70 Years of Work

Everyone is always fussing about the ups and downs of women's labor force participation rate. But in fact, men's labor force participation has changed just as dramatically over the years. Let's take a look at the 70-year trend detailed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its latest edition of Women in the Labor Force: A Databook.

Labor force participation rate of men and women aged 16 or older, 1950-2020

	Men	Women	PP difference
2020	67.7%	56.2%	11.5
2019	69.2%	57.4%	11.8
2010	71.2%	58.6%	12.6
2000	74.8%	59.9%	14.9
1990	76.4%	57.5%	18.9
1980	77.4%	51.5%	25.9
1970	79.7%	43.3%	36.4
1960	83.3%	37.7%	45.6
1950	86.4%	33.9%	52.5

Men's labor force participation rate has been falling steadily for the past 70 years. Women's labor force participation rate increased during most of the time period, reaching a peak of 60.0 percent in 1999 (not shown in table). Since the 1999 peak, women's labor force participation rate has fallen by 3.8 percentage points. Men's labor force participation rate fell by a larger 7.0 percentage points.  

The gap in the labor force participation rate between men and women has been shrinking for the entire 70-year period. It was just 11.5 percentage points in 2020, down from a whopping 52.5 percentage points in 1950. 

In the first year of the pandemic (2020), men's labor force participation rate fell by 1.5 percentage points. Women's labor force participation rate fell by a slightly smaller 1.2 percentage points. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Women in the Labor Force: A Databook

18% of Americans Live in a Multigenerational Home

Over the past 50 years, the share of the U.S. population that lives in a multigenerational household has more than doubled, rising from 7 percent in 1971 to 18 percent in 2021, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. Pew defines a multigenerational household as one that includes at least two generations of adults (mainly aged 25 or older) or a "skipped generation"—grandparents living with grandchildren under age 25. 

Young adults (aged 25 to 29) are most likely to live in a multigenerational household, at 31 percent. In the age group, men (37 percent) are more likely than women (26 percent) to do so.  

Percent of population living in a multigenerational household, 2021

Aged 25 to 29: 31%

Aged 30 to 34: 19%

Aged 35 to 39: 15%

Aged 40 to 64: 19%

Aged 65-plus: 18%

By race and Hispanic origin, non-Hispanic whites are least likely to live in a multigenerational household (13 percent). Asians (24 percent), Blacks (26 percent), and Hispanics (26 percent) are about equally likely to have a multigenerational living arrangement. 

The number-one reason for living in a multigenerational household is financial issues, cited by 67 percent as a reason and by 40 percent as a major reason. Nearly half (45 percent) say they live in a multigenerational household to care (or receive care) for an adult family member. Twenty-four percent are doing so to receive help with child care.

Interestingly, multigenerational living gets positive reviews. Overall, 56 percent say the experience is somewhat/very positive, 26 percent say it is neutral, and 17 percent think it is somewhat/very negative. What explains these positive reviews? The 58 percent majority of those who live in a multigenerational household say it is convenient most/all of the time. Fifty-four percent say it is rewarding most/all of the time. Only 23 percent say it is stressful most/all of the time. And, if you think most of these multigenerational households are crowded, think again. Fully 72 percent of those who live in a multigenerational household say there is plenty of space. 

Source: Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, Financial Issues Top the List of Reasons U.S. Adults Live in Multigenerational Homes

Reversal: Big Metro Counties Lose Population

Population growth in the United States ground to a halt during the pandemic. Between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, the population grew by just 0.1 percent, according to Census Bureau estimates. This is the slowest rate of growth in the nation's history. 

The coronavirus pandemic explains the slow growth. Because of Covid, deaths exceeded births in a record high 73 percent of the nation's counties. Because of Covid, the number of net international migrants to the United States plunged, falling to just 247,000 in 2020–21, down from 477,000 in 2019–20. For context, net international migration was as high as 1,049,000 in 2015–16.

The pandemic also messed with domestic migration, consequently reversing the long-standing pattern of population growth by Rural-Urban Continuum. The Rural-Urban Continuum (RUC) is the federal government's system of classifying counties by their degree of urbanity. It is a useful tool for analyzing growth patterns at the county level. The RUC 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).

The long-term pattern during the 2010s was one of urban growth—the more urban, the greater the growth. But this was not the case in 2020–21, according to a Demo Memo analysis. Counties with a rank of 1 on the continuum (the most urban) lost population during the year. Every other county type grew at least a bit, even the most rural. Here is how county populations changed in 2020–21 by rank on the Rural-Urban continuum...

