Net Worth: Best and Worst of States

$118,200: that was the median net worth of American households in 2019, according to the Census Bureau's 2020 Survey of Income and Program Participation. Net worth is calculated by subtracting a household's debts from its assets. The remainder is net worth—or wealth. 

Housing equity accounts for most household wealth. In 2019, American homeowners had a median of $130,000 in home equity (housing value minus housing debt). Excluding home equity, the median household net worth of Americans is just $41,200. 

Net worth varies greatly by state. Here are the states with the highest median net worth...

The five states with the highest median household net worth, 2019

1. Hawaii: $373,200

2. Massachusetts: $251,000

3. New Hampshire: $243,600

4. North Dakota: $241,000

5. Minnesota: $228,500

The median net worth of households in another three states—Colorado, South Dakota, and California—also exceeds $200,000. 

Here are the states with the lowest median net worth...

The five states with the lowest median household net worth, 2019

46. Tennessee: $70,100

47. West Virginia: $65,290

48. New Mexico: $56,450

49. Arkansas: $49,990

50. Mississippi: $40,280

Another 13 states have a median household net worth of less than $100,000, including Florida and Texas. The net worth of households in the District of Columbia is just $24,000. 

Source: Census Bureau, State-Level Wealth, Asset Ownership, & Debt of Households Detailed Tables: 2019

Be Careful Where You Go

There is great geographic variation in Covid-19 vaccination rates by urban-rural classification, according to an analysis by the CDC. Through January 2022, Americans aged 5 or older who live in the nation's largest metropolitan counties were most likely to have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. Those who live in rural counties were least likely to be vaxxed...

Percent of residents aged 5-plus with at least one dose of a Covid vaccine by urban-rural classification

80.4%: Large central metropolitan county

76.1%: Large fringe metropolitan county

72.2%: Medium metropolitan county

64.4%: Small metropolitan county

60.4%: Micropolitan county

55.8%: Rural county

In 11 states, fewer than half of rural county residents have been vaccinated: Indiana (49.1 percent), Louisiana (49.1 percent), Tennessee (49.1 percent), Florida (48.4 percent), Idaho (47.8 percent), Wyoming (47.6 percent), Georgia (47.6 percent), Missouri (46.6 percent), Ohio (44.7 percent), Nebraska (43.9 percent), and at the very bottom—Texas (41.4 percent). 

Be careful out there.

Source: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Report, Disparities in Covid-19 Vaccination Coverage between Urban and Rural Counties—United States, December 14, 2020—January 31, 2022

The Five Worst States

State of residence increasingly determines physical and economic wellbeing. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the latest statistics on health insurance coverage. Among the population under age 65, those living in states that refused to expand Medicaid coverage as intended by the Affordable Care Act are much more likely to be without health insurance, according to a National Center for Health Statistics report. 

As of 2020, 35 states had expanded Medicaid coverage to include all adults with incomes up to and including 138 percent of the federal poverty level. In the Medicaid expansion states, only 8.5 percent of people under age 65 were uninsured. 

Fifteen states had not expanded Medicaid coverage as of 2020. In those states, fully 17.1 percent of the population under age 65 was uninsured—double the uninsured rate of the expansion states. These were the holdout states at the time: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Three of these states have expanded Medicaid since 2020—Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

Which states are the worst when it comes to health insurance? These are the top five...

Five states with the largest percentage of uninsured among population under age 65, 2020

24.0% in Oklahoma

23.1% in Texas

20.3% in Georgia

16.9% in North Carolina

16.7% in Florida

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Geographic Variation in Health Insurance Coverage: United States, 2020 (PDF)

Slowest Population Growth in U.S. History

The nation's population has never grown more slowly. Between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021, the U.S. population grew by just 0.1 percent—a gain of 392,665 people. This is the first time since 1937 that the annual numerical population increase has been below 1 million people, the Census Bureau reports. 

With births falling and deaths rising during the pandemic, it's little wonder population growth has slowed to a crawl. International migration is below normal as well, dragging the numbers down. 

Deaths outnumbered births in 25 states between July 2020 and July 2021. The excess of deaths was greatest in Florida, which had 45,248 more deaths than births during the year. In three other states, deaths outnumbered births by more than 10,000: Michigan (-14,353), Ohio (-15,811), and Pennsylvania (-30,878).

Overall, a stunning 17 states and the District of Columbia lost population in the past year...

