era-graded light · absent technology isn't drawn · every glyph opens its specimen label
The home · 2010s
65.1%A
Homeownership rate, 2010
% of occupied dwelling units (owner-occupied)
MeasuredAll U.S. occupied housing units (decennial census)
provenance
Homeownership Rate by State: 1900 to 2000
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Bureau. Down from the bubble peak (~69% in 2004-06) due to the foreclosure crisis. The 2010s saw a slow recovery in homeownership.
Source note: Time series of homeownership rates from 1900 to 2000 by state and nationally. 1950 national rate: 55.0%. 1940: 43.6%. 1960: 61.9%. Also see companion table: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/tables/time-series/census-housing-tables/ownerchar.pdf
Assumption: The composite family
The home · 2010s
Natural gas 51%, electricity 36%, propane 4%, fuel oil 4%, other 5%A
House heating fuel, 2015 (RECS)
% of heated homes using each fuel as main space heating source
MeasuredU.S. housing units (sampled)
provenance
Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)
U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From the 2015 RECS. Natural gas remained dominant but was slowly declining (49% in 2009). Electricity continued its rise (34% in 2009 → 36% in 2015), gaining on gas. Fuel oil fell further to ~4% (concentrated in the Northeast at 23%). The long arc: coal dominated in 1940 (55%), gas by 1960 (43%), electricity rising from 2% (1960) to 36% (2015). Source: EIA RECS 2015.
Source note: Started 1978, triennial/quadrennial. Tracks appliance ownership (refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioning) and housing characteristics. AC diffusion: 1993 RECS 68%, 2009 RECS 87%, 2015 RECS 87%. Useful for diffusion and home panels as complement to AHS.
The budget · 2010s
79,560,000A
Number of families in the United States, 2010
families
MeasuredAll US families by family size (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ persons), CPS money income
provenance
Census Historical Income Table F-8: Families by Size and Median and Mean Income (All Races)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census F-8. Up from 73,780,000 in 2000.
Source note: Excel file. The 4-person-family column is the primary source for the museum's family-of-four medians. Coverage window starts at 1947 — verify the 4-person column covers the full window. Also available: f08ar (All Races revised), f08w (White), f08b (Black), f08h (Hispanic), f08wnh (White not Hispanic).
The budget · 2010s
3.14A
Average family size, 2010
persons per family
MeasuredAll US families by family size (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ persons), CPS money income
provenance
Census Historical Income Table F-8: Families by Size and Median and Mean Income (All Races)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census F-8. Flat from 3.14 in 2000.
Source note: Excel file. The 4-person-family column is the primary source for the museum's family-of-four medians. Coverage window starts at 1947 — verify the 4-person column covers the full window. Also available: f08ar (All Races revised), f08w (White), f08b (Black), f08h (Hispanic), f08wnh (White not Hispanic).
The budget · 2010s
Housing 33.0%, transportation 18.3%, food 14.0%, insurance/pensions 11.6%, healthcare 5.8%, entertainment 5.1%, apparel 3.6%, cash contributions 2.6%, education 2.4%A
Expenditure breakdown, 4-person families, 2013
% of total annual expenditure
MeasuredConsumer units (households) in the civilian noninstitutionalized population
provenance
Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From the 2013 Consumer Expenditure Survey, Table 1400 (Size of consumer unit). 16,226 thousand 4-person CUs. Total expenditures: $68,299. Income before taxes: $88,828. Expenditure = 77% of gross income. Housing reached 33%. Source: BLS CEX Table 1400, 2013 (cu-size-2013.xlsx from bls.gov/cex/tables.htm).
Source note: Continuous since 1980 (Interview + Diary surveys). Earlier surveys: 1960-61, 1972-73. Historical predecessors date to Commissioner of Labor surveys. FRASER has 1980-81 and 1982-83 reports. BLS 403-blocks automated requests — URL valid, access via browser.
