On June 29, 2020, previous Supreme Court rulings banning abortion restrictions appeared to be upheld when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Louisiana anti-abortion law. [ 239 ]  Following the ruling, the legality of laws restricting abortion in states such as Ohio was then called into question. [ 240 ]  It was also noted that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who agreed that the Louisiana anti-abortion law was unconstitutional, had previously voted to uphold a similar law in Texas which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016. [ 241 ]


In May 2021, Texas lawmakers passed the  Texas Heartbeat Act , banning abortions as soon as cardiac activity can be detected, typically as early as six weeks into pregnancy, and often before women know they are pregnant due to the length of the  menstrual cycle  (which usually lasts a median of four weeks and in some cases can be irregular). [ 242 ]  In order to avoid traditional constitutional challenges based on  Roe v. Wade , the law provides that any person, with or without any vested interest, may sue anyone that performs or induces an abortion in violation of the statute, as well as anyone who "aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion, including paying for or reimbursing the costs of an abortion through insurance or otherwise." [ 243 ]  The law was challenged in courts, though had yet to have a full formal hearing as its September 1, 2021, enactment date came due. Plaintiffs sought an order from the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the law from coming into effect, but the Court issued a denial of the order late on September 1, 2021, allowing the law to remain in effect. While unsigned, Chief Justice  John Roberts  and Justice  Stephen Breyer  wrote dissenting opinions joined by Justices  Elena Kagan  and  Sonia Sotomayor  that they would have granted an injunction on the law until a proper judicial review. [ 244 ] [ 245 ]


On September 9, 2021,  Merrick Garland , the Attorney General and head of the  United States Department of Justice , sued Texas over the Texas Heartbeat Act on the basis that "the law is invalid under the  Supremacy Clause  and the  Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , is preempted by federal law, and violates the doctrine of  intergovernmental immunity ". [ 246 ]  Garland further noted that the United States government has "an obligation to ensure that no state can deprive individuals of their constitutional rights." [ 247 ]  The Complaint avers that Texas enacted the law "in open defiance of the Constitution". [ 248 ]  The relief requested from the U.S. District Court in Austin, Texas includes a declaration that the Texas Act is unconstitutional, and an injunction against state actors as well as any and all private individuals who may bring a SB 8 action. [ 248 ] [ 247 ]  The idea of asking a federal court to impose an injunction upon the entire civilian population of a state is unprecedented and has drawn eyebrows. [ 249 ] [ 250 ]


Colorado passed into law its Reproductive Health Equity Act in April 2022, which assures abortion rights for all citizens of the state. While the bill as passed maintained the  status quo  for abortion rights, it assures that "every individual has a fundamental right to make decisions about the individual's reproductive health care, including the fundamental right to use or refuse contraception; a pregnant individual has a fundamental right to continue a pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion and to make decisions about how to exercise that right; and a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights under the laws of the state" regardless of changes that may happen at the federal level. [ 251 ]


On May 25, 2022,  Oklahoma  imposed a ban on elective abortions after  Oklahoma Governor   Kevin Stitt  signed House Bill 4327. The bill bans elective abortion beginning at conception. [ 252 ]  The law also permits private citizens to file lawsuits against abortion providers who knowingly provide, perform, or induce elective abortions on a pregnant woman. Abortion in cases of rape, incest, or high-risk pregnancies continue to be permitted. [ 253 ]  A lawsuit was immediately filed by the ACLU in opposition to the bill. [ 254 ] [ 255 ]  At the time of enactment, Oklahoma was the only U.S. state to have passed a bill imposing such restrictions; the law made Oklahoma the first U.S. state to ban elective abortion procedures since prior to the ruling and implementation of  Roe  in 1973. [ 256 ] [ 257 ] [ 252 ]


After the Supreme Court overturned  Roe  on June 24, 2022, Texas and Missouri immediately banned abortions with the exception only if the pregnancy was deemed to be particularly life-threatening. [ 258 ] [ 259 ]


On January 28, 2023, the Minnesota state Senate passed a bill guaranteeing women's rights to abortion and other reproductive medicine which was signed into law on January 31. The bill prohibits state and local governments from attempting to restrict access to sterilization or prenatal care, while also requiring contraceptive cost compensation. [ 260 ] [ 261 ]


In June 2024 abortion in Iowa was made illegal after 6 weeks of gestation, with exceptions for rape, incest, foetal abnormalities, and the mother's life.


In 2023, five women launched a class action lawsuit against the State of Texas after they were reportedly denied abortions at a clinic in the State despite grave risks to their life. Four of the women traveled out of state in order to obtain an abortion, while the fifth only received the abortion in Texas when she was hospitalized after the fetus suffered a premature rupture of membranes. The case argues that the Texas law, which allows abortion if there is a health risk to the mother, is too vague and doctors will not perform an abortion for fear of legal repercussions. [ 262 ]


Amid the  COVID-19 pandemic , anti-abortion government officials in several American states enacted or attempted to enact restrictions on abortion, characterizing it as a non-essential procedure that can be suspended during the medical emergency. [ 263 ]  The orders have led to several legal challenges and criticism by human rights groups and several national medical organizations, including the  American Medical Association . [ 264 ]  Legal challenges on behalf of abortion providers, many of which were represented by the  American Civil Liberties Union  and  Planned Parenthood , successfully stopped most of the orders on a temporary basis. [ 263 ]


One challenge was made against the FDA's rule on the distribution of  mifepristone  (RU-486), one of the two-part drug regimen to induce abortions. Since 2000, it is only available through health providers under the FDA's ruling. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, access to mifepristone was a concern, and the  American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists  along with other groups sued to have the rule relaxed to allow women to be able to access mifepristone at home through mail-order or retail pharmacies. While the  Fourth Circuit  issued a preliminary injunction against the FDA's ruling that would have allowed wider distribution, the Supreme Court ordered in a 6–3 decision in January 2021 to put a stay on the injunction, maintaining the FDA's rule. [ 265 ]


Since 2019, the  anti-abortion movement in the United States  has sought declarations of "sanctuary cit[ies] for the unborn". [ 266 ]  In June 2019, the city council of  Waskom, Texas , voted to outlaw abortion in the city, declaring Waskom a "sanctuary city for the unborn" (the first such city to designate itself as such), as state governments elsewhere in the United States were also drafting abortion bans. [ 267 ] [ 268 ]  As of July 2019 [update] , there is no abortion clinic in the city. [ 269 ] [ 270 ]  The Waskom ordinance has led other small cities in Texas, and as of April 2021 in Nebraska, to vote in favor of becoming "sanctuary cities for the unborn". [ 271 ] [ 272 ] [ 273 ]


On April 6, 2021,  Hayes Center, Nebraska , became the first city in Nebraska to outlaw abortion by local ordinance, declaring itself a "sanctuary city for the unborn." [ 274 ]  The city of  Blue Hill, Nebraska , followed suit and enacted a similar ordinance outlawing abortion on April 13, 2021. [ 275 ] [ 276 ]  In May 2021,  Lubbock, Texas , with a population of less than 270,000, voted to ban abortion with the "sanctuary city for the unborn ordinance", becoming the largest city in the U.S. to ban abortion. [ 277 ] [ 278 ] [ 279 ]


Abortion rights movements have also pushed for similar counterpart legislation in other cities. [ 280 ]


The abortion debate has also been extended to the question of who pays the medical costs of the procedure, with some states using the mechanism as a way of reducing the number of abortions. [ 281 ]


The cost of an abortion varies depending on factors such as location, facility, timing, type of procedure, and whether or not there is insurance or some other type of financial assistance.  In 2022, a medication abortion cost was about $580 at  Planned Parenthood , though it could be more, up to around $800, in other facilities.  During the first trimester an in-clinic abortion cost up to around $800, though often less; the average cost at Planned Parenthood was about $600.  A second trimester procedure varied depending on the stage of pregnancy.  The average ranged from about $715 earlier in the second trimester to $1,500–2,000 later in the second trimester. [ 282 ]  A variety of resources from support organizations are available to contribute to the costs of the procedure, as well as travel expenses. [ 283 ]


A variety of organizations offer financial support for people seeking abortions, including travel and other expenses. [ 283 ]  Access Reproductive Care–Southeast (ARC Southeast), the Brigid Alliance, the Midwest Access Coalition (MAC), and the National Network of Abortion Funds are examples of such groups. [ 283 ]


The  Hyde Amendment  is a federal legislative provision barring the use of federal Medicaid funds to pay for abortions except for rape and incest. [ 284 ]  The provision, in various forms, was in response to  Roe v. Wade , and has been routinely attached to annual appropriations bills since 1976, and represented the first major legislative success by the  pro-life movement . The law requires that states cover abortions under Medicaid in the event of rape, incest, and life endangerment. [ 285 ]


Under this policy, U.S. federal funding to NGOs that provide abortion is not permitted. The policy was first announced by President  Ronald Reagan  in 1984. It has been rescinded by Democratic presidents and reinstated by Republican presidents. The policy was rescinded in 2021 by President  Joe Biden . [ 288 ]


Qualifying requirements for performing abortions vary from state to state. [ 289 ]   Vermont has allowed  physician assistants  to do some first-trimester abortions since the mid-1970s. [ 290 ]   More recently, several states have changed their requirements for abortion providers, anticipating that the Supreme Court would overturn  Roe v. Wade ; now that the court has done so, more states are expanding eligibility to provide abortions. As of July 2022 [update] , California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington allow  mid-level practitioners  such as  nurse practitioners ,  nurse midwives , and physicians assistants, to do some first-trimester abortions. [ 291 ]   In other states, non-physicians are not permitted to perform abortions.


Because reporting of abortions is not mandatory, statistics are of varying reliability. Both the  Centers For Disease Control  (CDC) [ 292 ]  and the  Guttmacher Institute [ 293 ] [ 294 ]  regularly compile these statistics.