States losing population between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021 (alphabetical listing)

California

District of Columbia

Hawaii

Kansas

Illinois

Louisiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Mississippi

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Dakota

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

West Virginia

Source: Census Bureau, National Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020—2021

Home Births Way Up in 2020

The number of home births surged in 2020. The 45,646 babies born at home were 19 percent more than the 2019 number. Babies born at home accounted for 1.26 percent of all births in 2020, up from 1.03 percent of births in 2019—a 21 percent increase and the highest share since 1990. What accounts for this increase? Covid, of course. Because of "concerns about contracting Covid-19 while in the hospital, limitations or bans on support people in the hospital, and the separation of infants from mothers suspected to have Covid-19, interest in giving birth at home increased," explains the National Center for Health Statistics. 

By month, the percentage of births occurring at home in January and February of 2020 was the same as the share in 2019. The percentage jumped above the trend line in March 2020, when the share was 5 percent greater than in March 2019. In April 2020, the home birth share was 23 percent higher than in April 2019. In May 2020, the home birth share was 45 percent greater than it had been one year earlier. The share remained well above average in every month through the rest of the year. 

Home births accounted for more than 2 percent of total births in these 12 states in 2020...

3.18% in Idaho

3.02% in Vermont

2.82% in Wisconsin

2.63% in Utah

2.59% in Montana

2.58% in Washington

2.43% in Hawaii

2.40% in Oregon

2.32% in Maine

2.25% in Alaska

2.25% in Wyoming

2.20% in Pennsylvania

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Changes in Home Births by Race and Hispanic Origin and State of Residence of Mother: United States, 2018–19 and 2019–20 (PDF)

Center of Population Still in Missouri

The center of population is still in Missouri, the Census Bureau reports. The center's latitude and longitude place it 14.6 miles northeast of the tiny town of Hartville. The center has been ambling through Missouri since 1980. Every decade after completing the census, the Census Bureau calculates the mean center of population. It defines the mean center "as the place where an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all residents were of identical weight." It's imaginary, but instructive. 

Between 2010 and 2020, the center of population moved only 11.8 miles. This is the shortest distance the center has moved since 1920 and the second shortest distance ever, the Census Bureau reports. It is also the most southerly move ever. "This southerly drift and shorter distance can be attributed to a strong pull on the center by continued population growth in the Southeast," the Census Bureau explains.

The Census Bureau also calculates the mean center of population for states and counties. You can see your state and county centers of population and how far they moved between 2010 and 2020 on this data visualization. 

Source: Census Bureau, Census Bureau Announces Hartville, Missouri as "Center of Population" for the United States

Deaths Exceeded Births in 25 States in 2020

A new record was set in 2019. Deaths exceeded births in five states. Never before had so many states experienced negative natural increase, reports Kenneth M Johnson, a senior demographer at the Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire. 

But wait. The numbers for 2020 make the 2019 record look quaint. Deaths exceeded births in half of all states in 2020, according to Johnson's analysis of data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The 25 states with more deaths than births in 2020 can be found in every region of the country including Arizona and Oregon in the West, Missouri and Wisconsin in the Midwest, Florida and South Carolina in the South, and Connecticut and Massachusetts in the Northeast. 

The trend could intensify in 2021. With births continuing to decline and Covid deaths in 2021 exceeding the 2020 number, Johnson predicts another year in which many states will experience negative natural increase, further reducing population growth in the United States. 

Source: Kenneth M. Johnson, Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire, Deaths Exceeded Births in a Record Number of States in 2020

Only 9.3% of Small Businesses Have Vaccine Mandate

Covid-19 vaccine mandates are becoming more common among the nation's major employers but are still relatively rare among small businesses, according to the Census Bureau's Small Business Pulse Survey. Nationally, only 9.3 percent of small businesses say they require employees to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination before physically coming to work, according to the survey fielded August 23-29. 

Small businesses in the health care industry are most likely to require proof of vaccination, but even in health care just 15. 8 percent are mandating vaccination.

By state, small businesses in the District of Columbia are most likely to require proof of vaccination, at 26.3 percent. In Rhode Island the figure is 20.7 percent and in California 17.2 percent.

Among major metropolitan areas, San Francisco leads the pack with more than one-quarter of small businesses requiring employees to show proof of vaccination...

