|  I found these very interesting facts that the US Census Bureau has put together and although I know from experience about the price changes some of the other facts are very new and interesting to me...
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The United States population reached 300 million on October 17, 2006, according to projections by the Census Bureau. To help spotlight this occasion, the Census Bureau steps back in time by comparing contemporary life and statistics to those in the time periods in which the nation reached other noteworthy population milestones in 1967 (when the population reached 200 million) and in the year 1915 (when it reached 100 million).
Presidents:
2006: George W. Bush
1967: Lyndon B. Johnson
1915: Woodrow Wilson
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 ($2.00 in 2006 dollars)
1915: 25 cents ($5.01 in 2006 dollars)
Price of milk
2006: $3.00 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
Notable Events
2006: The 20th Winter Olympic Games take place in Turin, Italy.
1967: Dr. Christiaan Bernard performs the first heart transplant; the first Super Bowl is played.
1915: World War I continues in Europe.
Pop Culture
2006: iPods and "American Idol" reign supreme and cell phones are the rage.
1967: Color TV is the rage. "The Lucy Show," "Andy Griffith" and "Gomer Pyle" are the top-rated television shows.
1915: The "Model T" and silent movies are the rage. Raggedy Ann, aspirin in tablet form and processed cheese are introduced. The milk carton is invented.
World Population
2006: 6.5 billion
1967: 3.5 billion
1915: 1.8 billion
Tying the Knot
Median age at first marriage for men and women, respectively.
2006: 27.1 and 25.8
1967: 23.1 and 20.6
1915: 25.1 and 21.6
Coming to America
2006: 34.3 million
Number of foreign-born people. They comprise 12% of the total population. Mexico is the leading country of origin.
1967: 9.7 million
Number of foreign-born people. They comprised 5% of the total population. Italy was the leading country of origin.
1915: 13.5 million
Number of foreign-born people. They comprised 15% of the total population. Germany was the leading country of origin. Data pertain to 1910.
From Desert Outpost to Major Metropolis
The growth of Phoenix symbolizes the nation’s movement South and West.
2006: 1.5 million
Population of Phoenix, making it the sixth most populous city. Data pertain to 2005.
1967: 439,170
Population of Phoenix, making it the 29th most populous city. Data pertain to 1960.
1915: 11,134
Population of Phoenix. It was not among the 100 most populous cities. Data pertain to 1910.
The Rise of the Sunshine State
Since 1915, Florida has been transformed from almost an afterthought to our nation’s fourth most populous state.
2006: 17.8 million
1967: 6.2 million
1915: 923 thousand
Our Incredible Shrinking Households
Average household size.
2006: 2.6 people
1967: 3.3 people
1915: 4.5 people
Tuberculosis
Death rate from this disease per 100,000 population.
2006: 0.2
1967: 3.5
1915: 140.1
Homeownership . . . the American Dream
Percentage of the nation’s householders who owned the home in which they lived.
2006: 68.9%
1967: 63.6%
1915: 45.9%Our Aging Nation
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
Life expectancy at birth.
2006: 77.8 years
1967: 70.5 years
1915: 54.5 years
Working Women
Percentage of women in the labor force, age 16 and older (10 and older for 1915).
2006: 59%
1967: 41%
1915: 23%
Education
Percentage of the population, age 25 and older, who had at least a high school diploma.
2006: 85.2%
1967: 51.1%
1915: 13.5%Earnings
2006: $33,459 and $22,472
Median wage and salary income for male and female wage and salary workers, respectively.
1967: $5,974 and $2,295 ($33,787 and $12,980 in 2004 dollars)
Median wage and salary income for male and female wage and salary workers, respectively.
1915: $687 (Constant dollar figure not available.)
Average annual earnings for workers (excluding farm labor).
Names
The most popular baby names for boys and girls, respectively.
2006: Jacob and Emily
1967: Michael and Lisa
1915: John and Mary
Our Love Affair with the Motor Vehicle
Number of motor vehicle registrations.
2006: 237.2 million
1967: 98.9 million
1915: 2.5 million
Safer on our Roads
2006: 42,643
Number of traffic fatalities in 2003. This amounted to 1.5 fatalities per every 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
1967: 51,559
Number of traffic fatalities. This amounted to 5 fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles of travel.
1915: 6,779
Number of traffic fatalities. This amounted to 35 fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles of travel.
The Military
Active-duty military personnel.
2006: 1.4
1967: 3.4 million
1915: 174 thousand
Down on the Farm
Number of farms.
2006: 2.1 million
1967: 3.2 million
1915: 6.5 million
******************************************************Ok, it's very long but we do have a large population and so many things going on in the US...
What do you think about the changes we have gone through?
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