Population by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2015

The U.S. population grew by 12.1 million between 2010 and 2015, according to the Census Bureau. Non-Hispanic Whites accounted for just 5 percent of the gain, and the nation's minorities accounted for the other 95 percent. In 2015, the minority share of the population climbed to 38.4 percent, up from 36.2 percent in 2010. Here are the 2015 estimates by race and Hispanic origin...

Total population: 321,418,820
The U.S. population grew by 3.9 percent between 2010 and 2015, a gain of 12.1 million.

Non-Hispanic Whites: 197,970,812 (61.6%)
The non-Hispanic White population grew by a minuscule 0.3 percent between 2010 and 2015, a gain of only 583,195. The non-Hispanic White share of the population fell from 63.8 to 61.6 percent during those years.

Hispanics: 56,592,793 (17.6%)
The Hispanic population grew by 11.5 percent between 2010 and 2015, a gain of 5.8 million. Hispanics accounted for 48 percent of the nation's population growth between 2010 and 2015.

Blacks (alone or in combination): 46,282,080 (14.4%)
The Black population grew by 7.1 percent between 2010 and 2015, a gain of 3.1 million.

Asians (alone or in combination): 20,994,374 (6.5%)
The Asian population grew by 18.8 percent between 2010 and 2015, a gain of 3.3 million.

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates 2015

The Big Business of Alternative Medicine

Alternative medicine is big business. Americans spend $30 billion annually out-of-pocket on what the federal government calls "complementary health" practitioners and products, according to the 2012 National Health Interview Survey. Complementary health practitioners are those who provide acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic services, massage, energy healing therapy, yoga, and tai chi, among other services. Complementary health products include fish oil, co-enzyme Q10, ginseng, melatonin, probiotics, and many other herbs or nonvitamin supplements.

How much is $30 billion? It's 1.1 percent of total health care expenditures in the United States. It's 9.2 percent of total out-of-pocket health care expenditures. The $12 billion portion devoted to natural products is 24 percent of the amount Americans spend out-of-pocket on prescription drugs. The $15 billion portion devoted to complementary health practitioners is 30 percent of the amount Americans spend out-of-pocket on physician visits.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, Expenditures on Complementary Health Approaches: United States, 2012

Vehicle Purchases in Past 12 Months

How much do Americans love cars? They love them so much that one in four adults (or their spouse or partner) bought a car or truck in the past 12 months, according to a Federal Reserve Board survey. Among car/truck buyers...

• 38% bought a new vehicle. Nearly half of high-income buyers, with household incomes above $100,000, bought a new vehicle (47 percent). Among low-income buyers, with household incomes below $40,000, only 27 percent bought new. 
• 35% bought a used vehicle from a car dealer, with little variation by household income.
• 17% bought a used vehicle from a private seller. Only 6 percent of high-income buyers bought a used car from a private seller versus a substantial 31 percent of low-income buyers.
• 9% leased a vehicle, with little variation by household income.

Source: Federal Reserve Board, Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2015

Even The Best Surveys Have Problems

Just how accurate are even the best surveys—the federal government's Current Population Survey, for example. The CPS is the source of vital economic indicators such as labor force participation and unemployment. Do the rates it measures reflect reality?

A National Bureau of Economic Research analysis examines this question, analyzing some of the basic indicators measured by the CPS, the Consumer Expenditure Survey, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The goal of the analysis was to determine how much certain indicators vary depending on the number of times survey interviewers attempt to contact respondents. Disturbingly, the indicators vary quite a bit. The labor force participation rate is lower, for example, among participants who respond on the first attempt and higher for those who require three or four attempts before participating in the survey—even after controlling for demographic characteristics. The labor force participation rate was just 63.0 percent among respondents reached on the first attempt and climbed to 72.3 percent among respondents who could be reached only after three or four attempts. The unemployment rate was higher among those reached on the first attempt (8.1 percent) than among harder-to-reach respondents (6.7 percent). The researchers found similar troubling variations in measures produced by the other two surveys: household spending (Consumer Expenditure Survey), and obesity (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System).

How much do our important socioeconomic indicators reflect reality and how much are they a function of who is easiest to reach? What about those who can't be reached after multiple attempts? The authors of the study are concerned.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, Difficulty to Reach Respondents and Nonresponse Bias: Evidence from Large Government Surveys, Working Paper 22333 ($5)

ACA Boosts Financial Security

Better physical health is not the only potential benefit of the Affordable Care Act, according to a Liberty Street Economics analysis. Financial health also appears to improve when more Americans have health insurance. Using data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Consumer Credit Panel, fed researchers analyzed credit card balances and credit scores by county in states that did and did not expand Medicaid. Their conclusion: the expansion of Medicaid has a led to "average per capita credit card balances declining in the counties most affected by the Medicaid expansion." Credit scores increased the most in those areas as well.

"We offer suggestive early evidence that the Medicaid expansion is fulfilling the goal of health insurance: providing 'peace of mind' by protecting against financial hardship," conclude the researchers, who will continue to investigate these dynamics as more data become available.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Liberty Street Economics, Is Health Insurance Good for Your Financial Health?

Decline in Daily Newspaper Readers: Thanks Internet!

Newspaper employment has plummeted over the past two decades, according to a Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' data, with most of the decline occurring since 2007—when the smartphone transformed the internet into something personal and portable. Behind the decline in newspaper employment is the shrinking newspaper audience, a trend starkly documented in Pew Research Center's State of the News Media 2016. The percentage of Americans who read a daily newspaper (print or digital) has plummeted since 2007...

Percent reading a daily newspaper in 2015 (and in 2007)
Aged 18 to 24: 16% (33%)
Aged 25 to 34: 17% (34%)
Aged 35 to 44: 21% (43%)
Aged 45 to 54: 28% (53%)
Aged 55 to 64: 38% (59%)
Aged 65-plus: 50% (66%)

Source: Pew Research Center, State of the News Media 2016

Finances Getting Better or Worse?

Every year for the past three, the Federal Reserve Board has surveyed the nation's households to determine their economic well-being. Among many other questions, the survey asks respondents how they're doing financially. In 2015, this is what they said:

Economic well-being in 2015
28% living comfortably
41% doing okay
22% just getting by
9% finding it difficult to get by

The 69 percent of Americans who were doing okay or living comfortably in 2015 was 4 percentage points greater than in 2014—a statistically significant increase, according to the report. But some are doing better than others. The 2015 survey included a panel of 2014 respondents, which was asked whether their finances had gotten better or worse over the past year. Among those living comfortably in 2014, a substantial 35 percent were doing even better in 2015 and 7 percent were worse. Among those finding it difficult to get by in 2014, only 18 percent were doing better in 2015 and fully 49 percent said their finances were even worse.

Source: Federal Reserve Board, Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2015

How Many Teenagers Take Risks?

Risky behavior ranked by percentage of 9th to 12th graders engaging in the activity...

41.5% texted or emailed while driving in past 30 days
32.8% drank alcohol in past 30 days
30.1% sexually active in past 3 months
24.1% currently use vaping products
22.6% were in a physical fight in past 12 months
21.7% currently use marijuana
20.0% rode with a driver who had been drinking in past 30 days
16.2% carried a weapon in past 30 days
10.8% currently smoke cigarettes
7.8% drove after drinking in past 30 days
5.3% carried a gun in past 30 days

Source: CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2015

What Would Help Low-Income Households the Most?

What is the most effective way to improve the economic wellbeing of the nation's low-income households? A study by the Brookings Institution answers the question by simulating different labor market interventions and determining which one would boost income the most.

The study focused on the poorest one-third of households headed by able-bodied 25-to-54-year-olds. These households are struggling to get by on average annual earnings of just $12,415. By simulating the effect of different labor market interventions on these households—such as raising the minimum wage, helping single mothers, boosting high school graduation rates, and so on—the researchers identify the one intervention that would make the biggest difference: full-time work.

Only 46 percent of low-income householders have a full-time job versus 87 percent of their higher-income counterparts. If all low-income household heads worked full-time at the wage expected for their education, race, and gender, their earnings would rise substantially. No other labor market intervention comes close to making this big a difference. Boosting the high school graduation rate to 90 percent, for example, adds only $370 to the $12,415 annual earnings of low-income households. Raising the minimum wage to $12/hour increases earnings to $14,722. But finding every low-income household head a full-time job makes the biggest difference, lifting earnings to $19,163, a 54 percent increase.

