United States: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

United States of America

Capital

Washington, D.C.

Area

9,826,630 sq km

3,794,083 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

Alabama

4,599,030 (2006 estimate)

Alaska

670,053 (2006 estimate)

Arizona

6,166,318 (2006 estimate)

Arkansas

2,810,872 (2006 estimate)

California

36,457,549 (2006 estimate)

Colorado

4,753,377 (2006 estimate)

Connecticut

3,504,809 (2006 estimate)

Delaware

853,476 (2006 estimate)

District of Columbia

581,530 (2006 estimate)

Florida

18,089,888 (2006 estimate)

Georgia

9,363,941 (2006 estimate)

Hawaii

1,285,498 (2006 estimate)

Idaho

1,466,465 (2006 estimate)

Illinois

12,831,970 (2006 estimate)

Indiana

6,313,520 (2006 estimate)

Iowa

2,982,085 (2006 estimate)

Kansas

2,764,075 (2006 estimate)

Kentucky

4,206,074 (2006 estimate)

Louisiana

4,287,768 (2006 estimate)

Maine

1,321,574 (2006 estimate)

Maryland

5,615,727 (2006 estimate)

Massachusetts

6,437,193 (2006 estimate)

Michigan

10,095,643 (2006 estimate)

Minnesota

5,167,101 (2006 estimate)

Mississippi

2,910,540 (2006 estimate)

Missouri

5,842,713 (2006 estimate)

Montana

944,632 (2006 estimate)

Nebraska

1,768,331 (2006 estimate)

Nevada

2,495,529 (2006 estimate)

New Hampshire

1,314,895 (2006 estimate)

New Jersey

8,724,560 (2006 estimate)

New Mexico

1,954,599 (2006 estimate)

New York

19,306,183 (2006 estimate)

North Carolina

8,856,505 (2006 estimate)

North Dakota

635,867 (2006 estimate)

Ohio

11,478,006 (2006 estimate)

Oklahoma

3,579,212 (2006 estimate)

Oregon

3,700,758 (2006 estimate)

Pennsylvania

12,440,621 (2006 estimate)

Rhode Island

1,067,610 (2006 estimate)

South Carolina

4,321,249 (2006 estimate)

South Dakota

781,919 (2006 estimate)

Tennessee

6,038,803 (2006 estimate)

Texas

23,507,783 (2006 estimate)

Utah

2,550,063 (2006 estimate)

Vermont

623,908 (2006 estimate)

Virginia

7,642,884 (2006 estimate)

Washington

6,395,798 (2006 estimate)

West Virginia

1,818,470 (2006 estimate)

Wisconsin

5,556,506 (2006 estimate)

Wyoming

515,004 (2006 estimate)

Largest cities (population)

New York

8,143,197 (2005 estimate)

Los Angeles

3,844,829 (2005 estimate)

Chicago

2,842,518 (2005 estimate)

Houston

2,016,582 (2005 estimate)

Philadelphia

1,463,281 (2005 estimate)

Phoenix

1,461,575 (2005 estimate)

San Antonio

1,256,509 (2005 estimate)

San Diego

1,255,540 (2005 estimate)

Dallas

1,213,825 (2005 estimate)

San Jose

912,332 (2005 estimate)

Detroit

886,671 (2005 estimate)

Indianapolis

793,968 (2005 estimate)

Jacksonville

782,623 (2005 estimate)

San Francisco

739,426 (2005 estimate)

Columbus

730,657 (2005 estimate)

Baltimore

635,815 (2005 estimate)

El Paso

598,590 (2005 estimate)

Seattle

573,911 (2005 estimate)

Boston

559,034 (2005 estimate)

Washington, D.C.

550,521 (2005 estimate)

Population

301,139,950 (2007 estimate)

Population growth rate

0.89 per cent (2007 estimate)

Population density

33 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)

85 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

81 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

19 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

78 years (2007 estimate)

Female

81 years (2007 estimate)

Male

75.2 years (2007 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

6 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

99.5 per cent (1995)

Female

Not available

Male

Not available

Ethnic divisions

White

83.4 per cent

African American

12.4 per cent

Asian

3.4 per cent

Native American

0.8 per cent

Languages

English (official in many states), Spanish (official in New Mexico, with English), Hawaiian (official in Hawaii, with English), Cajun French, Hawai'i Creole English, Louisiana Creole French, Sea Island Creole English, Russian, Navajo, Dakota, and many other languages. NOTE: there is no nationwide official language.

Religions

Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, other

Type of government

Federal republic

Independence

July 4, 1776 (from Great Britain)

Constitution

September 17, 1787, effective March 4, 1789

Voting rights

Universal at age 18

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

12,417 billion (2005)

GDP per capita (US$)

41,889.60 (2005)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

1.2 per cent (2003)

GDP, industry

22.3 per cent (2003)

GDP, services

76.5 per cent (2003)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

2,632,689 million (2005)

Total expenditure

2,289,200 million (2005)

Monetary unit

1 United States dollar (US$), consisting of 100 cents

Exports

Capital goods, transport equipment, clothing, scientific instruments, raw materials, consumer goods, fuels, chemicals, paper products, textiles, metals, agricultural products

Imports

Crude oil and refined petroleum products, raw materials, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and livestock, chemicals, basic manufactured goods, clothing

Major trading partners for exports

Canada, Mexico, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Taiwan, France, South Korea, Singapore

Major trading partners for imports

Canada, Japan, Mexico, China, Germany, United Kingdom, Taiwan, France, South Korea, Italy

Industries

Petroleum, printing and publishing, metal products, transport equipment, machinery, chemicals, electronics, food processing, tobacco, textiles, clothing, wood products, paper products, rubber and plastic products, ceramics and glassware, instruments, consumer goods

Agriculture

Hay, sugar beet, potatoes, citrus fruits, rice, maize, wheat, sorghum, barley, beans, peanuts, cotton, tobacco; poultry, cattle, pigs, meat, milk, eggs

Natural resources

Coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.