Percent of small businesses requiring employees to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination before physically coming to work, selected metropolitan areas, August 23-29

San Francisco: 25.5%

San Jose: 22.3%

San Diego: 17.6%

Seattle: 17.6%

Sacramento: 16.8%

New York: 15.3%

Los Angeles: 14.8%

Riverside: 13.1%

Boston: 12.7%

Miami: 11.5%

Portland: 11.0%

Denver: 10.1%

Tampa: 9.4%

Philadelphia: 9.1%

Houston: 7.9%

Chicago: 7.0%

Minneapolis: 6.3%

Source: Census Bureau, Small Business Pulse Survey, August 23-29

The Worst States for Health Insurance

Nationally, 14.5 percent of adults aged 18 to 64 did not have health insurance in 2019, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Texas is number one in the percentage of working-age adults without health insurance. Nearly one-third of Texans aged 18 to 64 does not have health insurance—more than double the national rate. In Oklahoma, one in four lacks health insurance. In Georgia and Florida, the figure is one in five. Why are these states doing so poorly? They have refused to expand Medicaid to all low-income adults (up to 138 percent of poverty level), as provided by the Affordable Care Act. 

States with the largest percentage of adults aged 18 to 64 without health insurance

Texas: 30.5%

Oklahoma: 25.6%

Georgia: 22.3%

Florida: 20.6%

Arkansas and North Carolina tie for 5th place on the list of the worst, with 17.8 percent of working-age adults uninsured. 

In states that have refused to expand Medicaid, an average of 20.8 percent of working-age adults do not have health insurance. In states that have expanded Medicaid, a much smaller 10.9 percent of adults aged 18 to 64 lack health insurance. The 17 states that had not expanded Medicaid as of 2019 were: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. 

Note: As of 2021, five additional states have adopted Medicaid expansion: Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Utah. 

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Geographic Variation in Health Insurance Coverage: United States, 2019 (PDF)

Births Declined in All 50 States

The results are in. The coronavirus pandemic led to a substantial decline in births in the United States. There were fewer births in the United States in every month of 2020 than in the same month of 2019, the National Center for Health Statistics reports. The decline during the second half of the year (6 percent) was greater than the decline in the first half of the year (2 percent). The biggest decline occurred in December, with 8 percent fewer births in 2020 than in December 2019. 

"The impact of the pandemic on the United States in 2020 varied by month," the NCHS reports. "The impact also varied widely by state as the infection spread across the United States." 

In the first half of 2020, the number of births fell in 20 states due to the long-term trend of declining fertility. In comparison, 27 states had declining births in the first half of 2019. 

In the second half of 2020, the effects of the pandemic began to emerge. The number of births declined in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In comparison, births declined in only 9 states in the second half of 2019. Here are the states with the largest declines...

States with the largest decline in births, second half of 2020 versus 2019

-11% in New Mexico

  -9% in New York

  -8% in California

  -8% in Hawaii

  -8% in West Virginia

The remaining states and D.C. had declines of 3 to 7 percent. 

"Evaluation of trends in births by month will continue to determine whether these declines continued into 2021 or were unique to 2020 during the time of the initial Covid-19 pandemic," the NCHS concludes.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Birth Data, Declines in Births by Month: United States, 2020

A Few Surprises in the First 2020 Census Results

April 1, 2020, was undoubtedly one of the worst times to conduct a decennial census. Just a few weeks before Census Day, on March 13, the United States had declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses were closed down. States were in lockdown. Students fled college campuses and returned to their hometowns. It was a mess. That's why we've waited so long for 2020 census numbers—the Census Bureau has been busy ensuring that the "2020 census results meet our high quality standards." Yesterday, the first results were released—population counts for the nation as a whole and the 50 states. 

The 2020 census counts differ from the Census Bureau's 2020 population estimates in some surprising ways... 