Source: The Brookings Institution, Isabel Sawhill, Edward Rodrigue, and Nathan Joo, One Third of a Nation: Strategies For Helping Working Families

Disability Free Life Expectancy is Rising

The life expectancy of Americans at age 65 has been rising. Between 1992 and 2008, life expectancy at age 65 climbed from 17.5 to 18.8 years—a gain of 1.3 years. Even better, all of the gain was in disability-free years, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research analysis of data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.

In 1991-94, the 17.5 years of life remaining to a 65-year-old was about equally split between disability-free years (8.9) and years of disability (8.6). By 2006-2009, disability-free years of life remaining had expanded to 10.7, and disabled years had fallen to 8.1.

What accounts for this longer, healthier life? Fully 63 percent of the increase is due to fewer deaths and less disability from two health conditions, say the researchers: cardiovascular disease and vision problems. The improvement in these conditions is due in part to changing social factors, such as rising educational attainment, and due in part to better medical treatment. The researchers calculate that 15 percent of the overall increase in disability-free life expectancy is due to better medical treatment of cardiovascular disease. Five percent of the overall increase is due to cataract surgery.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, Understanding the Improvement in Disability Free Life Expectancy in the U.S. Elderly Population, NBER Working Paper 22306

Births by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2015

The ongoing baby bust is delaying the inevitable—the day when Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians will account for the majority of Americans, projected to occur in 2043. The racial and ethnic composition of the population is not changing as fast as foreseen by the Census Bureau because minorities are having fewer babies than was assumed in the projections and non-Hispanic Whites are having more.

Among the 3,977,745 babies born in 2015, fully 53.5 percent were non-Hispanic White. The Census Bureau's projections had the share at 50.4 percent. Only 23.2 percent of babies born in 2015 were Hispanic, while the Census Bureau projected the share at 24.9 percent. Black and Asian births are also below projections.

Percent distribution of births by race and Hispanic origin in 2015
Asian: 7.1%
Black: 14.8%
Hispanic: 23.2%
Non-Hispanic White: 53.5%

Overall, the Census Bureau was almost on target regarding the total number of births in 2015. The  projected total was only 21,000 more than the actual number. But the Census Bureau underestimated non-Hispanic White births by 5.3 percent (113,000 too low) and overestimated Hispanic births by 7.8 percent (72,000 too high).

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Census Bureau's 2014 National Population Projections and National Center for Health Statistics, Births: Preliminary Data for 2015

Median New House Price at Record High

The wait is over: the median sales price of new single-family houses sold hit an all-time high in 2015, finally surpassing the 2005 peak after adjusting for inflation. Between 2005 and the 2011 post-Great Recession low, the median price of new houses sold fell 18 percent. Since then, the price of new houses has climbed 24 percent. The 2015 price exceeds the 2005 price by 1 percent (or $4,043).

Median price of new single-family houses sold (in 2015 dollars)
2015: $296,400 (new record high)
2014: $283,136
2013: $273,586
2012: $253,128
2011: $239,399 (post-Great Recession low)
2010: $241,087
2009: $239,407
2008: $255,508
2007: $283,380
2006: $289,805
2005: $292,357 (previous record high)

Source: Census Bureau, Characteristics of New Housing

Fewer Media Jobs: Thanks Internet!

Until the introduction of the smartphone in 2007, the effect of the internet on employment in traditional media—newspapers, magazines, and books—had been minimal. Between 1993 (when Mosaic was introduced—the first graphical interface for the Worldwide Web) and 2007, newspaper employment had fallen some, but the worst was yet to come. Employment in the magazine and book industries was almost unchanged during those years. Not so after the smartphone transformed the internet into something personal and portable...

Employment change in newspaper industry
1993 to 2007: –79,000
2007 to 2016: –168,200
68% of job loss occurred since 2007

Employment change in magazine industry
1993 to 2007: –300
2007 to 2016: –48,400
99% of job loss occurred since 2007

Employment change in book industry
1993 to 2007: 700
2007 to 2016: –20,700
100% of job loss occurred since 2007

Traditional media jobs are disappearing, and new jobs are emerging in internet publishing and broadcasting—but not enough to fill the gap. Internet media employment grew by 125,300 between 2007 and 2016, or a little less than half the 237,300 jobs lost in the newspaper, magazine, and book industries. Even including job growth in television and film, there has been a net loss of 159,200 media jobs since 2007.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employment Trends in Newspaper Publishing and Other Media, 1990-2016

Change in Life Expectancy, 2000 to 2014

The life expectancy at birth of non-Hispanic Whites increased by 1.4 years between 2000 and 2014, according to the National Center for Health Statistics—well below the increase for Hispanics or non-Hispanic Blacks.

Life expectancy at birth in 2014 (and change since 2000)
Blacks, non-Hispanic: 75.2 years (+3.6)
Hispanics: 81.8 years (+2.6)
Whites, non-Hispanic: 78.8 years (+1.4)

What explains the smaller increase in the life expectancy of non-Hispanic Whites? Rising death rates from unintentional poisoning, suicide, and chronic liver disease, reports NCHS. Between 2000 and 2014, the overall death rate rose among non-Hispanic Whites in three age groups: 25 to 34, 35 to 44, and 45 to 54. "Increases in death rates due to unintentional poisonings (mostly drug and alcohol poisoning) for these three age groups had the single greatest negative effect on the change in life expectancy," concludes the report.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Mortality Data, The Effect of Changes in Selected Age-Specific Causes of Death on Non-Hispanic White Life Expectancy between 2000 and 2014

New Houses Still Getting Bigger

Americans are buying bigger and bigger homes. The size of new single-family houses sold in 2015 hit another record high. The median square feet of floor area in new houses sold has increased in every year since 2009. Houses sold in 2015 were 21 percent larger than those sold in 2000.

Median square feet of floor area in new single-family houses sold
2015: 2,520
2014: 2,506
2013: 2,478
2012: 2,390
2011: 2,295
2010: 2,255
2009: 2,202
2005: 2,235
2000: 2,077

Source: Census Bureau, Characteristics of New Housing

Fewer Births in 2015

The baby bust continues. The number of births in the United States fell to 3,977,745 in 2015, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. That's about 10,000 fewer births than in 2014. Except for a small increase in 2014, the number of births has declined in every year since 2007, which was when births hit a record high of 4.3 million.

Number of births (in 000s)
2015: 3,978 
2014: 3,988
2013: 3,932
2012: 3,953
2011: 3,954
2010: 3,999 (start of baby bust)
2009: 4,131
2008: 4,248
2007: 4,316 (record high)

Record low birth rates are behind the decline in the number of births. In 2015, the birth rate of women in every age group under age 30 fell to new historic lows. The overall fertility rate—the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44—was 62.5 in 2015, matching the record low. Among women aged 30 to 44, birth rates increased as older women played catchup. 

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Births: Preliminary Data for 2015

Does the Empty Nest Boost Savings?

To save enough for retirement, empty nesters are supposed to put the money they once spent on children into retirement savings. Do they? The results of a Center for Retirement Research analysis show empty nesters do save more, but the increase is miniscule.

Analyzing data from the Health and Retirement Study and the Survey of Income and Program Participation, CRR researchers determined how much a household's 401(k) savings increased after their children left home. Theoretically, 401(k) savings should climb by 12 percent once the nest is empty. But the analysis of the HRS data found an increase of only 0.3 to 0.6 percent, and the analysis of the SIPP data found an increase of just 0.7 percent.

The researchers conclude: "Although this finding is not the last word on the subject—perhaps parents assist children financially even after they have left home—it does suggest that we should be concerned about households' preparedness for retirement."

Source: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, Do Households Save More When the Kids Leave Home?

Who Is Urban?

How many Americans live in an urban, suburban, or rural area? There are two ways to answer that question—analyze Census Bureau data using government definitions, or simply ask people to describe where they live. Zillow asked, with these results...

How Americans describe where they live
Urban: 26%
Suburban: 53%
Rural: 21%

Even in the most urban areas—the principal cities of metropolitan areas—only 47 percent of respondents describe their area as urban, 46 percent say suburban, and 7 percent say rural. "That means close to half of people who live within city limits describe where they live as suburban," says Zillow's chief economist Jed Kolko.

