Updated Core Document Forming Part of the Reports of the United States of AmericaReleased by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
I. LAND AND PEOPLE 2. State population growth for the 1990s ranged from a high of 66 percent in Nevada to a low of 0.5 percent in North Dakota. This decade was the only one in the 20th century in which all states gained population. 3. Females outnumber males, comprising 50.9 percent of the population. The median age of all people increased from 32.9 in 1990 to 35.3 in 2000, reflecting a change in age distribution toward the older ages within the age range 18 to 64 with 25.7 percent under the age of 18, 61.9 percent age 18 to 64, and 12.4 percent age 65 and over. 4. The United States is home to a wide variety of ethnic and racial groups; indeed, virtually every national, racial, ethnic, cultural and religious group in the world is represented in its population. According to Census 2000, 97.6 percent of all respondents (274,595,678) reported only one race. The largest group reported White alone, accounting for 75 percent of all people living in the United States. The Black or African American alone population represented 12 percent of the total. Just under 1 percent of all respondents indicated only American Indian and Alaska Native. Approximately 4 percent of all respondents indicated only Asian. The smallest race group was the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone population, representing 0.1 percent of the total population. The remainder of the "one race" respondents - 5.5 percent of all respondents - indicated only the "Some other race alone" category which consists predominately (97.0 percent) of people of Hispanic origin, and is not a standard Office of Management and Budget race category. 2.4 percent of all respondents reported two or more races. 5. According to the American Community Survey (ACS), in 2004, the foreign-born population was estimated as 34.3 million (or 12.0 percent of the total U.S. household population). The foreign-born population is located throughout the United States. The following map shows the percent of the foreign-born population based on each state’s total population.
7. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, legal permanent migrants, temporary migrants (e.g., students), humanitarian migrants (e.g., refugees), and people illegally present in the United States (i.e., unauthorized migrants). 8. Direct estimates of the unauthorized population are not available. Generally, estimates of this population are derived using multiple data sources such as censuses, surveys, and administrative records. Recent efforts have yielded estimates of a residual population that include the unauthorized as well as "quasi-legal" migrants–-people who are legally present in the United States, but who have not obtained legal permanent resident (LPR) status. 9. This residual foreign-born population was estimated to be about 3.8 million in 1990 and about 8.7 million in 2000. The residual foreign born were less likely to be male (48 percent) in 1990 than in 2000 (54 percent). Of the residual foreign born, about 27 percent were from Mexico in 1990 and about 47 percent were from Mexico in 2000. 10. Nearly four-fifths (79 percent) of all people in the United States live in urban areas, with "urban" defined as densely populated clusters of 2,500 or more residents. 11. English is the predominant language of the United States. In 2004, of approximately 266 million people aged 5 and over, some 50 million (approximately 19 percent) spoke a language other than English at home. Thirty-one million people spoke Spanish; 7.6 million spoke an Asian or Pacific Island language. Based on data from 2003, French and German were among the next most common. Twenty-two million people in 2004 indicated they did not speak English "very well." The highest percentages of non-English speakers were found in the States of California, New Mexico, and Texas. B. Vital statistics 13. The total fertility rate for the United States, according to 2000 figures, was 2,130 births per 1,000 women aged 10-49. In other words, women in the United States on average have 2.1 births over the course of their child-bearing years. This is statistically equivalent to the replacement level of 2.1. Over the decade of the 1990s, there has been a convergence between the fertility rate of White women and Black women. In 2000, the total fertility rate of White women was 2,114 births per 1,000 compared with 2,193 births per 1,000 for Black women. In 1990, Black women had a total fertility rate which averaged about 0.5 births per woman higher than that of White women. Overall, one-third (33 percent) of all births in the United States in 2000 were to unmarried women. 14. In 1999, a total of 2,391,399 deaths occurred in the United States, at an age-adjusted rate of 881.9 deaths per 100,000 population. The 1999 rate was the second lowest rate ever. Life expectancy at birth was 76.7 years, the same as the record high achieved in 1998. The infant mortality rate was 7.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. This rate continues to trend downward although single year changes have not been statistically different for several years. Gaps between men and women continue to narrow with the age-adjusted death rate for men 1.4 times greater than women and life expectancy for men lagging behind that for women by 5.5 years. Gaps between the Black and White populations persist with age-adjusted death rates 1.3 times greater, infant mortality rates 2.5 times greater, and maternal mortality 3.7 times greater for the Black population than that for the White population. Life expectancy for the White population exceeds that for the Black population by 5.9 years continuing the trend toward convergence in life expectancy and age-adjusted death rates. 