• Population growth was greater than estimated. The Census Bureau had estimated a 2020 population of 329 million—6.7 percent more U.S. residents than in 2010. This would have made the 2010s the slowest decade of growth in U.S. history. Instead, the 2020 Census counted 331,440,281 U.S. residents as of April 1, 2020. This is nearly 2 million more than estimated, resulting in a growth rate of 7.4 percent for the decade. Consequently, the 2010s was not the slowest decade of growth in U.S. history but the second slowest. The 1930s retains its position as the decade of slowest growth, when the population grew by 7.3 percent.
• Some of the fastest-growing states did not grow quite as fast as estimated. Arizona, for example, was estimated to have grown by 16 percent over the decade, but the 2020 census reveals the state's growth to have been a smaller 12 percent, with 270,000 fewer people living in the state in 2020 than had been estimated. Similarly, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas came up short as well. While these states grew faster than most others, they did not grow quite as fast as estimated.
• Some of the slowest-growing states gained more people than estimated. The population of New Jersey, for example, was estimated to have grown by 1 percent between 2010 and 2020. But the 2020 census shows that New Jersey's population grew by a much larger 5.7 percent—407,700 more people than had been estimated. Similarly, rather than declining by 0.2 percent over the decade, New York State's population grew by 4.2 percent—an additional 864,000 people. The pattern is the same for Massachusetts, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. 
• Only three states lost population during the decade rather than the five estimated. The losing states were Illinois (-0.1 percent), Mississippi (-0.2 percent), and West Virginia (-3.2 percent). Connecticut and New York had been estimated to lose population but instead made gains. 

Source: Census Bureau, 2020 Census Apportionment Results

Homeownership in 2020 Is below 2000

The 2000s have not been good for homeownership—so far, at least. The 66.6 percent homeownership rate of 2020 was below the 67.4 percent rate of 2000—not only nationally, but in almost every age group and in 30 of 50 states, according to the Census Bureau's Housing Vacancy Survey. 

We all know how this happened—the housing bubble, the collapse of the housing market, the Great Recession, and the long recovery. During the bubble, the nation's homeownership rate climbed to an all-time high of 69.0 percent in 2004. In the slow recovery from the Great Recession, the homeownership rate fell for years. It hit a post-Great Recession low of 63.4 percent in 2016. Since then, the rate has been inching back up each year.

Only two age groups had a higher homeownership rate in 2020 than they did in 2000—householders under age 25, and householders aged 75 or older. Every other age group had a lower homeownership rate, with the biggest declines (5 or more percentage points) occurring among householders ranging in age from 30 to 59.

Homeownership rate by age of householder, 2000 and 2020

	2020	2000	change
U.S. total	66.6%	67.4%	-0.8
Under age 25	25.7	21.7	4.0
Aged 25 to 29	35.3	38.1	-2.8
Aged 30 to 34	49.1	54.6	-5.5
Aged 35 to 39	60.0	65.0	-5.0
Aged 40 to 44	65.5	70.6	-5.1
Aged 45 to 49	68.8	74.7	-5.9
Aged 50 to 54	73.2	78.5	-5.3
Aged 55 to 59	74.9	80.4	-5.5
Aged 60 to 64	78.2	80.3	-2.1
Aged 65 to 69	79.6	83.0	-3.4
Aged 70 to 74	82.1	82.6	-0.5
Aged 75-plus	79.0	77.7	1.3

By state, the biggest decline in homeownership between 2000 and 2020 occurred in North Dakota (down 6.5 percentage points), followed by Pennsylvania (-4.8), and Wisconsin (-3.9). Among the 20 states and the District of Columbia with gains in homeownership between 2000 and 2020, Delaware saw the biggest increase (5.9 percentage points), following by New Hampshire (5.3) and Vermont (4.4).

It remains to be seen how the coronavirus pandemic will affect homeownership. The housing market appears to be hot right now, but that's largely because the pandemic has reduced the number of sellers, driving up prices. 

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Census Bureau's Housing Vacancy Survey

Homeschooling Surges during Pandemic

Homeschooling has "exploded" during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the Census Bureau. And by homeschooling, the Census Bureau does not mean remote learning. Rather, it is homeschooling through "pandemic pods," stand-alone virtual schools, or homeschooling organizations. 

Before the pandemic, just 3.3 percent of households with school-aged children participated in homeschooling. By the spring of 2020 (April 23-May 5), the figure had grown to 5.4 percent, according to the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. By the fall of 2020 (September 30-October 12), a substantial 11.1 percent reported homeschooling their children. 

No state had a homeschooling rate of 10 percent or higher in the spring of 2020. At that time, the homeschooling rate was highest in Alaska (9.6 percent of households with school-aged children), followed by Delaware (8.9 percent), California (8.6 percent), Oregon (8.3 percent), and Montana (8.2 percent). 

By the fall of 2020, the homeschooling rate had climbed above 10 percent in 32 states. 

