The 2020s room

Data as of 2024 (decade ongoing — each record states its own year).

An illustrated way in

Explore the house

Choose an object to open its source. The house brings separate observations together; it is not a reconstructed household.

Homeownership rate, 2024 Housing characteristics, 2023 (AHS) Phone service and vehicle access, 2023 (AHS) Retail food prices, December 2024 Primary heating fuel, 2024 Households using air conditioning, 2020 Adults who use the internet, 2025 Households with at least one vehicle, 2023

Illustrative rooms and object placement. Missing objects are unselected records, not proof of historical absence. Use the labelled highlights or object list to inspect a record.

The composite family. Each room is a statistical composite, assembled from separate distributions with separate sources. The family at the median income did not also have the median house, the median car, and the median diet. No single family described here ever existed; each fact tells you, in its provenance drawer, which real population it was measured from.

About this selection · Guided room

A selected route introduces this room's records. Its sources describe different populations; the route does not reconstruct a single household.

This describes how the page is arranged; it is not an evidence score.

Explore the objects with full labels 8 source-linked subjects

Objects & everyday life

A closer look

Each label names its measurement and date. Drawings identify subjects, not exact appliance models.

Follow a tour: One paycheck · The work that moved

Inspect the evidence

Browse the records

Every observation includes its measured population and source. Calculations identify their inputs; gaps explain what remains unavailable or unverified.

Recorded observations: 57
Calculated exhibits: 6
Documented gaps: 4

These are counts of collection entries, not people or households. Observations exclude gaps; calculated exhibits are counted separately. A gap is an unanswered or unverified item, not a zero value.

The home

6 observations · 0 gaps

65.3%A

Homeownership rate, 2024observed record

% of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied

Population measuredAll US households / occupied housing units (ACS 1-year national sample) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (data.census.gov). The rate is ±0.1%. Up from 55.0% in 1950. (Source re-pointed from census-ahs 2026-07-07: this is ACS data, not AHS.)
Source note: Annual survey replacing the decennial long form (2005→). Used here for homeownership rate, median home value (B25077), house heating fuel (B25040). Distinct from the AHS (census-ahs): different sample, different sponsor, different questionnaire — do not conflate the two.
Assumption: The composite family

record

Median 1,500 sq ft. 99.9% have complete bathroom. 89.3% public water, 80.9% public sewer. Median 5 rooms. 67.6% have garage/carport.A

Housing characteristics, 2023 (AHS)observed record

percent of 133.2M occupied units (AHS 2023 National)

Population measuredU.S. housing units (national sample) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau (sponsored by HUD) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

American Housing Survey (AHS)
U.S. Census Bureau (sponsored by HUD), 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From American Housing Survey 2023 National tables (AHS Table Creator, generated 2026-07-06). Data parsed from Excel exports. Total occupied units: 133,231 thousand. Complete bathroom: 133,096K (99.9%). Public water: 119,015K (89.3%). Public sewer: 107,884K (80.9%). Garage or carport: 90,044K (67.6%). Median square footage: 1,500 (mean: 1,809). For comparison with 1950 Census of Housing: near-universal plumbing and electricity, dramatically larger homes (1950 median ~1,000 sq ft estimated).
Source note: Started 1973, biennial/annual. Tracks tenure, rooms, amenities (plumbing, kitchen, telephone, automobile in some years), housing costs. Table Creator: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/data/interactive/ahstablecreator.html. Historical reports at HUDUser: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahs/ahs_1999.pdf
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Rooms, not square feet

record

2,146 sq ft (new construction)A

Median square footage of new single-family homes, 2024observed record

median square feet of floor area, new single-family houses completed

Population measuredNew single-family houses completed in the United States Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Characteristics of New Single-Family Houses Completed (Census C-25 / Series H-150)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From the Census Bureau's Survey of Construction (Characteristics of New Housing, annual data, released 2026-07-01). Median floor area of new single-family houses completed in 2024: 2,146 sq ft, down from a 2022 peak of 2,299 sq ft as builders responded to higher interest rates by building smaller homes. This is new construction only; the existing stock median is 1,500 sq ft (AHS 2023).
Source note: Annual data on median square feet of floor area in new single-family houses completed, from the Census Bureau's Survey of Construction (SOC). Data available 1973-present. The C-25 annual reports (c25ann2003.pdf through c25ann2017.pdf) and H-150 reports (h150-73A.pdf through h150-89.pdf) are archived in vitrine-research/20-census-construction/. They contain the historical table 'Median and Average Square Feet of Floor Area in New Single-Family Houses Completed.' Pre-1999 reports use Series H-150 designation. Note: this measures NEW construction only, not the existing housing stock — the AHS measures the entire stock and yields lower medians because older, smaller homes remain in the inventory.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Rooms, not square feet

record

$360,600A

Median home value, 2024 (ACS)observed record

USD, nominal (median value of owner-occupied housing units)

Population measuredAll US households / occupied housing units (ACS 1-year national sample) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: One-time price
Affordability anchors: Production and nonsupervisory employees, total private sector; All US families by family size (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ persons), CPS money income
Denominators measure: hours axis: average hourly earnings; income axis: total money income
Curator note: From Census ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table B25077 (Median value of owner-occupied housing units), 2024. Margin of error: ±$618. Time series: $179,900 (2010), $181,200 (2014), $240,500 (2019), $360,600 (2024) — doubled in 14 years. For comparison: $7,354 in 1950 (Tier C).
Source note: Annual survey replacing the decennial long form (2005→). Used here for homeownership rate, median home value (B25077), house heating fuel (B25040). Distinct from the AHS (census-ahs): different sample, different sponsor, different questionnaire — do not conflate the two.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: Rooms, not square feet

Computed affordability

≈ 11,972 hours of work

≈ 257.8% of annual income

Large ratio: inspect the wage population and anchor years in provenance before reading this as one household's timeline.

record

$240,500 (2019) → $360,600 (2024)A

The pandemic housing surge: median home value 2019 vs 2024observed record

USD, nominal (ACS B25077 median value of owner-occupied units)

Population measuredOwner-occupied housing units (ACS 1-year estimates) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

ACS Table B25077: Median Value of Owner-Occupied Housing Units
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Both endpoints transcribed from Census ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table B25077 (Median value of owner-occupied housing units). 2019: $240,500 (±$1,034). 2024: $360,600 (±$618). The increase far exceeds the prior decade's rate ($179,900 in 2010 → $240,500 in 2019). The surge reflects pandemic-era demand, low mortgage rates (2020-21), and supply constraints. The percentage change is not stated here — it would be cross-fact arithmetic; the two endpoints speak for themselves.
Source note: Median home value: 2010 $179,900, 2014 $181,200, 2019 $240,500, 2024 $360,600. Retrieved via Census Reporter API.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

record

$1,487/monthA

Median gross rent, 2024observed record

USD, nominal (median gross rent, specified renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent)

Population measuredRenter-occupied housing units paying cash rent (ACS 1-year estimates) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

ACS Table B25064: Median Gross Rent
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ACS Table B25064, 2024 1-year estimates (Census API). Up from $855 in 2010. The renter half of the housing story: rents rose faster than incomes in the 2020s. Arc: $602 (2000) → $855 (2010) → $1,097 (2019) → $1,487 (2024).
Source note: Median gross rent (USD/month): 2010 $855, 2015 $959, 2019 $1,097, 2022 $1,300, 2023 $1,406, 2024 $1,487. Retrieved via Census API (api.census.gov). Successor to the decennial Census of Housing gross rents series, which ends at 2000 ($602) — the long-form census question was replaced by the ACS.

