21 numbers that shaped 2021

With reintroduced mask mandates and return-to-office delays, 2021 sometimes resembled 2020. But the year also started with coronavirus vaccines that were quickly taken by millions of people. Americans started flying again and returned to work — though not at pre-pandemic levels. Plus, there was a new presidential administration.

USAFacts has collected the 21 numbers that shaped 2021 to appraise this past year. Here’s a preview:

197.8 million

The number of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 was inching toward 198 million as of December 2. Compare that to January 19, when 2 million people were fully vaccinated. Vermont has vaccinated the highest percentage of its population: 75%. Idaho and Wyoming have vaccinated the lowest percentages, both at 45%.

6.8%

Inflation rose by 6.8% between November 2020 and November 2021. The Federal Reserve typically tries to keep inflation at around 2%.

$3.1 trillion

The nation spent 91% more than it collected in revenue, creating a $3.1 trillion deficit in fiscal year 2020. The federal debt grew to $26.9 trillion, $21 trillion of which is owed to the public.

50%

Approximately half of the United States faced abnormal drought (or worse) this summer. 2021 was one of the worst years on record for exceptional drought. These conditions primarily affected the Northern and Western US.

3.8%

The US birthrate fell in the 2020 census — the lowest since 1979. It was the sixth annual decline in births nationwide. This drop is one of several factors affecting the nation’s population growth, which is at its lowest since 1918.

16%

How much the price of an average home increased between April 2020 and April 2021, the largest single-year increase since 1992. Before the Great Recession, the ratio of new population to new home construction was about 2:1. Since 2007, it’s been 5:1.

Click here to see the other 15 facts, from population growth to abortion to the median annual wage and much more. And stay tuned next week for our the most-read articles of the year. 


One last fact