{"issues":[],"legislators":[],"articles":[{"title":"The Middle Class","id":3,"slug":"3-middle-class","links":{"self":"https://thanksgiving.usafacts.org/articles/3-middle-class","article_comments":"/api/article_comments?article_id=3","signatures":"/api/v3/articles/3/signatures?include=user"},"content":"

It is common to speculate whether the middle class is growing or shrinking. To understand the middle class, it is necessary to first define what it means to be “middle class” in America. While definitions vary, one way to define it from a data perspective is the middle 20% of income-earners.

By definition, the middle 20% will always include one-fifth of the population, so the better question might be “how is life for those in the middle changing?” Comparing families and individuals in this group in 2000 and 2017 illuminates three ways in which their lives are changing.

THE MIDDLE CLASS IS GETTING OLDER AND IS LESS LIKELY TO BE MARRIED

The middle 20% shares some key demographic characteristics with the general population. Like the American population as a whole, those in the middle are getting older. This group included 43% more retirees in 2017 than in 2000 and the average age for heads of families increased from 47 to 49 years old.

Unmarried, non-elderly individuals increased from 50% of the middle class in 2000 to 56% in 2017. While this trend holds true for the country generally, it is less pronounced – unmarried, non-elderly people in the US increased from 43% to 45% over the same time period.

THE MIDDLE CLASS IS WORKING LESS AND EARNING LESS MONEY

The percentage of individuals and families in the middle class who are working has fallen 3 percentage points, from 73% in 2000 to 70% in 2017. Those members of the middle class who are working are earning less as of 2017 than they were in 2000. The average wage income fell 11%, from $38k to $34k, adjusting for inflation.

This may be due in part to the fact that the average number of hours worked per week has also dropped, from 43 to 39 hours per worker. A decrease in the average number of hours worked makes sense given the decrease in the number of wage earners per family and the increase in retirees.

In addition to wage income; investment income has also fallen. Income from interest, dividends, and capital gains decreased from 2000 to 2017. However, private retirement income increased by 54%, likely driven by the increase in retirees.

MORE PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE CLASS ARE RECEIVING GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO MAKE ENDS MEET

Of the total income earned by the middle class, the percent of income from government transfers has grown from 19% in 2000 to 28% in 2017. This means that despite falling wage income, total income for the middle class increased from $64,280 to $67,629 due to government transfers. This trend holds true for the country as a whole - on average, transfers accounted for 17% of total income in 2017, up from 12% in 2000.

Despite earning less from wage income, the middle 20% makes more in total income than in 2000 when including transfers from government programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), and unemployment insurance.

The increase in transfers to the middle 20% may be driven by the demographic changes we’re seeing in this cohort. An older population means that a greater share is receiving payments from Social Security and Medicare. These two programs drove 38% of the increase in transfers to the middle class.

Transfers to the middle class are also increasing in part due to an increase in healthcare costs. National spending on healthcare increased 160% from 2000 to 2017.

Government spending on healthcare for the middle class, including programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), has also increased. Medicare payments increased from $2,556 to $4,437 per family unit, while Medicaid spending more than doubled, from $1,629 to $3,933. Meanwhile, employer-sponsored healthcare declined 12% in the same time period.

Other income-based assistance programs to families and individuals have also increased. Payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families increased 281% and 32% respectively from 2000 to 2017.

The middle class is affected by the same demographic changes affecting the population generally, namely an aging population and a decrease in marriages. This cohort is working less and earning less. However, the government is maintaining the middle class’ standard of living through higher transfers and lower taxes.

Methodology

We combined IRS tax data with Census data to produce a variety of demographic and financial statistics by income and family type. See more here.

","user_id":12,"cta_prompt":"What the data says about the changing middle class","cta_type":"share","cta_text":"Share","cta_url":null,"formatted_publish_date":"11.13.19","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/1de341/middle1.JPG","xsmall":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/1de341/middle1.JPG","small":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/1de341/middle1.JPG","medium":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/1de341/middle1.JPG","large":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/1de341/middle1.JPG"},"profile_id":1,"action_count":18,"html_content":"

THE MIDDLE CLASS IS GETTING OLDER AND IS LESS LIKELY TO BE MARRIED

THE MIDDLE CLASS IS WORKING LESS AND EARNING LESS MONEY

MORE PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE CLASS ARE RECEIVING GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO MAKE ENDS MEET

Transfers to the middle class are also increasing in part due to an increase in healthcare costs. National spending on healthcare increased 160% from 2000 to 2017.

