1996-97 (from "100 Years of U.S. Consumer Spending")

By the 1990s, the U.S. population had reached 248.7 million, an increase of 9.8 percent over the previous decade. The median age in the country had increased 2.9 years to 32.9 (31.7 for men and 34.1 for women). The percentage of the population younger than 15 had continued to decline and stood at 21.5 percent. Population dynamics had shifted, with the percentage of Americans who were white declining to 80.3 percent and the male-to-female ratio increasing to 95.1 men for every 100 women. (See chart 29.) The size of the average U.S. household had declined slightly to 2.5 people. More than a quarter of households (28.3 percent) consisted of only one person; 31.1 percent of households were made up of two people; and 10.5 percent of households included five or more people. Statistically, this household contained 0.7 children younger than 18, 0.3 people aged 65 or older, and 1.3 wage earners. The age of the reference person was 47.7. In 52 percent of households, this individual had attended college; in 40 percent, this individual had attended high school; and in 8 percent, this individual had, at most, an eighth grade education. Reference persons held the following jobs: 20.8 percent were managers or professionals; 18.0 percent were technical, sales, or clerical workers; 11.8 percent were operators, fabricators, or laborers; 8.6 percent were service workers; 6.0 percent were construction workers; 5.5 percent were self-employed;