15. Survey data for 2004 indicated that there were 112 million households in the United States, of which 68 percent contained families. However, married couples with children under 18 make up only 23 percent of all households. In recent decades, owing to increases in divorce and single-parenthood, more children are living with only one parent. Among all children under age 18, 28 percent lived with a single parent in 2004, more than double the 12 percent of children who lived with only one parent in 1970. Most children who live with one parent live with their mother. For instance, in 2004 approximately 83 percent of children who lived with one parent lived with their mother. The proportion of children living with one parent varies according to race. Among children under 18, 22 percent of White children lived with one parent, whereas 56 percent of African-American children, 14 percent of Asian children, and 31 percent of Hispanic children lived with one parent. Children in every group were far more likely to live with their mother than their father. Among children living with their mother or father only, 80 percent of White children, 90 percent of African-American children, 86 percent of Asian children, and 83 percent of Hispanic children lived with their mother. In total, approximately 4 percent of children under 18 live with a relative other than their parents or with a non-relative. Statistics on women in the workforce 18. Population. There are 115,647,000 women compared to 107,710,000 men in the civilian non-institutional population, 16 years or older. 19. Civilian Labor Force. This labor force is comprised of 68,421,000 women (59.2 % of the civilian population of women age 16 and over) compared with 78,980,000 men (73.3% of the civilian population of men). Women make up 46. 4% of the civilian labor force. 20. Employment, Unemployment. 64,728,000 women are employed (56% of pop.), and 3,694,000 are unemployed. The unemployment rate for women was 5.4 %, and for men, 5.6 %. 21. Full-Time/Part-Time Employment. 48,073,000 women worked full time (74.3 % of all employed women) and 16,654,000 women worked part time (25.7 %). 66,444,000 men worked full time (89.2 %) and 8,080,000 worked part time (10.8 %). 22. Occupations with the most women employed. In 2004, the seven occupations in which the largest numbers of women were employed (with the median weekly earnings and estimated annual earnings [weekly earnings x 52 weeks] for women who were full-time wage and salary workers) were as follows:
23. Occupations with highest earnings for women. In 2004, the seven occupations in which at least 50,000 women were employed and where women received their highest median weekly earnings were as follows:
24. Families maintained by women. There were 76,741,000 primary families and unrelated subfamilies in the United States in March 2004, of which 14,196,000 were families maintained by women, 18.5 percent or slightly less than 1 out of 5 families. Between 2002 and 2004 the number of households headed by women increased by 679,000 (5.0 percent). 25. Working Mothers. In 2004, 62.2 percent of mothers with children under six were in the labor force, down from 64.1 percent in 2002. The labor force participation of mothers with children under six has declined since 2000. The total number of women with children under six in the labor force in 2004, 10,131,000, was less than the 10,193,000 mothers in 2002, consistent with the fact that the number of mothers with children under six has been declining since peak levels in 1994. In 2004, 57.3 percent of mothers with children under three were in the labor force (5,401,000 mothers), compared with 60.5 percent (5,600,000 mothers) in 2002. C. Socio-economic indicators 26. For 2004, the per capita money income in the United States was $23,848 in current dollars. Median money earnings in 2004 for full-time, year-round workers was $40,798 for males compared with $31,223 for females. The gross domestic product (GDP) in billions of current dollars was $11,734 for 2004. The Consumer Price Index, frequently used to measure inflation, increased by 2.3 percent in 2003 and 2.7 percent in 2004. 27. In 2004, 66 percent of the population 16 years and older was in the labor force(totaling 147,401,000), including approximately 25.7 million mothersin the labor force. The overall unemployment rate was 5.5 percent. For men, the figure was 5.6 percent, compared with 5.4 percent for women. Whites' rate of unemployment was 4.8 percent, African-Americans' rate was 10.4 percent, and Hispanics' rate was 7.0 percent. The minimum wage in 2004 was $5.15 an hour. 28. In 2004, 12.7 percent of the population was below the poverty level, the federally established figure below which a person is considered to have insufficient income for his or her basic needs. For a family of four in 2004, this was equal to $19,307. Of all families headed by females, 28.4 percent were below the poverty level. The poverty rate for White, Black and Hispanic families headed by women was respectively, 24.8 percent, 37.6 percent and 38.9 percent. Among related children under 18, 17.3 percent lived in poverty. The rate for related children under six was 19.9 percent. 29. The poverty rate in 2004 varied among racial groups in the United States. While 10.8 percent of Whites (8.6 percent when Hispanics are not included) were below the poverty level, 24.7 percent of Blacks, 21.9 percent of Hispanics and 9.8 percent of Asians fell below the poverty level. Among the poor in 2003, 68.0 percent lived in a household where someone received means-tested assistance (cash or noncash), and 22.6 percent lived in a household where someone received means-tested cash assistance. 