Methodology

We combined IRS tax data with Census data to produce a variety of demographic and financial statistics by income and family type. See more here.

","comment_count":4,"issue_slugs":[],"private":null,"created_at":"2019-11-14T00:35:08.301Z","status":"published","snippet":"It is common to speculate whether the middle class is growing or shrinking. To understand the middle class, it is necessary to","share_count":14,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"show_newsletter_signup":false,"show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"published_at":"2019-11-14T00:35:00.000Z","allow_advocacy":false,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"issue_ids":[],"legislator_ids":[]},{"title":"Opioids","id":4,"slug":"4-opioids","links":{"self":"https://thanksgiving.usafacts.org/articles/4-opioids","article_comments":"/api/article_comments?article_id=4","signatures":"/api/v3/articles/4/signatures?include=user"},"content":"

A deep dive into the government’s data on the opioids crisis reveals previously unreported insights. For instance, the number of people seeking treatment for opioid addiction now outweighs alcohol abuse at reporting facilities. Another surprising find is that Western states like Oregon and Colorado had some of the highest rates of painkiller misuse in 2017, indicating a shift West from states like West Virginia that were ground zero for the crisis.

Few communities remain untouched by the epidemic, which kills an average of 130 people each day and costs the US economy an estimated $78 billion a year. USAFacts combed through buried PDF reports spread across law enforcement, public health, and substance abuse agencies to bring to light new data for a fuller picture of the opioids crisis. Learn more below in our outline of the government’s numbers on the crisis.

WHAT IS DRIVING THE SUPPLY OF OPIOIDS?

The increase in supply is driven by both legal prescriptions for opioid painkillers and illegal heroin trafficking.

The availability of prescriptions painkillers peaked in 2012 at 81 prescriptions per 100 people. Recent efforts to curtail overprescription have brought that down to 59 prescriptions per 100 people as of 2017.

However, according to the CDC, “more than 17 percent of Americans had at least one opioid prescription filled, with an average of 3.4 opioid prescriptions dispensed per patient” in 2017. The average number of days per prescription has continued to increase as well, to 18 days in 2017 - a statistic that may be impacted by a host of new state laws limiting prescriptions to fewer days to try to avoid addiction.

Meanwhile, heroin seizures are on the rise, increasing since 1999 and currently approaching a two-decade peak.

It has been widely reported that prescription painkillers are a legal gateway to heroin abuse. Analysis from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration states that as addicts need stronger painkillers to achieve the same effect, they may be unable to access pills through their healthcare provider or unable to afford illegally-sold pills. Some end up switching to heroin, a cheaper illegal opioid.

The Controlled Substances Act requires companies and the Drug Enforcement Agency to track distribution of opioids. A 2018 report from the House Energy and Commerce Committe detailed the role of pharmaceutical companies in increasing access to legal painkillers despite data that indicated the pills were being abused. It also documented the failure of the DEA to monitor the flow of prescription painkillers and intervene.

HOW HAVE DRUG USE AND ADDICTION RATES CHANGED?

A new insight from government data is that the number of people seeking treatment for opioid abuse has surpassed alcohol abuse in the US at reporting treatment facilities.

Heroin abuse has been steadily increasing, even as people report t\\hey are less likely to abuse or be dependent on other illicit drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana. The government has only tracked painkiller misuse since 2015, but data shows that nearly three times as many people abuse painkillers as heroin. In addition, nearly 80% of heroin users have previously abused prescription painkillers.

As users move from painkillers to heroin, the rate of addiction spikes. Of people who have misused painkillers in the past year, 1 in 5 have a dependence. Among heroin users, 4 in 5 are dependent on continued use of the drug.

ARE PEOPLE SEEKING TREATMENT?

In 2017, 2.1 million people reported using heroin or abusing painkillers and 680,000 sought treatment at reporting treatment facilities, resulting in roughly 32% of people seeking treatment. Almost 90% of approved treatment facilities in the US reported their data to the government.

Among those who self-identified as needing treatment but did not receive it, cost was the biggest barrier. In 2017, 41% of people in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that they either lacked health insurance, their health insurance did not cover addiction treatment, or if it did, the cost for their share was still too expensive to afford.

WHY HAS OPIOID USE BECOME SO DEADLY?

Deaths from opioids, including heroin, painkillers, and synthetics like Fentanyl, all increased since 2013. However, Fentanyl - a pain medication that is nearly 100 times stronger than morphine - stands out for an 800% increase in overdose deaths in just four years. Even tiny doses of Fentanyl can be deadly. Users often don’t know if their dose includes Fentanyl, and if so, how much.