County population change by Rural-Urban Continuum rank, July 1, 2020–June 30, 2021
1. -0.16% for counties in metros with 1 million or more people
2.  0.62% for counties in metros of 250,000 to 1 million people
3.  0.47% for counties in metros with less than 250,000 people
4.  0.36% for nonmetro counties with urban pop of 20,000-plus, adjacent to metro
5.  0.06% for nonmetro counties with urban pop of 20,000-plus, not adjacent to metro
6.  0.29% for nonmetro counties with urban pop of 2,500–19,999, adjacent to metro
7.  0.04% for nonmetro counties with urban pop of 2,500–19,999, not adjacent to metro 
8.  0.63% for nonmetro counties with urban pop less than 2,500, adjacent to metro 
9.  0.28% for nonmetro counties with urban pop less than 2,500, not adjacent to metro 

Behind the population loss in big metro counties is the one-two-three punch of the pandemic. Births fell, deaths increased, and the trickle of net international migrants could not make up for domestic migration losses in some of the largest metros such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes and Census Bureau, County Population Totals: 2020–2021

Who's Gotten a Booster?

As of the middle of March, 85 percent of Americans aged 18 or older had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 59 percent had received a booster, according to the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. Here are the vaccination rates by age group...

Percent of reporting adults aged 18 or older who had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine (and percent who had received a booster), March 2-14, 2022

Total 18-plus: 85% (59%)

Aged 18 to 24: 80% (44%)

Aged 25 to 39: 78% (45%)

Aged 40 to 55: 84% (55%)

Aged 55 to 64: 89% (67%)

Aged 65-plus: 93% (79%)

Among all adults, 21 million say they "will definitely not" get a Covid-19 vaccine. A larger 32 million say they "do not plan to receive a booster."

Source: Census Bureau, Week 43 Household Pulse Survey: March 2–March 14

56% Drop in Travel Spending

The average American household spent 56 percent less on travel in 2020 than it did in 2019, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics' analysis of the Consumer Expenditure Survey. The average household spent $2,100 on travel in 2019 and just $926 in 2020. The decline in travel spending in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic is no surprise, of course. Some may wonder why the decline was not even greater. 

Average household spending on travel in 2020 (and 2019)

Total travel spending: $926 ($2,100)

Transportation: $300 ($849)

Lodging: $318 ($619)

Food on trips: $208 ($423)

Entertainment on trips: $64 ($139)

Alcohol on trips: $35 ($70)

Of the two major components of travel spending—transportation and lodging—transportation experienced the bigger decline—a 65 percent drop for the category as a whole and even bigger declines for individual modes of transportation. Average household spending on airline fares fell 69 percent, spending on intercity train fares was down 74 percent, intercity bus fares 85 percent, and local transportation on trips 66 percent. Spending on gasoline on out-of-town trips fell by a smaller 43 percent.

Average household spending on lodging fell 49 percent between 2019 and 2020—less than the 65 percent decline in transportation spending. Consequently, the average household devoted more travel dollars to lodging than it did to transportation in 2020, a break from past patterns.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures on Travel Declined Sharply from 2019 to 2020

Millions Still Smoke Cigarettes

Many millions of Americans still smoke cigarettes, despite decades of warnings, hundreds of thousands of deaths each year, and millions in health care expenses. According to the CDC, this is the percentage of Americans aged 18 or older who smoke cigarettes...

Total adults: 12.5%

Men: 14.1%

Women: 11.0%

Aged 18 to 24: 7.4%

Aged 25 to 44: 14.1%

Aged 45 to 64: 14.9%

Aged 65-plus: 9.0%

Northeast: 10.4%

Midwest: 15.2%

South: 14.1%

West: 9.0%

Metropolitan counties: 11.4%

Nonmetropolitan counties: 19.0%

High school only: 17.6%

Some college: 14.4%

Associate's degree: 12.7%

Bachelor's degree: 5.6%

Graduate degree: 3.5%

Household income <$35,000: 20.2%

Income $35,000 to $74,999: 14.1%

Income $75,000 to $99,999: 10.5%

Income $100,000 or more: 6.2%

These figures do not include those who smoke other types of tobacco such as e-cigarettes (3.7 percent of adults), cigars (3.5 percent), smokeless tobacco (2.3 percent), pipes (1.1 percent), or two or more tobacco products (3.3 percent). 