By matching its survey results to the zip code demographics of respondents, Zillow shows how population density determines the feel of an area. Those who live in zip codes with more than 2,213 households per square mile tend to describe their area as urban. With 102 to 2,213 households per square mile, residents tend to describe their area as suburban. If there are fewer than 102 households per square mile, residents tend to describe their area as rural.

Kolko measures the size of "urban" and "suburban" populations in the nation's large cities based on Zillow's density definitions. Many of the cities now growing the fastest, he finds, are more "suburban" than "urban."

Source: FiveThirtyEight, How Suburban Are Big American Cities?

Family Income of American Children

Distribution of the nation's 74 million children by family income
21.2% are in a family with an income below $25,000
20.9% are in a family with an income between $25,000 and $49,999
28.3% are in a family with an income between $50,000 and $99,999
29.6% are in a family with an income of $100,000 or more

Source: Census Bureau, America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2015

Household Income Stable in April 2016

Median household income in April 2016 stood at $57,243, according to Sentier Research, which was not significantly different from the March 2016 median, after adjusting for inflation. The April 2016 median was 3.2 percent higher than the April 2015 median, however, and 9.8 percent above the $52,115 median of August 2011, which was the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"We continue to see an upward trend in income that has been evident since the low point in August 2011," reports Sentier's Gordon Green. "Relatively low energy prices have contributed significantly to increases in real median household income." Sentier's median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey.

Median household income in April 2016 was 2.5 percent higher than the median of June 2009, which marked the end of the Great Recession. It was 0.6 percent higher than the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. The April 2016 median was still 0.6 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for April 2016 was 99.4 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: April 2016

Prison Population Is Aging

The number of prisoners sentenced to at least one year in a state correctional institution climbed 55 percent between 1993 and 2013—from 858,000 to 1.3 million, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. That sounds like a big increase, but it pales in comparison to the 400 percent increase in the number of state prisoners aged 55 or older during those years. Prisoners aged 55-plus now account for 10 percent of the state prison population, up from 3 percent two decades ago.

"The changing age structure in the U.S. state prison population has implications for the future management and care of inmates," notes the Bureau of Justice Statistics report. The BJS analysis examines the reasons for the increase, such as longer prison sentences resulting in more prisoners aging into the 55-plus demographic.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Aging of the State Prison Population, 1993–2013

What's Behind the Rise in Living with Parents?

Young adults are more likely to live with their parents than with a spouse or partner, according to a Pew Research Center study—the first time in 130 years that living with Mom and Dad has been more popular than living with a partner. In 2014, 32.1 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds were living in a parent's household, while a smaller 31.6 percent were living with a partner (married or cohabiting).

What's behind this trend? The author of the report, Pew's Richard Fry, disputes the assumption that the rise is due to the growing share of Blacks and Hispanics in the young adult population because the trend is also pronounced among non-Hispanic Whites. Instead, Fry finds the postponement of marriage a more likely factor. "The shift away from marriage can account for the entire increase in living with parents since 1960," he notes.

Fry adds this important caveat: "This does not imply, however, that the shift away from marriage has 'caused' the increase in living with parents, because other social and economic factors may have reduced the attractiveness of marriage for young adults and, at the same time, made living independently of parents more difficult."

Source: Pew Research Center, For First Time in Modern Era, Living with Parents Edges Out Other Living Arrangements for 18-to-34-Year Olds

Startup Firms Account for Most Job Gains

New research data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals the importance of startup firms to employment growth. Startup firms (less than 1 year old) accounted for fully 60 percent of the 2.7 million net gain in employment between March 2014 and March 2015, according to the data. "More than half of these jobs were from firms with fewer than 10 employees," reports the BLS. Older firms (10 years or older) accounted for 29 percent of the gain.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Entrepreneurship facts: Announcing New Research Data on Job Creation and Destruction by Firm Age and Size

Most Americans Do Not Have A Will

Only 44 percent of Americans have a will, according to a Gallup survey, down from 51 percent in 2005. The percentage with a will has declined in every age group since 2005. Here is the percentage with a will by age in 2016...

Percent with a will
Aged 18 to 29: 14%
Aged 30 to 49: 35%
Aged 50 to 64: 56%
Aged 65-plus: 68%

Source: Gallup, Majority in U.S. Do Not Have A Will

Eating Habits in 2014

64 minutes: that's how much time Americans aged 15 or older spend eating and drinking as a primary activity on an average day, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2014 American Time Use Survey. We spend another 16 minutes eating and drinking as a secondary activity—meaning eating and drinking while doing something else such as watching TV. These are the ways we eat...

• Top three places for primary eating and drinking: own home or yard (71%), workplace (11%), restaurant or bar (9%).
• Top three places for secondary eating and drinking: own home or yard (54%), workplace (22%), driving a vehicle (7%).
• Top five activities while secondary eating and drinking: watching television (24%), paid work (23%), food and drink preparation (6%), socializing with others (5%), reading for personal interest (3%). 

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Eating and Health Module from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey

City Growth, 2010 to 2015

Between 2010 and 2015, the population of the nation's 754 largest cities (incorporated places with populations of 50,000 or more in 2015) grew by an average of 5.4 percent. The remainder of the United States grew by a smaller 3.0 percent. City growth varies little by city size, with large cities of all sizes growing faster than elsewhere...

City population growth 2010-2015 by city size
1 million or more: 5.2%
500,000 to 999,999: 6.4%
250,000 to 499,999: 5.6%
200,000 to 249,999: 4.8%
150,000 to 199,999: 5.3%
100,000 to 149,999: 5.2%
50,000 to 99,999: 5.1%

Among the 10 cities with 1 million or more residents, none lost population between 2010 and 2015. Among the 24 cities with 500,000 to 999,999 residents, only Detroit lost population.  

Source: Census Bureau, City and Town Totals: Vintage 2015

Boomers: 35% of Voters in 2016

The Baby-Boom generation will account for more than one-third of voters in the 2016 presidential election, outnumbering voters in the other generations. Millennials will account for 26 percent of the total. Gen Xers will rank third, casting 20 percent of votes—more than the Silent and World War II generations combined. The oldest members of the iGeneration (aged 18 to 21) will cast their first vote for president in 2016, and they will account for just 4 percent of the total. Demo Memo calculated these figures by applying single-year-of-age citizenship and voting rates from the 2012 presidential election to the Census Bureau's 2016 population projections.

Boomers will outnumber Millennials at the polls because they will be much more likely to vote. Expect 71 percent of citizens in the Baby Boom generation to vote in 2016, equal to the voting rate of Americans in the Silent and World War II generations. A smaller 63 percent of Gen X citizens can be expected to vote. Among Millennial citizens, the voting rate should be about 54 percent. Only 38 percent of citizens in the iGeneration are expected to vote.

Percent distribution of voters in 2016 by generation
iGeneration (18 to 21): 4.3%
Millennials (22 to 39): 26.0%
Generation Xers (40 to 51): 19.8%
Baby Boomers (52 to 70): 35.3%
Older Americans (71-plus): 14.6%

Source: Demo Memo analysis based on the Census Bureau's Population Projections and Voting and Registration

Are You In the Top 10 Percent?

How much do you earn relative to your peers? For you to be among the highest-paid 10 percent of your peer group (defined by sex and educational attainment), then your usual weekly earnings must be at least this high...

Usual weekly earnings of men in top 10%
$1,031 for those who did not graduate from high school
$1,544 for high school graduates, no college
$1,858 for those with some college or an associate's degree
$2,896 for those with a bachelor's degree only
$3,871 for those with an advanced degree

Usual weekly earnings of women in top 10%
$696 for those who did not graduate from high school
$1,111 for high school graduates, no college
$1,327 for those with some college or an associate's degree
$2,016 for those with a bachelor's degree only
$2,409 for those with an advanced degree

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Weekly Earnings by Educational Attainment in First Quarter 2016

Trends in Economic Status by Metropolitan Area

Are you in the upper, middle, or lower class in your metropolitan area? You can find out with this nifty calculator created by Pew Research Center. Choose your metropolitan area, input your household income and size, and determine your economic status—in your city.

