vitrine · corridor · pairwise

1980s ↔ 2020s

Fact families the measure guard certifies comparable for this pair. Everything else renders as the gap it is. Every value links to its placard.

Rooms 1980s 2020s all corridors

A median home — affordability

1980s ↔ 2020s
not comparable for this pair — the hours axis needs a structured price and a verified wage anchor in both rooms — not yet curated for this pair

Budget composition

’80shousing: 29.5% — 1980s29.5apparel: 6% — 1980s6food: 15% — 1980s15healthcare: 4.1% — 1980stransportation: 20.6% — 1980s20.6other: 19.2% — 1980s19.2housing 29.5% · apparel 6% · food 15% · healthcare 4.1% · transportation 20.6% · other 19.2%’20shousing: 31.3% — 2020s31.3apparel: 2.5% — 2020sfood: 13.5% — 2020s13.5healthcare: 7% — 2020s7transportation: 17.9% — 2020s17.9other: 23.8% — 2020s23.8housing 31.3% · apparel 2.5% · food 13.5% · healthcare 7% · transportation 17.9% · other 23.8%

Life expectancy at birth

years (all races, both sexes)

⚠ Decades before the 1960s published white-only male/female life tables with no all-races total — the placard carries the sexed figures and the chart renders the gap rather than a spliced concept.
1980s · Tier A
70.0 male, 77.5 female (73.7 total, all races)
2020s · Tier A
75.8 male, 81.1 female (78.4 total)

Infant mortality

deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births

1980s · Tier A
12.6 per 1,000 live births
2020s · Tier A
5.6 per 1,000 live births

People in poverty

% below the official poverty line

⚠ The official poverty series begins in 1959 — earlier decades have no line.
1980s · Tier A
13.0% (29.3 million people in poverty)
2020s · Tier A
10.6% (35.9 million people)

Homeownership

% of occupied housing units owner-occupied

1980s · Tier A
64.4%
2020s · Tier A
65.3%

Telephone

% of households

⚠ 1910s–1930s sources counted telephones per 1,000 population, not households — those decades render as gaps rather than a unit splice.
⚠ The 2020s point counts cell phones (92.7%); the landline share is on the placard.
1980s · Tier A
92.9% (7.1% without telephone)
2020s · Tier A
Cell phone 92.7%, landline 20.1%, garage/carport 67.6%

Air conditioning

% of households with AC

⚠ The 1980s source bridges 1978 central-AC and 1993 total-AC figures — no single-decade datum, so the decade renders as a gap.
1980s · Tier A
Central AC 23% (1978 RECS) → total AC 68% (1993 RECS) — see the placard
2020s · Tier A
88% (two-thirds central AC)

Women's unpaid home production

hours per week, prime-age women

⚠ The 2020s source (ATUS) measures all-adult household activities, a concept splice from Ramey's women's series — flagged, not smoothed, so the chart renders it as a gap and the placard carries both figures.
1980s · Tier C
28.4
2020s · Tier C
Ramey 2005: women 29.3, men 16.8 hrs/week (ages 18–64) → ATUS 2019: household activities 1.78 hrs/day, all adults 15+ — see the placard

Food's share of spending

% of household expenditure

⚠ Populations differ across the century — 1901 wage-earner families vs modern consumer units; every placard names who was measured.
⚠ The 1950s point is the nearest available survey (CEX 1960–61), stated plainly rather than back-cast.
1980s · Tier A
Food $4,706/yr (15.0% of expenditure). Food at home $2,900 (62% of food), food away from home $1,806 (38%). Key items: meats/poultry/fish/eggs $832, cereals/bakery $410, dairy $404, fruits/vegetables $425, beef $290, fresh milk $202. Total expenditure: $31,408.
2020s · Tier A
Food 13.5% of expenditure for 4-person families (~$14,800 of $109,622/yr). Down from 42.54% in 1901.

Consumer Price Index

CPI-U level, 1982–84 = 100

1980s · Tier A
CPI 82.4 (1980) → 313.7 (2024) = 3.8x. $1 in 1980 = $3.81 in 2024. Real median family income grew 1.32x.
2020s · Tier A
313.7