The annual number of legal induced abortions in the U.S. doubled between 1973 and 1979, and peaked in 1990. There was a slow but steady decline throughout the 1990s. Overall, the number of annual abortions decreased by 6% between 2000 and 2009, with temporary spikes in 2002 and 2006. [ 296 ]


By 2011, abortion rate in the nation dropped to its lowest point since the Supreme Court legalized the procedure. According to a study performed by Guttmacher Institute, long-acting contraceptive methods had a significant impact in reducing unwanted pregnancies. There were fewer than 17 abortions for every 1,000 women of child-bearing age. That was a 13%-decrease from 2008's numbers and slightly higher than the rate in 1973, when the Supreme Court's  Roe v. Wade  decision legalized abortion. [ 297 ]  The study indicated a long-term decline in the abortion rate. [ 298 ] [ 299 ] [ 300 ]


In 2016, the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (CDC) reported 623,471 abortions, a 2% decrease from 636,902 in 2015. [ 301 ]


During the first six months of 2023 (following  Dobbs  in 2022), the numbers of abortions in certain U.S. states changed dramatically compared to the same time period in 2020, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Abortions tripled in New Mexico and Wyoming and more than doubled in South Carolina and Kansas. For 13 states that had banned abortion, the Guttmacher Institute had no 2023 data to make the comparison. [ 302 ]


A  Guttmacher Institute  survey of abortion providers estimated that early  medical abortions  accounted for 17% of all non-hospital abortions and slightly over one-quarter of abortions before 9 weeks gestation in the United States in 2008. [ 303 ]  Medical abortions voluntarily reported to the  CDC  by 34 reporting areas (excluding Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) and published in its annual  abortion surveillance reports  have increased every year since the September 28, 2000  FDA  approval of  mifepristone  (RU-486): 1.0% in 2000, 2.9% in 2001, 5.2% in 2002, 7.9% in 2003, 9.3% in 2004, 9.9% in 2005, 10.6% in 2006, 13.1% in 2007, 15.8% in 2008, 17.1% in 2009 (25.2% of those at less than 9 weeks gestation). [ 304 ]  Medical abortions accounted for 32% of first-trimester abortions at  Planned Parenthood  clinics in 2008. [ 305 ]  By 2020, medication abortions accounted for more than 50% of all abortions. [ 306 ]  In 2023, medication abortions obtained within the formal health care system had risen to 63% of all abortions, with the total percentage (which would include self-managed abortions by individuals in states with total bans) likely higher. [ 23 ]


A majority of abortions are obtained by religiously identified women. According to the Guttmacher Institute, "more than 7 in 10 U.S. women obtaining an abortion report a religious affiliation (37% Protestant, 28% Catholic, and 7% other), and 25% attend religious services at least once a month. The abortion rate for Protestant women is 15 per 1,000 women, while Catholic women have a slightly higher rate, 20 per 1,000." [ 307 ]


Abortion rates tend to be higher among minority women in the United States. In 2000–2001, the rates among black and Hispanic women were 49 per 1,000 and 33 per 1,000, respectively, vs. 13 per 1,000 among non-Hispanic white women. This figure includes all women of reproductive age, including women that are not pregnant. In other words, these abortion rates reflect the rate at which U.S. women of reproductive age have an abortion each year. [ 308 ]


In 2004, the rates of abortion by ethnicity in the U.S. were 50 abortions per 1,000 black women, 28 abortions per 1,000 Hispanic women, and 11 abortions per 1,000 white women. [ 309 ] [ 310 ]


In 2024, the abortion rate for black women was nearly three times higher than for white women, while for Hispanic women, it was nearly two times higher than the rate for white women. [ 311 ]


Roe v. Wade  legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.  In 1972, 41% of abortions were performed on women outside their state of residence, while in 1973 it declined to 21%, and then to 11% in 1974. [ 312 ]


In the decade from 2011 to 2020, during which many states increased abortion restrictions, the percentage of women nationwide who traveled out of state for an abortion increased steadily, from 6% in 2011 to 9% in 2020. [ 313 ]  Out of state travel for an abortion was much more prevalent in the 29 states hostile to abortion rights, with percentages in those states rising from 9% in 2011 to 15% by 2020, while in states supportive of abortion rights, out of state travel for abortions rose from 2% to 3% between 2011 and 2020. [ 313 ]


Gutttmacher has released data about abortions by  state of occurrence  and  state of residence. [ 313 ]  In some states, these numbers can be tremendously different, for example in  Missouri , a state very hostile to abortion rights, the  abortion rate by state of occurrence  dropped from 4 in 1000 women aged 15–44 for 2017 to 0.1 for 2020, because 57% of abortion recipients went out of state in 2017, while 99% did so in 2020. [ 313 ]  In contrast, from 2017 to 2020, the  abortion rate by state of residence  for Missourians went up by 18% from 8.4 to 9.9. [ 313 ]


Some out of state travel pertains to locations of population centers in states; if large cities are close to state borders it may be common to cross borders for an abortion. [ 313 ]   For example, Delaware, which is generally supportive of abortion rights, saw 44% of residents obtain their abortions in neighboring states. [ 313 ]


In 2019, 60% of women who had abortions were already mothers, and 50% already had two or more children. [ 25 ] [ 26 ]


A 1998 study revealed that in 1987 to 1988, women reported the following as their primary reasons for choosing an abortion: [ 314 ] [ 315 ]


of women


The source of this information takes findings into account from 27 nations including the United States, and therefore, these findings may not be typical for any one nation.


According to a 1987 study that included specific data about  late abortions  (i. e., abortions "at 16 or more weeks' gestation"), [ 316 ]  women reported that various reasons contributed to their having a late abortion:


In 2000, cases of rape or incest accounted for 1% of abortions. [ 317 ]


A 2004 study by the  Guttmacher Institute  reported that women listed the following amongst their reasons for choosing to have an abortion: [ 315 ]


A 2008  National Survey of Family Growth  (NSFG) shows that rates of unintended pregnancy are highest among Blacks, Hispanics, and women with lower socio-economic status. [ 318 ]


According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2011, most (64.5%) abortions were performed by ≤8 weeks' gestation, and nearly all (91.4%) were performed by ≤13 weeks' gestation. Few abortions (7.3%) were performed between 14 and 20 weeks' gestation or at ≥21 weeks' gestation (1.4%). From 2002 to 2011, the percentage of all abortions performed at ≤8 weeks' gestation increased 6%. [ 319 ]


The risk of  death  from carrying a child to term in the U.S. is approximately 14 times greater than the risk of death from a legal abortion. [ 320 ]   In 2012, the mortality rate from legal abortion was 0.6 abortion-related deaths per 100,000 abortions. [ 320 ]   The risk of abortion-related mortality increases with gestational age, but remains lower than that of childbirth through at least 21 weeks' gestation. [ 321 ] [ 322 ] [ 323 ]


For the period 2013 – 2019, the rate of mortality from legal abortion procedures in the US was 0.43 abortion-related deaths per 100,000 reported legal abortions, lower than the rates for previous 5-year periods. [ 324 ]  In 2019, there were four identified deaths related to abortion in the US, out of 625,000 abortions. [ 324 ]


Increased access to birth control has been statistically linked to reductions in the abortion rate. [ 27 ] [ 28 ] [ 29 ]  As an element of  family planning , birth control was federally subsidized for low income families in 1965 under President  Lyndon B. Johnson 's  War on Poverty  program. In 1970, Congress passed  Title X  to provide family planning services for those in need, and President  Richard Nixon  signed it into law. Funding for Title X rose from $6 million in 1971 to $61 million the next year, and slowly increased each year to $317 million in 2010, after which it was reduced by a few percent. [ 325 ]


In 2011, the  Guttmacher Institute  reported that the number of abortions in the U.S. would be nearly two-thirds higher without access to birth control. [ 326 ]  In 2015, the  Federation of American Scientists  reported that federally mandated access to birth control had helped reduce teenage pregnancies in the U.S. by 44 percent, and had prevented more than 188,000 unintended pregnancies. [ 327 ]


Americans have been equally divided on the issue; a May 2018  Gallup poll  indicated that 48% of Americans described themselves as "pro-choice" and 48% described themselves as "pro-life". [ 21 ]  A July 2018 poll indicated that 64% of Americans did not want the Supreme Court to overturn  Roe v. Wade , while 28% did. [ 328 ]  The same poll found that support for abortion being generally legal was 60% during the first trimester of pregnancy, dropping to 28% in the second trimester, and 13% in the third trimester. [ 329 ]


Support for the legalization of abortion has been consistently higher among more educated adults than less educated, [ 330 ]  and in 2019, 70% of college graduates support abortion being legal in all or most cases, compared to 60% of those with some college, and 54% of those with a high school degree or less. [ 331 ]


In January 2013, a majority of Americans believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a poll by  NBC News  and  The Wall Street Journal . [ 332 ]  Approximately 70% of respondents in the same poll opposed  Roe v. Wade  being overturned. [ 332 ]  A poll by the  Pew Research Center  yielded similar results. [ 333 ]  Moreover, 48% of Republicans opposed overturning  Roe , compared to 46% who supported overturning it. [ 333 ]


Gallup declared in May 2010 that more Americans identifying as "pro-life" is "the new normal", while also noting that there had been no increase in opposition to abortion. It suggested that political polarization may have prompted more Republicans to call themselves "pro-life". [ 20 ]  The terms "pro-choice" and "pro-life" do not always reflect a political view or fall along a binary; in one  Public Religion Research Institute  poll, seven in ten Americans described themselves as "pro-choice" while almost two-thirds described themselves as "pro-life". The same poll found that 56% of Americans were in favor of legal access to abortion in all or some cases. [ 334 ]


A 2022 study reviewing the literature and public opinion datasets found that 43.8% of survey respondents in the U.S. consistently support both elective and traumatic abortion, whereas only 14.8% consistently oppose abortion irrespective of the reason, and others differ in their degree of support for abortion depending on the circumstances of the abortion. [ 19 ]  90% approve of abortion when the health of the woman is endangered, 77.4% when there is a strong chance of defects in the baby that could result from the pregnancy, and 79.5% when the pregnancy is the result of rape. [ 19 ]


A 2022 poll by the  Pew Research Center , found that 47% polled said that women who had an illegal abortion should face a penalty. 14% said they should face jail time, 16% said a fine or community services and 17% were not sure the penalty. [ 335 ] [ 336 ]


A January 2023  Gallup poll  found that nearly 7 in 10 Americans disapprove of the country's abortion policies, the highest rate in 23 years. [ 337 ]


Pew Research Center  polling shows little change in views from 2008 to 2012; modest differences based on gender or age. [ 338 ]


The original article's table also shows by party affiliation, religion, and education level.


Support for the legalization of abortion is significantly higher among more educated adults than less educated, and has been consistently so for decades. [ 330 ]  In 2019, 70% of college graduates support abortion being legal in all or most cases, as well as 60% of those with some college education, compared to 54% of those with a high school degree or less. [ 331 ]


A January 2003  CBS News / The New York Times  poll examined whether Americans thought abortion should be legal or not, and found variations in opinion which depended upon  party affiliation  and the region of the country. [ 339 ]  The  margin of error  is +/– 4% for questions answered of the entire sample (overall figures) and may be higher for questions asked of subgroups (all other figures). [ 339 ]


A  CNN / USA Today / Gallup poll  in January 2003 asked about the legality of abortion by  trimester , using the question, "Do you think abortion should generally be legal or generally illegal during each of the following stages of pregnancy?" [ 340 ]  This same question was also asked by Gallup in March 2000 and July 1996. [ 341 ] [ 342 ]  Polls indicates general support of legal abortion during the first trimester, although support drops dramatically for abortion during the second and third trimester.