record

The budget

10 observations · 3 gaps

no reliable record verified for this comparisonD

Expenditure breakdown, four-person consumer units, 2024documented gap

% of total annual expenditure

Population measuredFour-person consumer units, represented as shares of national aggregate spending, 2024 Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 · Tier D

Full record

Table 1400. Size of consumer unit: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: D — Scholarly estimate
Curator note: The archived 2024 Table 1400 contains rounded shares of national aggregate spending by consumer-unit size, not published within-budget mean expenditure shares. Its income mean also differs from the previous transcription. Exact four-person expenditure amounts and budget shares previously shown here cannot be reproduced from this file and have been withdrawn pending the correct annual-means table. The direct official means-table download returned HTTP 403 on 2026-09-07. Historical comparisons also mix survey populations; 1901 rent is narrower than modern housing expenditure. All-consumer-unit 2024 figures remain separately available and audited.
Source note: Archived cu-size-2024.xlsx is the aggregate-share variant. Its rounded shares cannot verify precise within-budget shares or dollar means. The annual-means variant was not accessible to the automated retrieval on 2026-09-07. Retained to document the verification gap, not to certify the withdrawn figures.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Income vs consumption
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

record

$105,800A

Median family income, all families, 2024observed record

USD per year, nominal, money income before tax

Population measuredAll US families by family size (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ persons), CPS money income Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Census Historical Income Table F-8: Families by Size and Median and Mean Income (All Races)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Annual figure
Curator note: From Table F-8 (All Races), row 10. CPS money income, as of March 2025 (2024 ASEC). This is the most recent available data.
Source note: Excel file (f08ar = All Races). The 4-person-family section 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. CORRECTION 2026-07-13: this source was registered with the f08a.xlsx URL, which is the ASIAN-families table (sections 'Asian Alone or in Combination'/'Asian Alone', 2002-2020 only); every transcribed value re-verified against the fetched f08ar.xlsx (All Families 2024 row 10: $105,800 median/$144,500 mean; 1950 row 86: $3,319 current/$35,290 in 2024$; Four People 2024 row 259: $139,900). Race variants: f08w (White), f08b (Black), f08h (Hispanic), f08wnh (White not Hispanic), f08a (Asian).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: The affordability axis

record

$139,900A

Median family income, four-person families, 2024observed record

USD per year, nominal, money income before tax

Population measuredAll US families by family size (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ persons), CPS money income Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Census Historical Income Table F-8: Families by Size and Median and Mean Income (All Races)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Annual figure
Curator note: From Table F-8 (All Races), 'Families with Four People' section, row 259. The 4-person family median is higher than the all-family median because smaller families (2-person) pull the all-family median down.
Source note: Excel file (f08ar = All Races). The 4-person-family section 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. CORRECTION 2026-07-13: this source was registered with the f08a.xlsx URL, which is the ASIAN-families table (sections 'Asian Alone or in Combination'/'Asian Alone', 2002-2020 only); every transcribed value re-verified against the fetched f08ar.xlsx (All Families 2024 row 10: $105,800 median/$144,500 mean; 1950 row 86: $3,319 current/$35,290 in 2024$; Four People 2024 row 259: $139,900). Race variants: f08w (White), f08b (Black), f08h (Hispanic), f08wnh (White not Hispanic), f08a (Asian).
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Getting to a family of four
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: The affordability axis

record

85,980,000A

Number of families in the United States, 2024observed record

families

Population measuredAll US families by family size (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ persons), CPS money income Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Census Historical Income Table F-8: Families by Size and Median and Mean Income (All Races)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Table F-8, all families, row 10. CPS estimate as of March 2025.
Source note: Excel file (f08ar = All Races). The 4-person-family section 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. CORRECTION 2026-07-13: this source was registered with the f08a.xlsx URL, which is the ASIAN-families table (sections 'Asian Alone or in Combination'/'Asian Alone', 2002-2020 only); every transcribed value re-verified against the fetched f08ar.xlsx (All Families 2024 row 10: $105,800 median/$144,500 mean; 1950 row 86: $3,319 current/$35,290 in 2024$; Four People 2024 row 259: $139,900). Race variants: f08w (White), f08b (Black), f08h (Hispanic), f08wnh (White not Hispanic), f08a (Asian).
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

record

3.15A

Average family size, 2024observed record

persons per family

Population measuredAll US families by family size (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ persons), CPS money income Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Census Historical Income Table F-8: Families by Size and Median and Mean Income (All Races)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Table F-8, all families, row 10, column G. Down from 3.54 in 1950 — families are smaller.
Source note: Excel file (f08ar = All Races). The 4-person-family section 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. CORRECTION 2026-07-13: this source was registered with the f08a.xlsx URL, which is the ASIAN-families table (sections 'Asian Alone or in Combination'/'Asian Alone', 2002-2020 only); every transcribed value re-verified against the fetched f08ar.xlsx (All Families 2024 row 10: $105,800 median/$144,500 mean; 1950 row 86: $3,319 current/$35,290 in 2024$; Four People 2024 row 259: $139,900). Race variants: f08w (White), f08b (Black), f08h (Hispanic), f08wnh (White not Hispanic), f08a (Asian).
Assumption: The composite family

record

$78,535A

Average annual household expenditures, 2024observed record

USD per consumer unit, nominal

Population measuredConsumer units (households) in the civilian noninstitutionalized population Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From BLS CEX multi-year table (cu-all-multi-year-2021-2024.xlsx). All consumer units. Income before taxes: $104,207. Expenditure/income ratio: 75.4%. 135,760 thousand consumer units; 65% homeowners. After-tax income not published for 2024 (TAXSIM models discontinued).
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 family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

record

75.4% — expenditures $78,535 vs income $104,207A

Expenditure-to-income ratio, 2024observed record

% (total expenditures ÷ income before taxes)

Population measuredConsumer units (households) in the civilian noninstitutionalized population Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Ratio of average annual expenditures to average income before taxes for all consumer units in 2024. It is not the average household expenditure-to-income ratio and does not identify how any particular family financed spending. The audit reproduces the percentage from both source means.
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 family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

record

10.6% (35.9 million people)A

Official poverty rate, 2024observed record

% of U.S. population below official poverty threshold

Population measuredU.S. resident population and families (CPS ASEC) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Poverty in the United States: 2024 (Current Population Reports P60-287)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census P-60 No. 287 (Sep 2025). Official poverty rate: 10.6% (down from 11.1% in 2023). 35.9M people in poverty. Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM): 12.9% (unchanged from 2023). For families: married-couple 3.5%, female-householder 18.6%. The official poverty threshold for a 4-person family with 2 children was ~$32,000 in 2024.
Source note: Official poverty rate 2024: 10.6% (35.9M people). SPM: 12.9%. Down from 11.1% official in 2023. For families: 7.0% poverty rate (married-couple 3.5%, female-householder 18.6%).
Assumption: The composite family

record

The table

17 observations · 1 gaps · 1 computed

$5,278.6 billion (18.0% of GDP)A

Healthcare spending, 2024observed record

USD billions, nominal; NHE as % of GDP

Population measuredUS resident population and total national health spending (all payers) Source recordCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From CMS NHE Table 01 (NHE24_Summary.csv). NHE: $5,278.6B. GDP: $29,298.0B. Per capita: $15,474. Healthcare now consumes nearly one-fifth of GDP. From 5% in 1960 to 18% in 2024 — healthcare's share of the economy tripled.
Source note: CMS NHE tables cover calendar years 1960-2024. Table 01: aggregate amounts, per capita, percent of GDP. Table 02: by type of service and source of funds. Dollar amounts in current (nominal) dollars. Updated annually. Source files: NHE24_Summary.csv, NHE2024.csv. URL CORRECTION 2026-07-28: CMS changed the page slug from statistics-trends-reports to statistics-trends-and-reports (old URL 404s); content re-verified as the NHE data page.