Opioids were responsible for 46,394 overdose deaths in 2017, almost double the number of deaths attributable to non-opioid drugs. However, it is worth noting that overdose deaths from opioids and non-opioid substances are both increasing.

Opioids are now responsible for more deaths than cars or guns, and are about equal to suicides in the US.

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","user_id":12,"cta_prompt":"Addiction, deaths, and treatment: the latest data","cta_type":"share","cta_text":"Share","cta_url":null,"formatted_publish_date":"11.13.19","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/2e919a/12.JPG","xsmall":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/2e919a/12.JPG","small":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/2e919a/12.JPG","medium":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/2e919a/12.JPG","large":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/2e919a/12.JPG"},"profile_id":1,"action_count":6,"html_content":"

WHAT IS DRIVING THE SUPPLY OF OPIOIDS?

The increase in supply is driven by both legal prescriptions for opioid painkillers and illegal heroin trafficking.

Meanwhile, heroin seizures are on the rise, increasing since 1999 and currently approaching a two-decade peak.

HOW HAVE DRUG USE AND ADDICTION RATES CHANGED?

A new insight from government data is that the number of people seeking treatment for opioid abuse has surpassed alcohol abuse in the US at reporting treatment facilities.

ARE PEOPLE SEEKING TREATMENT?

WHY HAS OPIOID USE BECOME SO DEADLY?

Opioids are now responsible for more deaths than cars or guns, and are about equal to suicides in the US.

$\"\"$

","comment_count":0,"issue_slugs":[],"private":null,"created_at":"2019-11-14T00:43:42.301Z","status":"published","snippet":"A deep dive into the government’s data on the opioids crisis reveals previously unreported insights. For instance, the number of","share_count":6,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"show_newsletter_signup":false,"show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"published_at":"2019-11-14T00:43:42.299Z","allow_advocacy":false,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"issue_ids":[],"legislator_ids":[]},{"title":"Border Apprehensions","id":5,"slug":"5-border-apprehensions","links":{"self":"https://thanksgiving.usafacts.org/articles/5-border-apprehensions","article_comments":"/api/article_comments?article_id=5","signatures":"/api/v3/articles/5/signatures?include=user"},"content":"

As of September 2019, apprehensions at the Southwest border dropped 70% from 132,880 in May 2019 to 40,507.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection data released Wednesday shows that 132,887 people were apprehended at the Southwest border crossing in May, up 33.8% from April.

May apprehensions were the highest monthly total since 2006, when 160,696 people were apprehended. However, May border apprehensions did not exceed historic levels. The highest recorded monthly apprehension volume was in March 2000, when over 220,000 people were apprehended at the Southwest border.

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While border apprehensions have not yet exceeded historic levels, the type of person apprehended is shifting. According to a 2016 CBP report, “the characteristics of illegal migration across our southern border have changed significantly over the last 15 years - far fewer Mexican nationals and single adults are attempting to cross the border without authorization, while far more families and unaccompanied children are fleeing poverty and violence in Central America.”

Because of this, the United States is dealing with a growing list of asylum seekers, largely from the Central American countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

","user_id":12,"cta_prompt":"A look at 20 years of data","cta_type":"share","cta_text":"Share","cta_url":null,"formatted_publish_date":"11.13.19","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/babd74/13.JPG","xsmall":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/babd74/13.JPG","small":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/babd74/13.JPG","medium":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/babd74/13.JPG","large":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/babd74/13.JPG"},"profile_id":1,"action_count":6,"html_content":"

As of September 2019, apprehensions at the Southwest border dropped 70% from 132,880 in May 2019 to 40,507.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection data released Wednesday shows that 132,887 people were apprehended at the Southwest border crossing in May, up 33.8% from April.

$\"\"$

Because of this, the United States is dealing with a growing list of asylum seekers, largely from the Central American countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

","comment_count":2,"issue_slugs":[],"private":null,"created_at":"2019-11-14T05:59:28.695Z","status":"published","snippet":"As of September 2019, apprehensions at the Southwest border dropped 70% from 132,880 in May 2019 to 40,507. The U.S. Customs and","share_count":4,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"show_newsletter_signup":false,"show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"published_at":"2019-11-14T05:59:28.693Z","allow_advocacy":false,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"issue_ids":[],"legislator_ids":[]},{"title":"Medicare","id":6,"slug":"6-medicare","links":{"self":"https://thanksgiving.usafacts.org/articles/6-medicare","article_comments":"/api/article_comments?article_id=6","signatures":"/api/v3/articles/6/signatures?include=user"},"content":"

The 65+ population now makes up 16% of the US population, up from 11% in 1980. In response to an aging population, Medicare costs are going up. Benefits totaled $713 billion in 2018, 25% higher than in 2009, and Medicare spending accounts for a fifth of all healthcare spending as of the latest year of data.

