These data are from the 20-, 15-, and 5-percent samples of the 1970 United States Census of Population and Housing, and contain tabulations of housing characteristics such as housing value, number of housing units in structure, number of rooms in housing unit, year structure was built, occupancy/vacancy status, tenure, rent, type of heating fuel, source of water, and presence of an air conditioner and other home appliances. The unit of observation for these data files is the census tract

These data are from the 20-, 15-, and 5-percent samples of the 1970 United States Census of Population and Housing, and contain population characteristics such as education, occupation, income, citizenship, and vocational training. Separate tallies are shown for whites, Blacks, Hispanic Americans (referred to as Spanish Americans in the 1970 Census), and the total population. The unit of observation for these data files is the census tract. There is one file for each of 48 states and the District of Columbia. The Census Bureau did not issue data for Vermont and Wyoming because these two states were untracted in 1970.

Throughout the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union had relatively similar total populations. The U.S.' population grew from around 205 million to almost 250 million people between 1970 and 1990, while the USSR's population grew from around 240 to 290 million in this time. In these years, the Soviet Union had the third largest population in the world, and the U.S. had the fourth largest (behind China and India respectively). Despite their similar sizes, these populations differed in terms of distribution as the U.S.' population was approximately three quarters urban in this period, whereas the Soviet Union's urban population was just 56 percent in 1970 and 66 percent in 1989. Additionally, the Soviet Union's population was much younger than that of the U.S. due to a higher birth rate and lower life expectancy.

In 2024, 34.59 percent of all households in the United States were two person households. In 1970, this figure was at 28.92 percent. Single households Single mother households are usually the most common households with children under 18 years old found in the United States. As of 2021, the District of Columbia and North Dakota had the highest share of single-person households in the United States. Household size in the United States has decreased over the past century, due to customs and traditions changing. Families are typically more nuclear, whereas in the past, multigenerational households were more common. Furthermore, fertility rates have also decreased, meaning that women do not have as many children as they used to. Average households in Utah Out of all states in the U.S., Utah was reported to have the largest average household size. This predominately Mormon state has about three million inhabitants. The Church of the Latter-Day Saints, or Mormonism, plays a large role in Utah, and can contribute to the high birth rate and household size in Utah. The Church of Latter-Day Saints promotes having many children and tight-knit families. Furthermore, Utah has a relatively young population, due to Mormons typically marrying and starting large families younger than those in other states.

Abstract

IPUMS-International is an effort to inventory, preserve, harmonize, and disseminate census microdata from around the world. The project has collected the world's largest archive of publicly available census samples. The data are coded and documented consistently across countries and over time to facillitate comparative research. IPUMS-International makes these data available to qualified researchers free of charge through a web dissemination system.

The IPUMS project is a collaboration of the Minnesota Population Center, National Statistical Offices, and international data archives. Major funding is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additional support is provided by the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research, the Minnesota Population Center, and Sun Microsystems.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Households and Group Quarters

UNITS IDENTIFIED: - Dwellings: No - Vacant units: Yes - Households: Yes - Individuals: Yes - Group quarters: Yes

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS: - Households: Dwelling places with fewer than five persons unrelated to a household head, excluding institutions and transient quarters. - Group quarters: Institutions, transient quarters, and dwelling places with five or more persons unrelated to a household head.

Universe

Residents of the 50 states (not the outlying areas).

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

MICRODATA SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau

SAMPLE UNIT: Household

SAMPLE FRACTION: 1%

SAMPLE SIZE (person records): 2,029,666

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

One in five housing units in 1970 received a long form containing supplemental sample questions. There were two versions of the long form, with different inquiries on both housing and population items; 15 percent of households received one version, and 5 percent received the other. Six independent 1 percent public use samples were produced for 1970, three from the 15 percent questionnaire and three from the 5 percent questionnaire. IPUMS-International uses the "Form 2 Metro" sample.