Since the 2011 poll, support for legal abortion during the first trimester has declined.


According to Gallup's long-time polling on abortion, the majority of Americans are neither strictly "pro-life" or "pro-choice"; it depends upon the circumstances of the pregnancy. Gallup polling from 1996 to 2021 consistently reveals that when asked the question, "Do you think abortions should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances?", Americans repeatedly answer "legal only under certain circumstances". According to the poll, in any given year 48–57% say legal only under certain circumstances, 21–34% say legal under any circumstances, and 13–19% illegal in all circumstances, with 1–7% having no opinion. [ 341 ]


According to the aforementioned poll, [ 341 ]  Americans differ drastically based upon situation of the pregnancy, suggesting they do not support unconditional abortions. Based on two separate polls taken May 19–21, 2003, of 505 and 509 respondents respectively, Americans stated their approval for abortion under these various circumstances:


Another separate trio of polls taken by Gallup in 2003, 2000, and 1996, [ 341 ]  revealed public support for abortion as follows for the given criteria:


Gallup furthermore established public support for many issues supported by the anti-abortion community and opposed by the abortion rights community: [ 341 ]


An October 2007  CBS News  poll explored under what circumstances Americans believe abortion should be allowed, asking the question, "What is your personal feeling about abortion?" The results were as follows: [ 340 ]


In 2003, the U.S. Congress outlawed intact dilation and extraction when it passed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. A  Rasmussen Reports  poll four days after the Supreme Court's opinion in  Gonzales v. Carhart  found that 40% of respondents "knew the ruling allowed states to place some restrictions on specific abortion procedures." Of those who knew of the decision, 56% agreed with the decision and 32% were opposed. [ 351 ]  An ABC poll from 2003 found that 62% of respondents thought "partial-birth abortion" should be illegal; a similar number of respondents wanted an exception "if it would prevent a serious threat to the woman's health".


Gallup has repeatedly queried the American public on this issue. [ 341 ]


After  Roe , there was a national political realignment surrounding abortion. The  abortion-rights movement in the United States  initially emphasized the national policy benefits of abortion, such as smaller welfare expenses, slower population growth, and fewer illegitimate births. The abortion-rights movement drew support from the  population control movement ,  feminists , and  environmentalists . Anti-abortion advocates and civil-rights activists accused abortion-rights supporters of intending to control the population of racial minorities and the disabled, citing their ties to  racial segregationists  and  eugenicist  legal reformers. The abortion-rights movement subsequently distanced from the population control movement, and responded by taking up choice-based and rights-oriented rhetoric similar to what was used in the  Roe  decision. [ 352 ]  Opponents of abortion experienced a political shift. The Catholic Church and the  Democratic Party  supported an expansive  welfare state , wanted to reduce rates of abortion through prenatal insurance and federally funded day care, and opposed abortion at the time of  Roe . Afterwards, the  anti-abortion movement in the United States  shifted more to Protestant faiths that saw abortion rights as part of a  liberal -heavy agenda to fight against, and became part of the new  Christian right . The Protestant influence helped make opposition to abortion part of the  Republican Party 's platform by the 1990s. [ 353 ] [ 354 ]  Republican-led states enacted laws to restrict abortion, including abortions earlier than  Casey ' s general standard of 24 weeks. [ 130 ]


Into the 21st century, although members of both  major U.S. political parties  come down on either side of the issue, the Republican Party is often seen as being  anti-abortion , since the official party platform opposes abortion and considers fetuses to have an inherent right to life.  Republicans for Choice  represents the minority of that party. In 2006, pollsters found that 9% of Republicans favor the availability of abortion in most circumstances. [ 355 ]  Of  Republican National Convention  delegates in 2004, 13% believed that abortion should be generally available, and 38% believed that it should not be permitted. The same poll showed that 17% of all Republican voters believed that abortion should be generally available to those who want it, while 38% believed that it should not be permitted. [ 356 ]  The Republican Party was supportive of abortion rights prior to  1976 Republican National Convention , at which they supported an anti-abortion constitutional amendment as a temporary political ploy to gain more support from Catholics; this stance brought many more  social conservatives  into the party resulting in a large and permanent shift toward support of the anti-abortion position. [ 357 ]  The Democratic Party platform considers abortion to be a woman's right.  Democrats for Life of America  represents the minority of that party. In 2006, pollsters found that 74% of Democrats favor the availability of abortion in most circumstances. [ 355 ]  Of  Democratic National Convention  delegates in 2004, 75% believed that abortion should be generally available, and 2% believed that abortion should not be permitted. The same poll showed that 49% of all Democratic voters believed that abortion should be generally available to those who want it, while 13% believed that it should not be permitted. [ 358 ]


The position of  U.S. third political parties  and other  U.S. minor political parties  is diverse. The  Green Party  supports legal abortion as a woman's right. While abortion is a contentious issue and the Maryland-based  Libertarians for Life  opposes the legality of abortion in most circumstances, the  Libertarian Party  platform (2012) states that "government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration." [ 359 ]  The  Constitution Party  is opposed to abortion.


The issue of abortion has become deeply politicized. In 2002, 84% of state Democratic platforms supported the right to having an abortion while 88% of state Republican platforms opposed it. This divergence also led to  Christian right  organizations like  Christian Voice ,  Christian Coalition of America , and  Moral Majority  having an increasingly strong role in the Republican Party. This opposition has been extended under the Foreign Assistance Act; in 1973,  Jesse Helms  introduced an amendment banning the use of aid money to promote abortion overseas, and in 1984 the  Mexico City policy  prohibited financial support to any overseas organization that performed or promoted abortions. The policy was revoked by President  Bill Clinton  and subsequently reinstated by President  George W. Bush . [ 360 ]  President  Barack Obama  overruled this policy by Executive Order on January 23, 2009, [ 361 ]  and it was reinstated on January 23, 2017, by President  Donald Trump . [ 360 ]  On January 28, 2021, President  Joe Biden  signed a Presidential Memorandum that repealed the restoration of Mexico City policy and also called for the United States Department of Health and Human Services to "suspend, rescind or revoke" restrictions made to  Title X . [ 362 ]


The risk of death due to legal abortion has fallen considerably since  Roe v. Wade  (1973) legalized it; this was due to increased physician skills, improved medical technology, and earlier termination of pregnancy. [ 363 ]  From 1940 through 1970, deaths of pregnant women during abortion fell from nearly 1,500 to a little over 100. [ 363 ]  According to the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the number of women who died in 1972 from illegal abortion was thirty-nine. [ 364 ]  The  Roe effect  is a hypothesis suggesting that since supporters of abortion rights cause the erosion of their own political base by having fewer children, the practice of abortion will eventually lead to the restriction or illegalization of abortion. [ 365 ]  The  legalized abortion and crime effect  is another controversial theory that posits legal abortion reduces crime because unwanted children are more likely to become criminals. [ 366 ] [ 367 ] [ 368 ]


Since  Roe , there have been numerous attempts to reverse the decision. [ 369 ] [ 370 ]  In the 2011 election season, Mississippi placed an amendment on the ballot that redefined how the state viewed abortion. The personhood amendment defined personhood as "every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof"; if passed, it would have been illegal to get an abortion in the state. [ 371 ]  On July 11, 2012, a Mississippi federal judge ordered an extension of his temporary order to allow the state's only abortion clinic to stay open. The order was to stay in place until U.S. District Judge  Daniel Porter Jordan III  could review newly drafted rules on how the Mississippi Department of Health would administer a new abortion law. The law in question came into effect on July 1, 2012. [ 372 ]


Between 2008 and 2016, the Turnaway Study followed a group of 1,000 women, two of whom died after giving birth, [ 373 ]  for five years after they sought an abortion, [ 374 ]  and compared their health and socio-economic consequences of receiving an abortion or being denied one. [ 374 ] [ 375 ]  The study found that those who were provided with abortion performed better, and those who were denied one suffered negative consequences. [ 376 ] [ 377 ]   Scientific American  described it as landmark. [ 373 ]  A follow-up Turnaway Study was confirmed to determinate the health and economic impact of  Roe  being overturned, [ 376 ] [ 378 ]  which other scholars also analyzed. [ 51 ]  According to a 2019 study, were  Roe  reversed and  abortion bans  implemented in states with  trigger laws , including states considered highly likely to ban abortion, "increases in travel distance are estimated to prevent 93,546 to 143,561 women from accessing abortion care." [ 379 ]


For the  Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization  case, [ 380 ]  which confirmed the May 2022 leaks obtained by  Politico  and overruled  Roe  and  Planned Parenthood v. Casey  in June 2022, [ 381 ] [ 382 ] [ 383 ]  among the over 130  amici curiae  briefs, hundreds of scientists provided evidence, data, and studies, in particular the Turnaway Study, in favor of abortion rights and to rebuke arguments made to the Court that abortion "has no beneficial effect on women's lives and careers—and might even cause them harm". [ 384 ]  The  American Historical Association  (AHA) and the  Organization of American Historians  (OAH) were among those who signed an  amici curiae  brief for  Dobbs , [ 385 ]  and were cited, among others, [ 386 ]  by  Reason , [ 387 ]   Syracuse University News , [ 388 ]  and  The Washington Post . [ 76 ]  AHA and OAH jointly issued a statement against the Supreme Court's decision, which was reported by  Anchorage Daily News , [ 389 ]   Inside Higher Ed , [ 390 ]   Insight Into Diversity , [ 391 ]  and the  Strict Scrutiny  podcast from  Crooked Media , [ 392 ]  saying they have "declined to take seriously the historical claims of our [amicus curiae] brief". Joined by at least 30 other academic and scholarly institutions, they condemned "the court's misinterpretation about the history of legalized abortion" and said it has "the potential to exacerbate historic injustices and deepen inequalities in our country". [ 393 ]


In the wake of state abortion bans and restrictions in the United States, Americans have started traveling to Mexico for abortions, and Mexico has expressed a willingness to help. [ 394 ] [ 395 ]


At least partly due to a unanimous 2021  Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation  decision that penalties for abortion violate women's rights, abortion-providers are not prosecuted even in states where abortion remains illegal under state law; there are also legal exemptions for rape and medical reasons, and a police report is not required for a rape exemption. Providers openly treat American travelers in several states where abortion remains technically illegal, such as  Nuevo Leon , which neighbors Texas. Following the Supreme Court ruling, abortion is being gradually legalized at the state level, and as of 2022 is legal during the first trimester (before the 13th week after implantation) in eleven states and Mexico City. [ 396 ] [ 397 ]  In an additional two states, abortion is legal for economic reasons if a woman already has 3 children; this is during the first trimester for one (Michoacan) and with no set limit for the other (Yucatán). [ 398 ]


Although it is uncommon, [ 399 ] [ 400 ] [ 401 ]  women sometimes give birth in spite of an attempted abortion. [ 402 ] [ 403 ] [ 404 ]  Reporting of live birth after attempted abortion may not be consistent from state to state, but 38 were recorded in one study in upstate New York in the two-and-a-half years before  Roe v. Wade . [ 405 ]  Under the  Born-Alive Infants Protection Act  of 2002, [ 406 ] [ 407 ]  medical staff must report live birth if they observe any breathing, heartbeat, umbilical cord pulsation, or confirmed voluntary muscle movement, regardless of whether the born-alive is non-viable  ex utero  in the long term because of birth defects, and regardless of gestational age, including gestational ages which are too early for long-term viability  ex utero . [ 408 ] [ 409 ] [ 410 ]


(a) For the stage prior to approximately the end of the first trimester, the abortion decision and its effectuation must be left to the medical judgment of the pregnant woman's attending physician.


