300,000,000
Our nation’s population recently reached 300 million. 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).
Note: If data are not available for the specific year highlighted, we have provided data available closest to that year.
President
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)
World Population
2006: 6.5 billion
1967: 3.5 billion
1915: 1.8 billion
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
Number of foreign-born people.
2006: 34.3 million (12% of the total population). Mexico is the leading country of origin.
1967: 9.7 million (5% of the population). Italy was the leading country of origin.
1915: 13.5 million (15%). Germany was the leading country of origin.
Average household size.
2006: 2.6 people
1967: 3.3 people
1915: 4.5 people
Death rate from tuberculosis per 100,000 population.
2006: 0.2
1967: 3.5
1915: 140.1
Percentage of the nation’s householders who owned the home in which they lived.
2006: 68.9%
1967: 63.6%
1915: 45.9%
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
Percentage of women in the labor force, age 16 and older (10 and older for 1915).
2006: 59%
1967: 41%
1915: 23%
Percentage of the population, age 25 and older, who had at least a high school diploma.
2006: 85.2%
1967: 51.1%
Number of motor vehicle registrations.
2006: 237.2 million
1967: 98.9 million
1915: 2.5 million
Number of traffic fatalities.
2006: 42,643 (This amounted to 1.5 fatalities per every 100 million vehicle miles traveled.)
1967: 51,559 (5 fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles of travel.)
1915: 6,779 (35 fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles of travel.)
Active-duty military personnel.
2006: 1.4 million
1967: 3.4 million
1915: 174 thousand
Number of farms.
2006: 2.1 million
1967: 3.2 million
1915: 6.5 million