Native American “Indians” were the earliest recorded
inhabitants of the land from 30-45 N latitude and 75-120 W longitude. Our records show they arrived 14,000 to 16,000 years ago, but now
account for less than 1.5% of the population.
Europeans first began immigrating to America 500 years ago and their descendants
and others they brought here dominate the population. The 309 million
current Americans include 224 million with European ancestors, 39 million of
African descent, 15 million Asians, and 30 million of other origins. 86% of the
Europeans are from Northwest Europe. England, Ireland and Germany account for
half. Most of the current European,
African and Asian population came here within the past 200 years. 50 million Americans claim Hispanic origin,
with the majority Mexican (a mix of Spanish and Native American). 100 million Americans are under age 20. The
mean age is 35.3 making America one of the younger OECD nations.
Relatively disease free due to vaccinations, nutrition and
sanitation, half of us are overweight (34% are obese) and by middle age many begin
to experience a variety of related ailments with heart disease, cancer and
diabetes more common in the U.S. than in other countries. Life expectancy is
78.2 years, ranking 38th of 194 countries worldwide, but behind most
of the OECD countries and nearly 10 years behind world leader Monaco.
Half of us are poor, earning less than $50K/year, with
little job stability and virtually no savings. About one third of the poor
receive government aid to survive. The top 20% are rich with great jobs or
professions, incomes over $100K and ownership of 85% of the wealth of the
nation. The 30% in the middle are
comfortable with good jobs, mortgaged homes, and some savings.
92% of Americans speak English well. 80% speak English at home. 24% of Americans speak two or more languages. Americans are trained to read and write. Most can do arithmetic, some
algebra and have at least a notion of American history and civics. Most can drive a
car and operate a variety of tools and equipment. 153 million participate in the civilian labor force with 140 million holding jobs, careers or
professions. 10 million professionals
including doctors, lawyers, accountants, and engineers are extensively trained
and licensed in their fields. 40 hours
per week of work is considered “full employment.” 23 million are unemployed or employed less
than they want to be (11 million receive unemployment insurance benefits). 86 million are students. 40 million are over 65 and many of these are
retired.
Americans own 254 million passenger vehicles and would
rather drive than walk more than 200 yards. America has yet to adopt the metric
system. Americans enjoy many forms of
entertainment with TV viewing the most popular; 290 million Americans view an
average of 600 hours of TV per year according to Nielsen. Sports, news, movies, talent competitions and
sitcoms are the most popular TV shows. Americans average 2 weeks of vacation
away from home and take an additional ten days of holiday each year. 30% of
Americans hold passports required for travel abroad. Mexico and Canada account
for half of all American travel abroad.
Religion is important to 85% of Americans. 80% are Christian, 2% Jewish, <1% each
Buddhist or Muslim. Pollsters report that 40% claim to attend church weekly but
research including sampling, attendance counts and some detailed records kept
by churches including the Archdiocese of San Francisco suggests the actual
figure is 15-25% and has been declining since the 1960’s. This is still 30%
higher than church attendance in other OECD countries.