFacts — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers in commission, all nuclear-powered: ten Nimitz-class ships plus the newer Ford-class carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. Federal law requires the Navy to maintain at least 11 operational carriers.
Source: Defense and Tech — 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Only 17% of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right just about always or most of the time. That is near the lowest level since this question was first asked in 1958, when it was 73%.
Source: Pew Research Center — Sept. 28, 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
No. 26% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say they trust the federal government, compared with just 9% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents — the lowest ever recorded for Democrats in this survey.
Source: Pew Research Center via FEDweek — 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
64% of eligible voters cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election. That was the second-highest turnout rate since 1960, behind only the 66% turnout in 2020.
Source: Pew Research Center — June 26, 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
About 174 million Americans were registered to vote in the November 2024 election, which is 73.6% of the citizen voting-age population. Of those eligible, 65.3% (about 154 million people) actually voted.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Voting and Registration complement — 2025-04-30
Last updated: October 29, 2026
43% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2024, tying the record high. Democrats and Republicans each made up 28% of adults.
Source: Gallup — 2024
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Voter turnout was 64% in the 2024 presidential election. That was the second highest rate in the past century, tied with 1960, behind only 66% in 2020.
Source: Pew Research Center — June 26, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Only 15% of Americans approved of the job Congress was doing in October 2025, while 79% disapproved. Approval fell sharply during the federal government shutdown that began October 1, 2025.
Source: Gallup — October 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Women held 28% of the voting seats in Congress — 150 of 533 members at the start of the 119th Congress in January 2025. That includes 29% of the House and 25% of the Senate.
Source: Pew Research Center — Feb. 21, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
In 2024, 37% of Americans called themselves conservative, 34% moderate and 25% liberal. The moderate share has fallen from 43% in 1992 as both parties have become more ideologically uniform.
Source: Gallup — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
52.2% of U.S. citizens age 18 and older voted in the 2022 midterm elections — the second-highest midterm turnout in four decades, just below 2018's 53.4%.
Source: USAFacts — 2022
Last updated: October 30, 2026
29.0% of voters cast their ballot by mail in the 2024 presidential election, down from 43.0% in 2020. Another 30.7% voted in person before Election Day, and 39.6% voted in person on Election Day.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — April 30, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
33% of U.S. adults say they trust the mass media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly, up from a record low of 28% in 2025. About two-thirds of Americans have little or no confidence in the media.
Source: Gallup — September 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Only 43% of registered voters say their own representative deserves reelection, and just 15% say most members of Congress deserve another term. Both are record lows in Gallup's pre-midterm surveys dating to 1994.
Source: Gallup — Oct. 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Hispanic or Latino people are 20.0% of the U.S. population — about 68.1 million people in 2024. They are the largest minority group in the country, and their share rose from 18.8% in 2020.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Vintage 2024 Estimates — 2024 (released June 26, 2025)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
White, non-Hispanic people are 57.5% of the U.S. population — about 195 million people in 2024. That share has fallen from 59.5% in 2020 as the country has become more diverse.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Vintage 2024 Estimates — 2024 (released June 26, 2025)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
An estimated 48.3 million people in the United States identified as Black in 2023, making up 14.4% of the country's population. That is up 33% since 2000, when there were 36.2 million Black people living in the U.S.
Source: Pew Research Center — Jan. 23, 2025 (2023 data)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
There were 24.8 million Asian Americans in the United States in 2023, making up 7% of the population. The population has grown 109% since 2000, making Asians the fastest-growing major racial or ethnic group. Chinese Americans are the largest origin group at 5.5 million.
Source: Pew Research Center, Asians in the U.S. fact sheet — 2025-05-01
Last updated: October 29, 2026
33.8 million people, 10.2% of the U.S. population, identified as two or more races in the 2020 Census. That is up from 9 million people (2.9%) in 2010, partly because the 2020 Census asked about race in more detail.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census — 2021-08
Last updated: October 29, 2026
9.3% of U.S. adults identified as LGBTQ+ in 2024, up from 7.6% in 2023 and 3.5% in 2012. Identification is much higher among younger adults — 23.1% of Gen Z adults, compared with 1.8% of the oldest generation.