(b) For the stage subsequent to approximately the end of the first trimester, the State, in promoting its interest in the health of the mother, may, if it chooses, regulate the abortion procedure in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health.


(c) For the stage subsequent to viability, the State in promoting its interest in the potentiality of human life may, if it chooses, regulate, and even proscribe, abortion except where it is necessary, in appropriate medical judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother. [ 32 ]


The 5th edition of the  Black's Law Dictionary  (1979) defined abortion as "knowing destruction" or "intentional expulsion or removal". [ 33 ]  Into the 21st century, its free, online version defines it as "artificial or spontaneous termination of a pregnancy before the embryo or foetus can survive on its own outside a woman's uterus." [ 34 ]


The  United States  is a country primarily located in North America.  Demographics of the United States  concern matters of  population density ,  ethnicity , education level,  health of the populace , economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects regarding the population.


The following table shows 1610–2020 population data. [ 1 ]  The census numbers do not include  Native Americans  during 1610, and then again after 1860. [ 2 ]


a   U.S. Census Bureau  2020 census. [ 3 ]


From 1890 to 2021, the  median  age at first marriage was as follows: [ 4 ]


Nearly all non-Native American commercial activity was run in small privately owned businesses with good credit both at home and in England being essential since they were often cash poor. Most settlements were nearly independent of trade with Britain as most grew or made nearly everything they needed—the average cost of imports for most households was only about 5-15 English pounds per year. Most settlements were created by complete family groups with several generations often present. Probably close to 80% of the families owned the land they lived and farmed on. They nearly all used English Common Law as their basic code of law and, except for the French, Dutch and Germans spoke some dialect of English. They established their own popularly elected governments and courts and were mostly self-governing, self-supporting, and self-replicating.


Nearly all colonies and, later, states in the United States were settled by migration from another colony or state, as foreign immigration usually only played a minor role after first initial settlements were established.


The New England colonists included some educated men as well as many skilled farmers, tradesmen and craftsmen. They were mostly farmers and settled in small villages for common religious activity. Shipbuilding, commerce, and fisheries were important in coastal towns. New England's healthy climate (the cold winters killed mosquitoes and other disease-bearing insects), and abundant food supply resulted in the lowest death rate and highest birth rate of any place in the world (marriage was expected and birth control was not, and a much higher than average number of children and mothers survived). [ 8 ]


The eastern and northern frontier around the initial New England settlements was mainly settled by the  Yankee  descendants of the original New Englanders. Emigration to the New England colonies after 1640 and the start of the  English Civil War  decreased to less than 1% (about equal to the death rate) in nearly all years before 1845. The rapid growth of the New England colonies (total population ≈700,000 by 1790) was almost entirely due to the high birth rate (>3%) and low death rate (<1%) per year. [ 9 ]


The middle colonies' settlements were scattered west of  New York City ,  New York  (est. 1626 by Dutch, taken over by the English in 1664) and  Philadelphia ,  Pennsylvania  (est. 1682). The Dutch-started colony of New York had an eclectic collection of residents from many different nations and prospered as a major trading and commercial center after about 1700. Pennsylvania was dominated by the Quakers for decades after they emigrated there, mainly from the North Midlands of England, from about 1680 to 1725. The main commercial center of Philadelphia was run mostly by prosperous Quakers, supplemented by many small farming and trading communities with strong German contingents located in the Delaware River valley.


Many more settlers arrived in the middle colonies starting in about 1680, when Pennsylvania was founded, and many Protestant sects were encouraged to settle there for freedom of religion and good, cheap land. These settlers were of about 60% German and 33% English extraction. By 1780 about 27% of New York's population were descendants of Dutch settlers (55,000 of 204,000). New Jersey was home to the remaining Dutch and they constituted 14% of the population of 140,000. The rest were mostly English with a mixture of other Europeans and about 6% Blacks. New Jersey and Delaware had a majority of British with 20% German-descended colonists, about a 6% black population, and a small contingent of Swedish descendants of  New Sweden . Nearly all were at least third-generation natives.


The main feature of the economy in Virginia, Maryland and South Carolina was large plantations growing staples for export, especially tobacco and rice. Outside the plantations, land was farmed by independent farmers who rented from the proprietors, or (most often) owned it outright. They emphasized subsistence farming to grow food for their large families. Many of the Irish immigrants specialized in making rye whiskey, which they sold to obtain cash.  In Maryland, by 1700 there were about 25,000 people and by 1750 that had grown more than 5 times to 130,000. By 1755, about 40% of Maryland's population was black. [ 10 ]


From 1717 to 1775 the western frontier was populated primarily by Presbyterian settlers who migrated from Scotland and Ireland. Frontier settlers initially landed in Philadelphia or Baltimore before migrating to the western frontier for the cheaper land. [ 11 ]


All the colonies grew mostly by natural growth, with foreign born populations rarely exceeding 10%. The last significant colonies to be settled mainly by immigrants were Pennsylvania in the early 18th century and Georgia and the Borderlands in the late 18th century, as internal migration (not immigration) continued to provide nearly all the settlers for each new colony or state. This pattern would continue throughout U.S. history. The extent of colonial settlements by 1800 is shown by this map from the University of Texas map collection. [ 12 ]


Series Z-19 U.S. Census [ 13 ]
Note that the U. S. Census numbers do not include American Indian natives before 1860. [ 2 ]


According to one source [ 15 ]  the following were the countries of origin for new arrivals coming to the United States before 1790. The regions marked * were part of Great Britain. The ancestry of the 3.9 million population in 1790 has been estimated from various sources by sampling last names in the 1790 census and assigning them a country of origin. The Irish in the 1790 census were mostly  Scots Irish . The French were mostly  Huguenots . The total U.S. Catholic population in 1790 is estimated at 40,000 or 1.6%, perhaps a low count due to prejudice. The Native American Indian population inside territorial U.S. 1790 boundaries was less than 100,000.


During the 17th century, approximately 350–400,000 English people migrated to colonial America. However, only half stayed permanently. They were 90% of whites in 1700. From 1700 to 1775 between 400 and 500,000 Europeans immigrated, 90% of whom were Scots, Scots-Irish, Irish, Germans and Huguenots. Only 45,000 English immigrated in the period 1701 to 1775, [ 16 ]  a figure that has been questioned as too low. Elsewhere [ 17 ]  the number given is 51,000 (80,000 in total less 29,000 Welsh). The figure of 45,000 has been questioned as a "mystery". [ by whom? ]  These numbers do not include the 50,000–120,000 convicts transported, 33,000 of whom were English. [ 16 ]  Even the very high birth rate may not account for all of the nine-fold increase from 230,000 to 2.1 million. Another estimate with very similar results to the ICPS study (except for the French and Swedish totals) gives the number of Americans of English ancestry as 1.9 million in 1790 or 47.9% of the total of 3.930 million (3.5% Welsh, 8.5% Scotch Irish, 4.3% Scots, Irish (South) 4.7%, German 7.3%, Dutch 2.7%, French 1.7%, Swedish 0.2% and Black, 19.3%. [ 18 ]  The southern Irish were overwhelmingly Protestant.


The 1790 population reflected the approximate 50,000 "Loyalists" who had emigrated to Canada during and at the end of the American Revolution, 7–10,000 of whom went to the United Kingdom and 6,000 to the Caribbean. Thirty thousand Americans emigrated to  Upper Canada  (now  Ontario ) in the 1790s, often referred to as "Late Loyalists". They were mostly not political refugees but went for generous land grants and taxes 75 percent lower than in the United States.


By 1790 the ancestry question was starting to become irrelevant to many, as intermarriage from different ethnic groups was becoming common, causing people to form a common American identity. The total white population in 1790 was about 80% of British ancestry, and would go on to roughly double by natural increase every 25 years. From about 1675 onward, the native-born population of what would become the United States would never again drop below 85% of the total.


In the early years of the United States, immigration average about 6,000 people per year, including French  refugees  from the slave revolt in  Haiti . The  French Revolution , starting in 1789, and the  Napoleonic Wars  from 1792 to 1814 severely limited immigration from Europe. The  War of 1812  (1812–1814) with Britain again prevented any significant immigration. By 1808 Congress had banned the transport of slaves, slowing that human traffic to a trickle.


After 1820 immigration gradually increased. For the first time federal records, including ship passenger lists, were kept for immigration. Total immigration for the year 1820 was 8,385, gradually building to 23,322 by 1830, with 143,000 total immigrating during the decade. From 1831 to 1840 immigration increased greatly, to 599,000 total, as 207,000 Irish, even before the  famine of 1845–1849 , started to emigrate in large numbers as Britain eased travel restrictions. 152,000 Germans, 76,000 British, and 46,000 French formed the next largest immigrant groups in that decade.


