Bibliographic record and links to related information available from the Library of Congress catalog
Note: Electronic data is machine generated. May be incomplete or contain other coding.
Introduction .. . . . . . . . . . ......................................................... I Chapter 1. The Generations Highlights ................................... .................................... 5 The Millennial Generation: Another Baby Boom ......................................... 8 Generation X: The Baby-Bust Generation ............................................. 13 The Baby-Boom Generation: Center Stage ............................................ 18 The Swing Generation: Quiet Pioneers ............................................... 23 The World War II Generation: The Affluent Old ......................................... 28 Chapter 2. Education Highlights .................................................................. 33 Generation X Is the Best Educated .................................................. 34 Young Women Are Better Educated than Young Men ................................... 37 Asians Are Well Educated ................................. .................... 40 Young Adults in the Northeast Are Most Likely to Be College Graduates ..................... 44 More Preschoolers Are in School ................................................... 46 School Enrollment Peaks among Preteens ............................................. 48 Millennials Have Boosted College Enrollment ......................................... 50 Part-Time Study Is the Norm for Older Students ....................................... 52 Few High School Students Have Jobs ................................................ 54 Millennials Will Boost the Number of College Students in their Twenties ..................... 57 Adult Education Is Popular among Americans under Age 55 ................... ........... 59 Chapter 3. Health Highlights ....................................................................... 63 Most Americans Feel Very Good or Excellent .......................................... 64 The Birth Rate Has Risen Since the Late 1990s ..................... . ................ 67 Blacks and Hispanics Have Children at a Younger Age .................................. 69 Most Teenage Mothers Are Not Married .............................................. 71 Most First-Time Mothers Are under Age 25 ........................................... 73 Many Women Are Childless ....................................................... 75 Most Adults Are Overweight ..................................................... . 77 Weight Problems Start Young ..................................................... 80 Most Americans Do Not Get Enough Exercise .......................................... 84 New Drugs Help Lower Cholesterol Levels ........................................... 86 Blood Pressure Is Up ............................................................ 88 More than One in Five Americans Smoke ............................................. 90 Many Young Adults Are Binge Drinkers .............................................. 93 More than 60 Percent of Young Adults Have Used Illicit Drugs .... ........................ 96 Most Women of Childbearing Age Use Contraceptives ................. ............... 100 Most Teens Avoid Risky Behavior .................................................... 103 Many Older Americans Have Physical Difficulties ............... ................... . 105 Health Problems Are Common among Older Americans .............................. .. 107 Men Aged 30 to 49 Account for Most AIDS Cases ..................................... 111 Asthma and Allergies Affect Many Children .......................................... 113 The Share of Working-Aged People without Health Insurance Is Growing ................... 117! More than One Billion Health Care Visits in 2002 ..................................... 121 One in Twelve Americans Had a Hospital Stay in 2002 ................... . . ........... 123 Heart Disease Is the Leading Killer of the Oldest Adults . ............................ . 125 Americans Are Living Longer .................................................... 139 Chapter 4. Housing Highlights ..................................................................... 141 Young Adults Are Most Likely to Move ............................................. 142 Homeownership Rises with Age ................................................... 145 Married Couples Are Most Likely to Be Homeowners .......... ........................ 147 Non-Hispanic Whites Are Most Likely to Own a Home ......................... ......... 149 The Homeownership Rate Is Up in Every Age Group ................... ............... 151 Homeownership Is Highest in the Midwest ........................................... 154 Most Americans Live in Single-Family Homes ....................................... 156 Middle-Aged Married Couples Have the Most Valuable Homes ........................... 158 Housing Costs Are Low for Older Homeowners ........................................ 160 Chapter 5. Income Highlights ..................................................................... 163 Men's Incomes Have Fallen Since 2000 ............................................. 164 Women's Median Income Is Close to a Record High ............... ................. . 166 Baby-Boom Men Have the Highest Incomes .......................................... 168 Baby-Boom Women Have the Highest Incomes ....................................... 171 The Incomes of Young Woman Are Almost as High as Those of Young Men ................. 174 Since 1980, Older Householders Have Seen the Biggest Gains ............................ 176 Americans Aged 45 to 54 Are Most Likely to Be Affluent .. ............................ 178 The World War II Generation Has the Lowest Incomes .................................. 180 Two Earners Means Higher Incomes ................................................ 183 Regardless of Race or Hispanic Origin, Incomes Peak in Middle Age ....................... 193 Nearly One-Third of the Elderly Receive Pension Income ............................. 199 Poverty Is Up Since 2000 ........................................................ 202 Black and Hispanic Children Are Most Likely to Be Poor .......... ................... 205 Many Workers Cannot Keep Their Family out of Poverty ............................ 207 Chapter 6. Labor Force Highlights ................................. ............................... . 209 Men of All Ages Are Less Likely to Work ........................................... 210 Men in Their Thirties Are Most Likely to Work ....................................... . 