However, while program costs are increasing, there is an interesting counter-trend – the per person cost for insuring someone through Medicare has actually decreased.

In 2018, the overall cost of Medicare per enrollee was $13,339 per year, about $30 less than it was in 2009, adjusting for inflation. That’s even as benefits across Medicare totaled $713.4 billion, $144.4 billion more than in 2009.

Why are the costs of insuring someone through Medicare going down? A combination of demographics and policy changes may point to an answer.

THE AVERAGE MEDICARE BENEFICIARY IS GETTING YOUNGER

The average age fell from 76 to 75 between 2007 and 2017. Enrollment in all types of Medicare increased 29% during that period from 44.4 million to 58.5 million.

That one year drop in average age is significant for Medicare costs.

An influx of Baby Boomers enrolling in Medicare is playing a role in slowing down an increase in costs for Medicare Part A, which funds hospital stays, skilled nurse facilities, hospice and parts of home health care. In 2008, the share of Original Medicare (Part A or B) beneficiaries who were 65 to 74 years old was 43%. In 2017, 65- to 74-year-olds made up 48% of beneficiaries, the group’s highest share in the 21st century.

A 2015 Congressional Budget Office study showed that we spend 73% more on an enrollee in the 75 to 84 bracket than we do on those in the 65 to 74 bracket.

HOSPITAL STAYS ARE GETTING SHORTER AND LESS FREQUENT

In 2017, Medicare’s inpatient payments totaled $135.3 billion, 72% of the $188.1 billion Part A total payments. That’s down from the $135.8 billion spent on inpatient programs in 2013.

While the percentage of Part A enrollees getting hospitalized during the year has remained unchanged at 18% between 2013 and 2017, there was a 4% drop in discharges (from 11.4 million to 11 million). During that period, the total days Medicare Part A patients stayed on inpatient visits dropped 7%. The number of discharges per 1,000 enrollees dropped 6%.

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A 2018 report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the independent federal body that advises Congress on health care costs, explored the impact of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), which was enacted in 2010 giving hospitals financial incentives to cut readmission rates.

It found a drop in all readmission rates from 18% of cases in 2008 to 16% of cases in 2016, though there was a slight increase in observation and emergency department visits — both of which are covered under Part B. The authors of the report wrote:

The decline in readmissions across all conditions resulted in net savings to the Medicare program of roughly $2 billion per year. We conclude that the HRRP contributed to a significant decline in readmission rates without causing a material increase in ED visits, a material increase in observation stays, or a net adverse effect on mortality rates.

HOSPITAL STAYS ARE MAKING UP A SMALLER PART OF MEDICARE BENEFITS, BUT COSTS FOR OUTPATIENT SERVICES HAVE GONE UP

That same report also noted that observation (non-overnight) stays as well as emergency department visits increased since the HRRP. (Though it didn’t entirely attribute the changes to the HRRP.)

Medicare’s cost data may show some of that shift. Costs for Medicare Part B, which covers physician, nurse, outpatient and other hospital services not related to staying overnight are increasing, both per enrollee and overall.

In 2008, the average Medicare Part B enrollee had 7.33 outpatient visits during the year. In 2017, that average rose to 8.5 visits, a 16% increase. Individual visits became 30% more expensive, averaging $195 in 2008 compared with $254 in 2017. Overall outpatient payments increased 58% from $45.6 billion in 2008 to $72.3 billion in 2017. Per enrollee, outpatient payments increased 51% from $1,424 in 2008 to $2,154 in 2017.

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WITH NEW POLICIES YET TO GO INTO EFFECT, PHYSICIAN PAYMENT GROWTH HAS SLOWED DOWN

Part B physician payments have risen less than a percent from 2013 to 2017 from $3,122 to $3,147 per Part B enrollee, but long term trends in physician benefits remain to be seen. In 2015, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act was enacted, changing how physicians are paid under Medicare. Under the program, physicians have choices, based on qualifications, to get paid by Medicare via a merit-based payment system or an incentive-based payment system. The first year of that approach was in 2017.