If you find yourself in the middle class, you're part of a shrinking majority. Nationally, the percentage of Americans living in middle-income households fell from 55 to 51 percent between 2000 and 2014, according to Pew. Middle income is defined as having a household income ranging from two-thirds to twice the overall median after adjusting for household size. In its analysis of 229 individual metropolitan areas, Pew documents a decline in the middle-income share of households in 203 metro areas (89 percent). As the middle class shrinks, the upper or lower classes (or both) have to grow. In 160 metro areas, the lower class increased as a share of the total. In 172 metro areas, the upper class share grew.

Nationally, the percentage of adults in the upper class climbed from 17 to 20 percent between 2000 and 2014, and the percentage in the lower class climbed from 28 to 29 percent.

Source: Pew Research Center, America's Shrinking Middle Class: A Closer Look at Changes within Metropolitan Areas

What Are Young Men Doing?

Among the nation's 19 million men aged 16 to 24, more than 1 million were not doing much of anything when the Bureau of Labor Statistics took a look at their activities in October 2015...

Status of men aged 16 to 24 in October 2015
4.9 million (25 percent) were in high school
5.8 million (30 percent) were in college
7.3 million (38 percent) were not in school, but had a job or were looking for work
1.4 million (7 percent) were not in school, did not have a job, and were not looking for work

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2015 High School Graduates

Telephone Status of Americans, 2015

The latest update on the telephone status of Americans shows a growing plurality of adults living in households with cell phones (wireless-only) and no landline phone...

Telephone status of Americans aged 18 or older in 2015 (and in 2012)
47.7% are in a wireless-only household (36.5%)
43.7% are in a landline and wireless household (54.4%)
5.8% are in a landline-only household (7.0%)
2.7% are in a household with no telephone (1.9%)

These are the demographic segments most likely to live in wireless-only households: Hispanics (60.5%); in poverty (64.3%); aged 25 to 29 (72.6%); living with nonrelatives (78.8%); and renters (68.8%).

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, July-December 2015

Attitudes Toward the Federal Government

Only 44 percent of Americans have a positive image of the federal government, according to a Gallup survey. The percentage varies by political party: 30 percent of Republicans have a positive image of the federal government versus 59 percent of Democrats. Here are the positive percentages by age...

Positive image of the federal government
Aged 18 to 29: 58%
Aged 30 to 49: 43%
Aged 50 to 64: 38%
Aged 65-plus: 40%

Source: Gallup, Americans' Views of Socialism, Capitalism Are Little Changed

Homeownership by Generation, 2015

The Baby-Boom generation is no longer the largest, having been surpassed by Millennials in 2011. But Boomers still dominate homeownership. According to a Demo Memo analysis of Census Bureau data, here are the homeownership rates (and share of homeowners) by generation in 2015...

Homeownership rate by generation (and share of total)
Total households: 63.7 percent are homeowners (100%)
Millennial: 39.8 percent are homeowners (18%)
Generation X: 64.8 percent are homeowners (22%)
Baby Boom: 75.5 percent are homeowners (41%)
Older Americans: 78.7 percent are homeowners (20%)

Note: In 2015 Millennials were under age 39; Gen Xers were 39 to 50; Boomers were 51 to 69.
Source: Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership

Fertility of Baby Boom Women

The baby-boom generation was the first to make working mothers the norm. They succeeded, according to an analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite juggling work and family, fully 83 percent of boomer women had children. The BLS analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, which has been tracking a nationally representative sample of people born between 1957 and 1964 (younger boomers) since they were aged 14 to 22. To analyze the completed fertility of boomer women, the BLS examined data from the 2010 interview, when respondents were aged 46 to 53. These are some of the findings...

• Educated boomers had fewer children: Boomer women had an average of 1.97 children, but the number varied by educational attainment. Women without a high school diploma had the most children—an average of 2.47. Fertility declined with increasing educational attainment. Women with a bachelor's degree had an average of only 1.68 children.
• Hispanic boomers had more children: The average Hispanic boomer had 2.29 children, Blacks had 2.15, and non-Hispanic Whites had 1.92. But the ranking changed after controlling for educational attainment. Among women with a bachelor's degree, non-Hispanic Whites had the most children (1.71), and Blacks had the least (1.47). Hispanic women with a bachelor's degree had 1.52 children.
• Boomer women with full-time jobs had fewer children: Women who spent less than a quarter of the years since they were aged 25 in full-time jobs had the most children, an average of 2.54. The number of children declined with increasing full-time work. Women who worked full-time in more than three-quarters of the years since they were 25 had an average of only 1.36 children. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fertility of Women in the NLSY79

Falls Are Common among Elderly

Percentage of people aged 65-plus who fell down at least once in the past 12 months: 29.8%.

Source: CDC, Falls among Persons Aged 65 or Older With and Without Severe Vision Impairment—United States, 2014

In Three States More than 25% of 18-to-64-Year-Olds Do Not Have A Usual Place of Medical Care

Among Americans aged 18 to 64, a substantial 17 percent do not have a usual place of medical care. The figure ranges from a low of just 2.8 percent in Vermont to a high of 26.7 percent in Nevada. These are the states with the largest and smallest percentages of 18-to-64-year-olds without a usual place of medical care...

States with the largest percentage of 18-to-64-year-olds without a usual place of medical care
Nevada: 26.7%
Idaho: 26.6%
Texas: 25.4%
Oregon: 23.7%
Wyoming: 23.6%

States with the smallest percentage of 18-to-64-year-olds without a usual place of medical care
Vermont: 2.8%
Delaware: 6.8%
Massachusetts: 7.5%
Wisconsin: 9.5%
Hawaii: 10.0%

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, State Variation in Health Care Service Utilization: United States, 2014

401(k) Balances Have Grown Since Great Recession

Among workers who participate in 401(k) retirement plans, these are the median and average 401(k) balances held in plans sponsored by their current employer...

Median balance
2014: $18,127
2010: $17,686
2008: $12,655

Average balance
2014: $76,293
2010: $60,329
2008: $45,519

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute, 401(k) Plan Allocation, Account Balances, and Loan Activity in 2014

Decline in Retirement Satisfaction

The percentage of retirees who say their retirement is "very satisfying" fell from 60.5 percent in 1998 to 48.6 percent in 2012, reports the Employee Benefit Research Institute in an analysis of data from the Health and Retirement Study. The decline in retirement satisfaction has occurred across the board: men and women, wealthy and poor, healthy and sick—all were less likely to report their retirement as "very satisfying" in 2012 than in 1998.

Could the decline in satisfaction simply be due to disgruntled Boomers entering the retiree segment and skewing the results? Not according to EBRI's analysis. When EBRI examined the retirement satisfaction of retirees who had been in the HRS sample since 1998, they found a similar decline in satisfaction as they aged over the years.

Percent of retirees who say their retirement is "very satisfying"
2012: 48.6%
2010: 50.6%
2008: 53.2%
2006: 53.1%
2004: 54.5%
2002: 60.8%
2000: 60.8%
1998: 60.5%

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute, Trends in Retirement Satisfaction in the United States: Fewer Having a Great Time

Percent Who Need Help Doing Errands

Percentage of adults who say they have difficulty doing errands by themselves, by age...

Men
Aged 18 to 64: 3.1%
Aged 65 to 74: 6.4%
Aged 75 to 84: 12.9%
Aged 85-plus: 26.2%

Women
Aged 18 to 64: 3.9%
Aged 65 to 74: 9.4%
Aged 75 to 84: 20.7%
Aged 85-plus: 45.0%

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Health, United States, 2015

Household Income Stable in March 2016

Median household income in March 2016 stood at $57,263, according to Sentier Research, which was not significantly different from the February 2016 median, after adjusting for inflation. The March 2016 median was 4.5 percent higher than the March 2015 median, however, and 10.3 percent above the $51,904 median of August 2011, which was the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"We continue to see an upward trend in income that has been evident since the low point in August 2011," reports Sentier's Gordon Green. "Relatively low energy prices have contributed significantly to increases in real median household income." Sentier's median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey.

