America on Verge of 300 Million Mark
According to the U.S. Census, Tuesday at 7:46 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, a newborn baby will be crowned the 300 millionth American. We'll talk with the 200 millionth American, and with the mayor Gilbert, Ariz., the fastest growing city in the United States.
Guests:
Martha Farnsworth Riche, director of the U.S. Census Bureau from 1994-1998; fellow at the Center for Study of the Economy and Society at Cornell University
Robert Ken Woo, Life magazine declared him the 200 millionth American
Mayor Stever Berman, mayor of Gilbert, Ariz., the fastest-growing city in the United States
America at 300 Million: Breaking Down the Numbers
An Informal Poll
Estimates on how many people live in the United States vary widely on the National Mall.
In 1790, the U.S. population was just shy of 4 million people. By 1915, the population had reached 100 million.
Immigration, the post-war baby boom, longer life expectancies and better medical care doubled the population by 1967. Just 33 years later, we've reached a new milestone: 300 million.
Here are just a few glimpses into American life at 100, 200, and 300 million people.
Price of a new home
2006: $290,600
1967: $24,600 ($149,147 in 2006 dollars)
1915: $3,200 ($64,158 in 2006 dollars)
Cost for a gallon of regular gas
2006: $3.04 (as of Aug. 7)
1967: 33 cents ($2 in 2006 dollars)
1915: 25 cents ($5.01 in 2006 dollars)
Price of milk
2006: $3 gallon
1967: $1.03 gallon ($6.24 in 2006 dollars)
1915: $ .36 gallon ($7.22 in 2006 dollars)
Cost of a first-class stamp
2006: 39 cents
1967: 5 cents
1915: 2 cents
Number of foreign-born people
2006: 34.3 million
1967: 9.7 million
1915: 13.5 million
Average Household Size
2006: 2.6 people
1967: 3.3 people
1915: 4.5 people
World Population
2006: 6.5 billion
1967: 3.5 billion
1915: 1.8 billion
Tuberculosis Death (per 100,000 population)
2006: 0.2
1967: 3.5
1915: 140.1
Number of people age 65 and older
2006: 36.8 million
1967: 19.1 million
1915: 4.5 million
Median age of the population
2006: 36.2
1967: 29.5
1915: 24.1
Most popular baby names for boys and girls, respectively
2006: Jacob and Emily
1967: Michael and Lisa
1915: John and Mary
Courtesy: U.S. Census Bureau
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.