Assumption: The composite familyAssumption: Income vs consumptionAssumption: Values are shown in period money
The budget · 2010s
15.1% (46.2 million people in poverty)A
Official poverty rate, 2010
% of all people below official poverty level
MeasuredAll U.S. population (official poverty measure, CPS ASEC)
provenance
Historical Poverty Tables (Census API: histpov2)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Historical Poverty Tables (API: histpov2). Official poverty rate: 15.1%. Family poverty: 13.2%. Highest poverty rate since 1993 — the Great Recession's impact. Recovery was slow: by 2015 still 13.5%, by 2019: 10.5% (pre-COVID). By 2024: 10.6%.
Source note: Official poverty rate from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC), accessed via Census API endpoint histpov2. Covers 1959-present. PCTPOV = percentage of all people below poverty level. PCTFAMPOV = percentage of people in families below poverty level. The official poverty measure uses pre-tax money income vs. poverty thresholds by family size and age. Data starts 1959 (first year of official poverty measure).
The table · 2010s
Food $9,588/yr (14.0% of expenditure). Food at home $5,794 (60% of food), food away from home $3,794 (40%). Key items: meats/poultry/fish/eggs $1,237, fruits/vegetables $1,066, cereals/bakery $822, dairy $615, beef $318. Total expenditure: $68,299.A
Food basket and expenditure breakdown, 2013 (CEX)
USD per family per year, nominal
MeasuredConsumer units (households) in the civilian noninstitutionalized population
provenance
Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From the 2013 CEX, Table 1400. 16,226 thousand 4-person CUs. Food at home share: 60%, food away: 40%. Source: BLS CEX Table 1400, 2013 (cu-size-2013.xlsx from bls.gov/cex/tables.htm).
Source note: Continuous since 1980 (Interview + Diary surveys). Earlier surveys: 1960-61, 1972-73. Historical predecessors date to Commissioner of Labor surveys. FRASER has 1980-81 and 1982-83 reports. BLS 403-blocks automated requests — URL valid, access via browser.
Assumption: The composite familyAssumption: Income vs consumptionAssumption: Values are shown in period money
The table · 2010s
Bread $1.39/lb, ground beef $2.93/lb, bacon $4.16/lb, eggs $1.79/doz, lettuce $0.99/lbA
Retail food prices, December 2010
USD, retail prices (December 2010, BLS API)
MeasuredDepends on series (CPI: all urban consumers; food prices: urban consumers)
provenance
BLS Public Data API v2
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From BLS API: APU0000702111 (bread, white, pan, per lb), APU0000703111 (ground chuck, per lb), APU0000704111 (bacon, per lb), APU0000708111 (eggs, per doz), APU0000712211 (lettuce, per lb). Values are December 2010 monthly averages. CORRECTION 2026-07-08: previous version had mismatched labels. Bread up 40% from 2000 ($0.99→$1.39), ground beef up 48% ($1.98→$2.93), bacon up 37% ($3.03→$4.16). The 2007-08 and 2010-11 global food price crises drove significant increases. By December 2024: bread $1.91/lb, ground beef $5.58/lb, bacon $6.92/lb — food prices continued rising sharply in the 2020s.
Source note: Direct API access to BLS time series. Used for: average food prices (APU series), CPI-U (CUUR0000SA0), wage and hours data. API key registered. Food price series (APU) available from ~1970s onward — no 1950 data. Rate limit: 100 queries/day for registered users.
The day · 2010s
76.2 male, 81.0 female (78.7 total, all races)A
Life expectancy at birth, 2010
years
MeasuredU.S. resident population (death certificates)
provenance
National Vital Statistics System: Life Tables and Infant Mortality
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC), 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NCHS National Vital Statistics System (NVSR Vol 63 No 7). Up from 74.3/79.7 in 2000. Life expectancy peaked at 78.9 in 2014, then declined through 2017 due to the opioid crisis (drug overdose deaths) and suicide. By 2019: 78.8 (pre-COVID). COVID-19 would drop it to 77.0 in 2020 and 76.1 in 2021.