Response rate

UNDERCOUNT: No official estimates

In 2023, the median age of the population of the United States was 39.2 years. While this may seem quite young, the median age in 1960 was even younger, at 29.5 years. The aging population in the United States means that society is going to have to find a way to adapt to the larger numbers of older people. Everything from Social Security to employment to the age of retirement will have to change if the population is expected to age more while having fewer children. The world is getting older It’s not only the United States that is facing this particular demographic dilemma. In 1950, the global median age was 23.6 years. This number is projected to increase to 41.9 years by the year 2100. This means that not only the U.S., but the rest of the world will also have to find ways to adapt to the aging population.

In 2021, about 37.89 million people in the United States were living alone. The total number of households in the U.S. since 1960 can be found here.

How many households are in the U.S.?

In 2023, there were 131.43 million households in the United States. This is a significant increase from 1960, when there were 52.8 million households in the U.S.

What counts as a household?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a household is considered to be all persons living within one housing unit. This includes apartments, houses, or single rooms, and consists of both related and unrelated people living together. For example, two roommates who share a living space but are not related would be considered a household in the eyes of the Census. It should be noted that group living quarters, such as college dorms, are not counted as households in the Census.

Household changes

While the population of the United States has been increasing, the average size of households in the U.S. has decreased since 1960. In 1960, there was an average of 3.33 people per household, but in 2023, this figure had decreased to 2.51 people per household. Additionally, two person households make up the majority of American households, followed closely by single-person households.

IPUMS-International is an effort to inventory, preserve, harmonize, and disseminate census microdata from around the world. The project has collected the world's largest archive of publicly available census samples. The data are coded and documented consistently across countries and over time to facillitate comparative research. IPUMS-International makes these data available to qualified researchers free of charge through a web dissemination system. The IPUMS project is a collaboration of the Minnesota Population Center, National Statistical Offices, and international data archives. Major funding is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additional support is provided by the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research, the Minnesota Population Center, and Sun Microsystems.

An Excel Workbook containing data from the U.S. Census Bureau 1970 -2020 Census. The data are the totals for the Hispanic and Total population for Broward County.

In 2023, about 17.7 percent of the American population was 65 years old or over; an increase from the last few years and a figure which is expected to reach 22.8 percent by 2050. This is a significant increase from 1950, when only eight percent of the population was 65 or over. A rapidly aging population In recent years, the aging population of the United States has come into focus as a cause for concern, as the nature of work and retirement is expected to change to keep up. If a population is expected to live longer than the generations before, the economy will have to change as well to fulfill the needs of the citizens. In addition, the birth rate in the U.S. has been falling over the last 20 years, meaning that there are not as many young people to replace the individuals leaving the workforce. The future population It’s not only the American population that is aging -- the global population is, too. By 2025, the median age of the global workforce is expected to be 39.6 years, up from 33.8 years in 1990. Additionally, it is projected that there will be over three million people worldwide aged 100 years and over by 2050.

The average American household consisted of 2.51 people in 2023.

Households in the U.S.

As shown in the statistic, the number of people per household has decreased over the past decades.

The U.S. Census Bureau defines a household as follows: “a household includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit as their usual place of residence. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building and which have direct access from outside the building or through a common hall. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who share living arrangements. (People not living in households are classified as living in group quarters.).”

The population of the United States has been growing steadily for decades. Since 1960, the number of households more than doubled from 53 million to over 131 million households in 2023.

Most of these households, about 34 percent, are two-person households. The distribution of U.S. households has changed over the years though. The percentage of single-person households has been on the rise since 1970 and made up the second largest proportion of households in the U.S. in 2022, at 28.88 percent.

In concordance with the rise of single-person households, the percentage of family households with own children living in the household has declined since 1970 from 56 percent to 40.26 percent in 2022.

This summary statistics data file contains a complete or 100-percent count of all persons in group quarters by sex and age, including ages under 1 to 74 with a category for ages 75 and over, as well as the total. The distribution is repeated for 18 race/Hispanic groups. Population in group quarters includes persons in institutional group quarters such as homes, schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically and mentally handicapped, hospitals or wards for mental, tubercular, or chronically ill patients, homes for unwed mothers, nursing, convalescent, and rest homes for the aged and dependent, orphanages, and correctional institutions. Noninstitutional group quarters include rooming and boarding houses, general hospitals, including nurses' and interns' dormitories, college students' dormitories, religious group quarters, and similar housing. Demographic items specify age, sex, state of birth, race, ethnicity, marital status, education, income, and type of group quarters lived in. Data are available for all counties and independent cities in the United States.