Sources

CMS Program Statistics: Medicare Utilization Section

","user_id":12,"cta_prompt":"Why have costs per person slowed down?","cta_type":"share","cta_text":"Share","cta_url":null,"formatted_publish_date":"11.13.19","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/27e9ea/medicare.JPG","xsmall":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/27e9ea/medicare.JPG","small":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/27e9ea/medicare.JPG","medium":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/27e9ea/medicare.JPG","large":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/27e9ea/medicare.JPG"},"profile_id":1,"action_count":4,"html_content":"

However, while program costs are increasing, there is an interesting counter-trend – the per person cost for insuring someone through Medicare has actually decreased.

Why are the costs of insuring someone through Medicare going down? A combination of demographics and policy changes may point to an answer.

THE AVERAGE MEDICARE BENEFICIARY IS GETTING YOUNGER

The average age fell from 76 to 75 between 2007 and 2017. Enrollment in all types of Medicare increased 29% during that period from 44.4 million to 58.5 million.

That one year drop in average age is significant for Medicare costs.

A 2015 Congressional Budget Office study showed that we spend 73% more on an enrollee in the 75 to 84 bracket than we do on those in the 65 to 74 bracket.

HOSPITAL STAYS ARE GETTING SHORTER AND LESS FREQUENT

In 2017, Medicare’s inpatient payments totaled $135.3 billion, 72% of the $188.1 billion Part A total payments. That’s down from the $135.8 billion spent on inpatient programs in 2013.

$\"\"$

The decline in readmissions across all conditions resulted in net savings to the Medicare program of roughly $2 billion per year. We conclude that the HRRP contributed to a significant decline in readmission rates without causing a material increase in ED visits, a material increase in observation stays, or a net adverse effect on mortality rates.

HOSPITAL STAYS ARE MAKING UP A SMALLER PART OF MEDICARE BENEFITS, BUT COSTS FOR OUTPATIENT SERVICES HAVE GONE UP

That same report also noted that observation (non-overnight) stays as well as emergency department visits increased since the HRRP. (Though it didn’t entirely attribute the changes to the HRRP.)

$\"\"$

WITH NEW POLICIES YET TO GO INTO EFFECT, PHYSICIAN PAYMENT GROWTH HAS SLOWED DOWN

Sources

CMS Program Statistics: Medicare Utilization Section

","comment_count":1,"issue_slugs":[],"private":null,"created_at":"2019-11-14T06:05:58.849Z","status":"published","snippet":"The 65+ population now makes up 16% of the US population, up from 11% in 1980. In response to an aging population, Medicare","share_count":3,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"show_newsletter_signup":false,"show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"published_at":"2019-11-14T06:05:58.847Z","allow_advocacy":false,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"issue_ids":[],"legislator_ids":[]},{"title":"Immigration","id":7,"slug":"7-immigration","links":{"self":"https://thanksgiving.usafacts.org/articles/7-immigration","article_comments":"/api/article_comments?article_id=7","signatures":"/api/v3/articles/7/signatures?include=user"},"content":"

In July 2018, the Census Bureau estimated the American population to be 327,167,434. This was an increase of 2,020,313 people since July 2017 from 3,855,500 births, 2,814,013 deaths, and 978,826 net new immigrants. Total population is increasing by an average of 1% yearly, while the total number of deaths are increasing at the same annual average rate, births have, on average, shown no annual rate increase since 1980. As a result, in 2018, the rate of population growth was slower than any year as far back as 1980. In addition, the population change was nearly evenly split between “natural” population change (births minus deaths) and by net immigration (people coming to the country minus people leaving), a shift from 1990 when three-quarters of the change was from births minus deaths (Fig. 2).

Following this trend, an increasing percentage of our population is foreign-born (13.7%), up from a low point of 4.7% in 1970. This population makeup is not new for the US; however, as from 1860-1910, the percent of the foreign-born population oscillated between 13% and 15%.

Our population is getting older with the median age in 2017 reaching 38 years compared to 30 years in 1980. As births remain steady despite population growth, children under 18 make up a smaller percentage of the population today than they did in 1980, while the population over 65 years old makes up a higher proportion (Fig. 3).

Today, there are 4.1 working-age Americans to every person over 65, down from 5.7 in 1980, a consequential shift for payroll tax-funded programs for the elderly such as Social Security and Medicare.

