On Tuesday (4), the United States celebrated 245 years with an older and more diverse population. The U.S. Census released statistics showing the demographic composition of the country.
In 2022, the population of the U.S. was 333,287,557. California remains the largest state with 39,029,342 inhabitants, about 9 million more than Texas, the second largest.
The most striking data from this latest survey shows that the U.S. is aging, with an average age of 38.9 years, a record. According to the New York Times, “This age is an unusually high average for the country,” although it is still lower than the average age in Europe (44).
Interestingly, no state experienced a decrease in average age from 2021 to 2022. The Census Bureau attributes the aging of the nation to a decline in the birth rate: “Without a rapidly growing young population, the average age of the U.S. is likely to continue its slow but steady rise.” This decline is mainly due to women from Generation Y and Generation Z postponing marriage and children to build their careers.
The county with the oldest population is Sumter, Florida, home to the retirement community The Villages, with an average age of 68.1 years, while the youngest is Utah County, Provo, with an average age of 25.7.
More Diverse Population
Another interesting fact is that America is also becoming more diverse. The ethnic breakdown in 2022 was:
• White population: 260,570,291, an increase of 0.1% from 2021.
• Hispanic population: 63,664,346, an increase of 1.7%.
• Black population: 50,087,750, up 0.9%.
• Asian population: 24,683,008, up 2.4%.
• Native American and Alaska Native population: 7,274,656, an increase of 1.3%.
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population: 1,759,756, an increase of 1.8%.
Source: The U.S. Census Bureau