Source: Gallup — Feb. 20, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
62% of U.S. adults describe themselves as Christians — 40% Protestant, 19% Catholic and 3% other Christian traditions. The Christian share has been relatively stable since 2019, after years of decline.
Source: Pew Research Center — Feb. 26, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
29% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated — 5% atheist, 6% agnostic and 19% who describe their religion as 'nothing in particular.' The unaffiliated share has leveled off after rising from 16% in 2007.
Source: Pew Research Center — Feb. 26, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
About 8.0 million people — 2.4% of the U.S. population — identified as American Indian or Alaska Native alone or in combination with another race in the 2020–2024 American Community Survey. About 3.1 million people reported that race alone.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — 2020–2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing major racial or ethnic group in the United States, growing 4.2% between 2023 and 2024. Hispanic Americans grew 2.9% and people identifying as two or more races grew 2.7% over the same period.
Source: Brookings Institution — July 31, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
17% of U.S. newlyweds in 2015 married someone of a different race or ethnicity — more than five times the 3% recorded in 1967, when the Supreme Court struck down bans on interracial marriage. Among all married couples, about one in ten is intermarried.
Source: Pew Research Center — 2015
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average Social Security benefit for a retired worker was $2,005 a month in June 2025. Disabled workers received an average of $1,582 a month.
Source: Social Security Administration, Monthly Statistical Snapshot — 2025-06
Last updated: October 29, 2026
About 69.8 million people received a monthly Social Security benefit in June 2025. Retired workers are the largest group at about 53 million, followed by survivors and people receiving disability benefits.
Source: Social Security Administration, Monthly Statistical Snapshot — 2025-06
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Retired workers received an average monthly Social Security benefit of $2,013.32 in November 2025. There were 53.6 million retired-worker beneficiaries that month.
Source: Social Security Administration — November 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits increase by 2.8% in 2026 through the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). More than 75 million Americans see the increase in their payments, which took effect with January 2026 benefits.
Source: Social Security Administration — 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
In December 2025, 8,536,668 people received Social Security disability benefits. Most (83.5%) were disabled workers, while 14.3% were disabled adult children and 2.2% were disabled widow(er)s.
Source: Social Security Administration — December 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Social Security's combined retirement and disability trust fund reserves are projected to be depleted in 2034, according to the 2025 Trustees Report. Benefits would not stop: ongoing payroll taxes would still cover about 81% of scheduled benefits.
Source: Social Security Administration — June 18, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The maximum earnings subject to Social Security tax in 2026 are $184,500, up from $176,100 in 2025. Workers pay the 6.2% Social Security payroll tax only on wages up to that cap.
Source: Social Security Administration — 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The highest possible monthly Social Security benefit for someone retiring at full retirement age in 2026 is $4,152. That maximum goes to workers who earned at or above the taxable maximum for at least 35 years.
Source: LegalClarity — 2026
Last updated: October 30, 2026
34% of U.S. adults say they have ever used ChatGPT — about double the share in summer 2023. That still leaves 66% who have never used it, including 20% who say they have heard nothing about it.
Source: Pew Research Center — Feb. 24 – Mar. 2, 2025 (5,123 adults)
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Adults under 30 use ChatGPT the most: 58% have used it. That compares with 41% of adults ages 30 to 49, 25% of ages 50 to 64, and about 10% of adults 65 and older.
Source: Pew Research Center — Feb. 24 – Mar. 2, 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
YouTube is the most used online platform in the United States, used by 84% of U.S. adults in 2025. Facebook is second at 71%, and Instagram is the only other platform used by at least half of adults, at 50%.
Source: Pew Research Center — Nov. 20, 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
37% of U.S. adults use TikTok in 2025, up from 21% in 2021. YouTube remains the most used platform at 84% of adults, followed by Facebook at 71% and Instagram at 50%.
Source: Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use 2025 — 2025-11-20
Last updated: October 29, 2026
91% of U.S. adults own a smartphone in 2025, and 98% own a cellphone of some kind. Ownership is 97% among adults under 30 and 78% among adults 65 and older. About 16% of adults rely on a smartphone as their only way to get online at home.
Source: Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet — 2025
Last updated: October 29, 2026
46 percent of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 said they were online almost constantly in 2024, nearly double the 24 percent who said so a decade earlier. About 96 percent of teens said they use the internet daily.