The average American today looks and lives differently than they did 30 years ago. Today, 61% of the population is non-Hispanic White, down from 76% in 1990 (Fig. 4). Meanwhile, the Hispanic and Asian populations have doubled as a percentage of the total over that time. The Census added the \"other race\" category and the option to report multiple races in 2000 when about 4 million Americans identified themselves as such. That number more than doubled to nearly 8.7 million, or 2.7% of the population, in 2017.

Today 35% of Americans over age 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher, an increase from 20% in 1990 (Fig. 5). An additional 10% of the population over 25 has an associate’s degree. The population with less than a high school degree has dropped, from a quarter in 1990 to about one-tenth in 2017. Educational attainment differs by race and ethnicity, with Asian and non-Hispanic Whites more likely to have finished four years of college than the Black or Hispanic populations (Fig. 6).

Larger proportions of Americans are living in the South and West (Fig. 7), 38% and 24% of the total population in 2018 respectively (up five percentage points each since 1980.) Although the South remains the most populous region, the West has moved from the least populated region of the US to the second most populous region in the last 38 years.

","user_id":12,"cta_prompt":"Half of our population growth is due to immigration","cta_type":"share","cta_text":"Share","cta_url":null,"formatted_publish_date":"11.14.19","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/b35752/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-25%20at%203.34.01%20PM.jpg","xsmall":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/b35752/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-25%20at%203.34.01%20PM.jpg","small":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/b35752/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-25%20at%203.34.01%20PM.jpg","medium":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/b35752/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-25%20at%203.34.01%20PM.jpg","large":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/b35752/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-25%20at%203.34.01%20PM.jpg"},"profile_id":1,"action_count":12,"html_content":"

Today, there are 4.1 working-age Americans to every person over 65, down from 5.7 in 1980, a consequential shift for payroll tax-funded programs for the elderly such as Social Security and Medicare.

","comment_count":0,"issue_slugs":[],"private":null,"created_at":"2019-11-14T17:28:35.720Z","status":"published","snippet":"In July 2018, the Census Bureau estimated the American population to be 327,167,434. This was an increase of 2,020,313 people","share_count":12,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"show_newsletter_signup":false,"show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"published_at":"2019-11-14T17:28:35.718Z","allow_advocacy":false,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"issue_ids":[],"legislator_ids":[]},{"title":"Military Spending ","id":8,"slug":"8-military-spending","links":{"self":"https://thanksgiving.usafacts.org/articles/8-military-spending","article_comments":"/api/article_comments?article_id=8","signatures":"/api/v3/articles/8/signatures?include=user"},"content":"

The US government spent $778,962,000,000 on the military in 2018. This is down from a high of $833,978,000,000 in 2011.

$\"\"$

","user_id":12,"cta_prompt":"What has the US government spent on the military since 1970? ","cta_type":"share","cta_text":"Share","cta_url":null,"formatted_publish_date":"11.14.19","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/308a7b/militaryusa.JPG","xsmall":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/308a7b/militaryusa.JPG","small":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/308a7b/militaryusa.JPG","medium":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/308a7b/militaryusa.JPG","large":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/308a7b/militaryusa.JPG"},"profile_id":1,"action_count":8,"html_content":"

The US government spent $778,962,000,000 on the military in 2018. This is down from a high of $833,978,000,000 in 2011.

$\"\"$

","comment_count":3,"issue_slugs":[],"private":null,"created_at":"2019-11-14T17:34:57.713Z","status":"published","snippet":"The US government spent $778,962,000,000 on the military in 2018. This is down from a high of $833,978,000,000 in 2011.","share_count":5,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"show_newsletter_signup":false,"show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"published_at":"2019-11-14T17:38:06.816Z","allow_advocacy":false,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"issue_ids":[],"legislator_ids":[]},{"title":"Energy and Climate","id":9,"slug":"9-energy-climate","links":{"self":"https://thanksgiving.usafacts.org/articles/9-energy-climate","article_comments":"/api/article_comments?article_id=9","signatures":"/api/v3/articles/9/signatures?include=user"},"content":"

Individual Americans use less energy than they did in 1980, from 344 million BTUs per capita to 301 million in 2017 (Fig. 125). However, the nation overall consumed 97.9 quadrillion BTUs in 2017, which is 25% more energy than it used in 1980.

Most of our power portfolio (78 quadrillion BTUs, or 79.9%) comes from fossil fuels (Figs. 123, 124), the primary driver of US emissions. Among fossil fuels, coal consumption dropped 39% from its 2005 peak. Natural gas grew over the same period by 24%, rising to more than double coal's consumption at 28.0 quadrillion BTUs. Petroleum consumption fell post-recession, but has since continued its increase to 36.3 quadrillion BTUs.