Median household income in March 2016 was 2.9 percent higher than the median of June 2009, which marked the end of the Great Recession. It was 1.0 percent higher than the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. The March 2016 median was just 0.1 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for March 2016 was 99.9 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: March 2016

First-Time Homebuyer Watch: 1st Quarter 2016

Homeownership rate of householders aged 30 to 34, first quarter 2016: 45.7%

The homeownership rate of households headed by people aged 30 to 34 fell in the first quarter of 2016 to 45.7 percent, down slightly from the 45.9 percent of the fourth quarter of 2015 and nearly identical to the 45.8 percent of one year ago. The absence of a significant trend in the homeownership rate of 30-to-34-year-olds over the past year suggests an end to the long-term decline in the homeownership rate of the age group.   

Historically, homeownership became the norm in the 30-to-34 age group—rising above 50 percent. But beginning in 2007, the homeownership rate of 30-to-34-year-olds went into a tailspin. In the second quarter of 2011, the rate fell below 50 percent for the first time. It's been stuck there ever since. The new age of first-time home buying is 35 to 39, but even this age group has been slipping toward the 50-percent threshold. In the first quarter of 2016 the homeownership rate of 35-to-39-year-olds was 55.3 percent, slightly above the all-time low of 55.1 percent in the second quarter of 2015. The homeownership rate of 35-to-39-year-olds peaked in the first quarter of 2007 at 65.7 percent.

Nationally, the homeownership rate was 63.5 percent in the first quarter of 2016, down from 63.7 percent a year earlier.

Source: Census Bureau, Housing Vacancy Survey

Decline in Spending on Reading Material

Percent of households spending on books, newspapers, and magazines (including e-editions), and other reading material during the average quarter of...

2014: 26%
2010: 37%
2005: 46%
2002: 54%

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Consumer Expenditure Survey

The Generations in 2015

One in four Americans is a Millennial, a member of the nation's largest generation. According to a Demo Memo analysis of the Census Bureau's population estimates, Millennials became the largest generation in 2011 when they outnumbered Boomers by just 332,000. In 2015, Millennials outnumbered Boomers by 4 million.

Between 2010 and 2015, the number of Millennials grew by 2.2 million thanks to immigration. The number of Baby Boomers shrank by 2.5 million as the aging generation faced higher mortality rates. The number of Older Americans fell by 9 million during those years.

Size of generations in 2015 (and % of total population)
Recession (aged 0 to 5): 23,925,439 (7%)
iGeneration (aged 6 to 20): 62,563,691 (19%)
Millennial (aged 21 to 38): 79,016,798 (25%)
Generation X (aged 39 to 50): 49,340,192 (15%)
Baby Boom (aged 51 to 69): 74,879,316 (23%)
Older Americans (aged 70-plus): 31,693,384 (10%)

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Census Bureau's Population Estimates

Profile of the Top and Bottom Occupations

Physician is the highest-paying occupation in the United States. Dishwasher is the lowest. Sentier Research has created demographic profiles of full-time workers in 440 different occupations based on data from the 2014 American Community Survey. Here are some of Sentier's findings about physicians and dishwashers...

Median wage and salary income
Physicians: $180,000
Dishwashers: $18,000

Percent Hispanic
Physicians: 6.7%
Dishwashers: 58.3%

Percent not a citizen
Physicians: 8.4%
Dishwashers: 53.1%

Percent without a high school diploma
Physicians: 0.0%
Dishwashers: 49.0%

For a report on the top and bottom 25 occupations, or for a spreadsheet with profiles of all 440 occupations, visit the Sentier web site and click on Reports.

Source: Sentier Research, Highest and Lowest Paid 25 Occupations

Who Eats What and How Much

Yogurt, broccoli, orange juice, peanuts: the USDA knows how much you eat. Through diary surveys in which respondents record their daily food intake combined with commodity data measuring aggregate consumption, government researchers are able to track what we eat and how it's changing. A USDA report looks at some of the changes in per capita consumption from 1994–98 through 2007–08 (the latest data available)...

• We are eating less fruit, but mostly because we're drinking less orange juice.
• We are eating fewer vegetables, but mostly because we've cut back on potatoes.
• We are drinking less milk, but we're eating more cheese and yogurt. 

The report also examines who eats what by demographic characteristic. Take yogurt, for example. The average person ate 8.07 pounds of yogurt in 2007–08, nearly twice the 4.05 pounds in 1994–98. The biggest fans of yogurt are women (10.93 pounds per year), those with higher incomes (9.26 pounds), and college graduates (10.92 pounds). 

Much more about trends in food consumption and the demographics of who eats what are available in the USDA Economic Research Service report U.S. Food Commodity Consumption Broken Down by Demographics, 1994-2008

Women More Likely to Finish College Degree

Today's young women are more likely than young men to have a bachelor's degree, according to the latest results from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997. This survey tracks a nationally representative sample of men and women born from 1980 through 1984, first interviewing them in 1997. The latest report (the 16th time the sample has been interviewed) examines their educational attainment, labor force experience, and partner status.

By their 29th birthday, 34 percent of women in the sample had a bachelor's degree. Among men, the figure was 26 percent. The reasons for the higher educational attainment of young women are twofold: women are more likely to go to college, and once in college they are more likely to finish their degree.

Women: 72 percent of women in the NLSY 1997 sample had either attended some college or earned a bachelor's degree. Among those who started college, 47 percent had earned a bachelor's degree by their 29th birthday.

Men: a smaller 63 percent of men in the NLSY 1997 sample had either attended some college or earned a bachelor's degree. Among those who started college, only 41 percent had earned a bachelor's degree by their 29th birthday.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Market Activity, Education, and Partner Status among Young Adults at 29: Results from a Longitudinal Survey

Non-Hispanic White Life Expectancy Declines

Ok, it's official. Non-Hispanic White life expectancy at birth fell between 2013 and 2014, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The drop seems minuscule—from 78.9 to 78.8 years. But here's why the small decline is big news...

• The life expectancy of Hispanics and Blacks increased between 2013 and 2014, making non-Hispanic Whites the only segment to experience a decline.
• Life expectancy at age 65 increased for non-Hispanic White men and women, so the decline occurred among non-Hispanic Whites under age 65—a disturbing trend.

Over the past few months, several studies have documented a decline in non-Hispanic White life expectancy, attributing it to drug overdoses, suicides, and alcohol poisoning among the middle aged. Now the federal government has weighed in with the numbers, making it official.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Changes in Life Expectancy by Race and Hispanic Origin in the United States, 2013–2014

Earnings of Husbands and Wives

Among the nation's 62 million married couples, 55 percent of husbands earn substantially more than their wives. In another 20 percent of couples, wives earn substantially more than their husbands. Earnings are about equal (a difference of less than $5,000) for 25 percent...

Earnings difference between husbands and wives
Husband earns at least $50,000 more than wife: 23%
Husband earns $5,000 to $49,999 more than wife: 32%
Husband's and wife's earnings differ by less than $5,000: 25%
Wife earns $5,000 to $49,999 more than husband: 15%
Wife earns at least $50,000 more than husband: 5%

Source: Census Bureau, America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2015

Age-Related Skill Declines among White Collar Workers

Who has a harder time doing their job as they age into their sixties—blue collar or white collar workers? Not surprisingly, the answer is blue collar workers, according to a Center for Retirement Research analysis of age-related declines in job skills by occupation. But some white collar occupations are vulnerable to age-related skill declines. By determining the skills key to each occupation and identifying those known to decline with age, CRR researchers created a Susceptibility Index — a single number ranging from 0 to 100 that gauges the susceptibility of occupations to age-related skill decline. The higher the number, say the researchers, the harder it is for workers to do their job as they age.

Blue collar occupations have an average Susceptibility Index of 75. White collar occupations have an average Susceptibility Index of 32. But some white collar jobs have a much higher Susceptibility Index—those requiring fluid cognitive abilities, quick reaction times, and fine motor skills. Airline pilots and nurses, for example, have a higher Susceptibility Index than cooks or housecleaners, say the researchers.

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, the researchers document a younger age at retirement for white collar workers in high Susceptibility Index occupations. "Thus, the notion that all white-collar workers can work longer or that all blue-collar workers cannot is too simplistic," the researchers conclude.

Source: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, How Do Job Skills that Decline with Age Affect White-Collar Workers?

