An annual report for the nation
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To find solutions to issues affecting the United States, everyone, from regular citizens to top policymakers, needs data to understand how the government serves the American people. And one of the best ways to see how the nation is faring on top issues is the America in Facts report. It provides metrics and measurements from federal, state, and county records, plus the context behind that data.
America in Facts 2022 has some of the widest breadth of nonpartisan numbers available, and it's now live at USAFacts.org.
Here are just some of what USAFacts analysts found in the data:
The US standard of living
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- Total wealth among the American middle class — meaning the middle 20% of income earners — grew from an inflation-adjusted $5.4 trillion in 1990 to $10.2 trillion in 2021. However, their share of US wealth fell from 12% to 7%.
- Many people lost jobs and income at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The poverty rate increased for the first time since 2014.
Government spending
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- More than 50% of the federal spending increase from 2019 to 2021 was for assistance to individuals. That spending tripled to $1.1 trillion in 2020 and increased by another $300 billion in 2021.
The economy
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- The unemployment rate fell and the labor force participation rate rose in 2021 and early 2022, moving closer to their pre-pandemic levels. There were 224,000 more unemployed people and 537,000 fewer Americans in the labor force in April 2022 compared to February 2020.
- Regarding educational attainment, April labor force participation was closest to pre-pandemic levels among people with at least a bachelor's degree.
Crime in America
- Overall crime rates have declined since the 1990s. Property crime continued to decline in 2020, but violent crime rose by 5.6%. The number of active shooter incidents has also increased, reaching 61 in 2021, higher than the previous record of 40 in 2020.
Health
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- Coronavirus has quickly joined heart disease and cancer as a top cause of death for people in the US. In other health news, Americans smoke less, but an increasing proportion has obesity.
Click here for highlights from all 12 sections and download a copy of America in Facts for your quick reference.
One last fact
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Arizona's Maricopa County gained 753,898 residents between 2010 and 2020, the most of any state. How did the population grow in the other top four states? Explore Our Changing Population to get the data details.
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