From 1841 to 1850 immigration exploded to 1,713,000 total immigrants and at least 781,000 Irish who fled their homeland to escape poverty or death during the famine of 1845–1849. In attempting to divert some of this traffic to help settle Canada, the British offered bargain fares of 15 shillings for transit to Canada, instead of the normal 5 pounds (100 shillings). Thousands of poor Irish took advantage of this offer and headed to Canada on what came to be called the "coffin ships" because of their high death rates. Once in Canada, many Irish walked across the border or caught an intercoastal freighter to the nearest major city in the United States – usually Boston or New York. Bad potato crops and failed revolutions struck the heart of Europe in 1848, contributing to the decade's total of 435,000 Germans, 267,000 British and 77,000 French immigrants to America. Bad times in Europe drove people out; land, relatives, freedom, opportunity, and jobs in America lured them in.


The number of immigrants from 1830 on are from immigration records. The census of 1850 was the first in which place of birth was asked. It is probably a reasonable estimate that the foreign born population in the U.S. reached its minimum in about 1815 at something like 100,000, or 1.4% of the population. By 1815 most of the immigrants that arrived before the  American Revolution  had died, and there had been almost no new immigration.


The total number immigrating in each decade from 1790 to 1820 are estimates.


The number of foreign born in the 1830s and 1840s are extrapolations.


Nearly all population growth up to 1830 was by internal increase; about 98.5% of the population was native-born. By 1850, this had shifted to about 90% native-born. The first significant Catholic immigration started in the mid-1840s.


In 1965, U.S. immigration law changes reduced the emphasis on national origin. Prior policy favored European immigrants. The 1965 law directed that those with relatives in the U.S. or employer sponsorship now had priority.  By the 1970s, most immigrants to the U.S. came from Latin America or Asia, rather than Europe. Since 2000, over three quarters of all immigrants to the U.S. have come from Asia and Latin America. [ 19 ]


In 1848, the  Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo , concluding the Mexican War, extended U.S. citizenship to approximately 60,000 Mexican residents of the  New Mexico  Territory and 10,000 living in  California .  However, much like Texas, the Mexican government had encouraged immigration and settlement of these regions from groups in the United States and Europe.  Approximately half of this population is estimated to have been of American origin.  In 1849, the  California Gold Rush  spurred significant immigration from Mexico, South America, China, Australia, Europe and caused a mass internal migration within the U.S., resulting in California gaining statehood in 1850, with a population of about 90,000.


Rural flight  is the departure of excess populations (usually young men and women) from farm areas. In some cases whole families left, as in the  Dust Bowl  in the 1930s. Much of rural America  has seen steady population decline since 1920.


The  Great Migration  was the movement of millions of  African Americans  out of the rural  Southern United States  from 1914 to 1960. Most moved to large industrial cities, as well as to many smaller industrial cities. African-Americans moved as individuals or small groups. There was no government assistance. They migrated because of a variety of push and pull factors: [ 20 ] [ 21 ] [ 22 ]


The proportion of Americans who move across state lines fell by 50% from 1990 to 2018. Regional disparities in local economies have also grown during this time, meaning that more people remain in economically depressed areas. [ 24 ]  By 2011, migration levels were at the lowest level since  World War II , and were in the longest period of continuous decline in the twentieth century. [ 25 ]


In the years after WWII, the United States, as well as a number of other industrialized countries, experienced an unexpected sudden birth rate jump. During WWII birthrates had been low, as millions of men had been away fighting in WWII and this had deterred women from starting families: women also had to take the place of men in the workplace, while simultaneously fulfilling their household duties. The millions of men coming back to the US after WWII, and the couples eager to start families, led to a sharp rise in the US birth rate, and a surge in new housing construction in the suburbs and outlying areas of the cities. Since the men who came back got jobs in the workplace again, married women stayed home to take care of the house and children and let their husbands be the  breadwinner  of the household. [ 28 ]


During the baby boom years, between 1946 and 1964, the birth rate doubled for third children and tripled for fourth children. [ 29 ]


The total fertility rate of the United States jumped from 2.49 in 1945 to 2.94 in 1946, a rise of 0.45 children therefore beginning the baby boom. It continued to rise throughout the 1940s to reach 3.10 in 1950 with a peak of 3.77 in 1957. Declining slowly thereafter to 3.65 in 1960 and finally a steep from decline after 1964, therefore ending the baby boom.


According to statistics, the United States currently has the highest marriage rate in the developed world, as of 2008, with a marriage rate of 7.1 per 1,000 people or 2,162,000 marriages. The average age for first marriage for men is 27.4 and 25.6 years for women. [ 32 ]  The United States also has one of the highest proportions of people who do marry by age 40; approximately 85% Americans are married at 40, compared to only 60% in Sweden.


During the 1930s, the number of marriages and the marriage rate dropped steeply due to the Great Depression, but rebounded almost immediately after the Depression ended. Marriage rates increased and remained at high levels in the late 1930 to the mid-1940s. The number of marriages shot up to reach over 2 million in 1946, with a marriage rate of 16.4 per 1,000 people as WWII had ended. The average age at first marriage for both men and women began to fall after WWII, dropping 22.8 for men and 20.3 for women in 1950 and dropping even more to 22.5 and 20.1 years in 1956. In 1959, the United States Census Bureau estimated that 47% of all brides marrying for their first time were teenagers aged 19 and under. In 1955, 51.2% of women were married by their 20th birthday and 88% by their 25th birthday; 40.3% of men and 28.5% of women aged 20–24 in 1955 had never married, down from 77.8% for men and 57.4% for women in 1940. [ 33 ]


As of 2002, 4.3% of men and 18.1% of women aged 20 are married, increasing to 37% of men and 52% of women by age 25, and then 61% of men and 76% of women by age 30.


The U.S. population in 1900 was 76 million. In 1950, it rose to 152 million; by 2000 it had reached 282 million. By 2050, it is expected to reach 422–458 million, depending on immigration. [ 34 ]


Richard Easterlin , an economist who has researched economic growth in the United States, explains the growth pattern of the American population in the 20th century through fertility rate fluctuations and the decreasing mortality rate. Easterlin has attempted to explain the cause of the Baby Boom and Baby Bust through the "relative income" theory. The "relative income" theory suggests that couples choose to have children based on a couple's ratio of potential earning power and the desire to obtain material objects.  This ratio depends on the economic stability of the country in which they live and how people are raised to value material objects.  The "relative income" theory explains the Baby Boom by suggesting that the late 1940s and 1950s brought low desires to have material objects, as a result of the Great Depression and WWII, as well as huge job opportunities, because of it being a post-war period.  These two factors gave rise to a high relative income, which encouraged high fertility.  Following this period, the next generation had a greater desire for material objects; however, an economic slowdown in the United States made jobs harder to acquire.  This resulted in lower fertility rates, causing the Baby Bust.


Between 1880 and 1900, the urban population of the United States rose from 28% to 40%, and reached 50% by 1920, in part due to 9,000,000  European   immigrants . After 1890 the US rural population began to plummet, as farmers were displaced by mechanization and forced to migrate to urban factory jobs.  After World War II, the US experienced a shift away from the cities and into suburbs mostly due to the cost of land, the availability of low-cost government home loans, fair housing policies, and the construction of highways. [ 35 ]   Many of the original manufacturing cities lost as much as half their populations between 1950 and 1980.  There was a shift in the population from the dense city centers filled with apartments, row homes, and tenements; to less dense suburban neighborhoods outside the cities which were filled with single-family homes.


The  United States  is the  third most populous country  in the world, and the  most populous in the Americas  and the  Western Hemisphere , with an estimated population of 340,110,988 on July 1, 2024, according to the  U.S. Census Bureau . [ 1 ]  This was an increase of 2.6% over the 2020 federal census of 331,449,281 residents. [ 19 ]  These figures include the  50 states  and the federal capital,  Washington, D.C. , but exclude the 3.6 million residents of five unincorporated U.S. territories ( Puerto Rico ,  Guam , the  U.S. Virgin Islands ,  American Samoa , and the  Northern Mariana Islands ) as well as several  minor uninhabited island possessions . The Census Bureau showed a population increase of 0.4% for the twelve-month period ending in July 2022, [ 20 ]  below the world estimated annual rate of 1.03%, in 2021. [ 21 ]  The  total fertility rate  (TFR) is around 1.84 children per woman as of 2024, [ 3 ]  which is below the  replacement fertility rate  of approximately 2.1. By several metrics, including racial and ethnic background, religious affiliation, and percentage of rural and urban divide, the state of  Illinois  is the most representative of the larger demography of the United States. [ 22 ]


The U.S. population almost quadrupled during the 20th century—at a growth rate of about 1.3% a year—from about 76 million in 1900 to 281 million in 2000. [ 23 ]  It is estimated to have reached the 200 million mark in 1967, and the 300 million mark on October 17, 2006. [ 23 ] [ 24 ]  Foreign-born immigration caused the U.S. population to continue its rapid increase, with this population doubling from almost 20 million in 1990 to over 45 million in 2015, [ 25 ]  representing one-third of the population increase. [ 26 ]  The U.S. Census Bureau reported in late 2024 that recent immigration to the United States had more than offset the country's lower birth and fertility rates: "Net international migration’s influence on population trends has increased over the last few years. Since 2021, it accounted for the majority of the nation’s growth—a departure from the last two decades, when natural increase was the main factor." This in turn led to a notable increase in the U.S. population in each of the years 2022, 2023, and 2024 (+0.58%, +0.83%, and +0.98%, respectively). [ 27 ]


Population growth is fastest among minorities as a whole, and according to a 2020 U.S. Census Bureau analysis, 50% of U.S. children under the age of 18 are now members of  ethnic minority groups . [ 28 ]
As of 2020,  white Americans  numbered 235,411,507 or 71% of the population, including people who identified as white in combination with another race. People who identified as white alone (including Hispanic whites) numbered 204,277,273 or 61.6% of the population, while  non-Latino whites  made up 57.8% of the country's population. [ 29 ]


Latino Americans  accounted for 51.1% of the country's total  population growth  between 2010 and 2020. [ 30 ]  The Hispanic or Latino population increased from 50.5 million in 2010 to 62.1 million in 2020, a 23% increase and a numerical increase of more than 11.6 million. [ 30 ]  Immigrants and their U.S.-born descendants are expected to provide most of the U.S. population gains in the decades ahead. [ 31 ]


Asian Americans  are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, with a growth rate of 35%. However, multi-racial Asian Americans make up the fastest-growing subgroup, with a growth rate of 55%, reflecting the increase of mixed-race marriages in the United States. [ 32 ] [ 33 ]


As of 2022 [update] , births to  White American  mothers remain around 50% of the U.S. total, a decline of 3% compared to 2021. [ 34 ]  In the same time period, births to Asian American and Hispanic women increased by 2% and 6%, respectively. [ 35 ]