Use of E-Cigarettes among Teens

Tobacco use among high school students has held steady over the past few years despite a decline in cigarettes smoking. According to a 2015 survey of high school students, only 9.3 percent had smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days, down substantially from 15.8 percent in 2011. But the percentage of high school student who had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days climbed from 1.5 percent to 16.0 percent during those years. Here is the percentage of high school students who had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days by demographic characteristic, according to the 2015 survey...

High school students who used e-cigarettes in past 30 days
Total: 16.0%
Males: 19.0%
Females: 12.8%
Blacks: 8.9%
Hispanics: 16.4%
Non-Hispanic Whites: 17.2%

Source: CDC, Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2011–2015

Projections of College Enrollment to 2023

The number of students in the nation's colleges, including both two-year and four-year institutions, is projected to rise from 20.4 million in the fall of 2015 to 22.6 million in the fall of 2023, according to the National Center for Education Statistics—an increase of 2.2 million. Black and Hispanic students will account for 63 percent of the increase. Here are the projections by race and Hispanic origin...

Projections of college enrollment 2015 to 2023 (and percent change)
Total students will grow by 2.2 million to 22,642,000 (10.9%)
Asian students will grow by 130,000 to 1,391,000 (10.3%)
Black students will grow by 632,000 to 3,705,000 (20.5%)
Hispanic students will grow by 777,000 to 3,981,000 (24.3%)
Non-Hispanic White students will grow by 632,000 to 12,813,000 (5.2%)

By 2023, non-Hispanic Whites will account for 57 percent of college enrollment, down from 60 percent in 2015. Hispanics will be 18 percent of enrollment, Blacks 16 percent, and Asians 6 percent. The multiracial and American Indians/Alaska natives will account for the remainder of the student population.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics to 2023

Partner Status at Age 29

Young adults have been postponing marriage. The latest results from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 are more evidence of this trend. The NLSY 1997 is tracking a nationally representative sample of men and women born from 1980 through 1984 and first interviewed in 1997. The latest results, which examine educational attainment, labor force experience, and partner status, are from the 16th interview of the sample and took place in 2013-14. On their 29th birthday, fewer than half of young adults were married, one in five was cohabiting, and among men the plurality was single...

Marital status of men on 29th birthday
Single: 44%
Cohabiting: 20%
Married: 36%

Marital status of women on 29th birthday
Single: 35%
Cohabiting: 20%
Married: 45%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Market Activity, Education, and Partner Status among Young Adults at 29: Results from a Longitudinal Survey

Place of Death Is Changing

The percentage of deaths that occur in a hospital declined between 2000 and 2014—falling from 50 to 37 percent, reports the CDC. The percentage of deaths that occur at home grew from 23 to 29 percent during those years...

Place of death in 2014 (and 2000)
37% in a hospital (50%)
29% at home (23%)
20% in a nursing home (22%)
7% in a hospice facility (no data in 2000)
6% in other/unknown place (5%)

Source: CDC, Percentage Distribution of Deaths, by Place of Death—United States, 2000-2014

Many High School Students Get Little Sleep

More than two thirds (69 percent) of high school students get less than 7 hours of sleep on an average school night, reports the CDC, which considers less than 7 hours insufficient. Here is the percentage by grade...

Percent who get less than 7 hours of sleep on average school night
9th graders: 60%
10th graders: 67%
11th graders: 73%
12th graders: 77%

Source: CDC, Sleep Duration and Injury-Related Risk Behaviors Among High School Students—United States, 2007-2013

Record Low Percentage without Health Insurance

The percentage of Americans without health insurance fell to a record low of 11.0 percent in the first quarter of 2016, reports Gallup. This is 6.1 percentage points lower than in the fourth quarter of 2013, just before the Affordable Care Act's individual health insurance mandate took effect. Among adults aged 18 to 64, the percentage without health insurance fell from 20.8 to 12.9 percent between 2013 and 2016...

Type of health insurance coverage among adults aged 18 to 64, 1st quarter 2016

(and percentage point change since 4th quarter 2013)

Current or former employer: 43.4% (–0.8)

Direct purchase: 21.8% (+4.2)

Medicaid: 9.4% (+2.5)

Medicare: 7.6% (+1.5)

Military/veterans: 5.2% (+0.6)

Union: 2.6% (+0.1)

Other: 4.4% (+0.9)

No insurance: 12.9% (–7.9)

Source: Gallup, U.S. Uninsured Rate at 11.0%, Lowest in Eight-Year Trend

College Graduates by Generation

Among Americans aged 25 or older, the percentage of men and women with a bachelor's degree is about equal, according to the Census Bureau: 33 percent of women and 32 percent of men have a bachelor's degree. Differences emerge by generation. Millennial and Gen X women are more likely than their male counterparts to have a bachelor's degree. Boomer men and women are about equally likely to have graduated from college. Among older Americans (aged 70 or older), men are much more likely than women to have a college degree.

Percentage of people aged 25 or older with a bachelor's degree
Millennials: 33% of men and 39% of women
Generation X: 33% of men and 37% of women
Baby Boomers: 32% of men and 31% of women
Older Americans: 30% of men and 20% of women

Note: Millennials are aged 25 to 38; Gen Xers are 39 to 50; Boomers are 51 to 69.
Source: Census Bureau, Educational Attainment in the United States: 2015

Younger Adults Are Streaming Video, Dropping Cable

Do you remember when cell phones were a blip on the radar screen and landline phones reigned supreme? Just 21 percent of households reported spending on cell phone service during an average quarter of 2000, and 94 percent spent on landlines. It took until 2010 before the cell phone market surpassed the landline market. In 2014, 69 percent of households spent on cell phone service during an average quarter and a smaller 47 percent spent on landline. The transformation from landline to cell occurred incrementally, with households headed by younger adults adopting cell phones first and older householders playing catchup.

It's happening again. This time, television is being transformed as streamed and downloaded video replaces cable and satellite television service. Between 2010 and 2014, average annual household spending on streamed and downloaded video grew faster than spending on any other entertainment product or service—rising from $2.11 to $17.80, after adjusting for inflation. Behind the growth in spending is the expansion of the customer base: the percentage of households purchasing streamed and downloaded video during an average quarter grew from just 1.4 percent in 2010 to 13.1 percent in 2014, according to a Demo Memo analysis of Consumer Expenditure Survey data.

Following the pattern of cell phone adoption, streaming and downloading video is most common among householders under age 45. These are also the age groups with the biggest percentage-point declines in spending on cable and satellite television service. Cable and satellite customers still far outnumber streaming and downloading customers even in the younger age groups, but that's likely to change...

Percent of households purchasing streamed and downloaded video (and cable/satellite television service) during average quarter of 2014
Under age 25: 16.5% (39.1%)
Aged 25 to 34: 19.1% (58.9%)
Aged 35 to 44: 18.3% (70.0%)
Aged 45 to 54: 15.3% (73.4%)
Aged 55 to 64: 9.5% (75.7%)
Aged 65-plus: 5.0% (78.4%)

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Consumer Expenditure Survey

Who Are the Remaining Uninsured?

Among Americans under age 65, nearly 33 million still lacked health insurance in 2015 despite the Affordable Care Act. Greater outreach efforts could cover 12 million of the uninsured, says the Urban Institute—those who are eligible for Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and those whose incomes are low enough to qualify for generous tax credits when they purchase Marketplace plans. It will be much harder to reach the remaining 21 million uninsured because they are ineligible (undocumented immigrants), live in states that did not expand Medicaid, or are unwilling to pay the cost of coverage. Here is the status of the 33 million nonelderly uninsured...

Greater outreach efforts could reach these uninsured
9,132,000 (27.7%) eligible for Medicaid or CHIP
3,224,000 ( 9.8%) eligible for tax credits; income is below 200% of poverty level

Difficult or impossible to reach these uninsured
5,233,000 (15.9%) not eligible for subsidies because they are undocumented immigrants
4,109,000 (12.5%) not eligible for subsidies because income is above threshold
3,799,000 (11.5%) not eligible for Medicaid/CHIP because state did not expand Medicaid
3,740,000 (11.4%) not eligible for tax credits because employer offers health insurance plan
3,708,000 (11.3%) eligible for tax credits; income is above 201% of poverty level

The study examines which efforts will be most effective in reaching the 12 million likely to enroll in Medicaid or Marketplace plans.