Note: Cigarette smokers are defined as those who have smoked 100 or more cigarettes in their lifetime and who currently smoke cigarettes every day or some days.

Source: CDC, Tobacco Product Use among Adults—United States, 2020

Stability in Children's Living Arrangements

The living arrangements of the nation's children have changed little over the past 12 years, according to a Census Bureau report comparing children's living arrangements in 2019 with 2007.

Distribution of children under age 18 by living arrangement, 2007 and 2019

	2019	2007	pp change
Total children	100.0%	100.0%	–
Living with two parents	70.1	70.7	-0.6
Biological mother and father	62.5	63.3	-0.8
Married parents	58.9	60.8	-1.9
At least one step/adoptive parent	7.6	7.4	0.2
Living with one parent	25.8	25.8	0.0
Living with neither parent	4.0	3.5	0.5
Living with grandparents	2.1	1.8	0.3

The 59 percent majority of children live in a traditional nuclear family—with their married, biological mother and father. This percentage was down slightly from the 61 percent of 2007. The percentage of children who live in a single-parent family (26 percent) did not change over the years. The great majority of these children (83 percent in 2019) live with their mother. 

Source: Census Bureau, Living Arrangements of Children: 2019

How Did You Sleep Last Night?

It's a toss-up, according to The State of Sleep in America 2022 Report. One-third of American adults (32 percent) reported "very good/excellent" sleep last night, another third (35 percent) reported "good" sleep, and the final third (33 percent) say their sleep was only "fair/poor." The State of Sleep in America is the product of a partnership between Gallup and Casper, the sleep products company, with the goal of measuring and better understanding sleep quality. So here's how last night went...

"Overall, how would you describe your sleep last night?"

Excellent: 7%

Very good: 25%

Good: 35%

Fair: 23%

Poor: 10%

The 54 percent majority of adults reported some kind of trouble sleeping last night, according to the survey. The largest share (28 percent) had trouble staying asleep. Another 15 percent had trouble falling asleep, and an unlucky 11 percent had trouble both falling and staying asleep. 

Perhaps it's not surprising but those who worry the most about sleep are also the ones who have the hardest time sleeping. Among the 9 percent of adults who worry "a lot" about falling asleep, just 6 percent say their sleep over the past 30 days has been very good/excellent. The 69 percent majority of worriers say their sleep has been only fair/poor. Conversely, among the 40 percent of Americans who say they do not worry at all about falling asleep, a substantial 43 percent report very good/excellent sleep over the past 30 days. Just 20 percent say their sleep has been been only fair/poor.

Source: Gallup, Casper-Gallup State of Sleep in America 2022 Report

$195 Billion in Medical Debt

Nearly 1 in 10 Americans has significant medical debt, according to an analysis of the numbers by Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker. KFF researchers analyzed data from the Census Bureau's Survey of Program Participation to determine who had significant medical debt as of December 2019 and how much they owed. They defined "significant" medical debt as $250 or more in unpaid medical bills. 

Overall, 23 million people—9 percent of U.S. adults—have significant medical debt. Those most likely to have medical debt are people aged 50 to 64 (12 percent), Blacks (16 percent), people in nonmetropolitan areas (13 percent), residents of the South (12 percent), and the uninsured (13 percent). But medical debt is common in every demographic segment. Even among those with health insurance, 9 percent have significant medical debt. 

Distribution of adults with significant medical debt by how much they owe, 2019

13% owe between $250 and $500

18% owe between $501 and $1,000

20% owe between $1,001 and $2,000

22% owe between $2,001 and $5,000

13% owe between $5,001 and $10,000

13% owe more than $10,000

Aggregate medical debt for those with significant medical debt adds up to $195 billion in unpaid bills, the researchers estimate. "Medical debt remains a persistent problem even among people with insurance coverage," the researchers report. "The fact that medical debt is a struggle even among households with health insurance and middle incomes indicates that simply expanding coverage will not erase the financial burden caused by high cost-sharing amounts and high prices for medical services and prescription drugs," they conclude.

Source: Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, The Burden of Medical Debt in the United States

Record Increase in College Grads in 2010s

American educational attainment soared in the 2010s. The share of the population aged 25 or older with a bachelor's degree grew by 7.6 percentage points between 2010 and 2020—from 29.9 to 37.5 percent. This is a bigger increase than in any other decade. The share grew by another 0.4 percentage points in 2021 and now stands at 37.9 percent.  

