United States data questions answered
The 15 questions people search most about the United States's official figures, each answered from the body that publishes them, with a link to check the latest number yourself.
What is the inflation rate in the United States?
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was 334.980 in August 2026, 3.4% higher than in August 2025 (323.976), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data read from the BLS public data API (series CUUR0000SA0). Excluding food and energy, the index rose 2.4% over the same period. BLS publishes the monthly figures in its CPI news release.
The 12-month rate uses the not seasonally adjusted index. The Federal Reserve's 2% goal refers to a different measure, the PCE price index published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. BLS did not publish a CPI for October 2025, so that month is missing from the series. The BLS website blocks automated readers, so open the pages in a browser.
What is the unemployment rate in the United States?
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2% in September 2026, up from 4.1% in August, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data (series LNS14000000) read from the BLS public data API. Nonfarm payroll employment stood at 159.0 million (seasonally adjusted, series CES0000000001).
The rate comes from the monthly Current Population Survey of households, while the payroll count comes from a separate survey of employers, so the two can move differently. Both appear in the monthly Employment Situation release, usually on the first Friday of the month. Payroll figures are revised in the two following months and benchmarked each year. The BLS series have no value for October 2025.
What is the average salary in the United States?
Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in the United States were $1,251 in the second quarter of 2026, up from $1,196 a year earlier, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data (series LEU0252881500). Average hourly earnings of all private-sector employees were $37.81 in September 2026 (series CES0500000003). Both were read from the BLS public data API.
The median weekly figure, from the Current Population Survey, covers full-time workers only and is the middle value, so a few very high earners do not raise it. Average hourly earnings come from the payroll survey and are a mean. Multiplying $1,251 by 52 gives about $65,000 a year, before tax.
What is the population of the United States?
The resident population of the United States was 341,784,857 on July 1, 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 population estimates. That is 10,268,744 (3.1%) more than the April 2020 estimates base. People aged 65 and over numbered 64,617,088, up 16.2%, while the population under 18 fell 2.4%.
Census Bureau estimates start from the 2020 Census and add births, deaths and net international migration. Each new vintage revises earlier years, so use the latest vintage for comparisons. Estimates for July 1, 2026 will appear in the next vintage on the Population Estimates Program page. The figures exclude Puerto Rico and the island areas.
What is the GDP of the United States?
Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.2% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis's third estimate, released on September 30, 2026. First-quarter growth was revised to 2.5%. BEA attributes the increase to consumer spending, investment and exports, partly offset by higher imports.
U.S. quarterly growth is expressed at an annual rate: the change over the quarter compounded over four quarters. That makes it larger than a simple quarter-on-quarter change, as used in Canada or the UK. BEA publishes three estimates for each quarter, then revises them in annual updates. BEA lists its next GDP release for October 29, 2026.
What is the national debt of the United States?
Total public debt outstanding was $40,301,480,531,899.65 on October 9, 2026, according to the Treasury Department's Debt to the Penny dataset. Of that, $32.45 trillion was debt held by the public and $7.85 trillion was intragovernmental holdings, such as the Social Security trust funds.
Debt to the Penny is updated each business day with a one-day lag. Debt held by the public is the measure economists usually compare with GDP, as it excludes money the government owes itself. The figure is not the same as the debt limit, which is a legal cap set by Congress, and it does not include state and local government debt.
What is the Federal Reserve interest rate?
The Federal Open Market Committee's target range for the federal funds rate is 3.75% to 4.00%, after a 0.25 percentage point increase effective September 17, 2026, according to the Federal Reserve's open market operations page. The previous range, 3.50% to 3.75%, had been set in December 2025.
The federal funds rate is the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans; the FOMC sets a range and steers the actual rate inside it. Mortgage and credit card rates follow it unevenly. The FOMC meets eight times a year, and its meeting calendar lists the next meeting for October 27 to 28, 2026, with a statement on the second day.
What is the poverty rate in the United States?