record

$15,474 per capita ($13,222 for personal health care)A

National health spending per person, 2024observed record

USD per person, nominal

Population measuredUS resident population and total national health spending (all payers) Source recordCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From CMS NHE Table 01 (NHE24_Summary.csv). NHE per capita: $15,474. Personal Health Care per capita: $13,222. Population: 341M. From $146 (1960) to $15,474 (2024) — a 106x increase in nominal terms.
Source note: CMS NHE tables cover calendar years 1960-2024. Table 01: aggregate amounts, per capita, percent of GDP. Table 02: by type of service and source of funds. Dollar amounts in current (nominal) dollars. Updated annually. Source files: NHE24_Summary.csv, NHE2024.csv. URL CORRECTION 2026-07-28: CMS changed the page slug from statistics-trends-reports to statistics-trends-and-reports (old URL 404s); content re-verified as the NHE data page.

record

$1,118,000 million (21.2% of NHE)A

Medicare spending, 2024observed record

USD millions, nominal

Population measuredUS resident population and total national health spending (all payers) Source recordCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From CMS NHE Table 02 (NHE2024.csv). Medicare: $1,118,000M of $5,278,588M total. Up from $7,672M in 1970 — a 146x increase in nominal terms. Medicare now covers ~22% of all health spending.
Source note: CMS NHE tables cover calendar years 1960-2024. Table 01: aggregate amounts, per capita, percent of GDP. Table 02: by type of service and source of funds. Dollar amounts in current (nominal) dollars. Updated annually. Source files: NHE24_Summary.csv, NHE2024.csv. URL CORRECTION 2026-07-28: CMS changed the page slug from statistics-trends-reports to statistics-trends-and-reports (old URL 404s); content re-verified as the NHE data page.

record

$931,692 million (17.6% of NHE); Federal $596,694M, State/Local $334,998MA

Medicaid spending, 2024observed record

USD millions, nominal

Population measuredUS resident population and total national health spending (all payers) Source recordCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From CMS NHE Table 02 (NHE2024.csv). Medicaid total: $931,692M. Federal: $596,694M. State/Local: $334,998M. Up from $5,290M in 1970. Federal share grew from 53.7% (1970) to 64.0% (2024).
Source note: CMS NHE tables cover calendar years 1960-2024. Table 01: aggregate amounts, per capita, percent of GDP. Table 02: by type of service and source of funds. Dollar amounts in current (nominal) dollars. Updated annually. Source files: NHE24_Summary.csv, NHE2024.csv. URL CORRECTION 2026-07-28: CMS changed the page slug from statistics-trends-reports to statistics-trends-and-reports (old URL 404s); content re-verified as the NHE data page.

record

$466,968 million (8.8% of NHE)A

Prescription drug spending, 2024observed record

USD millions, nominal

Population measuredUS resident population and total national health spending (all payers) Source recordCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From CMS NHE Table 02 (NHE2024.csv). Prescription drugs: $466,968M of $5,278,588M total. Up from $2,676M in 1960 — a 174x increase. The 2000s saw the largest jump ($122B→$253B) after Medicare Part D (2006).
Source note: CMS NHE tables cover calendar years 1960-2024. Table 01: aggregate amounts, per capita, percent of GDP. Table 02: by type of service and source of funds. Dollar amounts in current (nominal) dollars. Updated annually. Source files: NHE24_Summary.csv, NHE2024.csv. URL CORRECTION 2026-07-28: CMS changed the page slug from statistics-trends-reports to statistics-trends-and-reports (old URL 404s); content re-verified as the NHE data page.

record

157.6 per 100,000A

Heart disease age-adjusted death rate, 2024observed record

age-adjusted deaths per 100,000 population

Population measuredU.S. resident population (death certificates, final 2024 data) Source recordNational Center for Health Statistics (CDC) · 2026 · Tier A

Full record

NCHS Data Brief No. 548: Mortality in the United States, 2024
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC), 2026 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NCHS Data Brief No. 548 (Jan 2026), final 2024 mortality data. Down 73% from the 1950 peak of 588.8. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary increase (2019: 161.5 → 2021: ~173), but rates have since declined below pre-pandemic levels.
Source note: Final 2024 mortality data. Age-adjusted death rates: Heart disease 157.6, Cancer 139.4, Stroke 38.6 per 100,000. Life expectancy 79.0 years.
Assumption: The composite family

record

139.4 per 100,000A

Cancer age-adjusted death rate, 2024observed record

age-adjusted deaths per 100,000 population

Population measuredU.S. resident population (death certificates, final 2024 data) Source recordNational Center for Health Statistics (CDC) · 2026 · Tier A

Full record

NCHS Data Brief No. 548: Mortality in the United States, 2024
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC), 2026 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NCHS Data Brief No. 548 (Jan 2026). Down 35% from the 1990 peak. Immunotherapy (checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T) has transformed treatment of melanoma, lung, and other cancers.
Source note: Final 2024 mortality data. Age-adjusted death rates: Heart disease 157.6, Cancer 139.4, Stroke 38.6 per 100,000. Life expectancy 79.0 years.
Assumption: The composite family

record

38.6 per 100,000A

Stroke age-adjusted death rate, 2024observed record

age-adjusted deaths per 100,000 population

Population measuredU.S. resident population (death certificates, final 2024 data) Source recordNational Center for Health Statistics (CDC) · 2026 · Tier A

Full record

NCHS Data Brief No. 548: Mortality in the United States, 2024
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC), 2026 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NCHS Data Brief No. 548 (Jan 2026). Down 79% from the 1950 rate of 180.7. Driven by hypertension control, statins, clot-busting drugs (tPA, 1996), and mechanical thrombectomy.
Source note: Final 2024 mortality data. Age-adjusted death rates: Heart disease 157.6, Cancer 139.4, Stroke 38.6 per 100,000. Life expectancy 79.0 years.
Assumption: The composite family

record

70.5%A

Cancer 5-year relative survival rate, 2016-2022observed record

% surviving 5 years after diagnosis (relative survival, SEER)

Population measuredPatients diagnosed with cancer (all sites) in SEER registry areas Source recordNational Cancer Institute (NIH) · 2026 · Tier A

Full record

SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Cancer of Any Site
National Cancer Institute (NIH), 2026 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From NCI SEER Cancer Stat Facts (seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/all.html). Up from 48.9% in 1975-1979 — a 44% relative improvement. ACS Facts & Figures 2025 reports 69% for 2014-2020 diagnoses (all races).
Source note: 5-year relative survival 70.5% for 2016-2022 diagnoses. Updated annually.
Assumption: The composite family

record

Bread $1.91/lb, ground beef $5.58/lb, bacon $6.92/lb, eggs $4.15/doz, lettuce $1.71/lb, bananas $0.62/lbA

Retail food prices, December 2024observed record

USD, nominal, BLS average price survey (APU series, December 2024)

Population measuredDepends on series (CPI: all urban consumers; food prices: urban consumers) Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