Percent of population aged 25-plus with a bachelor's degree, 1970 to 2021

2021: 37.9%

2020: 37.5%

2010: 29.9%

2000: 25.6%

1990: 21.3%

1980: 17.0%

1970: 11.0%

Behind the big gain was the record-breaking rise in the share of women with a bachelor's degree—up 8.7 percentage-points between 2010 and 2020. Men's 6.4 percentage-point gain during the 2010s was less than their 6.8 percentage-point gain during the 1980s. 

Women are now more likely than men to have a bachelor's degree, a threshold crossed in 2014. As of 2021, fully 39.1 percent of women and 36.6 percent of men are college graduates.

Percent of men and women aged 25-plus with a bachelor's degree, 2000 to 2021

	Men	Women
2021	36.6%	39.1%
2020	36.7%	38.3%
2010	30.3%	29.6%
2000	27.8%	23.6%

Women in 2021 are 2.5 percentage points more likely than men to have a bachelor's degree. In 2000, women were 4.2 percentage points less likely than men to be college graduates.

Source: Census Bureau, CPS Historical Time Series Tables

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

Not Wrong at All: 61%

This is something to behold. Rarely do attitudes change so dramatically in just a few decades. Between 1990 and 2021, the share of Americans who regard same-sex sexual relationships as "always wrong" plunged from 59 to just 27 percent, according to NORC's General Social Survey (GSS). The share who regard same-sex sexual relationships as "not wrong at all" climbed from just 13 percent to the 61 percent majority. 

Attitudes toward same-sex relationships, 1973 to 2021

	Not wrong at all	Always wrong
2021	61%	27%
2010	43	46
2000	29	59
1990	13	76
1980	14	74
1973	11	73

The "always wrong" response to the GSS question, "What is your opinion about sexual relations between two adults of the same sex?" fell below 50 percent for the first time in 2010. The "not wrong at all" response to the question climbed over 50 percent for the first time in 2016. Today, the "not wrong at all" crowd outnumbers the "always wrong" crowd by more than two to one. The majority of Americans in all but the oldest generation now say there is nothing wrong with same-sex relationships. Take a look...

Attitudes toward same-sex relationships by generation, 2021

	Not wrong at all	Always wrong
Gen Z (18-26)	74%	15%
Millennials (27-44)	67	22
Gen Xers (45-56)	61	30
Boomers (57-75)	55	34
Older Americans (76+)	38	37

Note: Percentages do not sum to 100 because the responses "almost always wrong" and "wrong only sometimes" are not shown.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the General Social Survey, NORC at the University of Chicago

Democrats and Republicans Have Different Priorities

Could there be bigger differences of opinion about the most important issues facing the nation than the ones between Democrats and Republicans? The answer is no—not by age, not by race, and not by education, according to a Pew Research Center survey. 

When asked which issues "should be a top priority for the president and Congress to address this year," here are the five regarded as most important by Democrats... 

Top 5 priorities, according to Democrats (percent saying issue should be a top priority)

1. Dealing with the coronavirus outbreak (80%)

2. Reducing health care costs (69%)

3. Improving the educational system (66%)

4. Dealing with global climate change (65%)

5. Strengthening the nation's economy (63%)

Only one of the Democrats' top priorities appears on the Republican top-five list. Take a look...

Top 5 priorities, according to Republicans (percent saying issue should be a top priority)

1. Strengthening the nation's economy (82%)

2. Dealing with the issue of immigration (67%)

3. Defending the country from future terrorist attacks (65%)

4. Reducing the budget deficit (63%)

5. Reducing crime (60%)

Strengthening the nation's economy is the only priority that both Democrats and Republicans rank among the most important. 

It gets worse. Two of the Democrats' top priorities are among the five lowest-priority issues for Republicans. A paltry 11 percent of Republicans think global climate change should be a priority (versus 65 percent of Democrats). Just 35 percent of Republicans think dealing with the coronavirus outbreak should be a priority (versus 80 percent of Democrats). Also among the five lowest-priority issues for Republicans are dealing with drug addiction (27 percent), dealing with the problems of poor people (25 percent), and addressing issues around race in this country (14 percent).

