Stories
Where Do the Most Korean Americans Live?
Los Angeles leads the country by a wide margin and holds the original Koreatown, followed by New York and Washington, DC. Fast-growing suburbs in Orange County and Atlanta show where Korean American settlement is heading, while California alone holds nearly a third of the national total.
Where Do the Most Mexican Americans Live?
About 37.9 million people of Mexican origin live in the United States, more than eight times the next largest group in this series. California and Texas hold over half the total, with Los Angeles metro alone counting 4.4 million.
America Turns 250: A Portrait of the Nation, From 1790 to Today
As the United States marks its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, here is how the nation changed from the first census of 1790, when it counted 3.9 million people in 13 states, to today's 335 million across 50.
Houston Overtakes Dallas as America's Fastest-Growing Metro
The Houston metro added 126,720 people from 2024 to 2025, the most of any U.S. metro area and just ahead of Dallas-Fort Worth, according to new Census Bureau estimates.
U.S. Death Rate Fell to a Record Low in 2025, New CDC Data Shows
The U.S. death rate fell to the lowest level ever recorded in 2025, down 4.6% from 2024, with heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries the leading causes, according to new CDC data.
Who Still Claims 'American' as Their Ancestry?
The share of U.S. residents who write in 'American' as their census ancestry fell from 10.6% to 8.4% since 2011, and it is most concentrated in Appalachia, led by Buchanan County, Virginia.
Where Do the Most Chinese Americans Live?
The New York metro leads with 800,178 people of Chinese origin, but California is the real center of gravity, with 1.54 million statewide across Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose.
America Hits a Record Median Age as Baby Boomers Keep Aging
The U.S. median age hit a record 39.4 in 2025 as the 65-and-older population grew 16.2% and younger generations stalled, according to new Census Bureau estimates.
Where Americans Are Having the Most Children
The national fertility rate is 51.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 50. The places that beat it share a structure, not a region: military bases, religious communities, and agricultural Hispanic counties.
The South Is the Only Region Where the Child Population Grew
New Census Bureau population estimates show the South was the only U.S. region where the under-18 population grew from 2020 to 2025, while it fell in the Northeast, Midwest, and West and the national median age kept rising.
Where the Singles Are: Cities With the Most Unmarried Adults
The cities with the most never-married adults are dense urban cores like Detroit and Boston, while the most-married big cities are really suburbs. Plus the one place where the usual men-vs-women pattern flips: Washington, DC.
The Census Bureau Just Scrapped Its Race and Ethnicity Data Overhaul
The Census Bureau is reverting the 2027 American Community Survey to 1997 race and ethnicity standards, abandoning a 2024 overhaul that would have combined the race and ethnicity questions and added a Middle Eastern or North African category.
The 10 Richest Cities in California in 2026
In the richest city in California, the median household income and the median home value both run so high that the Census Bureau stops counting and reports them as 'more than' a ceiling. Nine of the ten wealthiest cities in the state sit within an hour of San Francisco. Here is the list.
The 10 Richest Cities in New York in 2026
New York State's wealthiest cities are not in New York City. They are in the suburbs surrounding it, concentrated almost entirely in Westchester County to the north and Nassau County...
The Most Affordable Counties Where Incomes Are Rising
Where can you still buy a house and watch your paycheck grow? We screened Census data for counties that are both cheap and gaining income, from the Texas border to metro-adjacent counties near St. Louis, Louisville, and Kansas City.
The Most Common Last Names in America
Smith leads by a wide margin, and the racial composition under the top names records emancipation, Hispanic surnames surging into the top fifteen, and Lee bridging Asian and other origins.
The Fastest-Shrinking Cities in America
The fastest-shrinking large cities split into two very different stories: people priced out of the expensive coasts, and the long structural decline of the South and Midwest. Here is why you shouldn't read them as the same trend.
The Most Segregated Metros in America
A White /non-White dissimilarity score, computed from 2020 to 2024 Census data, ranks America's most segregated large metros. Milwaukee leads, and the industrial Midwest and Northeast dominate the list for reasons rooted in 20th-century policy.
Which State Has the Largest Population? All 50 States Ranked
California is still the largest U.S. state with 39,287,377 people, but it lost population in the latest estimate while Texas grows fast and closes the gap. Here is the full ranking from largest to smallest.
Median Household Income by County: The Highest and Lowest in America
The richest county in America has a median household income nearly five times the poorest. Here's the full top and bottom of the list, and what the geography shows.
How Big Was America? US Population in 1900, 1945, 1990, and Today
From 76 million in 1900 to nearly 335 million today, the US grew more than fourfold. We walk the milestones and explain what era each number marks.