30. In 2004, 85.2 percent of the population aged 25 and over had a high school diploma, 53.1 percent had some college or more, and 27.7 percent had a bachelor’s degree. Males and females achieved similar levels of education, the primary difference being that 29.4 percent of males versus 26.1 percent of females received a bachelor’s degree. Education levels differed more widely, however, on the basis of race. Rates for completing high school and college were90.0 percent and 30.6 percent for non-Hispanic Whites, versus 80.6 percent and 17.6 percent for the Black population, and 58.4 percent and 12.1 percent for Hispanics. In 2004, 66.7 percent of the most recent graduates of high school had enrolled in colleges and universities. 31. In 2000, approximately four fifths (84 %) of all American women ages 25 and over have completed high school. Additionally, in 2000 women constitute 56 percent of the students in undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs. (Digest Table 174). More specifically, 56.1 percent of undergraduate students are women (Digest Table 189), and 57.9 percent of graduate students are women (Digest Table 190). 32. The United States Department of Education has developed a method for evaluating functional literacy by testing prose, document, and quantitative literacy resulting in five literacy levels. In 1992, the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) was conducted with a sample of 26,000 individuals. The NALS found that 21 to 23 percent of the participants scored in the lowest of five levels in each of the three literacy categories. Less than 18-21 percent scored in top 2 levels. The survey found that older adults, who have typically completed the fewest years of schooling, demonstrated lower literacy skills than other age groups. Among participants scoring in the lowest skill level, 62 percent had not completed high school, and 35 percent had eight or fewer years of formal schooling. Additionally, twenty-five percent were born in another country, and 26 percent had some physical or mental condition that prevented them from participating fully in work, school, housework, or other activities. Nearly half, 41 to 44 percent, of these participants lived in poverty. Adults in prison were disproportionately likely to perform in the lowest two levels of literacy skill. 33. Data are from the reports Adult Literacy and Education in America (NCES 2001-534) and from Adult Literacy in America: a first look at the findings of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NCES 1993-275). 34. Freedom to worship and to follow a chosen religion is constitutionally protected in the United States. As a result, all major world religions are found in the United States and literally hundreds of denominations and sects exist. The population is overwhelmingly Christian, although obtaining accurate statistical data with regard to religion is extremely difficult, as this information is not included in the decennial census of otherwise collected by the government. The available figures are often rough, based on self-reporting studies which leave great room for error. According to the 2001 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, practicing church members make up 57% of the general population. Of those church members, the major groups include Protestants (chiefly Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Pentecostal, and Mormons) (56%), Roman Catholics (40%), and Jews (4%). The latest data available (1990) for Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim/Islamic groups reported a total membership of 1,155,000 (or 1%). Numbers do not add to 100 percent due to rounding. D. Land 36. The geography of the continental United States is widely varied, with great mountain ranges, flat open prairies, and numerous rivers. On the Atlantic shore, much of the northern coast is rocky, but the middle and southern Atlantic coast rises gently from the sea. It starts as low, wet ground and sandy flats, but then becomes a rolling coastal lowland somewhat like that of northern and western Europe. The Appalachians, which run roughly parallel to the east coast, are old mountains with many open valleys between them. To the west is the Appalachian plateau underlain by extensive coal deposits, and beyond is the Central Lowland, which resembles the plains of eastern Europe or the Great Plains of Australia. The Central Lowland is drained chiefly by the vast Mississippi-Missouri river system, which extends some 5,970 km and which experienced disastrous flooding during 1993. In the south, the Gulf Coastal Lowlands, including Florida and westward to the Texas Coast, include many lagoons, swamps and sandbars in addition to rolling coastal plain. 37. North of the Central Lowland, extending for about 1,860 km, are the five Great Lakes, four of which the United States shares with Canada. The lakes are estimated to contain about half of the world's fresh water. 38. West of the Central Lowland are the Great Plains, likened to the flat top of a table which is slightly tilted upward to the west. They are stopped by the Rocky Mountains, the "backbone of the continent." The Rockies are considered young mountains, of the same age as the Alps in Europe or the Himalayas in Asia. They are high, rough and irregular in shape, with peaks exceeding 4,300 meters above sea level. Through the Rockies runs the Continental Divide which separates drainage into the Atlantic Ocean from drainage into the Pacific Ocean. The land west of the Rockies is made up of distinct and separate regions. One region encompasses the high Colorado Plateau, in which the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is cut, 1.6 km in depth. Other regions include the high Columbia tableland to the north, the Basin and Range Province to the south, the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and at the border of the Pacific Ocean, the Coast Ranges, relatively low mountains in a region with occasional earthquakes. Death Valley, located in eastern California and south-western Nevada, contains the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, 86 meters below sea level. 