In 2017, Americans emitted 5.3 billion metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of 1.1 billion passenger cars a year, a 14.0% drop from its 2007 peak. Transportation produced 5.5 metric tons of CO2 emissions per person and electric power added 5.3 metric tons of CO2 per person.

","user_id":12,"cta_prompt":"Transportation has surpassed power as the leading producer of greenhouse gas emissions","cta_type":"share","cta_text":"Share","cta_url":null,"formatted_publish_date":"11.14.19","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/c89233/energy1.JPG","xsmall":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/c89233/energy1.JPG","small":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/c89233/energy1.JPG","medium":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/c89233/energy1.JPG","large":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/c89233/energy1.JPG"},"profile_id":1,"action_count":17,"html_content":"

","comment_count":3,"issue_slugs":[],"private":null,"created_at":"2019-11-14T17:36:54.441Z","status":"published","snippet":"Individual Americans use less energy than they did in 1980, from 344 million BTUs per capita to 301 million in 2017 (Fig. 125).","share_count":14,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"show_newsletter_signup":false,"show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"published_at":"2019-11-14T17:36:54.440Z","allow_advocacy":false,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"issue_ids":[],"legislator_ids":[]},{"title":"Active Shooters","id":10,"slug":"10-active-shooters","links":{"self":"https://thanksgiving.usafacts.org/articles/10-active-shooters","article_comments":"/api/article_comments?article_id=10","signatures":"/api/v3/articles/10/signatures?include=user"},"content":"

The mass shootings on Aug. 3 in El Paso, Texas and Aug. 4 in Dayton, Ohio, and the shooting the previous week in Gilroy, California, brought to the national forefront several issues including domestic terrorism, gun violence and hate crimes.

In response, USAFacts is giving readers a look at the government data that is (and isn’t) available on those topics.

Authorities have labeled the El Paso shooting as domestic terrorism and a possible hate crime. Between 2014 and 2017, the number of hate crimes reported nationally increased by 32%. Read more about hate crimes in USAFacts’ analysis of FBI data.

Authorities have labeled the El Paso shooting as domestic terrorism and a possible hate crime. The federal government does collect and publish data on hate crimes, but there is limited data on domestic terrorism, which the FBI defines as being “perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with primarily U.S.-based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”

The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, published a 2017 report delving into domestic terrorism and the “lack of an official public list.” According to the report:

The U.S. government does not keep a publicly available list of domestic terrorist incidents (foiled plots or attacks) … The development of such a list may be precluded by civil liberties concerns (i.e., inclusion in a publicly available list may impinge on a group’s exercise of free speech or its other constitutionally protected activities). However, a lack of official lists or processes to designate groups or individuals as domestic terrorists makes it difficult to assess domestic terrorism trends and evaluate federal efforts to counter such threats.

In June, a bill was introduced in Congress that would require the Department of Homeland Security to research and report data on domestic terrorism.

The government doesn’t have “mass shooting” data but it does track “active shooter” incidents.

In 2014, the FBI began specifically studying “active shooter” incidents to provide law enforcement “data so they can better understand how to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from these incidents.” That data covered incidents between 2000 to 2013 and has since been updated to cover incidents until 2018.

The FBI’s definition of “active shooter” is used by the agencies and others in the federal government. An active shooter is “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated space.” In addition to confined spaces, the study includes open-space active shooter situations as well.

In compiling their data, the FBI notes that their data may not cover all incidents, but it does include the majority of active shooter incidents.

Between 2000 and 2018, the FBI counted 277 active shooter incidents, with 2017. having the most. That year saw 30 incidents resulting in 729 people getting wounded or killed, also the highest figures during this period. Much of this occurred in an October 2017 shooting in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed and 489 were wounded at a music festival.

$\"Number$

$\"Total$

$\"Toal$

All but eight states ⁠— Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Wyoming — have had at least one active shooter incident during this period.

USAFacts aggregated data from the FBI’s report on active shooter incidents. See the data on each incident on our Github page.

Beyond high-profile active shooter incidents, firearm deaths, in general, have been on the rise, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2000, there were 28,663 firearm deaths or 10.1 per 100,000 people. In 2017, there were 39,773 such deaths or 12.0 per 100,000 people. The number and rate of both suicides and homicides have increased during that period.

