Abby Quillen

Freelance Content Marketing Writer and Editor

Snapshots of America

A Snapshot of Parenting in America

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Percentage of women between the ages 40 and 44 who’ve had a biological child (2010):

83

In 1990, the percentage of women between the ages 40 and 44 who’d had a biological child:

90

Percentage of men between who’ve had a biological child by age 40 (2010):

76

Percent drop in the birth rate between 2007 and 2010:

7

Average age of a first-time mother in 1970:

21.4

Average age of a first-time mother in 2008:

25.1

Percentage of babies born to unmarried mothers in 1980:

18

Percentage of babies born to unmarried mothers in 2011:

40

Percentage of kids who were adopted (2000):

2.5

Number of kids in the foster care system awaiting placement with a family (2011):

104,236

Percentage of kids being raised in a two-parent home (2011):

69

Percentage of kids living in poverty (2011):

22

Percentage of married moms who stayed at home with their kids in 1969:

44

Percentage of married moms who stayed at home with their kids in 2010:

26

Percentage of dads who stayed at home with their kids in 2010:

0.8

Percentage of kids ages 0 to 4, who have a working mother and are enrolled in center-based child care (2010) :

24

Average cost per year for center-based child care in Massachusetts, the most expensive in the nation (2010):

$15,000

Percentage of children between ages three and five who were read to every day in 2005:

47

Percentage of children between ages three and five who were read to every day in 2007:

40

Percentage of parents who believe it is okay to spank their children:

67

Percentage of parents who admit to spanking their children:

50

Percentage of parents who think it is okay for a grade-school teacher to spank a child:

26

(Click on the hyperlinks to see the sources for the statistics.)

This is part of a New Urban Habitat series: Snapshots of America:

  1. A Snapshot of Car-Usage in America
  2. A Snapshot of Education in America
  3. A Snapshot of Waste in America
  4. A Snapshot of Food in America
  5. A Snapshot of Time in America

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A Snapshot of Time in America

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Number of hours in a year:

8,760

Number of hours the average American spends sleeping each year (2009):

3,164

Number of hours the average employed American spends working each year (2009):

1,875

Number of hours the average American spends watching television each year (2008):

1,812

Number of hours the average American spends on housework, cooking, and lawn care each year (2009):

657

Number of hours the average American spends on the Internet each year (2009):

652

Number of hours the average American spends eating each year (2009):

445

Number of hours the average American spends taking care of other family members each year (2009):

197

Number of hours the average American spends exercising each year (2009):

113

Number of hours the average child spends in school each year (2002):

1,206

Number of hours the average child between 8 and 18 spends using electronics each year (2009):

2,735

Number of hours the average child between 8 and 18 spends texting each year (2008):

675

Fraction of awake hours the average preschool-aged child in a home-based daycare spends watching TV each day (2009):

1/3

This is part of a series: Snapshots of America:

  1. A Snapshot of Car-Usage in America
  2. A Snapshot of Education in America
  3. A Snapshot of Waste in America
  4. A Snapshot of Food in America

Save

A Snapshot of Food in America

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Percentage of households in America that are “food insecure”:

14%

Percentage of food in the country that goes to waste:

50%

Amount the average American household spends on food each week per person:

$43.75

Amount companies spend advertising food, beverages, and candy in one year:

$7,459,000,000

Percentage of Americans who grow a vegetable garden:

38%

Percentage of food and beverage sales that are organic:

less than 3%

Percentage of 12-17 year olds who say they eat dinner with their families at least 5 times a week:

58%

Percentage of Americans who regularly watch TV while eating dinner:

66%

Average number of miles produce travels before it is sold:

1,500

Number of calories the average American eats per day:

3,774

Number of calories the average Guatemalen eats per day:

2,219

Adult obesity rate in 2008:

34%

Adult obesity rate in 1971:

14.5%

Percentage of school cafeterias that cook “less than half” of their food from scratch:

80%

Percentage of school cafeterias that serve restaurant-branded fast food:

33%
Click on hyperlinks to see sources for statistics. All other statistics from the 2009 World Almanac and Hungry Planet by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio

This is part of a New Urban Habitat series: Snapshots of America:

  1. A Snapshot of Car-Usage in America
  2. A Snapshot of Education in America.
  3. A Snapshot of Waste in America.

Save

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A Snapshot of Education In America

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Photo: Sidewalk Flying

Number of hours the average kid spends in school each year:

1,067

Number of hours the average 8 to 18 year old spends playing video games, going online, and watching TV each year (Figure based on average of 7 hours and 11 minutes a day.):

2,634

2007 Department of Education budget:

66.4 billion

2007 Department of Defense budget:

539.9 billion

Average starting teacher salary in the U.S. (2005):

$32,367

Average starting teacher salary in Luxembourg (In U.S. dollars) (2005) :

$70,908

State with highest 8th grade reading scores:

Massachusetts

State with lowest 8th grade reading scores:

Mississippi

State with the highest high school graduation rank (2005):

Nebraska, 87.8%

State with the lowest high school graduation rank (2005):

Nevada, 55.8%

Percentage of kids who attend private schools (2005):

11.2 %

Percent of kids who are homeschooled (2003):

2.2%

Rank of U.S. in the world by literacy rate:

19

Percentage of male public school teachers in 1961:

31.3%

Percentage of male public school teachers in 2001:

21%

*Click on hyperlinks to see sources for statistics. All other statistics are from the 2009 World Almanac.

This is part of a New Urban Habitat series: Snapshots of America. You can read part one, A Snapshot of Car-Usage in America, here.