title: U.S. population: where we are; where we're going.
abstract: This Bulletin reviews recent trends in the dynamics and character of the U.S. population, the outlook for the remainder of the 1980s, and prospects for longterm growth.  Estimated at 232 million as of mid-1982, the U.S. population is currently growing at about 1% a year, one of the developed world's highest growth rates. Natural increase (births-deaths) still adds some 1.7 million people a year, despite the rapid postbaby boom fall in fertility to a near-record low rate of 1.9 births/woman in 1981.  With increasing numbers of refugees, net legal immigration averaged 600,000/year in 1979-81 and the net inflow of illegal immigrants may now be 500,000 a year.  Uncertainty over potentially large numbers of immigrants complicates projections of future U.S. population size.  Currently, the U.S. death rate is at an alltime low.  More than 1/2 the population now resides in the South and West.  Rural areas and small towns grew faster than urban areas in the 1970s for the 1st time in over a century.  Educational attainment is at an alltime high, as is labor force participation, due to increasing employment among women and the baby boom generation's arrival at working ages.  The age composition of the population, with the bulge of the baby boom generation surrounded by the older "depression" generation born during the 1930s and the younger "baby bust" generation born since the end of the 1960s, presents special problems for U.S. society.
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced; D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000569:Americas; D001723:Birth Rate; D002423:Cause of Death; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D003469:Culture; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D004243:Divorce; D004467:Economics; D004522:Educational Status; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D004651:Employment; D005006:Ethnicity; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005298:Fertility; D005544:Forecasting; D005843:Geography; D006280:Health Workforce; D007182:Income; D007226:Infant Mortality; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008136:Longevity; D008393:Marriage; D009026:Mortality; D009656:North America; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011158:Population Growth; D011247:Pregnancy; D012106:Research; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014478:Unemployment; D014481:United States; D014798:Vital Statistics
keywords: Abortion, Induced; Adolescents, Female; Age Distribution; Age Factors; Americas; Baby Boom; Birth Rate; Causes Of Death; Contraceptive Usage; Cultural Background; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Differential Fertility; Divorce; Economic Factors; Educational Status; Estimation Technics; Ethnic Groups; Family And Household; Family Characteristics; Fertility; Fertility Measurements; Fertility Rate; Geographic Factors; Households; Human Resources; Income; Infant Mortality; International Migration; Labor Force; Length Of Life; Life Expectancy; Marriage; Marriage Patterns; Migration; Migration, Internal; Mortality; North America; Northern America; Nuptiality; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Population Growth--history; Population Projection; Population Statistics; Pregnancy, Unplanned; Research Methodology; Residential Mobility; Rural-urban Migration; Settlement And Resettlement; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic Status; Spatial Distribution; Total Fertility Rate; Unemployment; United States; Vital Statistics