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Every
10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau makes a complete count, or census,
of its people and industries. The most recent census took place this
year. The Census Bureau will be releasing the first few sets of data
this fall. > Census
2010
When
the first census was taken in 1790, the new nation had fewer than 4
million people, almost all living along the East Coast. Today, the total
resident population of 281.4 million, is a rich mosaic of national origins,
spanning a broader age spectrum and exhibiting a more diverse range
of living arrangements then ever before, as illustrated by Census Bureau
demographic data.
Here are a few examples:
Racial
and Ethnic Composition
Of the 2000 population, an estimated 217 mil (77.1%) were White, 36.4
mil (12.9%) were Black or African American; Asians and Pacific Islanders
numbered 12.7 mil (4.5%); and the American Indian and Alaska Native
population was about 4 mil (1.5%); 35.3 mil (13%) were of Hispanic origin.
The Latino or Hispanic population rose nearly 13 million (or 57.9%)
between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. In 2000 one half of Hispanics lived
in California and Texas.
Age Structure
The United States has seen a rapid growth in its elderly population
during the 20th century. The number of Americans aged 65 and older climbed
to 35 million in 2000, compared with 3.1 million in 1900. For the same
years, the ratio of elderly Americans to the total population jumped
from one in 25 to one in eight. The trend is guaranteed to continue
in the coming century as the baby-boom generation grows older. Between
1990 and 2020, the population aged 65 to 74 is projected to grow 74
percent.
The elderly population explosion is a result of impressive increases
in life expectancy. When the nation was founded, the average American
could expect to live to the age of 35. Life expectancy at birth had
increased to 47.3 by 1900 and the average American born in 2000 can
expect to live to the age of 77.
Because these older age groups are growing so quickly, the median age
(with half of all Americans above and half below) reached 35.3 years
in 2000, the highest it has ever been. West Virginia's population continued
to be the nation's oldest, with a median age of 38.6 years; Utah was
the youngest state, with a median age of 26.7 years.
Marriage and Families
About 52% of American adults in 2000 were married and living with their
spouse. Another 24% had never married, 7% were widowed. and 10% were
divorced.
Of the 105.5 mil households in the United States, 71.8 % included or
constituted a family -- that is, 2 or more people related by blood,
marriage, or adoption. The remaining households consisted of a person
living alone (25.8%) or 2 or more unrelated people (6.1%).
About half (49%) of all families included parents and children under
18. All in all, 36% could be considered "traditional" families,
that is, consisting of a married couple with children. Since 1970, these
traditional families have declined significantly as a percentage of
all families, dropping 14 percentage points. However, their percentage
has dropped only 1 point since 1990.
While the number of single mothers (9.8 mil remained about the same
from 1995 to 1998, the number of single fathers rose from 1.7 mil to
2.1 mil. About 28% of children under 18 years of age lived with just
I parent in 1998 (around 23% with their mother only, 4% with their father
only), while 68% lived with both parents and 4% with other relatives
or people not related to them. Nearly 6% of all children under 18 lived
in their grandparents' home.
Population
Growth
Some parts of the nation are growing much faster than others. The fastest
growth, as usual, was concentrated in the West, where the population
rose 19.7 % between 1990 and 2000. Close behind was the South (17.3%).
Growing more slowly were the Midwest (7.9%) and the Northeast (5.5%).
Nevada remained the nation's fastest-growing state, with its population
increasing 19.7% between 1990 and 2000. Nevada's population had climbed
by a staggering 66.3.% since April 1, 1990 Arizona was 2d in population
growth during the recent 10-year period, with a 40% increase, followed
by Colorado (30.6% ), Utah (29.6%) and Idaho (28.5%). California recorded
the largest numeric increase of any state: 4.1 million people.
Reflecting
the movement of the population during the 1990s and continuing a decades-old
southwesterly trend, the nation's center of population moved 12.1 miles
south and 32.5 miles west during the decade to a
point about 3 miles east of Edgar Springs, MO.
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