Population and Demographics of the United States
An aging population · 17.93% aged 65 or older in 2024
Annual population movement in the United States is +0.57% in 2024, and the 65-plus group accounts for 17.93% of residents. The 2000-to-2024 series records a 22.7% increase, which is more informative than a single annual rate alone. By 2050, the medium path points to 380.85 million, equivalent to a +10.3% change from the 2024 estimate.
Population Over Time in the United States
the United States' population stood at 281.484M in 2000 and 345.427M in 2024, equivalent to a +22.7% change over that period. By 2050, the medium path reaches 380.847M, which would make the population larger than in 2024. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
the United States' demographic structure is maturing when the 2024 population is divided into the three broad age groups. The under-15 share is 17.32% and the 65-and-older share is 17.93%, with 64.75% aged 15 to 64. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
In the World Bank 2024 series, females account for 49.8% of the United States' population and males 50.2%. The split is close to even.
Female and male population share
Males made up 50.2% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.8% females.
What Is Shaping Population Change
The 2024 population series for the United States records +0.57% annual change and a fertility rate of 1.6, while 17.32% are children, 64.75% are 15 to 64 and 17.93% are older adults.
The difference between the 2000 and 2024 population points is +22.7% in the United States, and the UN medium projection subsequently changes the total +10.3% by 2050; separate component statistics would be needed to attribute the movement.
2024 estimate for the United States. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
United States vs. World
The table compares United States with the world using the same 2024 population table for all three indicators, avoiding mixed-year comparisons.
| Indicator | United States | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +0.57% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.6 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 38 | 30.6 | 2024 |
For United States, annual change, fertility and median age are compared with 2024 world values from the same Worldometer table, which states that its demographic data are based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 345,426,571 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +0.57%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 17.32% are under 15 and 17.93% are 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 49.8% female and 50.2% male.
On the medium path, 2050 reaches 380.847M, a +10.3% shift from the 2024 level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of the United States?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for the United States is 345,426,571 people.
Is the population of the United States growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, the United States' population is growing, with annual change of +0.57%.
What percentage of the population of the United States is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 17.93% of the United States' 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of the United States in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts the United States' 2050 population at 380,846,910.
What is the fertility rate in the United States?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for the United States is 1.6 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.