Source: Pew Research Center — Dec. 12, 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
64 percent of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 say they have used an AI chatbot, and about 3 in 10 use one daily. ChatGPT was the most commonly used chatbot, named by 59 percent of teens.
Source: Pew Research Center — Dec. 9, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
71 percent of U.S. adults say they use Facebook, making it the second most widely used online platform after YouTube. Use peaks among adults ages 30 to 49, at 80 percent.
Source: Pew Research Center — Nov. 20, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
50 percent of U.S. adults say they use Instagram, making it the only platform besides YouTube and Facebook used by at least half of Americans. Use is highest among adults ages 18 to 29, at 80 percent.
Source: Pew Research Center — Nov. 20, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
78 percent of U.S. adults say they subscribe to a broadband internet service at home, down slightly from 80 percent in 2023. About 16 percent of adults are smartphone-only internet users with no home broadband subscription.
Source: Pew Research Center — Nov. 20, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
96 percent of U.S. adults say they use the internet, up from about half of adults when tracking began in 2000. Internet use is nearly universal among younger adults and lower among those 65 and older.
Source: Pew Research Center — Nov. 20, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The average one-way commute was 27.2 minutes in 2024, up from 26.8 minutes in 2023. Most commuters drive: 69.2% drove alone to work, 3.7% used public transportation, and 13.3% worked from home.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey — 2025-09-22
Last updated: October 29, 2026
There were 237.7 million licensed drivers in the United States in 2023. Young drivers ages 15–20 accounted for 12.1 million of them, about 5.1%.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration / Federal Highway Administration — 2023
Last updated: October 29, 2026
U.S. airlines carried 77.1 million scheduled service passengers in November 2024. That included 67.7 million domestic passengers and 9.4 million international passengers.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics — February 13, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
There were about 298 million registered motor vehicles in the United States in 2024 — roughly 88 vehicles for every 100 residents. The total includes automobiles, trucks and pickups, buses, and motorcycles across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Source: Federal Highway Administration — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Amtrak carried a record 32.8 million passengers in fiscal year 2024, a 15% increase over the year before. Ticket revenue also hit a record $2.5 billion that year.
Source: Amtrak — FY2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
The busiest day in TSA history was Sunday, November 30, 2025, when officers screened 3,133,924 passengers at U.S. airports. It beat the previous single-day record of 3,096,797 set on June 22, 2025.
Source: VisaVerge — Nov. 30, 2025
Last updated: October 30, 2026
An estimated 39,345 people died in U.S. traffic crashes in 2024, down 3.8% from 40,901 in 2023. It was the first year below 40,000 deaths since 2020, and the fatality rate fell to 1.20 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
Source: The Brake Report — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Americans took about 7.66 billion trips on public transportation in 2024, the fifth consecutive year of ridership growth. Ridership has rebounded to roughly 85% of pre-pandemic levels.
Source: American Public Transportation Association — 2024
Last updated: October 30, 2026
US Questions and Answers is a plain-language archive of United States statistics. Every entry states one statistic in a way that is easy to understand on its own, with its source and the date of that source shown right next to it — no hunting through reports to check where a number came from.
Each heading is written as the searchable question people actually ask AI assistants and search engines, so the answer you land on is the answer to the question you asked. Entries labeled Original Research are this archive's own calculations from published data, with the method stated in the answer itself.
The archive grows every day: 20 new sourced questions and answers are researched and added automatically, on top of the 19 Founding Archive entries the site launched with. Every entry is saved permanently — nothing is ever removed or replaced — and each one shows when it was last updated.
How to cite: copy the question, the number in the answer, and the source + date shown directly under it.
The United States of America is a federal republic of 50 states, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the world's third-most-populous country and its largest economy — a nation of big cities and small towns, farmland and mountain wilderness, shaped by immigration from every part of the world.
What is the population of the United States in 2025?
The U.S. population was 341,784,857 on July 1, 2025. That is up 0.5% from a year earlier — about 1.8 million more people — as growth slowed to its lowest pace since 2021.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Vintage 2025 Estimates — July 1, 2025
The numbers behind daily American life — how people live, work, earn, learn, and get around — are exactly what the archive above tracks, topic by topic, one sourced answer at a time.