BLS Public Data API v2
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From BLS Public Data API v2, series APU0000702111 (bread, white, pan, per lb), APU0000703111 (ground chuck, 100% beef, per lb), APU0000704111 (bacon, sliced, per lb), APU0000708111 (eggs, grade A, large, per doz), APU0000712211 (lettuce, iceberg, per lb), APU0000711211 (bananas, per lb). Values are December 2024 monthly averages, verified via BLS API catalog endpoint. CORRECTION 2026-07-08: the previous version of this fact had mismatched labels — APU0000712211 was labeled 'bread' but is actually lettuce; APU0000702111 was labeled 'flour' but is actually bread; APU0000703111 was labeled 'round steak' but is actually ground chuck; APU0000704111 was labeled 'milk' but is actually bacon; APU0000708111 was labeled 'potatoes' but is actually eggs; APU0000711211 was labeled 'coffee' but is actually bananas. The note claiming 'eggs, butter, bananas, sugar returned N/A' was also wrong — eggs and bananas both returned valid data. For comparison with 1950: bread 14.3¢→$1.91/lb (13.4x), ground beef ~93.6¢→$5.58/lb (6.0x), eggs 60.4¢→$4.15/doz (6.9x).
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.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

record

890 cigarettes per adult per yearA

Adult per capita cigarette consumption, 2020observed record

cigarettes per adult (≥18 years) per year

Population measuredU.S. adults ≥18 years (per capita consumption based on taxable removals) Source recordCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Adult Tobacco Consumption in the U.S., 2000-Present
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From CDC Adult Tobacco Consumption dataset (data.cdc.gov). Consumption fell below 1,000 for the first time since the 1930s. By 2023 it had declined further to 678 per adult.
Source note: Dataset on data.cdc.gov. Annual per capita cigarette consumption 2000-2023 based on Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) taxable removals data and Census adult population estimates. Downloads as CSV via Socrata API.
Assumption: The composite family

record

2.44 gallons of pure ethanol per person per yearA

Alcohol consumed per person, 2020observed record

gallons of pure ethanol per person per year

Population measuredThe whole U.S. population aged 15 and older before 1970, and aged 14 and older from 1970 onward — not drinkers only, and not adults only Source recordNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research (Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System) · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Apparent Per Capita Alcohol Consumption: National, State, and Regional Trends, 1977-2023 (Surveillance Report #122)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research (Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System), 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: The first pandemic year. Consumption rose to 2.54 in 2021, the highest since 1985, then eased to 2.48 by 2023.
Source note: Table 1, 'Apparent per capita ethanol consumption, United States, 1850-2023', all-beverages column. Apparent consumption is derived from legal beverage sales and shipment data collected from States, the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association and industry sources, divided by Census population: it measures what the state could count, not what was drunk, which is why national Prohibition appears in the table as the literal word '(Prohibition)' and no numbers for 1920-1933. The report's own note records that data prior to 1977 are from Hyman et al. 1980, so the early half of this official series is republished scholarly work. Pre-1934 figures are published as multi-year ranges, not single years. The archived copy in samples/ was confirmed sha256-identical to the document served at this URL on 2026-09-01 (see docs/verification-log.md).
Assumption: The composite family

record

8.22 pounds per person per yearA

Grapes available per person, 2020observed record

pounds per person per year (farm weight)

Population measuredThe whole US resident population — a supply-side average per person, not a measure of what anyone ate or of who ate it Source recordU.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System — fresh fruit and fresh vegetable availability
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Fresh grapes. Food availability, not intake: production plus imports less exports and non-food use, over population. Farm weight, as ERS publishes it. 2.8 times the 1970 figure.
Source note: Per-commodity sheets of the fresh-fruit and fresh-vegetable workbooks, farm-weight 'Per capita availability' column. Availability is a disappearance estimate: production plus imports, less exports, non-food use and (for fruit) shipments to US territories, divided by population. It measures what the food supply made available per person, not intake — ERS publishes a separate loss-adjusted series for consumption-like figures and this is not it. Each sheet also prints a retail-weight column derived by a stated conversion factor (0.92 broccoli and peppers, 0.94 avocados, 0.91 grapes); the unadjusted farm-weight column is taken and the factor is disclosed rather than applied. The two workbooks do not share a layout — the fruit sheets carry an extra 'Shipments to U.S. Territories' column and print the 'Farm' sub-header a row lower — so the extraction locates every column by its printed label and then verifies the result arithmetically: farm per-capita must equal food availability divided by population, for every year. Pointed one column right, at the retail figures, that check rejects all four commodities.
Assumption: The composite family

record

10.73 pounds per person per yearA

Bell peppers available per person, 2020observed record

pounds per person per year (farm weight)

Full record

Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System — fresh fruit and fresh vegetable availability
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Fresh bell peppers. Food availability, not intake: production plus imports less exports and non-food use, over population. Farm weight, as ERS publishes it. 5.2 times the 1960 figure.
Source note: Per-commodity sheets of the fresh-fruit and fresh-vegetable workbooks, farm-weight 'Per capita availability' column. Availability is a disappearance estimate: production plus imports, less exports, non-food use and (for fruit) shipments to US territories, divided by population. It measures what the food supply made available per person, not intake — ERS publishes a separate loss-adjusted series for consumption-like figures and this is not it. Each sheet also prints a retail-weight column derived by a stated conversion factor (0.92 broccoli and peppers, 0.94 avocados, 0.91 grapes); the unadjusted farm-weight column is taken and the factor is disclosed rather than applied. The two workbooks do not share a layout — the fruit sheets carry an extra 'Shipments to U.S. Territories' column and print the 'Farm' sub-header a row lower — so the extraction locates every column by its printed label and then verifies the result arithmetically: farm per-capita must equal food availability divided by population, for every year. Pointed one column right, at the retail figures, that check rejects all four commodities.
Assumption: The composite family

record

5.86 pounds per person per yearA

Broccoli available per person, 2020observed record

pounds per person per year (farm weight)

Full record

Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System — fresh fruit and fresh vegetable availability
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Fresh broccoli. Food availability, not intake: production plus imports less exports and non-food use, over population. Farm weight, as ERS publishes it. 14.7 times the 1960 figure.
Source note: Per-commodity sheets of the fresh-fruit and fresh-vegetable workbooks, farm-weight 'Per capita availability' column. Availability is a disappearance estimate: production plus imports, less exports, non-food use and (for fruit) shipments to US territories, divided by population. It measures what the food supply made available per person, not intake — ERS publishes a separate loss-adjusted series for consumption-like figures and this is not it. Each sheet also prints a retail-weight column derived by a stated conversion factor (0.92 broccoli and peppers, 0.94 avocados, 0.91 grapes); the unadjusted farm-weight column is taken and the factor is disclosed rather than applied. The two workbooks do not share a layout — the fruit sheets carry an extra 'Shipments to U.S. Territories' column and print the 'Farm' sub-header a row lower — so the extraction locates every column by its printed label and then verifies the result arithmetically: farm per-capita must equal food availability divided by population, for every year. Pointed one column right, at the retail figures, that check rejects all four commodities.
Assumption: The composite family

record

12.5% of adults smoked (14.1% of men, 11.0% of women)A

Adult cigarette smoking prevalence, 2020observed record

% of adults ≥18 who currently smoke (NHIS)

Population measuredU.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults ≥18 years (NHIS household interview survey) Source recordNational Center for Health Statistics (CDC) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

