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Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli

United States: population and ages

United States: 348 million people on 1 January 2026, number 3 of 237 countries and areas by population.

The UN projects growth until at least 2100, to 421 million.

Figures for 2026 are UN projections (medium variant). Estimates end in 2023.

Population, 1 January 2026
348,178,045
Median age
38.7
Births in 2026
3,673,260
Deaths in 2026
3,136,202
Life expectancy at birth
79.8
Children per woman
1.62
Under 15
17.0%
65 and over
18.6%
Population pyramid, United States, 1 January 2026MaleFemale0102030405060708090100+01M1M2M2M3M3M
Population pyramid, United States, 1 January 2026 Projection

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Population over time

In mid-1950 there were 154 million people, so the population is now 2.3 times as large.

The UN projects 3.67 million births and 3.14 million deaths in 2026, 537,000 more births than deaths.

The UN projects the first year with more deaths than births in 2042.

More people move in than leave: net migration in 2026 is projected at plus 1.18 million.

Population, 1950 to 2100Projected from 20240100M200M300M400M500M1950197520002025205020752100
2026 United States: 349M

Ages

The median age is 38.7, which is 7.6 years above the world’s 31.1.

17% of the people are under 15 and 19% are 65 or older (world: 24% and 11%).

People aged 65 and over have outnumbered children under 15 since 2024.

Women have 1.6 children on average at today’s rates (world: 2.2), against 3.1 in 1950.

Life expectancy at birth is 79.8 years, above the world’s 73.8. In 1950 it was 68.1.

Median age, 1950 to 2100Projected from 2024010203040501950197520002025205020752100United StatesWorld
2026 United States: 39World: 31

See how the pyramid changes from 1950 to 2100

The states

The US Census Bureau estimates the population of every state by single year of age. California has the most people, 39.4 million on 1 July 2025.

Most people, 1 July 2025
  1. California39.4M
  2. Texas31.7M
  3. Florida23.5M
  4. New York20M
  5. Pennsylvania13.1M
  6. Illinois12.7M
  7. Ohio11.9M
  8. Georgia11.3M
  9. North Carolina11.2M
  10. Michigan10.1M

All 50 states and the District of Columbia

Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Division, state population estimates by single year of age and sex (Vintage 2025 and Vintage 2020), public domain.

Births, deaths and the years ahead

For mid-2050 the UN projects 381 million people, 9.1% more than now, with a median age of 41.9.

Births and deaths per year, 1950 to 2100Projected from 202401M2M3M4M5M1950197520002025205020752100DeathsBirths
2026 Births: 3.7MDeaths: 3.1M

Compare United States with other countries

Development and urbanisation

In 2025, 35% of the people lived in cities, 39% in towns and semi-dense areas and 26% in rural areas. For 2050 the UN projects 39% in cities.

Degree of urbanisation: one rule for every country, a city has at least 50,000 people at 1,500 or more per km². National definitions of “urban” differ.

IndicatorLatest valueYear
People using the internet94.7%2024
Access to electricity100.0%2024
100.0%2024
99.6%2024
100.0%2024
Human Development Index0.9382023

Each value is the latest one published, with the year it refers to. Countries publish in different years. Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators (ITU, SDG 7.1.1, UNESCO UIS), UNDP, Human Development Report, UN, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.

Longevity, ageing and the future

By the death rates of 2023, life expectancy at birth was 79.3 years. People who had reached 65 could expect 21.2 more years for women and 18.7 for men.

On 1 January 2026, there are 28.9 people aged 65 or more for every 100 aged 15 to 64. For 2050, the UN projects 37.8.

For 2100 the UN projects a population of 421 million, with a 95 percent prediction interval of 256 million to 625 million.

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure. It sums up the death rates of one year and is not a forecast of how long the babies born that year will live.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, life tables, probabilistic projections, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

International migrants

In mid-2024, 52.4 million international migrants lived here, 15.2% of the population.

In mid-2024, 3.19 million people from here lived in other countries.

Largest countries of origin
CountryPeople
Mexico11,279,561
India3,165,238
China2,488,775
Philippines2,263,697
Puerto Rico1,924,799
Largest countries of destination
CountryPeople
Mexico823,502
Canada256,571
United Kingdom243,570
Germany152,501
Puerto Rico144,149

Counted by country of birth. A migrant stock counts people living outside their country at mid-year, not journeys or yearly moves. Sources: International Migrant Stock 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

Cities

Cities of 50,000 people or more here, by the UN degree of urbanisation: 348.

CityPopulation 2025
New York City13,920,148
Los Angeles12,740,420
Houston3,955,046
Chicago3,683,385
Washington, D.C.3,270,018
San Francisco3,163,486
Miami2,912,486
Denver2,265,994
Philadelphia2,232,420
Las Vegas2,183,655

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities

Data and sources

United States every ten years
YearPopulation (1 July)Median ageBirthsDeathsLife expectancyChildren per woman
1950154,202,68029.03,697,9261,479,68768.13.09
1960180,274,55528.34,370,8801,663,92269.83.73
1970207,796,33926.73,894,1611,960,71370.72.51
1980229,858,65529.13,745,1082,004,24073.71.86
1990253,373,38731.94,172,0652,178,34475.42.07
2000281,484,13134.33,956,6502,423,91576.82.03
2010311,062,79035.93,978,9532,502,22478.71.92
2020339,436,15937.23,641,9903,384,29077.01.62
2030355,649,88139.63,722,3553,329,48180.41.63
2040370,209,31640.83,928,6543,874,50081.81.64
2050380,846,91041.93,786,8684,196,01483.21.64
2060388,918,39443.13,746,4074,170,09484.61.64
2070398,218,08843.73,876,0444,216,23885.81.64
2080407,079,81644.13,868,0564,415,19587.01.65
2090414,457,64044.83,852,7244,431,15188.11.65
2100421,278,88945.33,914,1514,597,25889.21.65

Rows from 2024 on are UN projections (medium variant), shown in italics.

The UN estimates every country and area within its present borders for every year since 1950, also for years before it became independent or took its present shape. Figures for earlier years therefore describe the people who lived on today’s territory.

Sources: World Population Prospects 2024, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All countries and areas