Source note: NCHS publishes annual life tables via the National Vital Statistics Reports series. Life expectancy at birth (all races): 1960: 69.7 total / 66.6M / 73.1F; 1970: 70.8 / 67.1M / 74.8F; 1980: 73.7 / 70.0M / 77.5F; 1990: 75.4 / 71.8M / 78.8F; 2000: 77.0 / 74.3M / 79.7F; 2010: 78.7 / 76.2M / 81.0F; 2023: 78.4 / 75.8M / 81.1F (Data Brief No. 521). 2024 provisional: 79.0 / 76.5M / 81.4F. Infant mortality rates (all races, per 1,000 live births) from Health, United States, 2016, Table 11: 1950: 29.2; 1960: 26.0; 1970: 20.0; 1980: 12.6; 1990: 9.2; 2000: 6.9; 2010: 6.1; 2015: 5.9. URL for infant mortality table: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2016/011.pdf
The day · 2010s
$19.05/hr, 33.4 hrs/week (total private). Manufacturing: $18.61/hr, 41.1 hrs/week.A
Average hourly earnings and weekly hours, 2010
USD/hour and hours/week, nominal
MeasuredProduction and nonsupervisory employees, total private sector
provenance
Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private (AHETPI)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS Current Employment Statistics), 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Production and nonsupervisory employees, seasonally adjusted: FRED AHETPI + AWHNONAG (total private), CES3000000008 + AWHMAN (manufacturing). Annual average of 12 monthly observations, re-verified against FRED 2026-07-08. By 2024: $30.12/hr.
Source note: Average (not median) hourly earnings. Coverage: 1964-present, monthly. BLS source code: CES0500000008. Useful for work-buys panel as proxy for median worker purchasing power.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
The day · 2010s
no reliable recordD
Women's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 2010s
hours per week, prime-age women (ages 18–64)
MeasuredPrime-age women and men, ages 18–64 (benchmark years 1900–2005); also all-ages per-capita and per-household aggregates
provenance
Time Spent in Home Production in the Twentieth-Century United States: New Estimates from Old Data
Cambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History), 2009 ·
source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: Ramey's series ends at 2005. ATUS (available 2010s) measures all-adult household activities, not women-specific home production — a concept splice (Plan 004 Measure guard). The 2020s room carries the ATUS figure (us-2020s-time-use) for the modern endpoint.
Source note: Valerie A. Ramey, JEconHist 69(1), March 2009, pp. 1–47. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act studies 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS modern surveys. Draft version: NBER Working Paper w13985 (May 2008, 63pp) — data tables are numerically identical to the published version; differences are prose tightening and table reformatting (5→5A/5B, etc.). Tier C (period-survey reconstruction). Key tables: Table 5A (nonemployed women), Table 6A (all women, prime-age), Table 7 (men, prime-age), Table 8A (all ages), Table 3 (component breakdown). Note: Ramey does not use the 1992-94 survey (missing data), so no 1990s benchmark. Splice point to ATUS: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept splice that must caveat (Plan 004 Measure guard).
Assumption: The composite family
The day · 2010s
no reliable recordD
Men's weekly unpaid home-production hours, 2010s
hours per week, prime-age men (ages 18–64)
MeasuredPrime-age women and men, ages 18–64 (benchmark years 1900–2005); also all-ages per-capita and per-household aggregates
provenance
Time Spent in Home Production in the Twentieth-Century United States: New Estimates from Old Data
Cambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History), 2009 ·
source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: Ramey's series ends at 2005. See us-2010s-home-production-women note re: ATUS concept splice.
Source note: Valerie A. Ramey, JEconHist 69(1), March 2009, pp. 1–47. Reconstruction from historical time-diary studies (Purnell Act studies 1920s, Wilson 1929, USDA 1944) linked to AHTUS/BLS modern surveys. Draft version: NBER Working Paper w13985 (May 2008, 63pp) — data tables are numerically identical to the published version; differences are prose tightening and table reformatting (5→5A/5B, etc.). Tier C (period-survey reconstruction). Key tables: Table 5A (nonemployed women), Table 6A (all women, prime-age), Table 7 (men, prime-age), Table 8A (all ages), Table 3 (component breakdown). Note: Ramey does not use the 1992-94 survey (missing data), so no 1990s benchmark. Splice point to ATUS: Ramey measures women-specific home production ages 18-64; ATUS measures all-adult household activities age 15+ — a concept splice that must caveat (Plan 004 Measure guard).
