Population:
The U.S. population for July 2002 was estimated by the Census Bureau to be 288,368,698, a 2.47% increase over the July 2000 estimate of 281,421,906. The U.S. population more than tripled during the 20th century, a growth rate of about 1.3% a year, having been about 76 million in 1900.
The following is a list of the ten most populous cities in the country, with their estimates for 2002 and 2000. The trend column indicates whether the city is growing (+) or shrinking (-), based on the two estimates.
| Rank | Trend | City | July 2002 estimate | July 2000 estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | + | New York City, New York | 8,084,316 | 8,008,278 |
| 2. | + | Los Angeles, California | 3,798,981 | 3,694,820 |
| 3. | - | Chicago, Illinois | 2,886,251 | 2,896,016 |
| 4. | + | Houston, Texas | 2,009,834 | 1,953,631 |
| 5. | - | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1,492,231 | 1,517,550 |
| 6. | + | Phoenix, Arizona | 1,371,960 | 1,321,045 |
| 7. | + | San Diego, California | 1,259,532 | 1,223,400 |
| 8. | + | Dallas, Texas | 1,211,467 | 1,118,580 |
| 9. | - | Detroit, Michigan | 925,051 | 951,270 |
| 10. | + | San Jose, California | 900,443 | 894,943 |
City rankings by metropolitan area are also available.
The most densely populated state is New Jersey (372/sq.km).
Age structure: (2000 est.)
- 0-14 years: 21.25% (male 29,956,875; female 28,597,880)
- 15-64 years: 66.11% (male 90,345,154; female 91,827,471)
- 65 years and over: 12.64% (male 14,472,865; female 20,362,428)
Birth rate: 14.2 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.5 migrants/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratios: (2000 est.)
- at birth: 1.05 males/female
- under 15 years: 1.05 males/female
- 15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
- 65 years and over: 0.71 male/female
- total population: 0.96 male/female
Life expectancy: (2000 est.)
- total population: 77.12 years
- male: 74.24 years
- female: 79.9 years
- noun: American(s)
- adjective: American
- white 75.1%,
- black 12.3%,
- Asian 3.6%,
- Amerindian 0.9%,
- Two or more races 2.4%,
- other 5.5% (2000)
- Hispanic or Latino 12.5%;
Religious beliefs: (2001 American Religious Identification Survey)
| Protestant | 52% |
| Catholic | 24.5% |
| None | 13.2% |
| Jewish | 1.3% |
| Muslim | 0.5% |
| Buddhist | 0.5% |
| Agnostic | 0.5% |
| Atheist | 0.4% |
| Hindu | 0.4% |
| Unitarian Universalist | 0.3% |
| Pagan | 0.07% |
| Wiccan | 0.06% |
| Spiritualist | 0.06% |
| Native American | 0.05% |
Of the religious groups, an average of 54% reported being member of a church, temple, synagogue or mosque, with widely varying percentages, from 83% for evengelical to 19% for those of no religion.
Languages in the United States:
English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Literacy: (age 15 and over can read and write, 1979 est.)
- total population: 97%
- male: 97%
- female: 97%