The official U.S. poverty rate was 10.2% in 2025, down 0.5 percentage points from 2024, with 34.5 million people in poverty, according to the Census Bureau's income, poverty and health insurance release of September 15, 2026. The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate was 13.1%. The Bureau reports a child poverty rate of 13.4%.
The official measure compares pre-tax cash income with poverty thresholds that vary by family size and are updated for inflation. The SPM adds government benefits such as food assistance and tax credits and subtracts taxes and some expenses, so the two can move differently. Both come from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement; the full report is Poverty in the United States: 2025.
What is the median household income in the United States?
Median household income in the United States was $87,460 in 2025, up 2.6% from $85,210 in 2024, according to the Census Bureau's income, poverty and health insurance release, published on September 15, 2026. The Bureau says this is the highest on record in a series dating back to 1967.
The figure comes from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement and counts pre-tax money income of all household members. Half of households had more and half had less. The American Community Survey gives a separate estimate that is better for states and cities but uses a different question design, so the two should not be mixed.
What is the federal minimum wage in the United States?
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, set by section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. 206, as published on GovInfo by the U.S. Government Publishing Office.
Many states and cities set higher minimums, and where they do, employers must pay the higher rate. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division publishes a table of state rates; its site blocks automated readers, so open it in a browser. Tipped employees can be paid a lower cash wage under federal law if tips make up the difference.
What is the average house price in the United States?
The median sales price of new houses sold in August 2026 was $393,700, 5.8% below August 2025, according to the Census Bureau and HUD's New Residential Sales release. For existing and new homes with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Finance Agency's House Price Index rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026.
The Census figure covers only newly built homes and has wide confidence intervals (±8.2% on the annual change), so a single month should be read with care. The FHFA index tracks repeat sales of the same properties, which makes it a better guide to price change than to the price level. Neither includes all-cash sales of existing homes.
How much has rent gone up in the United States?
The Consumer Price Index for rent of primary residence was 448.997 in August 2026, 2.7% higher than a year earlier, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data (series CUUR0000SEHA) read from the BLS public data API. All-items CPI rose 3.4% over the same period.
The CPI rent index measures rents paid by all tenants, including those who have not moved, so it changes more slowly than advertised rents for new leases. BLS updates it monthly in the CPI release. For rent levels by area, the Census Bureau's American Community Survey publishes median gross rent for states, counties and cities each year.
What is life expectancy in the United States?
Life expectancy at birth in the United States was 78.9 years in 2024, according to the World Bank World Development Indicators, which compile national vital statistics. The U.S. figure is compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the CDC from death certificates.
Life expectancy at birth is a summary of death rates in one year, not a forecast for any individual. NCHS publishes detailed tables by sex, race and Hispanic origin and by state; the CDC website blocks automated readers, so open its FastStats life expectancy page in a browser.
How many members of Congress are there?
Congress has 535 voting members: 435 in the House of Representatives and 100 in the Senate. The House of Representatives states that the number of voting representatives is fixed by law at no more than 435, apportioned among the 50 states by population. The Constitution, as set out on the Senate website, gives each state two senators.
The House directory also lists non-voting delegates for the District of Columbia and U.S. territories and a resident commissioner for Puerto Rico. Seats are reapportioned after each census, so states can gain or lose House seats; the current list is on the Senate senators page and the House directory.
When is the next U.S. census?
The next U.S. decennial census is the 2030 Census, which the Census Bureau says will count residents of the United States and five U.S. island areas; its 2030 Census page says planning began in 2019 and that the 2026 Census Test was used to improve methods. The Constitution requires a census every 10 years.
Between censuses, the Bureau publishes annual population estimates (341,784,857 for July 1, 2025, in Vintage 2025) and the American Community Survey, which gives yearly social and economic data. Census results are used to apportion House seats and to draw congressional districts.
Source guides
- U.S. Census Bureau
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- U.S. Congress records (House, Senate and Congress.gov)
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA.gov, DOJ OIP and OGIS)
Questions were chosen from the searches people make most about this country's figures, and each answer was written from the official page it links to, read on 14 October 2026. These answers give no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request.