National Health Interview Survey: Adult Cigarette Smoking Prevalence, 1965-2022
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC), 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From CDC NHIS (compiled by American Lung Association). Smoking prevalence fell below 15% for the first time. By 2025, preliminary CDC data showed 9.1% — the lowest ever recorded. The gap between male and female smoking continued to narrow.
Source note: NHIS data 1965-2022. Pre-1997 from published NCHS Series 10 reports; 1997-2022 from ALA analysis of NHIS public-use files using SPSS. Current smoker defined as smoked ≥100 cigarettes and currently smoking every day or some days. 2025 preliminary: 9.1% (CDC FastStats). Survey redesign in 1997 means pre/post may not be directly comparable.
Assumption: The composite family

record

41 of 52A

Fresh-produce commodities at a pound or more per person, 2020computed exhibit

of the fresh-produce commodities ERS tracked that year

MethodComputed by vitrine · count_above ConfidenceTier A · weakest input governs

Open derivation

Computed by vitrine (count_above) — never authored by hand:
Rule: inputs whose 2020 value is at or above 1.0 pounds per person per year (farm weight)
Result: 41 of 52 — the total is the inputs with a published value that year
Inputs: 54 series: us-availability-apples, us-availability-apricots, us-availability-artichokes, us-availability-asparagus, us-availability-avocados, us-availability-bananas, us-availability-bell-peppers, us-availability-blueberries, us-availability-broccoli, us-availability-brussels-sprouts, us-availability-cabbage, us-availability-cantaloupe, us-availability-carrots, us-availability-cauliflower, us-availability-celery, us-availability-collards, us-availability-cucumbers, us-availability-eggplant, us-availability-escarole, us-availability-garlic, us-availability-grapefruit, us-availability-grapes, us-availability-head-lettuce, us-availability-honeydew, us-availability-kale, us-availability-kiwifruit, us-availability-lemons, us-availability-lima-beans, us-availability-limes, us-availability-mangoes, us-availability-mushrooms, us-availability-mustard-greens, us-availability-okra, us-availability-onions, us-availability-oranges, us-availability-papayas, us-availability-peaches, us-availability-pears, us-availability-pineapples, us-availability-potatoes, us-availability-pumpkin, us-availability-radishes, us-availability-raspberries, us-availability-romaine, us-availability-snap-beans, us-availability-spinach, us-availability-squash, us-availability-strawberries, us-availability-sweet-corn, us-availability-sweet-potatoes, us-availability-tangerines, us-availability-tomatoes, us-availability-turnip-greens, us-availability-watermelon
Confidence: A — Official series, the weakest input tier
Curator note: Every fresh fruit and vegetable commodity sheet in the two ERS fresh workbooks, counted when the food supply provided at least a full pound per person that year, farm weight. The total is the commodities ERS tracked that year: series that had not yet begun or had already ended are outside the count, so a widening record cannot masquerade as rising variety. Availability is a disappearance estimate — what the supply made available, not what anyone ate; the rule and its rationale are in the assumption ledger (produce-variety-rule).
Assumption: The produce-variety count and its one-pound rule
Assumption: The composite family

The day

14 observations · 0 gaps · 1 computed

1.34 deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles travelledA

Road deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles, 2020observed record

deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles travelled

Population measuredAll persons killed in motor-vehicle traffic crashes on US public roads (the States and the District of Columbia), measured against total vehicle-miles travelled — not drivers only and not vehicle occupants only Source recordFederal Highway Administration, Office of Highway Policy Information · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Table FI-200: Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities, 1900-2023 (Highway Statistics 2023)
Federal Highway Administration, Office of Highway Policy Information, 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: The pandemic year. Travel collapsed but deaths did not fall with it, so the rate rose to 1.34 — its highest since 2007.
Source note: The whole 1900-2023 span in one FHWA table, so the fatality-rate series needs no splice between estimate and registration eras. Four rate columns are published side by side (per 1,000 miles of road, per 100 million annual VMT, per 100,000 registered motor vehicles, per 100,000 licensed drivers); the museum takes the per-100-million-VMT column, and the extraction script recomputes it from the table's own fatality and VMT columns for every year rather than trusting its position. FHWA footnote (3) records a definitional change: beginning in 1976 the count includes only people who died within 30 days of the crash, so the earlier years are counted on a wider window and the two halves are not the same measurement. The 1900-1995 rows were cross-checked against FHWA's separately-published Highway Statistics Summary to 1995 (April 1997): 95 of 96 years reproduce exactly, the exception being 1995, that publication's terminal provisional year, since revised from 41,770 deaths to 41,817 (see docs/verification-log.md).
Assumption: The composite family

record

15.0 live births per 1,000 women aged 15-19A

Births per 1,000 women aged 15-19, 2020observed record

live births per 1,000 women aged 15-19

Population measuredAll women aged 15-19 resident in the United States, all races and origins Source recordNational Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · 2023 · Tier A

Full record

Births: Final Data for 2021 (National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 72, No. 1)
National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: 15.0 — a sixth of the 1960 rate, and lower than any figure NCHS has published for this measure. From Table 2 of Births: Final Data for 2021, because the Health, United States trend table does not reach 2020.
Source note: Table 2, 'Birth rates, by age of mother: United States, 2010-2021', All-races-and-origins block, 15-19 'Total' column. Used for the 2020 figure, which the Health, United States trend table does not reach. Two traps in this document, both guarded in the extraction script: an 'All races and origins' heading appears on more than one page for more than one table, and Table 2's columns omit the crude birth rate that the trend tables carry, so the 15-19 total sits one cell earlier than in Health, United States. Reading the neighbouring cell gives the 15-17 sub-rate, about half the value and entirely plausible alone.
Assumption: The composite family

record

3.4 fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workersA

Deaths at work per 100,000 workers, 2020observed record

fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers

Population measuredAll US workers, employed and self-employed, measured against total hours worked as estimated by the Current Population Survey — not employed persons, which was the pre-2006 denominator Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries: hours-based fatal work injury rates, 2006-2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program, 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: The pandemic year. The rate rose to 3.7 by 2022 before easing to 3.3 in 2024, the joint-lowest figure in the series.
Source note: Transcribed from the nineteen per-year workbooks this page links (fatal-occupational-injuries-hours-based-rates-YYYY.xlsx, 2006-2024), Total row, 'Fatal injury rate' column. The workbooks' column layout changes three times across the span, so the extraction locates that column by header text; a fixed index silently reads total hours as the rate for 2017 and 2018. Values cross-checked against the data labels on the rate chart in the archived CFOI charts package (1992-2017): all twelve overlapping years reproduce exactly. Rate = (fatal work injuries / total hours worked) x 200,000,000, the base for 100,000 full-time equivalents. Two limits are structural, not archival: CFOI has covered all 50 states and DC only since 1992, so no federal census of workplace deaths exists before then; and BLS moved the rate from an employment basis to an hours basis in 2006, so earlier rates measure something else and are not chained here. NOTE ON THE LINK CHECK: bls.gov returns 403 to clients whose User-Agent carries no contact address, so CI reports this source as bot-blocked and its expect-markers are NOT verified there — they were verified locally on 2026-09-01 against the served page.
Assumption: The composite family

record

40.7A

Average weekly hours, manufacturing production workers, 2024observed record

hours per week

Population measuredProduction and nonsupervisory employees in manufacturing Source recordFederal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS Current Employment Statistics) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Average Weekly Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees, Manufacturing (AWHMAN)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS Current Employment Statistics), 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Arithmetic mean of twelve monthly seasonally adjusted BLS observations for 2024, retrieved 2026-09-07. Rounded once to the displayed precision; each month/year and the series identifier are guarded by the audit.
Source note: Coverage: Jan 1939–present, monthly. BLS source code: CES3000000007. CSV API: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.csv?id=AWHMAN. 1950 annual average: 40.5 hours. 2024 annual average: 40.7 hours.
Assumption: The composite family

record

$30.12A

Average hourly earnings, all private-sector production workers, 2024observed record

USD per hour, nominal

Population measuredProduction and nonsupervisory employees, total private sector Source recordFederal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS Current Employment Statistics) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Average Hourly Earnings of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees, Total Private (AHETPI)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS Current Employment Statistics), 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: Hourly rate
Curator note: Arithmetic mean of twelve monthly seasonally adjusted BLS observations for 2024, retrieved 2026-09-07. Rounded once to the displayed precision; each month/year and the series identifier are guarded by the audit.
Source note: Average (not median) hourly earnings. Coverage: 1964-present, monthly. BLS source code: CES0500000008. Used as an explicitly average wage benchmark in the work-buys panel; it does not identify median worker purchasing power.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: The affordability axis
Assumption: The wage anchor changes across the span

record

Sleeping 9.04 hrs, working 3.13 hrs (men 3.56, women 2.73), household activities 2.01 hrs (men 1.67, women 2.34)A

