Trends, Vol. 51, No. 1, page 2

zThe duration of first marriages in the United States averages just less than eight years, the Census Bureau reports. And, as of March 2002, the total number of divorced adults was about 21 million—8.5 percent of adult men and 11.3 percent of adult women. That’s up from 4.3 million in 1970, making “divorced” the fastest growing marital status category.

zAs many as 30 percent of Baby Boomers expect to work until they reach age 66, at a minimum. That’s probably because many Boomers aren’t saving enough for their “Golden Years.” According to a survey by Chicago-based Ipsos U.S. Express, as many as 45 percent of respondents between 40 and 58 years old said they weren’t confident their funds would last them the length of their retirement.

zCensus 2000 reported just more than 600,000 gay and lesbian households in the United States (about 0.5 percent of households). But the Human Rights Campaign says that estimate could be off by as much as 62 percent. More reliable estimates of gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals range from 10.5 million to 26 million, or from 3.6 percent to 8.9 percent of the U.S. population.

zThe typical “independent” voter in the United States (that is, who is neither a Democrat nor a Republican) is white, outnumbering Hispanics, the next largest group, by about 7-to-1. Independents are expected to be crucial in the upcoming November presidential election.

zMarried couples in the United States are barely hanging onto their majority status. In 2003, they accounted for just 51.5 percent of all households; 30 years ago, 69 percent of all households were married couples. The primary reason that married couples are a shrinking share of households? Fewer unmarried young people are choosing to say, “I do.” Americans’ age at the time of their first marriage is at an all-time high as most people now wait until they are in their late 20s to tie the knot.

zThe 45-to-54 age demographic in the United States, on average over the past 30 years, earned 60 percent more than any other age group.

zAn all-time record 7 million homes were sold in the United States in 2003, besting the 2002 record by 500,000, according to the National Association of Home Builders. In 2002, 68 percent of all Americans owned their homes.

zPeople ages 13 to 24 in the United States spend more time online weekly (16.7 hours) than they watch TV (13.6 hours) or talk on the phone (7.7 hours), according to a 2003 study by Harris Interactive and Teenage Research Unlimited. The reason for this, the young people say, is the ability to control content and overall experience.

zOne of the country’s smartest places? Certainly Massachusetts, the nation’s college capital, where 1 in every 3 adults has a bachelor’s degree. But there is a “brain drain” going on, with college graduates leaving the East Coast and Midwest and heading south and west. The five metro regions that saw the biggest brain drain of college graduates aged 25 and older between 1995 and 2000 were New York-New Jersey-Connecticut-Pennsylvania, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit-Ann Arbor, and Buffalo-Niagara Falls. The metro regions that welcomed the greatest number of those emigrants were Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, and Denver-Boulder.

zHow do Americans define “morality”? According to an American Demographics/Zogby International survey, 46 percent define it as “treating others as you want to be treated.” Some 32 percent say it’s “following Biblical or spiritual principles.” Then comes “staying true to your own convictions” (11 percent), “obeying laws” (8 percent), and “other” (2 percent).

zThe Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates that 30 days of acute end-of-life care in a U.S. hospital averages about $109,000. By contrast, 30 days of hospice care—which includes far more one-to-one time with the patients and comparable palliative measures—costs about $4,000.

zThe Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there are about 10 million workers in the United States who are self-employed as their primary job and another 1.5 million who are self-employed as a secondary job.