Life in United States

What these numbers mean

A newborn in the United States can expect to live 78.9 years, above the dataset median of 74.7 years. Infant mortality runs at 5.5 deaths per 1,000 live births (2024), so roughly 6 in every thousand babies do not reach their first birthday. Output per person, adjusted for purchasing power, is $86,170 (2024) — which is among the higher figures in this dataset, and it is what sets the scale of every income the simulation can offer. The fertility rate is 1.63 births per woman (2024) — below replacement level, so the simulation's households tend to be small. 1.1% of the population lives below the national poverty line (2024), so the poorest tier in the simulation is a minority position here rather than the norm. Public spending on education is 5.4% of output (2021), which is the share of national resources the simulation's schooling decisions are competing for. 80.1% of people live in urban areas (2024), so starting in a city or the capital is the usual case rather than the exception.

In the simulation, income is expressed as a share of what an average worker in the United States earns, so the same household choice buys very different amounts in different countries. Median output per person across this dataset is $21,026.

Background groups in the United States

These are the official classifications this country publishes. The simulation applies a difference between them only where a published statistic supports one — it never treats any group as better or worse than another.

• Hispanic or Latino population
  Basis: US Census race and ethnicity categories · 19% of the population

  The largest minority group in the country. Household wealth and average earnings sit below the national average, and the gap is concentrated in intergenerational wealth rather than in education.

  Source: US Census Bureau; Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances

• Black or African American population
  Basis: US Census race categories · 13% of the population

  Long-documented gaps in median household wealth, largely inherited from housing policy and lending discrimination, alongside measurable differences in school funding and health outcomes.

  Source: US Census Bureau; Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances

• Asian population
  Basis: US Census race categories · 6% of the population

  The most heterogeneous category in the data: average income is high, but the median household income is below the national average because the category contains both high-earning and low-earning households.

  Source: US Census Bureau; Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances

• White population, not Hispanic or Latino
  Basis: US Census race categories · 57% of the population

  The largest group in the country, with the highest median household wealth of the major categories.

  Source: US Census Bureau; Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances

Where the United States sits within North America

Of the 3 countries in North America that report life expectancy, the United States sits below the regional median, at 78.9 years against a regional median of 82.1. 2 countries report a higher figure and 0 report a lower one.

Ranges cover every country in the region that reports the indicator, in the year each country last reported it. Medians are unweighted, so a large country and a small one count the same.