10 states with highest homeschooling rate, Sept. 30-Oct. 12, 2020

Alaska: 27.5% 

Oklahoma: 20.1%

Montana: 18.3%

Florida: 18.1% 

Virginia: 16.9% 

West Virginia: 16.6%

Georgia: 16.0%

Mississippi: 15.0%

Louisiana: 14.5%

New Mexico: 14.3%

Illinois had the lowest homeschooling rate in the fall of 2020, with only 5.4 percent of households with school-aged children engaged in homeschooling.

Source: Census Bureau, Homeschooling on the Rise during Covid-19 Pandemic

First Time Ever: Life Expectancy by State

For the first time ever, the National Center for Health Statistics has released a report estimating life expectancy by state. The estimates are for 2018, with plans to produce the state estimates annually. 

The report reveals big differences by state in life expectancy at birth and at age 65. Hawaii is number one on both measures, with a life expectancy at birth of 81.0 years and at age 65 of 21.1 years. Life expectancy at birth bottoms out in West Virginia, at 74.4 years. Kentucky is last among the states in life expectancy at age 65—just 17.5 years. Here are the top and bottom states for life expectancy at birth...

Top 10		Bottom 10
1. Hawaii	81.0	42. Missouri	76.6
2. California	80.8	43. South Carolina	76.5
3. New York	80.5	44. Arkansas	75.6
4. Minnesota	80.5	45. Oklahoma	75.6
5. Connecticut	80.4	46. Louisiana	75.6
6. Massachusetts	80.1	47. Tennessee	75.5
7. Washington	80.0	48. Kentucky	75.3
8. Colorado	80.0	49. Alabama	75.1
9. New Jersey	79.8	50. Mississippi	74.6
10. Rhode Island	79.8	51. West Virginia	74.4

The life expectancy of males at birth is highest in California, at 78.4 years. Female life expectancy at birth is highest in Hawaii, at 84.0 years. For both males and females, life expectancy at birth is lowest in West Virginia—71.7 and 77.3 years, respectively.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. State Life Tables, 2018 (PDF)

Nearly 1 Million Same-Sex Couple Households

There were 980,000 same-sex couple households in the United States in 2019, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The 58 percent majority of these households are married couples, and 42 percent are unmarried partners. 

By state, North Dakota has the smallest percentage of same-sex couple households as a share of all coupled households (0.5 percent). The District of Columbia has the largest percentage (7.1 percent). 

By metropolitan area, San Francisco is number one. In the San Francisco metro area, 2.8 percent of all coupled households are same-sex couples. The other metros on the top-10 list are Portland, Seattle, Orlando, Austin, Miami, Boston, Denver, Phoenix, and Baltimore. 

These percentages will grow in the years ahead as more Americans feel free to identify as LGBT because of changing attitudes. According to a recent Gallup survey, 5.6 percent of all Americans aged 18 or older identified as LGBT in 2020. This is up from 3.9 percent in 2015. Self-identification as LGBT increases with each succeeding younger generation. Among Baby Boomers, only 2.0 percent identify as LGBT. The figure is 3.8 percent among Gen Xers, 9.1 percent among Millennials, and 15.9 percent among Gen Z.

Source: Census Bureau, Same-Sex Couple Households: 2019

Older Workers Projected To Be 25% of Labor Force

The workforce is getting older as the Baby-Boom generation ages. Workers aged 55 or older will account for one in four workers by 2029, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics' projections, nearly double the share in 1999...

Workers aged 55-plus as a share of the labor force
1999: 12.7%
2009: 18.8%
2019: 23.5%
2029: 25.2%

In 17 states, workers aged 55-plus already account for 25 percent or more of the labor force, according to a BLS analysis of 2019 data. The states with the largest shares of older workers are Vermont (28.8 percent), Maine (28.7 percent), and New Hampshire (28.3 percent). The New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island are also above 25 percent, as are the Middle Atlantic states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Florida, of course, ranks among states with the oldest labor force. But so does Hawaii. The remaining states that make the list are Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wyoming.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections

Employment-Population Ratio below 50% in 10 States

In normal times, the employed outnumber those who are not employed among the population aged 16 or older. Nationally, that's still the case. But in 10 states, the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic has driven the employment-population ratio below 50 percent.