In 1900, when the U.S. population was 76 million, there were 66.8 million white Americans in the United States, representing 88% of the total population, [ 36 ]  8.8 million Black Americans, with about 90% of them still living in Southern states, [ 37 ]  and slightly more than 500,000 Hispanics. [ 38 ]


Under the law,  the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 , [ 39 ]  the number of first-generation immigrants living in the United States has increased, [ 40 ]  from 9.6 million in 1970 to about 38 million in 2007. [ 41 ]  Around a million people legally immigrated to the United States per year in the 1990s, up from 250,000 per year in the 1950s. [ 42 ]


In 1900, non-Hispanic whites comprised almost 97% of the population of the 10 largest U.S.  cities . [ 43 ]  The Census Bureau reported that minorities (including Hispanic whites) made up 50.4% of the children born in the U.S. between July 2010 and July 2011, [ 44 ]  compared to 37% in 1990. [ 45 ]


In 2014, the state with the lowest fertility rate was Rhode Island, with a rate of 1.56, while Utah had the greatest rate with a rate of 2.33. [ 46 ]  This correlates with the ages of the states' populations: Rhode Island has the ninth-oldest median age in the US – 39.2 – while Utah has the youngest – 29.0. [ 47 ]


In 2017, the U.S. birth rate remains well below the replacement level needed – at least 2.1 children per woman so as not to experience population decreases – as white American births fell in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Among non-Hispanic white women, no states had a fertility rate above the replacement level. Among non-Hispanic Black women, 12 states reached above the replacement level needed. Among Hispanic women, 29 states did. [ 48 ]  For non-Hispanic white women, the highest total fertility rate was in Utah, at 2.099, and the lowest in the District of Columbia, at 1.012. Among non-Hispanic Black women, the highest total fertility rate was in Maine, at 4.003, and the lowest in Wyoming, at 1.146. For Hispanic women, the highest total fertility rate was in Alabama, at 3.085, and the lowest in Vermont, at 1.200, and Maine, at 1.281. [ 48 ] [ 49 ]  As of 2016, due to aging, low birth rates and rising mortality  driven partly by drug overdoses , deaths outnumber births among  non-Hispanic whites  in more than half the states in the country. [ 50 ]


Note that this table shows some people in more than one group: for example someone aged 90 is included three times: in "65+", "75+" and "85+".


Age distribution by selected age groups [ 52 ]


Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, United Nations medium variant projections. [ 53 ] [ 54 ]


The  dependency ratio  is the age-population ratio of people who are normally not in the labor force (the dependent population, which includes those aged 0 to 14 and 65 and older) to those who are (the productive part, ages 15 to 64). It is used to gauge the strain on the populace that is productive. The support ratio is the ratio of the working-age population to the elderly population, that is, the reciprocal of the aged dependency ratio.


*Ratios are ranked from highest to lowest by country.


The most densely populated state is  New Jersey  (1,263/mi 2  or 488/km 2 ).


The population is highly  urbanized , with 83.3% of the population residing in cities and suburbs. [ 3 ]  Large urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the United States (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) and the western tier states; mountainous areas, principally the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian chain, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prairie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast – with particular emphasis on the city of  Anchorage  – and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu. [ 3 ]   California  and  Texas  are the most populous states, as the  mean center of U.S. population  has consistently shifted westward and southward. [ 57 ] [ 58 ]   New York City  is the  most populous city in the United States [ 59 ]  and has been since  at least 1790 .


In the  U.S. territories , population centers include the  San Juan metro area  in  Puerto Rico , [ 60 ]   Saipan  in the  Northern Mariana Islands , [ 61 ]  and the island of  Tutuila  in  American Samoa . [ 62 ]


The  median age  of the total population as of 2021 is 38.8 years; the male median age is 37.7 years; the female median age is 39.8 years. [ 52 ]


Median age  of the U.S. population through history. Source:  U.S. Department of Commerce .  Bureau of Census ,  United States Census Bureau  and  The World Factbook . [ 63 ] [ 64 ]


The United States has dozens of major cities, including 31  "global cities" [ 65 ]  of all types, with 10 in the "alpha" group of global cities:  New York ,  Los Angeles ,  Chicago ,  Washington, D.C. ,  Boston ,  San Francisco ,  Miami ,  Philadelphia ,  Dallas , and  Atlanta . [ 66 ]  As of 2021 [update] , the United States had 56 metropolitan areas with 1 million or more inhabitants. (The U.S. Census Bureau ranked Urban Honolulu as the 56th most populous area, with just over 1 million residents. See  Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas .)


As of 2011 [update] , about 250 million Americans live in or around urban areas. That means more than three-quarters of the U.S. population shares just about three percent of the U.S. land area. [ 67 ]


The following table shows the populations of the top twenty metropolitan areas.


[ 69 ] [ 70 ] [ 71 ]


p = provisional data


All current numbers in this section are provisional and may change through future updates. For more information, please see the reference link.


According to the  U.S. Census Bureau , in 2021, the population of the United States grew at a slower rate than in any other year since the country's founding. [ 88 ]  The U.S. population grew only 0.1% from the previous year before. [ 88 ]  The United States' population has grown by less than one million people for the first time since 1937, with the lowest numeric growth since at least 1900, when the Census Bureau began yearly population estimates. [ 88 ]  Apart from the previous few years, when population growth plummeted to historically low levels, the slowest pace of increase in the twentieth century occurred between 1918 and 1919, when the  influenza  epidemic and  World War I  were both in full swing. [ 88 ]  Slower population growth has been the norm in the United States for some years, owing to lower fertility and net  international migration , as well as rising mortality from an aging population. [ 88 ]


To put it another way, since the mid-2010s, births and net international migration have been dropping while deaths have risen. These trends have a cumulative effect of reduced population increase. [ 88 ]


The  COVID-19 pandemic  has accelerated this trend, resulting in a historically slow population increase in 2021.


The growth rate is 0.1% as estimated for 2021. [ 88 ]


The birth rate is 11.0 births/1,000 population, as of 2020. [ 80 ]  This was the lowest birth rate since records began. There were 3,613,647 births in 2020, this was the lowest number of births since 1980. [ 80 ]


In 2020, the  CDC  reported that there were 1,676,911  marriages  in 2020, compared to 2019, there were 2,015,603 marriages. [ 89 ]  Marriage rates varied significantly by state, ranging from 3.2 marriages/1,000 population in California to 21.0 marriages/1,000 population in Nevada.* [ 90 ]


*Rates are based on provisional counts of marriages by state of occurrence


In 2009,  Time magazine  reported that 40% of births were to unmarried women. [ 91 ]  The following is a breakdown by race for unwed births: 17% Asian, 29% White, 53% Hispanics (of any race), 66% Native Americans, and 72% Black American. [ 92 ]


According to the CDC, in 2020, there were at least, 1,461,121 births to unmarried women. In 2020, 40.5% of births were to unmarried women. The following is a breakdown by race for unwed births: 28.4% Non-Hispanic White, 70.4% Non-Hispanic Black, and 52.8% Hispanic (of any race). [ 93 ]


The drop in the birth rate from 2007 to 2009 is believed to be associated with the  Great Recession . [ 94 ]


A study by the  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality  (AHRQ) found that more than half (51 percent) of live hospital births in 2008 and 2011 were male. [ 95 ]


Per U.S. federal government data released in March 2011, births fell 4% from 2007 to 2009, the largest drop in the U.S. for any two-year period since the 1970s. [ 96 ]
Births have declined for three consecutive years, and are now 7% below the peak in 2007. [ 97 ]  This drop has continued through 2010, according to data released by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics in June 2011. [ 97 ]  Numerous experts have suggested that this decline is largely a reflection of unfavorable economic conditions. [ 98 ]  This connection between birth rates and economic downturns partly stems from the fact that American birth rates have now fallen to levels that are comparable to the Great Depression of the 1930s. [ 99 ]  Teen birth rates in the U.S. are at the lowest level in U.S. history. [ 100 ]  In fact, teen birth rates in the U.S. have consistently decreased since 1991 through 2011, except for a brief increase between 2005 and 2007. [ 100 ]  The other aberration from this otherwise steady decline in teen birth rates is the 6% decrease in birth rates for 15- to 19-year-olds between 2008 and 2009. [ 100 ]  Despite these years of decrease, U.S. teen birth rates are still higher than in other developed nations. [ 100 ]  Racial differences prevail with teen birth and pregnancy rates as well. The American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Black teen pregnancy rates are more than double the non-Hispanic white teen birth rate. [ 101 ]


In 1800 the average U.S. woman had 7.04 children; [ 102 ]  by the first decade of the 1900s, this number had already decreased to 3.56. [ 103 ]  Since 1971, the birth rate has generally been  below the replacement rate of 2.1 . [ 104 ] [ 105 ] : 3   Since the  Great Recession of 2007 , the rate has consistently been below replacement. [ 104 ] [ 105 ] : 3   The drop in the TFR from 2.08 per woman in 2007 to 1.76 in 2017 was mostly due to the declining birth rate of ethnic minorities, teenagers and women in their 30s. [ 106 ]  During that period, the birthrate for women ages 35 to 44 has risen. [ 104 ] [ 106 ]  The 12 month ending general fertility rate increased from 56.6 to 57.0 in 2022 Q1 compared to 2021 Q4. [ 107 ]


The  total fertility rate  is the number of children born per woman. Sources:  Ansley J. Coale , Zelnik and  National Center for Health Statistics . [ 108 ]


The U.S. total  fertility rate  as of 2020 is 1.641 [ 80 ]


Other: [ 46 ]


( Note  that ≈95% of Hispanics are included as "white Hispanics" by CDC, which does not recognize the Census's "Some other race" category and counts people in that category as white.)


