More U.S. Women Outearning Their Husbands
On average, women continue to earn less than their male counterparts, but there is also an increasing number of families in which wives earn more money than their husbands (AmeriStat, March 2003)

Number of Blacks and Hispanics in the U.S. Depends on Who's Counting
Given the complex way race and ethnicity are measured in the U.S. census, blacks and Hispanics are not two distinct groups. But the far-faster growth rate of the Hispanic population as compared with the growth rate of any other racial or ethnic group in the U.S. will soon solve lingering questions about which group is larger. (February 2003)

Traditional Families Account for Only 7 Percent of U.S. Households
Only 7 percent of all U.S. households consist of married couples with children in which only the husband works. (AmeriStat, March 2003)

Revival of U.S. Rural Areas Signals Heartland No Longer a Hinterland
Many rural areas are diversifying their economies by attracting new industries and offering amenities that draw in new residents — including urbanites eager to escape the stresses of city living. (January 2003)

Obesity in the U.S.: Reaching a Critical Mass
The percentage of Americans who are overweight or obese has grown steadily: a 35 percent increase since 1994 alone. This rise is especially marked among children. (January 2003)

Diverging Mortality and Fertility Trends: Canada and the United States
Fifty years ago, Americans could expect to live longer than Canadians. The U.S. advantage began to disappear in the 1950s and 1960s; by 2001, a newborn Canadian infant could expect to outlive a newborn American by two years, and an American white infant by 1.5 years. (January 2003)

International Adoption Rate in U.S. Doubled in the 1990s
The number of foreign children adopted by U.S. parents has increased sharply, nearly doubling during the 1990s. At less than 5 percent of legal immigrants, international adoptees add relatively little to national population growth, but they contribute to racial and ethnic diversity and links to other countries. And because many adopted children come from different racial or ethnic backgrounds than their parents, they contribute to the blurring of racial and ethnic boundaries. (January 2003)

U.S. Fertility Rates Higher Among Minorities
In 2001 there were about 4 million births in the United States and a total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.1 births per woman. Minorities contributed 42 percent of all births in 2001, although they made up only 31 percent of the population. (AmeriStat, January 2003)

Fifty Years of Demographic Change in Rural America
America's nonmetropolitan areas show a diverse pattern of demographic and economic change in recent decades. Many rural locales are diversifying their economies by attracting unusual new industries and offering amenities that draw in new residents, including retirees and increasing numbers of immigrants. (January 2003)

Just How Many Baby Boomers Are There?
Some reports put the number at 79 million, but there were actually 76 million births in the United States from 1946 to 1964. Of the 76 million born, about 4 million had died by the 2000 Census, leaving some 72 million survivors. (December 2002)