Assumption: The composite family
The day · 2010s
6.1 per 1,000 live birthsA
Infant mortality rate, 2010
deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
MeasuredU.S. resident population (death certificates)
provenance
National Vital Statistics System: Life Tables and Infant Mortality
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC), 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NCHS, Health, United States, 2016, Table 11. All races. Neonatal: 4.0; postneonatal: 2.1. By 2015: 5.9. The decline continued but racial disparities persisted — black infant mortality remained more than twice the white rate.
Source note: NCHS publishes annual life tables via the National Vital Statistics Reports series. Life expectancy at birth (all races): 1960: 69.7 total / 66.6M / 73.1F; 1970: 70.8 / 67.1M / 74.8F; 1980: 73.7 / 70.0M / 77.5F; 1990: 75.4 / 71.8M / 78.8F; 2000: 77.0 / 74.3M / 79.7F; 2010: 78.7 / 76.2M / 81.0F; 2023: 78.4 / 75.8M / 81.1F (Data Brief No. 521). 2024 provisional: 79.0 / 76.5M / 81.4F. Infant mortality rates (all races, per 1,000 live births) from Health, United States, 2016, Table 11: 1950: 29.2; 1960: 26.0; 1970: 20.0; 1980: 12.6; 1990: 9.2; 2000: 6.9; 2010: 6.1; 2015: 5.9. URL for infant mortality table: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2016/011.pdf
Assumption: The composite family
What had arrived · 2010s
~35% (2011) → 81% (2019)A
Smartphone ownership, 2010s
% of adults who own a smartphone
MeasuredU.S. adults (survey samples)
provenance
Pew Research Center: Internet & Broadband Fact Sheet
Pew Research Center, 2025 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Pew Research Center. The smartphone was the defining technology of the 2010s. iPhone launched 2007, Android 2008. By 2011, ~35% of adults had a smartphone. By 2019, 81%. Smartphone ownership crossed 50% around 2013.
Source note: Pew's Internet & Technology program tracks internet, broadband, and smartphone adoption via periodic surveys. Compiles time-series adoption percentages. Coverage: ~2000-present. Pew 403-blocks automated requests — URL valid, access via browser.
What had arrived · 2010s
Internet: 79% (2009) → 90% (2019). Broadband: 63% (2009) → 73% (2019).A
Internet and broadband, 2010s
% of adults
MeasuredU.S. adults (survey samples)
provenance
Pew Research Center: Internet & Broadband Fact Sheet
Pew Research Center, 2025 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Pew Research Center. Internet adoption plateaued in the 2010s (~90% saturation). Home broadband growth slowed — many low-income households adopted smartphones instead of home broadband, creating a 'smartphone-only' digital divide.
Source note: Pew's Internet & Technology program tracks internet, broadband, and smartphone adoption via periodic surveys. Compiles time-series adoption percentages. Coverage: ~2000-present. Pew 403-blocks automated requests — URL valid, access via browser.
What had arrived · 2010s
87% of homes had AC (64% central AC)A
Air conditioning, 2015 (RECS)
% of occupied housing units with air conditioning
MeasuredU.S. housing units (sampled)
provenance
Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)
U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From the 2015 RECS. 87% of US homes used AC — flat from 2009 (87%). Central AC rose to 64% (76M households, up from 59%/66M in 2005). The AC diffusion curve had plateaued: from 18.8% (1960) → 68% (1993) → 87% (2009/2015) → 88% (2020). AC was now a standard feature of American housing. Source: EIA RECS 2015 overview.
Source note: Started 1978, triennial/quadrennial. Tracks appliance ownership (refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioning) and housing characteristics. AC diffusion: 1993 RECS 68%, 2009 RECS 87%, 2015 RECS 87%. Useful for diffusion and home panels as complement to AHS.