How Americans spend their day, 2024 (ATUS)observed record

hours per day, civilian population (annual average)

Population measuredCivilian noninstitutionalized population age 15+ Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

American Time Use Survey (ATUS)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From BLS American Time Use Survey, Table A-1 (2024 annual averages), a1-2024.pdf. Text layer extracted directly via pypdf — no OCR needed. 'Working' = 3.13 hrs (the narrower detailed activity; 'Working and work-related activities' = 3.43 hrs). 'Sleeping' = 9.04 hrs. 'Household activities' = 2.01 hrs (includes housework, food prep, lawn/garden). The 2025 table (a1-2025.pdf) also exists but is not used: the room's income/wage anchors are 2024, and a 2025 time-use fact would sit ahead of every comparison denominator.
Source note: Started 2003, annual. Covers work hours, commute time, daily activities. Primary source for the 'day' panel from 2000s onward. BLS 403-blocks automated requests — URL valid, access via browser. Tables used: 2010 annual averages (a1_2010.pdf, a2_2010.pdf) for the 2010s room; 2024 annual averages (a1-2024.pdf) for the 2020s room. The survey year in fact labels identifies which annual average is cited.
Assumption: The composite family

record

76.5 male, 81.4 female (79.0 total)A

Life expectancy at birth, 2024observed record

years

Population measuredU.S. resident population (death certificates) Source recordNational Center for Health Statistics (CDC) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

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 Data Brief No. 548 (Jan 2026), final 2024 mortality data. Male: 76.5 (up 0.7 from 75.8 in 2023). Female: 81.4 (up 0.3 from 81.1 in 2023). Total 79.0 (up 0.4 from 78.6 in 2023). The 2020-21 COVID decline (78.8 -> 76.1) has fully recovered and exceeded the pre-pandemic level. For cross-decade comparison: 1900-02: 48.2M/51.1F; 1939-41: 62.8M/67.3F; 1949-51: 66.3M/72.0F; 1960: 66.6M/73.1F (white).
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

record

5.525 per 1,000 live births (552.5 per 100,000)A

Infant mortality rate, 2024observed record

deaths before age 1 per 1,000 live births

Population measuredU.S. resident population (death certificates) Source recordNational Center for Health Statistics (CDC) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

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 Data Brief No. 548 (Jan 2026), final 2024 mortality data. 2024 rate: 552.5 infant deaths per 100,000 live births (5.525 per 1,000) — not significantly different from 2023 (560.2 per 100,000 = 5.602 per 1,000). For cross-decade comparison: 1900: ~100 per 1,000; 1915: 99.9; 1997: 7.2. The century-long decline exceeds 90% — one of the greatest public health achievements. Persistent racial disparities: Black infant mortality is ~2x the national average.
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

record

Ramey 2005: women 29.3, men 16.8 hrs/week (ages 18–64) → ATUS 2024: household activities 2.01 hrs/day, all adults 15+C

Home-production hours: Ramey endpoint vs ATUS (concept splice)observed record

hours per week vs hours per day — not directly comparable

Population measuredPrime-age women and men, ages 18–64 (benchmark years 1900–2005); also all-ages per-capita and per-household aggregates Source recordCambridge University Press (Journal of Economic History) · 2009 · Tier C

Full record

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: C — Reconstructed from period surveys
Curator note: Concept splice (Plan 004 Measure guard): Ramey measures unpaid home production (food prep, cleaning, clothing care, childcare, purchasing, management) for prime-age women and men separately, ages 18-64, in hours/week. ATUS (us-2020s-time-use, source bls-atus, 2024 annual averages) measures 'household activities' for all adults 15+ in hrs/day, without gender breakdown in the headline figure. The two series are NOT directly comparable: (1) different activity definitions (Ramey's 'home production' is broader than ATUS 'household activities'), (2) different populations (prime-age vs all-adult), (3) different units (weekly vs daily). When plotted on the same axis, this splice must carry a caveat banner. The Ramey series is the thesis spine (women's hours falling); ATUS is the modern anchor point.
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

record

Men: 30.2, Women: 28.4A

Median age at first marriage, 2023observed record

years (median age at first marriage)

Population measuredU.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population (CPS/decennial census) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2023 · Tier A

Full record

Census Historical Table MS-2: Median Age at First Marriage
U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Table MS-2. CPS ASEC. Men crossed 30 for the first time in the series — up from 22.8 in 1950. Women at 28.4, up from 20.3. The composite four-person family now forms 8 years later than at mid-century. Same-sex marriages included starting 2019. This is why the 2020s room notes the median household is no longer this family — the four-person married-couple household with young children is no longer the statistical norm.
Source note: Table MS-2: Median age at first marriage by sex, 1890 to present. Decennial census data 1890-2000; CPS data for intervening years and 2010+. File: ms2-median-age-first-marriage.xls. The median age at first marriage declined from ~26 (men) / ~22 (women) in 1890 to a mid-century low of ~22.5 / 20.3 in 1956, then rose steadily to ~30+ / ~28+ by 2023.

record

56.9%A

Married women's labor force participation, 2021observed record

% of married women (spouse present) in the civilian labor force

Population measuredU.S. civilian noninstitutional population 16+, by sex and marital status (CPS annual averages) Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2022 · Tier A

Full record

Women in the Labor Force: A Databook
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Population-level labor-force participation of married women. The rate includes employment and unemployment, and does not identify the number of earners in a particular family. These figures alone do not separate demographic composition changes from changes within groups.
Source note: BLS periodic report compiling CPS labor force data for women by marital status, age, race, parental status, and occupation. The databook's Table 4/5 series show 'married women, spouse present' labor force participation rates. Editions: 2017 (Report 1063, covers 2016 data), 2022 (Report 1080, covers 2021 data). The underlying data is from the CPS (same as statab-lfpr-marital), but the databook is the primary publication for post-2009 marital-status LFPR figures.

record

HS grad or more: 91.4%, Bachelor's or more: 38.7%, Less than 9th grade: 3.5%A

Educational attainment, 2024observed record

% of population 25+ (all races, both sexes)

Population measuredU.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 25 and over (CPS/ACS) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Census Historical Tables: Educational Attainment (Table A-1/A-2)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Census Table A-1. CPS ASEC 2024. HS graduation above 91%. Less-than-9th-grade at 3.5% — down from 60% in 1940. Bachelor's or more approaching 39% — nearly 4 in 10 adults have a college degree, up from 1 in 20 in 1940. 2020 ACS data quality affected by COVID-19 data collection disruptions.
Source note: Table A-1: Years of school completed by age and sex (1940-present). Table A-2: Percent of population 25+ with specified years of school completed (high school graduate or more, bachelor's degree or more). 1940-2000 data from decennial census; 2001+ from CPS ASEC. Data series updated annually. Files: taba-1-educational-attainment.xlsx, taba-2-pct-high-school.xlsx. URL CORRECTION 2026-08-14: the old /data/tables/time-series/demo/educational-attainment.html deep link now redirects to the generic /data/tables.html landing (caught by the redirect advisory); repointed at the Educational Attainment topic page, which links the A-1/A-2 time-series tables.

record

$192,900 (192.9 thousand, 2022 dollars)A

Median family net worth, 2022observed record

median net worth, all families (SCF)

Population measuredU.S. families (survey sample, ~6,500 families per wave) Source recordBoard of Governors of the Federal Reserve System · 2022 · Tier A