Source: National Vital statistics report based on  2010 US Census  data [ 109 ]


A total of 3,659,289 babies were born in 2021, a 1% increase from 2020. Additionally, researchers also looked at births by race and found that White and Hispanic women each saw the number of births increase by about 2% from 2020 to 2021. Meanwhile, Black and Asian women saw the number of births decline by 2.4% and 2.5%, respectively, over the same period, while American Indian/Alaskan Native women saw their numbers fall by 3.2%. [ 110 ]  It also marks the first rise in births since 2014. Prior to this report, the total number of births had been decreasing by an average of 2% per year. [ 110 ]  However, the  total fertility rate  (the number of births that the average women have over their lifetimes) was 1.6635 births per every woman. This is still below the replacement level, the level a population needs to replace itself, which is, at least, 2.1 births per woman. [ 110 ]


Note: Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.  Also note that growth arrows indicate an increase or decrease in the number of births, not in the fertility rate. [ 46 ] [ 116 ] [ 117 ] [ 118 ]


NOTE :


According to the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (CDC), average American  life expectancy  at birth was 78.4 years in 2023. This was a gain of 0.9 year from 77.5 years in 2022. [ 120 ]  It was 76.4 years in 2021. [ 121 ] : 1


Starting in 1998, life expectancy in the U.S. fell  behind that of other wealthy industrialized countries , and Americans' "health disadvantage" gap has been increasing ever since. [ 122 ]  Average U.S. life expectancy in the United States has actually declined in four of the years following 2014 (the year when average U.S. life expectancy reached 78.9 years, its historical peak). [ 123 ]  These declines were mostly reversed in both 2022 (+1.1 years) and 2023 (+0.9 year). [ 124 ]  As of 2024, death rates among the  youngest  remain well higher than in peer nations. [ 124 ]  In 2023, there lower death rates in each of the ten U.S.  leading causes of death  but gains in life expectancy were largely driven by "decreases in mortality due to COVID-19, heart disease, unintentional injuries, cancer and diabetes". [ 124 ] [ 120 ]


From 2019 to 2020, the  COVID-19 pandemic  had contributed to approximately 61% of the decrease in life expectancy in the United States. [ 125 ]  While increases in mortality from  unintentional injuries ,  heart disease ,  homicide , and  diabetes  contributed to 11.7%, 5.8%, 2.9%, and 2.8% of the decrease in life expectancy from 2019 to 2020, respectively. [ 125 ]  Life expectancy has also varied by racial and ethnic group, with Non-Hispanic Asians having the highest life expectancy and Non-Hispanic American Indians having the lowest. [ 125 ]  In 2021, life expectancy at birth in the United States fell for the second year in a row, the first two-year drop since 1961–1963. [ 126 ]


NOTE : Life expectancy at birth data for 2021 are provisional.*


Life expectancy in the United States from 1901 to 2015. Source:  Our World In Data  and the  United Nations .


Source:  UN World Population Prospects [ 130 ]


The United States Census Bureau's 2017 projections were produced using the cohort-component method. In the cohort-component method, the components of population change (fertility, mortality, and net migration) are projected separately for each birth cohort (persons born in a given year). The base population is advanced each year by using projected survival rates and net international migration. Each year, a new birth cohort is added to the population by applying the projected fertility rates to the female population.


Hispanics and Non-Hispanics in the United States ( 2020 census ) [ 7 ]


Racial Non-Hispanic groups in the United States ( 2020 census ) [ 7 ]


Racial Hispanic groups in the United States ( 2020 census ) [ 7 ]


Racial groups in the United States (2020 census) including racial identification of Hispanic [ 136 ]


Racial and ethnic groups in the United States (2020 census) [ 137 ]


* NHL ** OAR


The  United States Census Bureau  collects racial data in accordance with guidelines provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and these data are based on self-identification. Many other countries count multiple races based on origin while America compiles multiple dozens of ethnicity groups into skin color grouping them together. [ 139 ]  The racial classifications and definitions used by the U.S. Census Bureau are: [ 140 ]


Data about race and ethnicity are self-reported to the Census Bureau. Since the 2000 census, Congress has authorized people to identify themselves according to more than one racial classification by selecting more than one category. Only one ethnicity may be selected, however, because the Census Bureau recognizes only two ethnicities – "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino" – which are mutually exclusive since you can be one or the other, but not both. The singular term Hispanic has been supplanted as a federally-recognized ethnicity by the combined "Hispanic or Latino," defined by the Census Bureau as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. [ 142 ]


According to the Census Bureau website, the racial composition of the United States in 2021 was: [ 143 ]


According to the 2022  American Community Survey , the racial composition of the United States in 2022 was: [ 144 ] [ 145 ]


Hispanic are shown like part of the races. Source:  U.S. Census Bureau . [ 53 ] [ 64 ]


* Data are shown for the White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and Some other race alone populations.


Source: United States Census Bureau. [ 146 ]


(2015 est.)


African American


and Alaska Native


Other Pacific Islander


The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines "Hispanic or Latino" as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. People who identify with the terms "Hispanic" or "Latino" are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the decennial census questionnaire and various Census Bureau survey questionnaires – "Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano" or "Puerto Rican" or "Cuban" – as well as those who indicate that they are "another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin." [ 158 ]  People who identify their origin as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. [ 140 ]


Source:  U.S. Census Bureau , decennial census of population, 1970 (5-percent
sample), 1980 to 2020. [ 64 ]


Note: Hispanic origin is considered an ethnicity, not a race. Hispanics may be of any race.


As of 2020, there are 9,666,058 people identifying as  American Indian  and  Alaska Native  people in the United States, including those identifying with more than one race, [ 159 ]  representing around 3% of the U.S. population. This number includes not only groups indigenous to the United States, but any  Indigenous people of the Americas , [ 160 ]  including  Mesoamerican  peoples such as the  Maya , as well as  Canadian  and  South American natives . In 2022, 634,503 Indigenous people in the United States identified with Central American Indigenous groups, 875,183 identified with the  Indigenous people of Mexico , and 47,518 identified with Canadian  First Nations . [ 161 ]  Of the 3.2 million Americans who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native alone in 2022, around 45% were of  Hispanic or Latino  ethnicity, [ 162 ] [ 163 ]  with this number growing as increasing numbers of Indigenous people from Latin American countries immigrate to the US and more Latinos self-identify with indigenous heritage. Of groups Indigenous to the contiguous United States, the largest self-reported tribes are  Cherokee  (1,449,888),  Navajo  (434,910), Choctaw (295,373),  Blackfeet  (288,255), and  Sioux  (220,739). Additionally, 205,954 identify with an  Alaska Native  tribe. There are 573  federally recognized tribal governments [ 164 ]  in the United States. [ 165 ]


The US Census Bureau classifies Native Hawaiians separately from American Indians and Alaska Natives, grouping them with  Pacific Islanders  instead. According to 2022 estimates, 714,847 Americans identified with Native Hawaiian ancestry. [ 166 ]


There were 16.1 million  veterans  in 2022, [ 167 ]  with only 6.2% of Americans having served in the  Armed Forces . [ 168 ]


In 2010,  The Washington Post  estimated that there were 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. [ 169 ]  As of 2017, Pew Research reported that there an estimated 10.5 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. [ 170 ]


In 2022, an estimated 1,849,176 adults were imprisoned in the US. [ 171 ]


A report by the  U.S. Census Bureau  projects a decrease in the ratio of non-Hispanic Whites between 2023 and 2060, a decline from 58.9% of the population to 44.9%.  Non-Hispanic Whites  are projected to no longer make up a majority of the population by 2050, but will remain the largest single ethnic group. Non-Hispanic whites made up 85% of the population in 1960. [ 173 ]


While non-Hispanic whites are projected to become a minority, the total White population (including Hispanics), will remain a majority from 2023 to 2060, falling from 75.5% to 72.3% of the population who are white alone according to the projections. [ 174 ]  However, these projections are not directly comparable to other Census Bureau data, as they are based on a modified race dataset, [ 175 ]  which does not include the " some other race " category used in census surveys. [ 176 ]  Individuals identifying as “some other race” alone or in combination made up 16.2% of the population in 2022, [ 177 ]  and they are reclassified into recognized race categories in the dataset used for the projections. [ 178 ]  As a result, there is a significant discrepancy between the share of the white alone population in 2023 according to the projections (75.5%), and the estimated share of white alone (60.9%), as reported by the American Community Survey in 2022. [ 179 ]


The report foresees the Hispanic or Latino population rising from 19.1% today to 26.9% by 2060, the Black percentage barely rising from 13.6% to 14.8%, and Asian Americans upping their 6.3% share to 9.4%. The United States had a population of 333 million people in July 2023, and is projected to reach 355  million by 2040 and 364 million in 2060. [ 180 ] [ 181 ] [ 182 ] [ 183 ] [ 184 ]  It is further projected that all of the increase in population from 2023 to 2060 will be due to  immigrants .


Of the nation's children in 2060, 64% are expected to be of a minority ethnicity, up from 51% today. Approximately 32% are projected to be Hispanic or Latino (up from 26% in 2023), and 36% are projected to be single-race, non-Hispanic Whites (down from 49% in 2023). Racial and ethnic minorities surpassed non-Hispanic whites as the largest group of U.S. children under 5 years old in 2015. [ 185 ]


The fastest growing racial group in America is  Asian Americans  with a growth rate of 35%, however the multi-racial mixed Asian group is growing even faster, with a growth rate of 55%. Multi-racial Asians are therefore the fastest growing demographic group in America. [ 33 ] [ 32 ]


In 2020, it was reported that 51.0% of births were to non-Hispanic white mothers. [ 109 ]  In 2021, the percentage increased to 51.5%. [ 109 ] [ 186 ]  However, by 2022 the rate of births to white mothers had declined by 3%, dropping to 50% of all total births. In the same period, the rate of births to Asian and Hispanic women increased by 2% and 6%, respectively. [ 35 ] [ 34 ]


The  United Nations  projects a population of just over 400 million in 2060. [ 187 ]


The country's racial profile will be vastly different, and although whites will remain the single largest ethnic group in the U.S., they will no longer be a majority excluding  White Hispanics  by 2055 according to  Pew Research Center . Growth in the Hispanic and Asian populations is predicted to almost triple over the next 40 years. By 2055, the breakdown is estimated to be 48% non-Hispanic white, 24% Hispanic, 16% Black, and 14% Asian. [ 187 ]


As of 2015 [update] , 14% of the United States' population is foreign born, compared to just 5% in 1965. Nearly 39 million immigrants have come to the U.S. since 1965, with most coming from Asia and Latin America. The 2015 Census Report predicts that the percentage of the U.S. population that is foreign-born will continue to increase, reaching 19% by 2060. This increase in the foreign-born population will account for a large share of the overall population growth. [ 187 ]


The average person in the U.S. of 2060 is likely to be older than the average person of 2018 today, and it is projected that almost one in four people will be 65 or older. [ 187 ]


Note: "Minority" refers to people who reported their ethnicity and race as something other than non-Hispanic White alone in the decennial census.