Nationally, the employment-population ratio was 52.8 percent in May 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, meaning 52.8 percent of the population aged 16 or older was currently employed. This figure is well below the 60.6 percent employment-population ratio one year earlier in May 2019. The 7.8 percentage point drop in the national ratio between May 2019 and May 2020 pales in comparison to the decline in some states. In Nevada, for example, the employment-population ratio fell by 19 percentage points...

May 2020 employment-population ratio in the 10 states with a ratio below 50 percent

	employment-population ratio	percentage point change, May 2019-May 2020
California	49.6%	-10.1
Florida	47.1	-10.1
Hawaii	45.0	-14.0
Louisiana	49.6	-6.1
Michigan	46.8	-12.3
Mississippi	47.2	-5.5
Nevada	41.9	-19.2
New Mexico	49.9	-5.3
New York	49.8	-8.4
West Viriginia	47.2	-5.0

Overall, 8 states experienced a double-digit decline in their employment-population ratio between May 2019 and May 2020. Five of the states are shown above. The three additional states are Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment-Population Ratio Less than 50.0 Percent for 10 States in May 2020

The Worst Is Still to Come

The worst is still to come. That's what most Americans think about the coronavirus pandemic. The 59 percent majority of the public says we haven't seen the worst of it yet, according to a Pew Research Center survey fielded on June 16-22. This is 14 percentage points below the 73 percent who felt this way in April. Among Democrats, 76 percent believe the worst is yet to come, down from 87 percent in April. Among Republicans, 38 percent think it will get worse—18 percentage points below the 56 percent who felt that way in April.

Americans may be in denial about the worsening coronavirus pandemic, but businesses are not. A growing share are pessimistic about the future, according to the Census Bureau's Small Business Pulse Survey. In April, only 38 percent of small businesses thought it would take more than 6 months for their operations to return to normal. Now, a larger 50 percent feel that way. In Texas—a coronavirus hot spot—the ranks of the pessimists expanded from 34 percent in April to 52 percent in June.

Source: Pew Research Center, Republicans, Democrats Move Even Further Apart in Coronavirus Concerns; and Census Bureau, Small Business Pulse Survey

Income Losses Widespread by Metro, State

Americans everywhere have been badly hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. Among all adults aged 18 or older, 48 percent say they or a member of their household has experienced an employment income loss since March 13. By metropolitan area, the figure ranges from a low of 41 percent in Washington, DC, to a high of 60 percent in Los Angeles...

Percent of adults in 15 largest metros with household employment income loss since March 13 
50.3% in Atlanta
48.5% in Boston
48.8% in Chicago
49.9% in Dallas
57.5% in Detroit
52.9% in Houston
59.6% in Los Angeles
57.5% in Miami
55.2% in New York
50.4% in Philadelphia
47.1% in Phoenix
59.2% in Riverside-San Bernardino
54.8% in San Francisco
49.2% in Seattle
40.8% in Washington, DC

By state, the percentage of adults whose household has experienced an employment income loss ranges from lows of 36 to 37 percent in Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming to highs of 54 to 56 percent in California, Michigan, Nevada, and New York.

Source: Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey Week 6 (June 4-9)

21% of Adults Were Caregivers in 2015–2017

Public health officials are becoming increasingly concerned about the looming need for caregiving as the baby-boom generation ages into infirmity. To find out how much caregiving is currently being provided, the CDC included questions about it in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys of 2015, 2016, and 2017.

According to the CDC's estimate, 17.7 million adults were informal, unpaid caregivers in 2015. They had provided regular care in the past 30 days to a friend or family member with a health problem or disability. Over the three-year time period, a substantial 21 percent of adults were caregivers.

Because the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is a survey administered by the states, the CDC report on caregiving provides state-level detail. Caregivers are most prevalent in the southern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee, where more than 25 percent of adults are currently providing care. Women are the majority of caregivers in every state and account for 58 percent of caregivers nationally. By age, 45 percent of caregivers are under age 45, 34 percent are aged 45 to 64, and 21 percent are aged 65 or older. In Florida and Oregon, more than 25 percent of caregivers are aged 65 or older. Among caregivers nationally, 19 percent report being in fair or poor health.

"As the U.S. population continues to age, the need for informal caregivers is likely to increase," the CDC concludes. But "population dynamics might result in fewer available caregivers per person." There are several reasons for a potential caregiver shortage, says the CDC—smaller family sizes and fewer adult children, working women, and geographically dispersed families.

Source: CDC, Characteristics and Health Status of Informal Unpaid Caregivers—44 States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2015–2017