The U.S. Census Bureau just released statistics showing the demographic makeup of America. In 2022 the population of the U.S. was 333,287,557 (this stat was released last December). California is still the largest state with 39,029,342 residents, about 9 million more than Texas, the second largest.
This newest release from Census shows the U.S. is getting older, with a median age of 38.9, a record high. The New York Times says, “That age is an unusually high median for the country,” though it’s lower than the median age in Europe (44).
Interestingly, no states had a decrease in median age from 2021 to 2022. The Census Bureau attributes the aging of the nation to a decline in the birth rate, saying, “Without a rapidly growing young population, the U.S. median age will likely continue its slow but steady rise.” That decline is primarily due to millennial and Gen Z women postponing marriage and having kids to build their careers and a decrease in teen births.
In large counties (population 100,000+), the oldest county was Sumter County, Florida, home to The Villages retirement community, with a median age of 68.1, and the youngest was Utah County, where Provo is located, with a median age of 25.7.
America is also getting more diverse. The ethnic breakdown as of 2022:
- White population: 260,570,291 in 2022, up 0.1% from 2021.
- Hispanic population: 63,664,346, up 1.7%.
- Black population: 50,087,750, up 0.9%.
- Asian population: 24,683,008 in 2022, up 2.4%.
- Native American and Alaska Native population: 7,274,656, up 1.3%.
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders population: 1,759,756, up 1.8%.
It’s important for service providers and small business owners with physical locations, like restaurants and retail stores, to know who lives in their neighborhoods and how that impacts what you sell and how you sell it. For example, you should tailor your marketing efforts appropriately. Typically, younger people respond better to social media marketing than older generations.
Image by Alisa Dyson from Pixabay