Conversely, two of the Republicans' top priorities are among the five lowest-priority issues for Democrats. Only 35 percent of Democrats think immigration should be a priority (versus 67 percent of Republicans). Just 31 percent of Democrats say the budget deficit should be a priority (versus 63 percent of Republicans). Also among the five lowest-priority issues for Democrats are dealing with drug addiction (32 percent), dealing with global trade issues (30 percent), and strengthening the U.S. military (22 percent). 

Source: Pew Research Center, Public's Top Priority for 2022: Strengthening the Nation's Economy

What Should Children Learn?

To think for oneself is the most important thing children should learn to prepare them for life, according to the 2021 General Social Survey. Nearly half of Americans aged 18 or older say thinking for oneself is number one...

"If you had to choose, which thing on this list would you pick as the most important for a child to learn to prepare him or her for life?"

1. To think for himself or herself: 46.7% 

2. To work hard: 25.4% 

3. To help others when they need help: 21.0% 

4. To obey: 5.8%

5. To be well-liked or popular: 1.1%

Thinking for oneself has been at the top of this list since the General Social Survey first asked the question 35 years ago in 1986. Back then, a larger 51 percent of the public rated thinking for oneself as the most important thing children should learn. What trait has shaved a few percentage points off of thinking for oneself over the years? Learning to work hard. Working hard rose from fourth place in 1986 (11 percent) to second place in 2021 (25 percent). Learning to help others has also gained over the decades, with 21 percent of respondents in 2021 saying it is the most important thing children should learn—up from 14 percent who felt that way in 1986. Obedience fell to fourth place in 2021 (6 percent), down from second place (23 percent) in 1986. Popularity has never been very popular, ranking last in both 2021 and 1986.

You might think the attitudes of younger and older adults would differ on this question. In fact, there are few differences of opinion. Take a look at the 2021 results...

"If you had to choose, which thing on this list would you pick as the most important for a child to learn to prepare him or her for life?"

	Under 45	45-plus
1. To think for himself or herself	44.6%	49.4%
2. To work hard	25.1	25.2
3. To help others when they need help	24.3	18.2
4. To obey	4.1	6.8
5. To be well-liked or popular	2.0	0.8

Younger adults (under age 45) and older adults (aged 45 or older) both say thinking for oneself is the most important thing children should learn. Not only that, but the rankings are identical for the other four qualities. Hard work is second, helping others is third, obedience is in fourth place and popularity last. 

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2021 General Social Survey

54,170 Violent Deaths

Here's something for all the doomscrollers out there: 54,170. That's the number of violent deaths in the United States in 2018 (the latest data available), according to the CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). Yes, there is such a system. The deaths were reported by 39 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 

The NVDRS defines a violent death as "a death resulting from the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or a group or community." There are five types of violent death: suicide, homicide, legal intervention, unintentional firearm death, and death due to undetermined intent that may have been violence. 

Number (and percent) of violent deaths by type, 2018

Total: 54,170 (100.0%)

Suicide: 34,726 (64.1%)

Homicide: 13,441 (24.8%)

Legal intervention: 764 (1.4%)

Unintentional firearm death: 337 (0.6%) 

Death of undetermined intent: 4,902 (9.0%)

Suicide is by far the leading cause of violent death, accounting for 64 percent of the total. Homicide accounts for another 25 percent. Firearms were used in 48 percent of suicides, 72 percent of homicides, and 90 percent of legal interventions. Among unintentional firearm deaths, nearly half (48 percent) were self-inflicted. Most often these deaths occur when kids (55 percent of the victims of unintentional firearm deaths are under age 25) are playing with a gun (42 percent) or showing a gun to others (15 percent).

The CDC collects and analyzes data on violent deaths for a reason. The data are used to "assist public health authorities in developing, implementing, and evaluating programs, policies, and practices to reduce and prevent violent deaths." 

Source: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Surveillance for Violent Deaths—National Violent Death Reporting System, 39 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, 2018

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)

Mean Age at First Birth Rises to 27.1 Years

The average age at which women have their first birth climbed to a record high of 27.1 years in 2020, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Mean age at first birth has been rising steadily for decades...

Mean age at first birth, 1970 to 2020

2020: 27.1

2010: 25.4

2000: 24.9

1990: 24.2

1980: 22.7

1970: 21.4

There were a total of 3,613,647 babies born in the United States in 2020—4 percent fewer than in 2019 and the smallest number since 1980. The number of births a woman will have in her lifetime given current age-specific fertility rates also hit a record low in 2020 of just 1.6. As recently as 2009, this figure was more than 2.0. 