$\"Firearm$

The federal government is prohibited by law from compiling a national gun registry. However, the FBI does have data on the number of firearm background checks per year and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) does track the number of firearms manufactured in the country.

Background checks peaked nationally at 27.5 million. In 2018, there were 26.2 million.

$\"Firearm$

The number of firearms manufactured dropped 28% between 2016 and 2017 from 11.5 million to 8.3 million.

$\"Number$

","user_id":12,"cta_prompt":"In 2018, there were 27 active shooter incidents in the US","cta_type":"share","cta_text":"Share","cta_url":null,"formatted_publish_date":"11.14.19","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/4eee5e/Capture3-2.png","xsmall":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/4eee5e/Capture3-2.png","small":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/4eee5e/Capture3-2.png","medium":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/4eee5e/Capture3-2.png","large":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/4eee5e/Capture3-2.png"},"profile_id":1,"action_count":8,"html_content":"

In response, USAFacts is giving readers a look at the government data that is (and isn’t) available on those topics.

The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, published a 2017 report delving into domestic terrorism and the “lack of an official public list.” According to the report:

The U.S. government does not keep a publicly available list of domestic terrorist incidents (foiled plots or attacks) … The development of such a list may be precluded by civil liberties concerns (i.e., inclusion in a publicly available list may impinge on a group’s exercise of free speech or its other constitutionally protected activities). However, a lack of official lists or processes to designate groups or individuals as domestic terrorists makes it difficult to assess domestic terrorism trends and evaluate federal efforts to counter such threats.

In June, a bill was introduced in Congress that would require the Department of Homeland Security to research and report data on domestic terrorism.

The government doesn’t have “mass shooting” data but it does track “active shooter” incidents.

In compiling their data, the FBI notes that their data may not cover all incidents, but it does include the majority of active shooter incidents.

$\"Number$

$\"Total$

$\"Toal$

All but eight states ⁠— Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Wyoming — have had at least one active shooter incident during this period.

USAFacts aggregated data from the FBI’s report on active shooter incidents. See the data on each incident on our Github page.

Beyond high-profile active shooter incidents, firearm deaths, in general, have been on the rise, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

$\"Firearm$

Background checks peaked nationally at 27.5 million. In 2018, there were 26.2 million.

$\"Firearm$

The number of firearms manufactured dropped 28% between 2016 and 2017 from 11.5 million to 8.3 million.

$\"Number$

","comment_count":1,"issue_slugs":[],"private":null,"created_at":"2019-11-14T17:44:16.273Z","status":"published","snippet":"The mass shootings on Aug. 3 in El Paso, Texas and Aug. 4 in Dayton, Ohio, and the shooting the previous week in Gilroy,","share_count":7,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"show_newsletter_signup":false,"show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"published_at":"2019-11-14T17:44:16.271Z","allow_advocacy":false,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"issue_ids":[],"legislator_ids":[]},{"title":"Education","id":11,"slug":"11-education","links":{"self":"https://thanksgiving.usafacts.org/articles/11-education","article_comments":"/api/article_comments?article_id=11","signatures":"/api/v3/articles/11/signatures?include=user"},"content":"

Only 36% of American eighth-grade students were reading at a grade-proficient level in 2017. Rates were higher in northeastern states and slightly lower in southern states.

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","user_id":12,"cta_prompt":"Are American middle schoolers reading at their grade level? ","cta_type":"share","cta_text":"Share","cta_url":null,"formatted_publish_date":"11.14.19","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/158185/reading%202.png","xsmall":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/158185/reading%202.png","small":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/158185/reading%202.png","medium":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/158185/reading%202.png","large":"https://thanksgiving-ul.usafacts.org/ul/q_auto/Wv48bOXq/158185/reading%202.png"},"profile_id":1,"action_count":8,"html_content":"

Only 36% of American eighth-grade students were reading at a grade-proficient level in 2017. Rates were higher in northeastern states and slightly lower in southern states.

$\"\"$

","comment_count":1,"issue_slugs":[],"private":null,"created_at":"2019-11-14T17:48:24.814Z","status":"published","snippet":"Only 36% of American eighth-grade students were reading at a grade-proficient level in 2017. Rates were higher in northeastern","share_count":7,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"show_newsletter_signup":false,"show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"published_at":"2019-11-14T17:48:24.811Z","allow_advocacy":false,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"issue_ids":[],"legislator_ids":[]}],"meta":{"pagination":{"current_page":1,"total_pages":1,"total_count":9}}}