Source: Urban Institute, Who Are the Remaining Uninsured, and What Do Their Characteristics Tell Us About How to Reach Them?

Living Alone by Generation

People who live alone accounted for 28 percent of the nation's households in 2015. By generation, this is the percentage of households headed by people who live alone...

Single-person households as a percent of total households by generation
Millennials: 20%
Generation X: 19%
Baby Boomers: 30%
Older Americans: 49%

Note: Millennials are under age 39; Gen Xers are 39 to 50; Boomers are 51 to 69.
Source: Census Bureau, 2015 Current Population Survey

Household Income Stable in February 2016

Median household income in February 2016 stood at $57,129, according to Sentier Research, which was not significantly different from the January 2016 median, after adjusting for inflation. The February 2016 median was 3.7 percent higher than the February 2015 median, however, and 10.2 percent above the $51,857 median of August 2011, which was the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"We continue to see an upward trend in income that has been evident since the low point in August 2011," reports Sentier's Gordon Green. "Relatively low energy prices have contributed significantly to increases in real median household income." Sentier's median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey.
  
Median household income in February 2016 was 2.8 percent higher than the median of June 2009, which marked the end of the Great Recession. It was 0.9 percent higher than the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. The February 2016 median was still 0.3 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for February 2016 was 99.7 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: February 2016

Big-City Counties Continue to Attract Migrants

The nation's most urban counties grew by a substantial 5.3 percent between 2010 and 2015, faster than any other type, according to a Demo Memo analysis of the Census Bureau's 2015 county population estimates by Rural-Urban Continuum. Counties in smaller metros grew at a slower rate, and those in rural areas lost population. Every component of population change is driving the growth of the most urban counties...

Natural increase is greater in big-city counties. Between 2010 and 2015, the rate of natural increase (defined as births minus deaths) was 2.8 percent in counties ranking 1 on the Rural-Urban Continuum (in metro areas with populations of 1 million or more). This was a higher rate of natural increase than any other type of county on the continuum. Counties ranking an 8 or 9 (the most rural) had a negative rate of natural increase, with deaths outnumbering births.

International migration is greater in big-city counties. Between 2010 and 2015, the rate of net international migration was 2.3 percent in counties ranking 1 on the Rural-Urban Continuum. International migration was positive in every type of county, but the rate was lower in less urban counties and was lowest (0.2 percent) in counties ranking 8 or 9.

Domestic migration is greater in big-city counties. Between 2010 and 2015, the rate of net domestic migration was positive only for the most urban counties,  ranking 1 or 2 on the Rural-Urban Continuum. Less urban and rural counties lost more domestic migrants than they gained.

Trends in Household Spending on Streamed and Downloaded Video

Explosive growth is the only way to describe the trend in average household spending on streamed and downloaded video, according to a Demo Memo analysis of the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Average annual household spending on streamed and downloaded video grew 26-fold between 2005 and 2014, after adjusting for inflation—from $0.68 to $17.80.

In 2005—the first year in which streamed and downloaded video appeared on the Consumer Expenditure Survey—only 0.4 percent of households bought streamed and downloaded video during an average quarter. By 2010, the figure had climbed to 1.4 percent. By 2014, it had soared to 13.1 percent. Streamed and downloaded video ranked a lowly 31st in popularity among entertainment products and services in 2010, based on the percentage of households buying the item during an average quarter. In 2014, it ranked 6th.

To see where this trend is going, compare spending on streamed and downloaded video to spending on cable and satellite television service—which streaming and downloading are in the process of replacing. During an average quarter of 2014, 70 percent of households spent on cable or satellite television service, devoting an annual average of $723 to the service. Explosive growth in household spending on streamed and downloaded video is likely to continue.

Percentage of households spending on streamed and downloaded video during an average quarter (and average annual household spending, in 2014 dollars)
2014: 13.1% ($17.80)
2010:  1.4% ($2.11)
2005:  0.4% ($0.68)

Source: Demo Memo analysis of unpublished tables from the Consumer Expenditure Survey

Big-City Counties Growing the Fastest (Still)

The nation's most urban counties continue to grow faster than any other county type according to the Census Bureau's 2015 county population estimates. A Demo Memo analysis of 2010-to-2015 county population trends along the Rural-Urban Continuum documents strong metro growth (the bigger, the better) and continuing rural decline.

The Rural-Urban Continuum is the federal government's way of classifying counties by their degree of urbanity. The continuum is a scale ranging from 1 (the most urban counties, in metropolitan areas of 1 million or more) to 9 (the most rural counties, lacking any settlements of 2,500 or more people and not adjacent to a metropolitan area). If you sort the nation's 3,000-plus counties by their rank on the continuum, then measure population change between 2010 and 2015 for each rank, this is the result...

County population change 2010-2015 by Rural-Urban Continuum Rank
1. 5.3% for rank 1 counties, in metros with 1 million or more people
2. 3.9% for rank 2 counties, in metros of 250,000 to 1 million people
3. 2.6% for rank 3 counties, in metros with less than 250,000 people
4. 0.1% for rank 4 counties, nonmetro adjacent to metro with urban pop of 20,000+
5. 1.7% for rank 5 counties, nonmetro not adjacent to metro with urban pop of 20,000+
6. -0.8% for rank 6 counties, nonmetro adjacent to metro with urban pop of 2,500-19,999
7. -0.5% for rank 7 counties, nonmetro not adjacent to metro with urban pop of 2,500-19,999
8. -1.1% for rank 8 counties, nonmetro adjacent to metro with urban pop less than 2,500
9. -1.2% for rank 9 counties, nonmetro not adjacent to metro, urban pop less than 2,500

The most urban counties (a 1 on the scale) grew the fastest between 2010 and 2015. The most rural counties (8 and 9 on the scale) experienced the biggest declines. A look at annual rates of population change by Rural-Urban Continuum shows declines in every year between 2010 and 2015 for counties ranking 6, 7, 8, and 9 on the continuum. Counties with a rank of 1 on the continuum grew by more than 1 percent in every year. 

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes and Census Bureau, Population Estimates, County Total: Vintage 2015

The Retirement Plan Problem

Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City, Miami...we have a problem. The problem is the lack of employer-sponsored retirement plans for about half the nation's private-sector workers. Because so many workers do not have access to a retirement plan, reports the Center for Retirement Research, one-third of households will end up with no retirement plan coverage at all during their worklife. Many others will have inadequate savings because they moved in and out of coverage as they changed jobs over the years.

Although the Obama administration proposed "automatic IRAs" in 2009, federal legislation has yet to be enacted. Consequently, some states (California, Connecticut, Illinois, and Oregon) are taking the initiative and mandating automatic IRAs. The Center for Retirement Research report examines these state initiatives and other attempts to broaden retirement plan participation. "A national Auto-IRA plan would be a much more efficient way to close the coverage gap," the report concludes.

Source: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, State Initiatives to Cover Uncovered Private Sector Workers

Credit Scores by Housing Tenure

How do Americans' credit scores differ by housing tenure? The Urban Institute decided to find out by analyzing credit bureau and property records data. Researchers Wei Li and Laurie Goodman divided the adult population into six tenure types, listed below in order of size...

1. Renters without a mortgage in past 16 years (39% of adults)
2. Owners with a mortgage now (27% of adults)
3. Owners with a mortgage in past 16 years but not now (12% of adults)
4. Renters with a mortgage in past 16 years but not now (8% of adults)
5. Owners without a mortgage in past 16 years (9% of adults)
6. Renters with a mortgage now (5% of adults)

The researchers then examined the demographics, credit use, and credit scores of each tenure type. Owners with a mortgage in the past 16 years but no mortgage now (12 percent of adults) had the highest credit score, a median of 785. Renters without a mortgage in the past 16 years (39 percent of adults) had the lowest credit score—a median of 619. Notes the study: "52 percent of all renters have a credit score below 650, generally not high enough to qualify for a mortgage."

Source: Urban Institute, Comparing Credit Profiles of American Renters and Owners

Attitudes Toward Marriage and Childbearing

Cohabitation and out-of-wedlock childbearing, already commonplace in the United States, may become the norm in the years ahead if the attitudes of the nation's younger adults are any indicator. According to the 2011-13 National Survey of Family Growth, most adults under age 45 think cohabitation and out-of-wedlock childbearing are okay. Respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statements...