Here are some other facts about 2020 births...

• 51.0% of births were to non-Hispanic white women
• 24.0% of births were to Hispanic women
• 15.6% of births were to Black women
•   6.1% of births were to Asian women
• 40.5% of births were to unmarried women
• 31.8% of births were by Cesarean delivery
• 57.2% of mothers were overweight
• 42.0% of deliveries were paid for by Medicaid
• 83.5% of infants were being breastfed at discharge
•   5.5% of women smoked during pregnancy
•   2.0% of pregnancies were the result of infertility treatment

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Births: Final Data for 2020 (PDF)

The Thrill is Gone

By now you've probably heard the news: happiness is on the wane, thanks to the pandemic. Only 19 percent of Americans reported being "very happy" in the winter of 2021—down from 31 percent who felt that way in 2018, according to the General Social Survey. The share who reported being "not too happy" nearly doubled, rising from 13 to 24 percent. 

The General Social Survey is the premier source of data on trends in American attitudes. It has been probing the mindset of a nationally representative sample of the population in most years since 1972 and in every even-numbered year since 1994. The last GSS cross-sectional survey was fielded in 2018. The most recent iteration was scheduled for the spring of 2020. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, however, the survey was delayed and most of the data were collected in 2021. 

"Taken all together, how would you say things are these days—would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?" 2021 (and 2018)

Very happy: 19.4% (30.8%)

Pretty happy: 56.8% (56.4%)

Not too happy: 23.8% (12.7%)

The decline in happiness occurred across the board and to the same degree. In every generation, fewer reported being "very happy" and more reported being "not too happy." 

Another GSS question may reveal one reason for the decline in happiness: life during the pandemic has been less than thrilling. Only 35 percent of the public thought life was "exciting" in 2021, down from the 51 percent majority who felt that way in 2018. 

"In general, do you find life exciting, pretty routine, or dull?" 2021 (and 2018)

Exciting: 35.1% (50.7%)

Routine: 59.3% (45.1%)

Dull: 5.6% (4.2%)

The percentage of respondents who think life is exciting fell in every generation between 2018 and 2021. Millennials were most likely to say the thrill is gone. Only 31 percent of Millennials thought life was exciting in 2021, down from 50 percent who felt that way in 2018—a 19 percentage point drop. Among Gen Xers, 35 percent said life was exciting in 2021 (down from 50 percent in 2018). A larger 38 percent of Boomers said life was exciting in 2021 (down from 48 percent in 2018). Among Americans aged 76 or older, 41 percent said life was exciting in 2021 (down from 54 percent in 2018). 

Note: Older Americans are defined as those born before 1946, Boomers from 1946 through 1964, Gen Xers from 1965 through 1976, and Millennials from 1977 through 1994.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2021 and 2018 General Social Surveys

First-Time Homebuyer Watch: 4th Quarter 2021

Homeownership rate of householders aged 30 to 34, fourth quarter 2021: 48.6%

Homeownership rates in the final quarter of 2021 were little changed from rates in the previous three quarters and well below the levels recorded in 2020—when the coronavirus pandemic greatly reduced the response rate to the Census Bureau's Housing Vacancy Survey and consequently distorted homeownership trends.  

The overall homeownership rate in the fourth quarter of 2021 was 65.5 percent, nearly identical to the rate in the second and third quarters of 2021. The nation's homeownership rate peaked at 69.0 percent in 2004.

The homeownership rate of 30-to-34-year-olds (the age group in which householders typically buy their first home) continued to bobble well below the 50 percent level (the rate was 48.2, 48.0, 48.9, and 48.6 in each of the four quarters of 2021). Except for the 50.1 percent blip in the third quarter of 2020, the homeownership rate of 30-to-34-year-olds has been below 50 percent in every quarter since 2011—the aftermath of the Great Recession. Until 2011, the age group's homeownership rate had never sunk below 50 percent in the data series that began in 1982. 

A sneak peak at the annual homeownership rate for 2021 (the official numbers will be released in March) shows a decline in homeownership in every age group between 2020 and 2021. But the 2020 rates were artificially inflated by the pandemic. Comparing 2021 annual rates to those of 2019 reveals an uptick in most age groups.

Source: Census Bureau, Housing Vacancy Survey