Full record

Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2022 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From SCF 2022 Bulletin (scf23.pdf, October 2023, Table 2). 2022 survey, in 2022 dollars. Up 37% from 2019 ($141,100 in 2022 dollars) — the largest 3-year increase in SCF history. Driven by surging home values and stock market gains. This is the highest median family net worth in the SCF series. Note: 2022 dollars, not directly comparable to 2016-dollar SCF Chartbook figures for earlier years.
Source note: Triennial survey of U.S. family finances. Provides median and mean net worth by income quintile, age, family structure. Full asset/liability composition: home equity, vehicles, financial assets (deposits, stocks, retirement accounts), business equity, and debt (mortgage, credit cards, installment loans). Survey years: 1983, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022. Interactive tables at federalreserve.gov/econres/scf/dataviz/scf/table/. Tier A (official survey).

record

33.7A

Average weekly hours, total private production and nonsupervisory employees, 2024observed record

hours per week

Population measuredProduction and nonsupervisory employees, total private sector Source recordFederal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS Current Employment Statistics) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Average Weekly Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees, Total Private (AWHNONAG)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS Current Employment Statistics), 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Arithmetic mean of twelve monthly seasonally adjusted CES0500000007 observations in 2024, retrieved 2026-09-07. This population matches the hourly earnings anchor.
Source note: Monthly, seasonally adjusted; BLS series CES0500000007. Annual room observations are equal-weight means of all twelve months. Exact public BLS API responses retrieved 2026-09-07 are saved in the local archive and bound by audits.
Assumption: The composite family

record

≈ $1,015.04A

Implied average weekly earnings, total private production and nonsupervisory employees, 2024computed exhibit

USD per week, nominal (computed: hourly rate x weekly hours)

MethodComputed by vitrine · product ConfidenceTier A · weakest input governs

Open derivation

Computed by vitrine (product) — never authored by hand:
Numerator: $30.12 — Average hourly earnings, all private-sector production workers, 2024 A
Multiplier: 33.7 — Average weekly hours, total private production and nonsupervisory employees, 2024 A
Confidence: A — Official series, the weakest input tier
Curator note: Product of the rounded annual-average hourly rate and weekly hours for the same total-private production and nonsupervisory worker population. This illustration is not the official weekly earnings series, which is calculated from monthly observations.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

What had arrived

7 observations · 0 gaps

96%A

Adults who use the internet, 2025observed record

% of U.S. adults who use the internet (at least occasionally)

Population measuredU.S. adults (survey samples) Source recordPew Research Center · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Pew Research Center: Internet & Broadband Fact Sheet
Pew Research Center, 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Pew Research Center Internet/Broadband Fact Sheet, data extracted from embedded JSON (survey data through June 2025). Up from 52% in 2000 (first Pew measurement). By community type (2024): Urban 96%, Suburban 98%, Rural 95%. By age (2025): 18-29: 99%, 30-49: 99%, 50-64: 96%, 65+: 90%.
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.
Assumption: The composite family

record

78%A

Adults with home broadband, 2025observed record

% of U.S. adults with home broadband subscription

Population measuredU.S. adults (survey samples) Source recordPew Research Center · 2025 · Tier A

Full record

Pew Research Center: Internet & Broadband Fact Sheet
Pew Research Center, 2025 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From Pew Research Center Internet/Broadband Fact Sheet, data extracted from embedded JSON (survey June 2025). Down from 80% in 2023 — broadband adoption has plateaued. By race (2025): White 81%, Black 71%, Hispanic 68%, Asian 86%. The gap between internet use (96%) and home broadband (78%) reflects mobile-only access.
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.
Assumption: The composite family

record

Cell phone 92.7%, landline 20.1%, garage/carport 67.6%A

Phone service and vehicle access, 2023 (AHS)observed record

percent of 133.2M occupied units

Population measuredU.S. housing units (national sample) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau (sponsored by HUD) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

American Housing Survey (AHS)
U.S. Census Bureau (sponsored by HUD), 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From AHS 2023 National Table 2 (Rooms, Size, and Amenities). Cell phone available: 123,462K (92.7%). Landline available: 26,749K (20.1%) — landline has become a secondary channel. Garage or carport: 90,044K (67.6%). No complete bathroom: only 135K units (0.1%). For comparison with 1950: telephone was not asked in the 1950 Census (added 1960); automobile was also not asked (added 1960). The 1950 Census did ask about radio (95.6%), TV (12.3%), refrigerator (80.0%).
Source note: Started 1973, biennial/annual. Tracks tenure, rooms, amenities (plumbing, kitchen, telephone, automobile in some years), housing costs. Table Creator: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/data/interactive/ahstablecreator.html. Historical reports at HUDUser: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahs/ahs_1999.pdf
Assumption: The composite family

record

91.5% (8.5% with no vehicle)A

Households with at least one vehicle, 2023observed record

% of occupied households

Population measuredAll occupied housing units in the United States Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2023 · Tier A

Full record

ACS Table B25045: Tenure by Vehicles Available by Age of Householder
U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From ACS Table B25045 (latest 5-year estimates via Census Reporter). 132.7M households total. No vehicle: 11.3M (8.5%). Owner-occupied no-vehicle: 2.88M (3.3% of owners). Renter-occupied no-vehicle: 8.43M (18.3% of renters). Vehicle access tracks tenure and income — car-free households are concentrated in dense urban areas and among renters.
Source note: Retrieved via Census Reporter API. 132.7M households: 91.5% with 1+ vehicles, 8.5% with no vehicle. Owner no-vehicle: 2.88M (3.3% of owners). Renter no-vehicle: 8.43M (18.3% of renters).

record

88% (two-thirds central AC)A

Households using air conditioning, 2020observed record

% of households

Population measuredU.S. housing units (sampled) Source recordU.S. Energy Information Administration · 2020 · Tier A

Full record

Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)
U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From 2020 RECS (EIA). 88% of US households use AC. Two-thirds use central AC or central heat pump as main AC equipment. By region: Midwest 92%, South 93%, Northeast lower (older housing stock). In 1960, only 18.8% of households had AC — the diffusion arc is one of the steepest material improvements in the museum.
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.

record

Natural gas 47%, electricity 42%, other 11%A

Primary heating fuel, 2024observed record

% of households by primary space heating fuel

Population measuredAll US households / occupied housing units (ACS 1-year national sample) Source recordU.S. Census Bureau · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From 2024 ACS 1-year estimates, Table B25040 (House Heating Fuel). Natural gas: 47% (down from 49% in 2010). Electricity: 42% (up sharply, gaining on gas). Other: propane, fuel oil, wood. (Source re-pointed from eia-recs 2026-07-07: the figures are ACS, not RECS.) The shift from coal to gas to electricity is a century-long arc: in 1940 coal was dominant, by 1950 gas and oil were replacing it, by 2020s electricity is gaining. Fuel oil heating is now <5% nationally but persists in older Northeast housing stock.
Source note: Annual survey replacing the decennial long form (2005→). Used here for homeownership rate, median home value (B25077), house heating fuel (B25040). Distinct from the AHS (census-ahs): different sample, different sponsor, different questionnaire — do not conflate the two.

record

72.8% of population watched TV on an average day (2024), down from 78.8% in 2003A

Percent of population watching TV, 2024observed record

% of population watching TV on an average day

Population measuredCivilian noninstitutionalized population age 15+ Source recordU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

