April 1997 No. 6
How We're Changing
Demographic State of the Nation: 1997
A Report by the U. S. Bureau of the Census
Bill Pinkovitz
How We're Changing provides an overview of the major demographic findings reported by the Census since January 1996. The data and trends included in this report provide valuable insights into our current situation and some of the realities we will be facing over the next fifty years.
A copy of the full report is available through CenStats, a Web-based data access service maintained by the Bureau of the Census. CenStats includes complete copies of all the Census reports released since January 1996. It also includes several economic and agriculture census reports from 1990 and 1992. The CenStats home page is located at http://www.census.gov/mp/www/index/index2.html. To go directly to this report, simply go to http://www.census.gov/prod/2/pop/p23/p23-193.pdf. The following provides a sampling of the information contained in the How We're Changing:
The U.S. population is projected to reach 394 million in 2050.
- This represents a 50% increase from 1995 to 2050. However, the average annual growth rate will actually decline from 1.05 percent (1990-1995) to 0.63 percent (2040-2050)
- In 1995, there were 34 million people ages 65+ (13 percent of the population). The Census project that by 2050 there will be 79 million people ages 65+ (20% of the population).
- The population age 85+ is projected to grow more than four-fold by 2050 from 4 million (1996) to 18 million (2050). The 85+ population will increase from 1.4 percent to 4.6 percent of the total population by 2050.
Only 7 of 10 children live with 2 parents.
- The proportion of children under 18 years living with two parents declined from 85 percent (1970) to 69 percent (1995).
- Children living with a single parent were almost as likely to be living with a parent who had never been married (35 percent) as with a parent who was divorced (38 percent).
- In 1995, 21 percent of White children; 56 percent of African-American children; and 33 percent of Hispanic children lived with one parent.
Preschoolers' child care arrangements have varied over the past few years.
- In 1993, 30 percent of preschoolers were cared for in a day care center, nursery school, or preschool. This compares to 26 percent (1988) and 23 percent (1991).
- 16 percent (1993) of preschoolers were cared for by fathers. This compares to 15 percent (1977 and 1988) and 20 percent (1990).
Educational attainment levels continue to rise.
- In March 1995, 82 percent of all adults ages 25+ had received at least a high school diploma. At least a Bachelor's degrees had been earned by 23 percent of adults ages 25+. Both figures are the highest ever recorded in the U.S.
- In 1995, 83 percent of Whites; 74 percent of African-Americans; and 53 percent of Hispanics ages 25+ had earned at least a high school degree.
- However, the gap between younger Whites and African-Americans (ages 25 to 29) who have received at least a high school degree has disappeared over the last decade. Whites have maintained an 87 percent high school completion rate (1985 to 1995). During the same period, the proportion of African-Americans ages 25 to 29 with at least a high school degree increased from 81 percent to 87 percent.
Real median household income increases for the first time since 1989.
- Between 1994 and 1995, real median household income increased to $34,076 (+2.7 percent). This is still below the 1989 peak of $35,421 (in 1995 dollars).
- Interestingly, incomes for some demographic groups have returned to their 1989 levels. They include: the Midwest, African-American households, households maintained by a woman with no husband present, and household headed by people ages 55 to 64 years old.
- Real median earnings for women declined to $22,497 (1.5%) in 1995. The median earnings for men was $31,496.
Both the number of people living below the poverty level and the poverty rate decreased significantly in 1995.
- In 1995, 36.4 million people (13.8 percent of the population) were below the official government poverty level. This compares to 38.1 million people (14.4 percent) in 1994. However, this is still higher than the 1989 rate of 13.1 percent.
- Children under 6 years have a poverty rate of 23.7 percent. Children under 18 comprise about 25 percent of the population. However, they comprise 40 percent of those below the poverty level.
Over 40 million people do not have health insurance.
- Throughout 1995, an estimated 41 million people (15.4% of the population) were without health insurance.
- During 1995, over 70% of the population were covered by a private insurance plan. The remaining with insurance include Medicare (13.1 percent); Medicaid (12.1 percent) and military health care (3.5 percent). Note: the total is greater than 100 percent as many of those with insurance were covered by more than one plan.
- Despite government plans such as Medicare and Medicaid, 11 million of the poor (30.2 percent) had no health insurance of any kind in 1995.
36 million Americans (14 percent) participated in AFDC, General Assistance, food stamps, SSI, Medicaid, and housing assistance in 1993.
- Children and the elderly were the most consistent users of these programs. 14.1 percent of children and 9.7 percent of those ages 65+ participated in at least one of these programs in each month of 1992 and 1993. This compares with 6.0 percent of those ages 18 to 64 years old.
In 1995, the homeownership rate was at its highest level since 1983.
- In 1995, owner-occupied housing units comprised 65 percent of all occupied housing units.
- 80 percent of married couples own their own homes. This compares to 55 percent for families maintained by men; 45 percent for families maintained by women; 44 percent for men living alone; and 55 percent for women living alone.