A young couple should not live together unless they are married
Men who disagreed: 75%
Women who disagreed: 71%

It's okay to have and raise children when the parents are living together but not married
Men who agreed: 76%
Women who agreed: 75%

It's okay for an unmarried female to have and raise a child
Men who agreed: 69%
Women who agreed: 78%

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Family Growth, Trends in Attitudes about Marriage, Childbearing, and Sexual Behavior: United States, 2002, 2006-2010, and 2011-2013

Retirement Confidence in 2016

Nearly two out of three workers say they are somewhat (42 percent) or very (21 percent) confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement, according to the 2016 Retirement Confidence Survey. This is up from the 51 percent who were somewhat (38 percent) or very (13 percent) confident in 2013, the year confidence hit bottom. Only 35 percent of workers in 2016 are "not too" or "not at all" confident, down from 49 percent who felt that way in 2013. 

Perhaps behind the growing confidence is a change in retirement plans. Seventeen percent of workers in 2016 said they had adjusted their expected age of retirement in the past year, with most adjusting it upwards. Over the past 25 years, the percentage of workers who expect to retire at age 66 or older has more than tripled...

Percentage of workers who expect to retire at age 66 or older

2016: 37%

2011: 36%

2006: 25%

2001: 16%

1991: 11%

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2016 Retirement Confidence Survey

Top 10 Occupations: iGeneration

Among the hundreds of detailed occupations examined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 10 with the largest percentage of the iGeneration (aged 16 to 20 in 2015)...

iGeneration share of workers (average = 5%) 
1. Lifeguards and other recreational protective service workers: 56.4%
2. Counter attendants, coffee shops and cafeterias: 54.2%
3. Hosts and hostesses, restaurants and coffee shops: 49.8%
4. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers: 34.1%
5. Dining room, cafeteria, and bartender helpers: 32.8%
6. Miscellaneous entertainment attendants: 29.1%
7. Food prep workers, including fast food: 28.6%
8. Helpers, installation, maintenance, and repair: 28.6%
9. Cashiers: 27.1%
10. Dishwashers: 26.6%

Click here for the top 10 occupations among Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials.
Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment data from the Current Population Survey

Gun Ownership: Urban vs. Rural

Only 32 percent of the nation's adults live in a household with guns, according to the 2014 General Social Survey, down from 49 percent in 1973. The percentage of adults who live in a household with guns is much higher in rural areas...

Percent of adults with a firearm in their household, 2010-14
14.8% in the central cities of the 12 largest metros
19.2% in the suburbs of the 12 largest metros
19.4% in the central cities of the 13th to 100th largest metros
29.0% in the suburbs of the 13th to 100th largest metros
43.7% in other urban areas
55.9% in rural counties

Source: National Opinion Research Center, General Social Survey: Trends in Gun Ownership in the United States, 1972-2014

Attitudes toward Same-Sex Relationships

In the past decade, younger adults have become increasingly open-minded about same-sex relationships, according to a National Center for Health Statistics report. Same-sex relationships are not only okay with younger generations, but increasingly so as Millennials replace Gen Xers in the under-45 age group.

Among women under age 45, the percentage who think sexual relations between two adults of the same sex are all right climbed from 42 to 60 percent between 2002 and 2011-13. Their male counterparts (who were not surveyed in 2002) also are becoming more open minded. In 2011-13, 49 percent agreed that same-sex relations are all right, up from 40 percent in 2006-10. Even in the under-45 age group, however, there's an age gradient in the percentage who agree that same-sex relations between two adults of the same sex are all right...

Women who agree
Aged 15 to 24: 65%
Aged 25 to 34: 62%
Aged 35 to 44: 54%

Men who agree
Aged 15 to 24: 52%
Aged 25 to 34: 48%
Aged 35 to 44: 46%

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Family Growth, Trends in Attitudes about Marriage, Childbearing, and Sexual Behavior: United States, 2002, 2006-2010, and 2011-2013

Top 10 Occupations: Millennials

Among the hundreds of detailed occupations examined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 10 with the largest percentage of Millennials (aged 21 to 38 in 2015)...

Millennial share of workers (average = 38%) 
1. Food and tobacco roasting machine operators: 65.7%
2. Helpers, extraction workers: 65.0%
3. Occupational therapy assistants and aides: 64.3%
4. Dancers and choreographers: 64.2%
5. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks: 62.3%
6. Sailors and mariner oilers: 61.8%
7. Bartenders: 61.2%
8. Wind turbine service technicians: 60.0%
9. Emergency medical technicians and paramedics: 59.9%
10. Derrick, rotary drill, and service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining: 58.8%

Click here for the top 10 occupations among Boomers and Gen Xers.
Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment data from the Current Population Survey

Household Income Stable in January 2016

Median household income in January 2016 stood at $57,288, according to Sentier Research, which was not significantly different from the December 2015 median, after adjusting for inflation. The January 2016 median was 4.0 percent higher than the January 2015 median, however, and 10.3 percent above the $51,945 median of August 2011, the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"There has been a general upward trend in median household income since the post-recession low point reached in August 2011," reports Sentier. "Many monthly changes were not statistically significant. By the summer of 2014 however, that uneven trend became dominated by a series of significant monthly increases." According to Sentier's Gordon Green, low energy prices have contributed significantly to the rise in real median household income.  

Median household income in January 2016 was 2.9 percent higher than the median of June 2009, which marked the end of the Great Recession. It was 1.0 percent higher than the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. The January 2016 median was still 0.2 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for January 2016 was 99.8 (January 2000 = 100.0). 

Sentier's median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey.

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: January 2016

Who Actually Votes?

Americans are even less likely to vote than it appears. That's what Pew Research Center discovered when it asked its American Trends Panel respondents whether they had voted in the 2014 midterm election and then attempted to match those who said they "definitely voted" with commercially available national voter files. Sixteen percent of respondents who said they "definitely voted" had no record of doing so. The demographic segments least likely to vote are also the ones most likely to say they voted when they did not...

• Young adults: among 18-to 29-year-olds who say they "definitely voted" in the 2014 midterm election, fully 35 percent had no record of doing so. The figure was a smaller 17 percent among 30-to-49-year-olds, 15 percent among 50-to-64-year-olds, and just 7 percent among people aged 65 or older.
• Hispanics: among Hispanics who say they "definitely voted" in the 2014 midterm election, a substantial 27 percent had no record of doing so. Among Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites, the figure was a smaller 15 percent. 

These findings suggest that voting levels measured by the Voting and Registration Supplement to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS), fielded every two years, are overstated—particularly for young adults and Hispanics. The Census Bureau notes the discrepancy in its report Who Votes? Congressional Elections and the American Electorate: 1978-2014: "Voting rates from the sample surveys such as the CPS are higher than official results." But, says the bureau, "the CPS remains the most comprehensive data source available for examining the social and demographic composition of the electorate in federal elections."

In other words, the CPS is the best we've got. According to the CPS, 20 percent of 18-to-29-year-old citizens and 27 percent of Hispanic citizens reported voting in the 2014 midterm election. Pew's analysis suggests that actual voting rates for these two important segments of the electorate are in fact much lower.

Source: Pew Research Center, Many Americans Say They Voted, But Did They?

What Do College Students Carry in their Wallets?

They carry cash, according to a Sallie Mae survey of college students aged 18 to 24. Eighty-six percent of students say they have cash in their wallet. Almost as many—85 percent—carry a debit card. A smaller 56 percent have a credit card.

The Sallie Mae survey probes the financial attitudes, behavior, and knowledge of students at technical schools, two-year colleges, and four-year institutions. According to the survey, 52 percent have student loans, 23 percent have credit card debt, 13 percent have vehicle loans, 9 percent have a mortgage, and 7 percent have medical debt.

Twenty-four percent of college students say they are excellent money managers, and another 41 percent say they are good at it. Only 29 percent say they are just average, and 6 percent rate themselves as not very good or poor. Interestingly, those who consider themselves excellent at managing their money are less likely than those who rate their skills more modestly to correctly answer a three-question financial literacy test.

Source: Sallie Mae, Majoring in Money: How American College Students Manage Their Finances