212 Boomers Are the Largest Share of the Workforce ...................................... 215 Teenagers Are Most Likely to Be Unemployed ....................................... 217 Hispanic Women Are Least Likely to Work .......................................... 219 The Middle Aged Are Professionals, Managers ....................................... 222 The Middle Aged Work Full-Time ................................................. 226 Dual Earners Are the Norm .................. ..................................... 228 Working Mothers Are the Norm ................................................... 230 Job Tenure Is Declining for Men ................................................... 233 Union Representation Peaks among Workers Aged 45 to 54 ........................... .. 236 The Share of Workers with Flexible Schedules Is Rising . ............................. 238 Older Workers Are More Likely to Be Independent Contractors ........... .. . ........... 240 Self-Employment Rises with Age .................................................. 242 Most Minimum-Wage Workers Are Teens and Young Adults ............................. 244 Summer Jobs Boost Youth Employment ............................................. 246 More Older Workers in the Labor Force .............................................. 248 Chapter 7. Living Arrangements H ighlights ......... ............................................................ 25 1 Boomers Head the Largest Share of Households ..................................... . 252 Young and Old Have Most Diverse Households ....................................... 255 Millennials Are Most Diverse ...................................................... 258 Oldest Americans Have the Smallest Households ............... ................... . . 261 Only One-Third of Households include Children under Age 18 .................. ......... 264 Half of Hispanic Households include Children ......................................... 267 Parents in Their Forties Have Teens ................. ............................... 272 Couples in Their Thirties Have the Most Kids at Home . .............................. 274 Householders in the Northeast Are Older ............................................ 276 More Children Live with Single Parents ............................................. 279 More than Three Million Children Live with a Grandparent .............................. 281 Living Arrangements Differ by Generation ........................................... 283 Most Americans Are Married ..................................................... 288 Younger Generations Stay Single Longer ............................................ . 291 Most Cohabitors Are Young Adults ................................................. 293 Divorce Is Highest among Men and Women in Their Fifties .. .......................... 295 Chapter 8. Population Highlights ...................................................................... 299 Social Trends Mirror Changing Age Structure ......................................... 300 Sex Ratio Reverses with Age .................... ................................ 304 Greater Diversity among the Young .................................................. 306 Rapid Growth Is Projected for People in Their Sixties and Seventies ....................... 311 Shifting Immigration Patterns Contribute to Diversity ................................ .317 The West Is the Youngest Region ............................. ... ................. . . 321 Diversity Is Increasing in Every Region .............................................. 325 Young and Old Are Drawn to Different States ........................................ 334 Racial Diversity Differs by State ................................................... .339 Chapter 9. Spending H ighlights ............................ .......................................... 367 At All Ages, Housing Is the Largest Expense ......................................... 368 The Middle Aged Spend the Most ........................... ....... ............ . 375 Spending Dominance of Older Households Is Growing ............................ .. . 379 UnderAge 25: Just the Basics ...................................................... 383 25-to-34-Year-Olds: Spending on Children ............................................ 387 35-to-44-Year-Olds: More Mouths to Feed ............................................ 391 45-to-54-Year-Olds: The Biggest Spenders ............................................ 395 55-to-64-Year-Olds: Spending Slows .............................................. .. 399 65 or Older: The Go-Gos and the Slow-Gos ........................................... 403 65-to-74-Year-Olds: Average Spenders ............................................... 407 75 or Older: Spending on Health Care ................................................ 411 Chapter 11. lime Use H ighlig hts ......................................... .......... .... .. ....... 4 15 Leisure Activities Rank Second in Time Use among Americans .......................... 416 Older Adults Spend the Most Time in Leisure Pursuits .................................. 419 Time Spent at Work Varies Greatly by Age ........................................... 427 Older Americans Spend the Most Time Eating and Drinking ............................. 430 Two-Thirds of Americans Are Online ............................................... 438 Voting Is Down among all but the Oldest Americans ................................... 441 Young Adults Dominate Some Religious Groups ....................................... 443 Twenty-One Percent of Adults Are Caregivers ........................................ 445 More than One in Four Volunteer .......................................... .......... 447 Vietnam Veterans Outnumber Others ............................................... 452 The Young Are Most Likely to Be Crime Victims ..................................... . 454 Daily Travel Peaks in Middle Age .................................................. 456 Chapter 11. Wealth H ighlights .......................................... ............. . ............ . 461 Net Worth Declined for Older Boomers ............................................. 462 Stock Ownership Peaks among Boomers ............................................ 464 Nonfinancial Assets Peak in 55-to-64 Age Group ....................................... 469 Debt Has Grown in Every Age Group ............................................... 473 American Workers Lack Retirement Coverage ......................................... 476 Expected Age of Retirement Has Climbed ........................................... 480