39. The Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, close to the west coast of the continent, catch the largest share of the rain off the Pacific Ocean before it can go inland. As a result, there is too little rain for almost the whole western half of the United States, which lies in the "rain shadow" of the mountains. In a great part of that territory, farmers must depend on irrigation water from the snows or rains that are trapped by the mountains. Most of the western half of the country, with the exception of the Pacific North-West states, receives less than 50 cm of rainfall a year. Regions in the eastern half receive at least 50 cm, and often much more, through moist air masses from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean that travel inland. 40. Along the western or Pacific coast, the temperature changes little between winter and summer. In some places, the average difference between July and January is as little as 10o C. The climate along the northern part of this coast is similar to that of England. However, in the north central part of the country, summer and winter are vastly different. The average difference between July and January is 36o C, and more violent extremes are common. In the eastern part of the United States, the difference between summer and winter is also distinct, but not nearly so extreme. Near the south-western and south-eastern corners of the country, the climate is mild in winter, but in summer the temperature may reach equatorial levels. 41. Natural vegetation ranges from the mixed forests of the Appalachians to the grasslands of the Great Plains, from the conifers of the Rocky Mountains to the redwood forests of California, the cacti and mesquite of the south-western deserts and the subtropical pines, oaks, palms, and mangroves of the Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts. 42. The variations in temperature within the continental United States have had a marked effect on the country's economy and living standard. There is a long crop growing season along the south-east coast. This is also true in several small strips and pockets to the west where crops like grapes grow well during a large part of the year. In some of the cooler climates, animals and produce such as apples, wheat and corn thrive. Subtropical climates in parts of the United States allow for particularly long growing seasons. Citrus fruit is grown in Florida, California, Arizona and Texas. Sugar cane is grown in Louisiana and rice in Arkansas, California, Louisiana and Texas. Cotton is grown throughout the south-eastern United States as well as in Texas, Arizona and California. As a result, the United States produces a large range of agricultural products. Approximately one half of the land is occupied by farms, with dairies important in the north and north-east, livestock and feedgrains in the Midwest, wheat in the Great Plains, and livestock on the High Plains and in the South. 43. Located at the extreme north-western corner of the continent and separated from the 48 contiguous states by western Canada, Alaska is the largest state (approximately 1.59 million square km) and the only one extending longitudinally into the Eastern Hemisphere. Alaska includes two major mountain chains, the Brooks Range in the north and the Alaska Range in the south, as well as the highest point in the United States, Mt. McKinley (6,194 meters above sea level). The two ranges are separated by a Central Plateau through which the Yukon River flows. The northernmost part of the State contains the Arctic Slope. With thousands of offshore islands, Alaska has 54,552 km of shoreline. Alaska is one of the least populous states (in 2000, only Vermont and Wyoming had smaller populations), but indigenous people constitute over 15 percent of the total. 44. The Aleutian Islands extend 1,930 km into the northern Pacific Ocean from the Alaskan Peninsula and include some 150 islands of volcanic origin totaling 17,666 square km. The population of 8,162 is largely indigenous. 45. Hawaii, the fiftieth state, comprises a chain of some 130 islands representing the peaks of submerged volcanic mountains extending across 2,400 km in the North Pacific Ocean. The main islands (Hawaii, Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau) are located at the south-eastern end, approximately 3,800 km from the mainland. There are several active volcanoes, including Mauna Loa (4,169 metres) and Kilauea (4,205 metres). The climate is generally subtropical; Mt. Waialeale on Kauai is the wettest spot in the United States, with an average annual rainfall of 1,168 cm. As of the 2000 census, the population exceeds 1.2 million and is of diverse origins: 9.4 percent are Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, 17 percent Japanese, 14 percent Filipino, and 24 percent White. 46. Guam, a self-governing territory of the United States, is located approximately 9,600 km from the mainland in the western Pacific Ocean. The largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands, it is 48 km long and encompasses 541 km2 of land. The highest point is Mt. Lamlam (405 metres above sea level). The population totals 154,805, of which 37 percent are Chamorro only and another 5.1 percent are Chamorro and another race or ethnic group. 47.8 percent of the population was born outside of Guam, 21.1 percent from the Philippines and 12.3 percent from the United States.
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