American Time Use Survey (ATUS)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From BLS American Time Use Survey, Table A-1 (2024 annual averages). The decline from 78.8% (2003) to 72.8% (2024) reflects cord-cutting and the shift to streaming and online video. Average daily TV watching time declined from 2.58 hrs (2003) to 2.60 hrs (2024), having peaked at 2.82 hrs in 2009. By 2017, ~411 million mobile wireless connections existed (FCC 18-181).
Source note: Started 2003, annual. Covers work hours, commute time, daily activities. Primary source for the 'day' panel from 2000s onward. BLS 403-blocks automated requests — URL valid, access via browser. Tables used: 2010 annual averages (a1_2010.pdf, a2_2010.pdf) for the 2010s room; 2024 annual averages (a1-2024.pdf) for the 2020s room. The survey year in fact labels identifies which annual average is cited.
Assumption: The composite family

record

A day's work buys

3 observations · 0 gaps · 4 computed

313.7A

Consumer Price Index, 2024observed record

CPI-U, 1982-84=100, annual average

Population measuredAll Urban Consumers (CPI-U), U.S. city average, all items Source recordFederal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average (CPIAUCNS)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS), 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: From FRED CPIAUCNS (not seasonally adjusted). Annual average of 12 monthly observations for 2024.
Source note: Not seasonally adjusted. Coverage: 1913-present, monthly. Use for deflation and real-wage calculations across all decades.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

record

$1,015.04/week — a full year of it (×52) ≈ 50% of median family incomeA

What a week of work bought, 2024observed record

weekly earnings vs annual median family income

Population measuredProduction and nonsupervisory employees, total private sector Source recordFederal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS Current Employment Statistics) · 2024 · Tier A

Full record

Average Hourly Earnings of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees, Total Private (AHETPI)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (source: BLS Current Employment Statistics), 2024 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Curator note: Computed: $30.12 per hour × 33.7 weekly hours = $1,015.04, using total-private production and nonsupervisory employees for both operands. Assuming 52 paid weeks gives $52,782.08, or 49.9% of the all-family median income of $105,800. These describe separate worker and family populations; the ratio does not measure household needs, sufficiency, or the number of family earners. The former value mixed total-private wages with manufacturing hours and has been withdrawn.
Source note: Average (not median) hourly earnings. Coverage: 1964-present, monthly. BLS source code: CES0500000008. Used as an explicitly average wage benchmark in the work-buys panel; it does not identify median worker purchasing power.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

record

$27,366A

Average new car transaction price, 2020observed record

USD, nominal (average transaction price, domestic + import)

Population measuredAll new passenger cars sold in the United States (domestic and import), excluding pickups, vans, and SUVs Source recordU.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis · 2021 · Tier A

Full record

Average Transaction Price per New Car (Domestic and Import), 1970-2020
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2021 · source
Confidence: A — Official series
Basis: One-time price
Affordability anchors: Production and nonsupervisory employees, total private sector; All US families by family size (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ persons), CPS money income
Denominators measure: hours axis: average hourly earnings; income axis: total money income
Curator note: From BEA Average Transaction Price per New Car (ORNL TEDB Table 11.13, Edition 40 — last published year). The BEA notes: 'The average price for cars increased from 2019 to 2020.' Post-2020 prices are not available in this series; industry sources (NADA, KBB) report average new car prices exceeding $47,000 by 2023, but those figures include SUVs and trucks. Population: all new passenger cars sold in the US.
Source note: Compiled in Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Transportation Energy Data Book, Edition 40, Table 11.13. Data are based on an average car and do not include prices for pickups, vans, or sport utility vehicles. Annual average transaction prices in current dollars. Total (domestic + import) current-dollar prices: 1970 $3,543, 1980 $7,557, 1990 $15,033, 2000 $21,030, 2010 $24,907, 2020 $27,366.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

Computed affordability

≈ 909 hours of work

≈ 19.6% of annual income

record

≈ 13.02A

Purchasing power: 1950 vs 2024computed exhibit

CPI-U ratio (313.7 / 24.1)

MethodComputed by vitrine · quantity_ratio ConfidenceTier A · weakest input governs

Open derivation

Computed by vitrine (quantity_ratio) — never authored by hand:
Numerator: 313.7 — Consumer Price Index, 2024 A
Denominator: 24.1 — Consumer Price Index, 1950 A
Confidence: A — Official series, the weakest input tier
Curator note: Same computation as the 1950s room: 2024 CPI (313.7) / 1950 CPI (24.1) = 13.02. The median family income rose from $3,319 to $105,800 — a factor of 31.9, far exceeding inflation (13.0x). Real median family income approximately tripled. Cross-room derived fact: denominator is in the 1950s room.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

≈ 2.58A

Median home value as years of median family income, 2024computed exhibit

years of four-person median family income

MethodComputed by vitrine · ratio ConfidenceTier A · weakest input governs

Open derivation

Computed by vitrine (ratio) — never authored by hand:
Numerator: $360,600 — Median home value, 2024 (ACS) A
Denominator: $139,900 — Median family income, four-person families, 2024 A
Confidence: A — Official series, the weakest input tier
Curator note: Both inputs Tier A (ACS B25077 home value; Census F-8 four-person income). Modestly above the 1950 ratio (see us-1950s-home-as-income-years) — but the composition shifted: mortgage rates, property taxes, and home size all changed, so 'years of income' understates the difference in monthly carrying cost. An earlier hand-authored version used a ~$420,000 home value from a secondary source; the ACS figure is lower.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: The affordability axis
Assumption: Why hours, not budget share

≈ 3.0A

Real median family income growth, 1950-2024computed exhibit

real (CPI-adjusted) median family income

MethodComputed by vitrine · ratio ConfidenceTier A · weakest input governs

Open derivation

Computed by vitrine (ratio) — never authored by hand:
Numerator: $105,800 — Median family income, all families, 2024 A
Denominator: $35,290 — All-family median income, 1950 (in 2024 dollars) A
Confidence: A — Official series, the weakest input tier
Curator note: From Table F-8's own 2024-dollar column (C-CPI-U-RS adjusted): 1950 all-family median = $35,290 in 2024 dollars vs 2024 median = $105,800, a factor of 3.0. Alternative deflator: using raw CPI-U (CPIAUCNS, 13.02x per us-2020s-purchasing-power-comparison) gives $3,319 x 13.02 = $43,236, a factor of 2.4x — CPI-U-RS corrects known overstatement of early inflation, so the published 3.0x is primary. Cross-room derived fact: denominator is in the 1950s room. CORRECTION 2026-07-07: this fact previously displayed '3.1x ($25,633 -> $79,490)', figures traceable to no source in the registry.
Assumption: The composite family
Assumption: Values are shown in period money

≈ $32,981A

Average new car transaction price, 2024 (CPI-inflated estimate)computed exhibit

USD, nominal (estimated from 2020 BEA base x new-vehicles CPI)

MethodComputed by vitrine · inflate ConfidenceTier A · weakest input governs

Open derivation

Computed by vitrine (inflate) — never authored by hand:
Numerator: $27,366 — Average new car transaction price, 2020 A
Inflation series: cpi-new-vehicles (2020 → 2024)
Confidence: A — Official series, the weakest input tier
Curator note: The BEA transaction-price series ends in 2020. This estimate inflates the 2020 base ($27,366) to 2024 using the BLS CPI for new vehicles (CUUR0000SETA01): 147.600 (2020) -> 177.886 (2024). The result excludes pickups/vans/SUVs, so it sits well below the ~$47,000 industry all-vehicle average.
Assumption: Values are shown in period money
Assumption: CPI inflation of a base-year price

See this metric across all decades →

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 atlas

Provenance is in the scan-line: every exhibit's row names its value, confidence tier, the population actually measured, and the source record. Chart points and stage glyphs open the same record.

Rising series draw in petrol, falling in ember. An omitted illustration means no exhibit was selected, not that the object was historically absent.