There will be at test. (Updating a series that started in 2013.)
We need to get beyond the impulse to judge numbers by whether they support our opinions. To evaluate opinions, and to make your own, you need real knowledge. And that includes demographic knowledge.
You need deeper knowledge for a lot of things, but you need basic knowledge first. And it will be very useful to have some anchor points, things that are stuck in your brain. Here is a start: some demographic facts to get you through the day without being grossly misled — or misleading others. This isn’t trivia that makes a point, or clicky statistics to shock and surprise you, but just the kind of information you need to make sense of our world. In keeping with the goal of incorporating orders of magnitude, I give credit to students if they are within 20% of the correct number. In the case of the US population — that means a number between anywhere between 270 million and 404 million!).
Feel free to add additional facts in the comments (as per policy, first-time commenters are moderated).
The numbers are rounded to reasonable units for easy memorization. All refer to the US unless otherwise noted. Links to the sources below.
| Number | Source | |
| World Population | 8.1 billion | 1 |
| U.S. Population | 337 million | 1 |
| Children under 18 as share of pop. | 22% | 2 |
| Adults 65+ as share of pop. | 18% | 2 |
| Official unemployment rate (July 2024) | 4.3% | 3 |
| Unemployment rate range, 1970-2018 | 3.5% – 15% | 3 |
| Labor force participation rate, age 16+ | 63% | 9 |
| Labor force participation rate range, 1970-2017 | 60% – 67% | 9 |
| Non-Hispanic Whites as share of pop. | 58% | 2 |
| Blacks as share of pop. | 14% | 2 |
| Hispanics as share of pop. | 20% | 2 |
| Asians / Pacific Islanders as share of pop. | 7% | 2 |
| American Indians as share of pop. | 1% | 2 |
| Immigrants as share of pop | 14% | 2 |
| Adults age 25+ with BA or higher | 34% | 2 |
| Median household income | $75,000 | 2 |
| Total poverty rate | 12% | 8 |
| Child poverty rate | 15% | 8 |
| Poverty rate age 65+ | 10% | 8 |
| Most populous country, China | 1.4 billion | 5 |
| 2nd most populous country, India | 1.4 billion | 5 |
| 3rd most populous country, USA (CIA estimate) | 342 million | 5 |
| 4th most populous country, Indonesia | 282 million | 5 |
| 5th most populous country, Pakistan | 252 million | 5 |
| U.S. male life expectancy at birth | 75 | 6 |
| U.S. female life expectancy at birth | 80 | 6 |
| Life expectancy range across countries | 54 – 85 | 7 |
| World total fertility rate | 2.3 | 10 |
| U.S. total fertility rate | 1.7 | 10 |
| Total fertility rate range across countries | 0.7 – 6.7 | 10 |
* These are pre-pandemic poverty rates.
Sources
1. U.S. Census Bureau Population Clock
2. U.S. Census Bureau quick facts
6. National Center for Health Statistics
8. U.S. Census Bureau poverty tables
—
Previously Published on familyinequality with Creative Commons License
***
You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project
 |
 |
 |
 |
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community. A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities. A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.
Register New Account
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.—
Photo credit: unsplash
