Digital History
Digital History ID 3845



America in Our Time

Interpreting Statistics

Consumer Price Index
Price Increase
1972 2 percent
1974 8 percent
1976 5 percent
1978 8 percent
1980 12 percent
1982 4 percent
1984 4 percent


Consumer Prices, 1967
3-bedroom house $17,000
New Cadillac de Ville convertible $6,700
New Volkswagen $1,497
5-ounce tube of Crest toothpaste 39 cents
Sirloin steak 89 cents a pound
Hershey chocolate bar 5 cents
Regular gasoline 34 cents a gallon
Portable typewriter $39
Transistor radio $14
Man's gray flannel suit $69
Black and white TV set $79

Questions To Think About

1. How have prices changed since 1967? Are increases greatest, in your view, in luxuries or in necessities?

2. What factors have contributed to increased price levels?

Automobile Imports

Proportion of Auto Market Held by Foreign Manufacturers
1946-50 0.2
1961-65 6.1
1966-70 10.6
1971-75 15.2
1976-80 20.1

Questions To Think About

1. When did automobile imports increase most rapidly?

2. Why, in your view, did automobile imports increase?

Families

The Changing Family
1960 1980
Married couples 75 % 55 %

with children

44 % 48 %

without children

33% 27%
Female heads 17% 29%

with children

3% 22%

without children

14% 7%
Lone male head 8% 16%

with children

1% 1%

without children

7% 15%


Questions To Think About

1. Describe the fundamental ways that the nature of work has changed over the course of the 20th century?

2. What kinds of work do people do if they do not make food or goods?

Income

Distribution of Wealth and Income 1980
Top Fifth Middle Fifth Bottom Fifth
Wealth 76 % 6 % 0%
Income 42 % 18 % 5 %

Families at Various Income Levels, 1980
$50,000+ 7 %
$25,000-50,000 33 %
$15,000-25,000 28 %
$10,000-15,000 14 %
$ 5,000-10,000 13 %
$ 0-5,000 6 %


Ethnic Composition of the U.S., 1980
German-Austrian 19 %
English-Scottish 17 %
African 12 %
Irish 11 %
Hispanic 7 %
Italian 6%
Scandinavian 6 %

U.S. Population Statistics
Year Population Median Age
1790 3,929,000 15.9
1800 5,297,000 16
1810 7,224,000 16
1820 9,618,000 16.7
1830 12,901,000 17.2
1840 17,120,000 17.8
1850 23,261,000 18.9
1860 31,513,000 19.4
1870 39,905,000 20.2
1880 50,262,000 20.9
1890 63,056,000 22.0
1900 76,094,000 22.9
1910 92,407,000 24.1
1920 106,466,000 25.3
1930 123,188,000 26.5
1940 132,122,000 29.0
1950 151,683,000 30.2
1960 180,671,000 29.5
1970 204,879,000 28.1


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