Population

Total American population increase during the 1950s: 20%⁵

Number of U.S. Births per 1,000 People

1935: 18.7
1943: 22
2000: 14.7
2007: 14.2⁸

Population Decline Between 1950 and 1990

Chicago: 23% decrease
Washington, D.C.: 24% decrease
Detroit: 44% decrease
Cleveland: 45% decrease
St. Louis: 54% decrease¹²

Suburbia and Homeownership

The first year in which suburban residents of single-family homes outnumbered those living in cities and rural regions: 1960
(Today, suburban residents outnumber all urban and rural dwellers combined.)¹⁰

Percentage of Americans Who Owned Homes

1934: 44%
1960: 62.1%
2005: 68.9%⁶

Number of Single-family Houses Constructed

1944: 114,000
1946: 937,000
1948: 1,183,000
1950: 1,692,000
1972: 2,360,000
2005: 2,060,000⁷

Racial Discrimination

Number of Black residents allowed to purchase or rent homes in Levittown, New York in the 1950s: zero
Out of a total population of 53,000, the number of Black residents living in Levittown, New York in 1990: 127⁹

Number of Homes with Television Sets

1950: 5 million
1960: 45 million
2005: 100 million¹¹