(thousands)


This table displays all self-reported  ancestries  with over 50,000 members, alone or in combination, according to estimates from the 2022 American Community Survey. The total population of the US according to the survey was 333,287,550, and 251,732,240 people reported an ancestry. Of these, 175,054,020 reported a single ancestry, and 76,678,224 reported two or more ancestries . [ 190 ]  Hispanic groups are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry:


(Including Afro-Caribbean and sub-Saharan African)


(Mostly  old-stock  white
Americans of British
descent)


(Not including  French Canadian )


(Not including  Taiwanese )


(No country specified)


(No tribe specified)


(Including  Hispano ,  Californio ,
 Tejano ,  Isleño , and unspecified
 Hispanic origins)


(Including  Lebanese  (583,719),  Egyptian  (334,574),  Syrian  (203,282),  Palestinian  (171,969),  Iraqi  (164,851),  Moroccan  (140,196),  Jordanian  (86,926), and all other Arab ancestries)


(Including responses of "Spaniard," "Spanish," and "Spanish American." Many  Hispanos  of  New Mexico  identify as Spanish/Spaniard)


(Not further specified)


( Mayan , etc)


All sub-Saharan African origins other those already listed +  Ugandan  (35,849),  Senegalese  (31,462), and  Zimbabwean  (17,991)


Not including  Kazakh  (21,913) or  Uzbek  (52,304)


(Pacific Islander origin without a specified  Melanesian ,  Polynesian , or  Micronesian  group)


(Including all tribes)


(10,194 additionally reported their ancestry as " Guamanian " alone, and 25,888 reported "Guamanian" alone or in combination)


(No country/territory specified)


(All Micronesian groups other
 than Chamorro/Guamanian,  Chuukese  (12,567), or Marshallese)


Religion in the United States (2023) [ 196 ]


The table below is based mainly on selected data as reported to the  United States Census Bureau . It only includes the voluntary self-reported membership of religious bodies with 750,000 or more. The definition of a member is determined by each religious body. [ 197 ]  In 2004 [update] , the US census bureau reported that about 13% of the population did not identify themselves as a member of any religion. [ 198 ] [ clarification needed ]


In a Pew Research Survey performed in 2012, Americans without a religion (atheists, agnostics, nothing in particular, etc.) approached the numbers of Evangelical Protestant Americans with almost 20% of Americans being nonreligious (compared to just over 26% being Evangelical Protestant). If this current growth rate continues, by 2050, around 51% of Americans will not have a religion. [ 199 ]


Surveys conducted in 2014 and 2019 by Pew indicated that the percentage of Americans unaffiliated with a religion increased from 16% in 2007 to 23% in 2014 and 26% of the population in 2019. [ 200 ] [ 201 ]


According to statistical data made by the  Pew Research Center  in 2021 about 63% of the US population is Christian, 28% is Unaffiliated, 2% is Jewish, 1% follows Buddhism, 1% follows Hinduism, 1% follows Islam and 2% follow traditional religions and others. Currently, the United States has the largest Christian population in the world (approximately 230-250 million) and the largest  Protestant Christian  population (approximately 150-160 million). The country also has the second largest Jewish community in the world (after Israel) and the largest Buddhist and Hindu communities in the West, as well as the largest number of followers of Islam in North America. The country has about 64 million non-affiliates (only China and Japan have more). [ citation needed ] [ 202 ]


According to  Pew Research Center  study released in 2018, by 2040, Islam will surpass Judaism to become the second largest religion in the US due to higher immigration and birth rates. [ 228 ]


The United States government does not collect religious data in its census. The survey below, the  American Religious Identification Survey  (ARIS) 2008, was a random digit-dialed telephone  survey  of 54,461 American residential households in the  contiguous United States . The 1990 sample size was 113,723; 2001 sample size was 50,281.


Adult respondents were asked the  open-ended question , "What is your religion, if any?". Interviewers did not prompt or offer a suggested list of potential answers. The religion of the spouse or partner was also asked. If the initial answer was "Protestant" or "Christian" further questions were asked to probe which particular denomination. About one-third of the sample was asked more detailed demographic questions.


Religious Self-Identification of the U.S. Adult Population: 1990, 2001, 2008 [ 229 ] Figures are not adjusted for refusals to reply; investigators suspect refusals are possibly more representative of "no religion" than any other group.


The 2000 U.S. Census counted  same-sex couples  in an oblique way; asking the sex and the relationship to the "main householder", whose sex was also asked. Community Marketing & Insights, an organization specializing in analyzing gay demographic data, reported, based on this count in the 2000 census and in the 2000 supplementary survey, that same-sex couples comprised between 1.0% and 1.1% of U.S. couples in 2000. [ 231 ]  A 2006 report issued by The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation concluded that the number of same-sex couples in the U.S. grew from 2000 to 2005, from nearly 600,000 couples in 2000 to almost 777,000 in 2005. [ 232 ]  A 2006  UCLA  study reported that 4.1% of Americans aged 18–45 identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. [ 233 ]


A 2011 report by the  Williams Institute  estimated that nine million adults identify as  gay, lesbian, or bisexual , representing 3.5% of the population over 18. [ 234 ]  A spokesperson said that, until recently, few studies have tried to distinguish people who had occasionally undertaken homosexual behavior or entertained homosexual thoughts, from people who identified as lesbian or gay. [ 235 ]  (Older estimates have varied depending on methodology and timing; see  Demographics of sexual orientation  for a list of studies.)


As of 2017, an estimated 44,525,458 residents of the United States were foreign-born, [ 237 ]  13.5% of the country's total population. This demographic includes recent as well as longstanding immigrants; statistically Europeans have resided in the US longer than those from other regions with approximately 66% having arrived prior to 2000. [ 238 ]


In 2017, out of the U.S. foreign-born population, some 45% (20.7 million) were naturalized citizens, 27% (12.3 million) were lawful permanent residents (including many eligible to become citizens), 6% (2.2 million) were temporary lawful residents, and 23% (10.5 million) were unauthorized immigrants. [ 240 ]  Among current living immigrants to the U.S., the top five countries of birth are Mexico (25% of immigrants), China (6%), India (6%), the Philippines (5%) and  El Salvador  (3%). Some 13% of current living immigrants come from Europe and Canada, and 10% from the Caribbean. [ 240 ]  Among new arrivals, Asian immigrants have been more numerous than Hispanic immigrants since 2010; in 2017, 37.4% of immigrant arrivals were Asian, and 26.6% were Hispanic. [ 240 ]  Until 2017 and 2018, the United States led the world in  refugee resettlement  for decades, admitting more refugees than the rest of the world combined. [ 241 ]  From fiscal year 1980 until 2017, 55% of refugees came from Asia, 27% from Europe, 13% from Africa, and 4% from Latin America, fleeing war and persecution. [ 241 ]


*(mid-year estimates)


As of 2017, 13.6% (44.4 million) of the population was foreign born – an increase from 4.7% in 1970 but less than the 1890 record of 14.8%. 45% of the foreign born population were naturalized US citizens. 23% (10.3 million) of the foreign born community is  undocumented , accounting for 3.2% of the total population. [ 240 ]  According to the 2010 census, Latin America and the Caribbean is the largest region-of-birth group, accounting for 53% of the foreign born population. As of 2018 this region is still the largest source of immigrants to the United States [ 243 ] [ 244 ] [ 245 ]  In 2018, there were almost 90 million immigrants and U.S. born children of immigrants ( second-generation  Americans) in the United States, accounting for 28% of the overall U.S. population. [ 246 ]  In 2018, 1,096,611 immigrants were granted either permanent or temporary legal residence in the United States [ 247 ]


As of April 2015, the U.S. State Department estimated that 8.7 million American citizens live overseas. Americans living abroad are not counted in the U.S. Census unless they are federal government employees or dependents of a federal employee. [ 250 ]  A 2010 paper estimated the number of civilian Americans living abroad to be around 4 million. [ 251 ]  So-called " accidental Americans " are citizens of a country other than the United States who may  also be considered U.S. citizens  or be eligible for  U.S. citizenship  under  specific laws  but are not aware of having such status (or became aware of it only recently). [ 252 ]


As of 2022, 1.6 million Americans live in  Mexico , according to the State Department. [ 253 ]


In 2020, the  median household income  in the United States was around $67,521, 2.9 percent less than the 2019 median of $69,560. [ 254 ]  Household and personal income depends on variables such as race, number of  income earners , educational attainment and marital status.


Social classes in the United States lack distinct boundaries and may overlap. Even their existence (when distinguished from economic strata) is controversial. The following table provides a summary of some prominent academic theories on the stratification of American society:


As of July 2020 [update] , the U.S. unemployment rate was 10.2 percent (U3 rate).


As of July 2019 [update] , the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent (U3 rate).


As of July 2018 [update] , the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent (U3 rate).


As of July 2017 [update] , the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.3 percent (U3 rate). [ 261 ]


As of July 2016 [update] , the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.9 percent (U3 rate). [ 261 ]


As of July 2015 [update] , the U.S. unemployment rate was 5.3 percent (U3 rate). [ 262 ]


As of July 2014 [update] , the U.S. unemployment rate was 6.2 percent (U3 rate). [ 261 ]


The  U6  unemployment rate as of April 2017 [update]  was 8.6 percent. [ 263 ]  The U6 unemployment rate counts not only people without work seeking full-time employment (the more familiar U3 rate), but also counts "marginally attached workers and those working part-time for economic reasons." Some of these part-time workers counted as employed by U6 could be working as little as an hour a week. And the "marginally attached workers" include those who have become discouraged and stopped looking, but still want to work. The age considered for this calculation is 16 years and over.


Urban Americans have more job opportunities than those in more rural areas. From 2008 to 2018, 72% of the nation's employment growth occurred in cities with more than one million residents, which account for 56% of the overall population. [ 264 ]


A definitive recent study of US generational cohorts was done by Schuman and Scott (2012) in which a broad sample of adults of all ages was asked, "What world events are especially important to you?" [ 265 ]  They found that 33 events were mentioned with great frequency. When the ages of the respondents were correlated with the expressed importance rankings, seven (some put 8 or 9) distinct cohorts became evident.


Today the following descriptors are frequently used for these cohorts:


Subdivided groups are present when peak boom years or inverted peak bust years are present, and may be represented by a  normal  or  inverted bell -shaped curve (rather than a straight curve). The boom subdivided cohorts may be considered as "pre-peak" (including peak year) and "post-peak". The year 1957 was the baby boom peak with 4.3 million births and 122.7 fertility rate. Although post-peak births (such as trailing edge boomers) are in decline, and sometimes referred to as a "bust", there are still a  relatively  large number of births. The dearth-in-birth bust cohorts include those up to the valley birth year, and those including and beyond, leading up to the subsequent normal birth rate. The baby boom began around 1943 to 1946. [ 271 ]