Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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Appendix B: Social and Economic Characteristics of the United States

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  1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006
Total U.S. Resident Population  (thousands) 227,225 237,924 249,623 266,278 282,193 296,410 299,398
Population by age (thousands)
Under 18 63,754 62,623 63,949 69,465 72,307 73,470 73,736
18-24 years 30,022 28,902 26,961 25,482 27,141 29,307 29,455
25-34 years 37,082 41,696 43,174 45,052 39,895 40,143 40,416
35-44 years 25,634 31,691 37,444 42,711 45,150 43,863 43,667
45-54 years 22,800 22,460 25,062 31,480 37,674 42,483 43,278
55-64 years 21,703 22,135 21,116 21,320 24,273 30,356 31,587
65 and over 25,550 28,415 31,084 33,769 34,992 36,790 37,260
Population by sex (thousands)
Male 110,053 115,730 121,284 130,215 138,056 146,000 147,512
Female 116,493 122,194 127,507 136,063 143,368 150,411 151,886
Population in Metropolitan areas (millions) 
Large (over 1 million) 119 U 139 147 149 160 161
Medium (250,000-999,999) 41 U 41 44 56 59 60
Small (less than 250,000) 17 U 18 19 28 28 28
Population in Regions (millions)
Northeast 49.1 49.9 50.8 52.3 53.6 54.6 54.7
South 75.4 81.4 85.5 93.2 100.2 107.5 109.1
Midwest 58.9 58.8 59.7 62.5 64.4 66 66.2
West 43.2 47.8 52.8 58.3 63.2 68.3 69.4
Immigrants admitted (thousands) 531 570 1,536 720 841 1,122 1,204
Gross domestic product (billions of chained $ 2000) 5,162 6,054 7,113 8,032 9,817 11,003 11,319
Civilian labor force (thousands) 106,940 115,461 125,840 132,304 142,583 149,320 151,428
Participation rate of men (%) 77.4 76.3 76.4 75 74.8 73.3 73.5
Participation rate of women (%) 51.5 54.5 57.5 58.9 59.9 59.3 59.4
Unemployment rate (% of labor force) 7.1 7.2 5.6 5.6 4 5.1 4.6
Households (thousands) 80,776 86,789 93,347 98,990 104,705 114,384 116,011
Average size of households 2.76 2.69 2.63 2.65 2.62 2.57 2.57
Median household income  (constant $ 2006)  41,258 42,205 44,778 44,764 49,163 47,845 48,201
Average household expenditures  (constant $ 2004)  U 44,011 43,777 42,680 44,540 47,906 48,398

KEY: U = Data are unavailable.

NOTES: Resident population estimates are as of July 1 except 1980, 1990, and 2000, which are as of April 1. New metropolitan area definitions were published by the Office of Budget and Management (OMB) in 2003. These definitions were applied to population data by the Census Bureau beginning with the data from the 2000 Census. A new term, core based statistical areas (CBSAs), collectively refers to metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. A metropolitan statistical area is defined as having at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more inhabitants. A micropolitan statistical area is defined as having at least one urban cluster of more than 10,000 but less than 50,000 inhabitants.

Number of immigrants is based on fiscal year data ending September 30.

Median household income and average household expenditures were converted to constant 2006 dollars using the consumer price index.

SOURCES: 1980-2006: U.S. resident population—U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States 2007 (Washington, DC: 2007), table 2.  Population by age, Population by sex—U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States (Washington, DC: various years), table 11.  Population by metropolitan area—U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (Washington, DC: April 2007), table 1, available at http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/CBSA-est2006-annual.html as of April 4, 2007.  Population in regions— U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States 2007 (Washington, DC: 2007), table 17. Number of immigrants admitted—U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States  (Washington, DC: various years), table 5.

2006: U.S. resident population; population by age, sex, region, and metropolitan area; and number of immigrants admitted:  U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates, National, available at http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php as of Nov. 2007.

Gross Domestic Product— U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, NIPA Tables. table 1.1.6, available at http://www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/SelectTable.asp?Selected=N as of Nov. 2007.

Civilian Labor Force, Unemployment Rate, Participation of Men and Women— U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Historical Data, Table A-1 and Table AA-7, available at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsatabs.htm as of Nov. 2007.

Number of households, Average size of households—U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Families and Living Arrangements, Detailed Tables, Table AVG-1, available at http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html as of Nov. 2007. 

Median household income— U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of the Census, Historical Income Data, Table H-5, available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/income.html as of Nov., 2007.

Average household expenditures— U.S Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, Average Annual Expenditures, All Consumer Units, available at http://www.bls.gov/data/home.htm as of Nov. 2007.



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