This data collection contains extracts of the original DUALabs Special Fifth Count ED/BG Summary Tapes. They are comprised of limited demographic and socioeconomic variables for 27 states in the continental United States. Data are provided at the county, minor civil division, enumeration district, and block group levels for total population and Spanish heritage population for the following states: Minnesota, Nevada, Wyoming, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Missouri, Washington, Iowa, Louisiana, Arkansas, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Oregon, Texas, New Mexico, and California. Demographic variables provide information on race, age, sex, country and place of origin, income, and family status and size. The data were obtained by ICPSR from the National Chicano Research Network, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.

Abstract

IPUMS-International is an effort to inventory, preserve, harmonize, and disseminate census microdata from around the world. The project has collected the world's largest archive of publicly available census samples. The data are coded and documented consistently across countries and over time to facillitate comparative research. IPUMS-International makes these data available to qualified researchers free of charge through a web dissemination system.

The IPUMS project is a collaboration of the Minnesota Population Center, National Statistical Offices, and international data archives. Major funding is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additional support is provided by the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research, the Minnesota Population Center, and Sun Microsystems.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Households and Group Quarters

UNITS IDENTIFIED: - Dwellings: No - Vacant units: Yes

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS: - Households: Dwelling places with fewer than five persons unrelated to a household head, excluding institutions and transient quarters. - Group quarters: Institutions, transient quarters, and dwelling places with five or more persons unrelated to a household head.

Universe

Residents of Puerto Rico.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

MICRODATA SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau

SAMPLE UNIT: Household

SAMPLE FRACTION: 1%

SAMPLE SIZE (person records): 27,212

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

One in five housing units in 1970 received a long form containing supplemental sample questions. Three independent 1 percent public use samples were produced for 1970, each privileging a particular geography: neighborhood, municipio, and "state". IPUMS-International uses the municipio sample.

Response rate

UNDERCOUNT: No official estimates

This data set represents U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) historical Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) from the 1970's that has been refined with 1990 population density at the block group level to indicate new residential development representative of the 1990's. Any area having a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile had been re-classified as "urban" land in this data set.

In 2024, the United States had a resident population of around 340 million inhabitants. See figures for the total population by continent here.

This data collection contains 132 Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) files from the 1970 Census of Population and Housing. Information is provided in these files on the housing unit, such as occupancy and vacancy status of house, tenure, value of property, commercial use, year structure was built, number of rooms, availability of plumbing facilities, sewage disposal, bathtub or shower, complete kitchen facilities, flush toilet, water, telephone, and air conditioning. Data are also provided on household characteristics such as the number of persons aged 18 years and younger in the household, the presence of roomers, boarders, or lodgers, the presence of other nonrelative and of relative other than wife or child of head of household, the number of persons per room, the rent paid for unit, and the number of persons with Spanish surnames. Other demographic variables provide information on age, race, marital status, place of birth, state of birth, Puerto Rican heritage, citizenship, education, occupation, employment status, size of family, farm earnings, and family income. This hierarchical data collection contains approximately 214 variables for the 15-percent sample, 227 variables for the 5-percent sample, and 117 variables for the neighborhood characteristics sample.

Polygon geometry with attributes displaying the 1970 Census tracts and respective population stats in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

These Fifth-Count Tallies by school district were created from the assembled and edited 20-percent, 15-percent, and 5-percent Samples portions of the 1970 Census of Population and Housing. Population tables include tallies for age, race, sex, nativity, income, employment, poverty and children. Housing tables include tallies for persons per unit, rooms in units, value, gross rent, and year structure built. The data file is sorted within state in ascending sequence of 5-digit school district codes. School districts with populations of less than 1,000 persons are combined in the code category 99999. The SSDC staff has reformatted the ICPSR data file and documented variable column locations for the reformatted data file. See the Reformatted codebook for more information.