What had arrived · 2010s
53.2 million cable subscribers (declining). Total MVPD: 99.4 million. Cord-cutting began 2013.A
Cable TV, 2015 (FCC)
subscribers (cable MVPD, year-end 2015)
MeasuredU.S. households subscribing to multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) services
provenance
Annual Assessment of the Status of Competition in the Market for the Delivery of Video Programming
Federal Communications Commission, 2017 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From FCC 19th Video Competition Report (DA 17-71, data as of year-end 2015, SNL Kagan subscriber data). Cable MVPDs: 53.2M (53.1% of all MVPD). DBS: 33.1M. Telco: 13.0M. Total MVPD: 99.4M. MVPDs lost 1.1M subscribers in 2015 — cord-cutting accelerating. Cable's share of MVPD declined from 89% (1997, 64.2M subscribers) to 53.1% (2015) as satellite (DIRECTV/DISH) and then streaming (Netflix: 46M subscribers by 2016) grew. Over-the-air only: 12.4M TV households.
Source note: FCC's annual report on video competition. Subscriber data from SNL Kagan (industry analyst). Key data: 1992: 59.3% of TV households (55.2M subscribers, FCC 97-423 Table B-1). 1997: 64.2M cable, 73.6M total MVPD, 75.9% of TV households (FCC 1997 report). 2006: 65.3M basic cable, 95.8M total MVPD, 87% of TV households (FCC 07-206, 13th Report). 2015: 53.2M cable (53.1% of MVPD), 33.1M DBS, 13.0M telco, 99.4M total MVPD (FCC DA 17-71, 2017). MVPD subscriber losses began 2013 — cord-cutting era. Cable's share of MVPD declined from 89% (1997) to 68.2% (2006) to 53.1% (2015).
A day's work buys · 2010s
2.99 years ($179,900 home vs $60,240 income)C
Median home value as years of median family income, 2010
years of median family income (nominal)
MeasuredOwner-occupied housing units (ACS 1-year estimates)
provenance
ACS Table B25077: Median Value of Owner-Occupied Housing Units
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ·
source
Confidence: C — Reconstructed from period surveys
Curator note: Computed: 2010 ACS median home value ($179,900) / 2010 Census F-8 median family income ($60,240). Post-crash: home values had dropped but incomes stagnated, making housing less affordable than the 1990s ratio (~2.3). By 2024: $360,600 / ~$104,000 = ~3.5 years.
Source note: Median home value: 2010 $179,900, 2014 $181,200, 2019 $240,500, 2024 $360,600. Retrieved via Census Reporter API.
Assumption: The affordability axisAssumption: Values are shown in period money
A day's work buys · 2010s
CPI 218.1 (2010) → 313.7 (2024) = 1.4x. $1 in 2010 = $1.44 in 2024. Real median family income grew 1.22x.A
Consumer Price Index and purchasing power, 2010
CPI-U (1982-84=100), annual average
MeasuredAll Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
provenance
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 ·
source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: CPI from BLS series CUUR0000SA0 (confirmed via BLS API). 2010: 218.1. 2024: 313.7. Ratio: 1.44x. Nominal median family income: $60,240 (2010) → $105,800 (2024) = 1.76x. Real growth: 1.76/1.44 = 1.22x. Recovery from the Great Recession was slow — real income growth was modest but stronger than the 2000s (1.14x).
Source note: BLS CPI homepage. Historical data and supplemental files at https://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/supplemental-files/. BLS 403-blocks automated requests — URL valid, access via browser. Historical article: https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2014/article/one-hundred-years-of-price-change-the-consumer-price-index-and-the-american-inflation-experience.htm
Assumption: Values are shown in period moneyAssumption: The affordability axis
Confidence & flags
A — official statistical series
B — official microdata, computed by this project
C — reconstructed from period surveys
D — scholarly estimate
Gap — no reliable record; shown as the gap it is
Reading the museum
Every fact is behind glass: its placard names the source, the year, who was measured, and how sure we are. Chart points and stage glyphs deep-link to their placards.
Falling metrics render in copper, rising in brass. Absent technology isn't drawn — a bare house says more than ghosts.