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{{Dablink|This article is about the United States of America. For other uses of terms redirecting here, see ], ], and ].}}
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{{pp-semi|small=yes}}{{pp-move-indef}}
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{{Infobox country
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|conventional_long_name = United States of America
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|common_name = the United States
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|image_flag = Flag_of_the_United_States_(Pantone).svg‎
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|image_coat = US-GreatSeal-Obverse.svg
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|length = 1776–present
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|symbol_type = Great Seal
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|national_motto = <!--Please read the talk page before editing these mottos:-->]{{spaces|2}}<small>(official)</small><br />{{lang|la|'']''}}{{spaces|2}}<small>(traditional)</small><br /><small>(]: Out of Many, One)</small>
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|image_map = United States (orthographic projection).svg
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|map_width = 220px
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|national_anthem = "]"
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|official_languages = None at federal level{{Ref label|engoffbox|a|}}
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|languages_type = ]
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|languages = ] ('']''){{Ref label|engfactobox|b|}}
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|capital = ]
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|largest_city = ]
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|latd = 38|latm=53|latNS=N|longd=77|longm=01|longEW=W
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|government_type = ] ] ]
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|leader_title1 = ]
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|leader_name1 = ] (])
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|leader_title2 = ]
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|leader_name2 = ] (])
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|leader_title3 = {{nowrap|]}}
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|leader_name3 = ] (])
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|leader_title4 = ]
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|leader_name4 = ]
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|legislature = ]
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|upper_house = ]
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|lower_house = ]
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|sovereignty_type = ] {{nobold|from the ]}}
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|established_event1 = ]
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|established_date1 = July 4, 1776
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|established_event2 = ]
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|established_date2 = September 3, 1783
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|established_event3 = ]
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|established_date3 = June 21, 1788
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|area_footnote = <ref name="WF"/>{{Ref label|areabox|c|}}
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|area_sq_mi = 3794101
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|area_km2 = 9826675
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|area_rank = 3rd/4th
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|area_magnitude = 1 E12
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|percent_water = 6.76
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|population_census = 308,745,538<ref name="2010.census.gov">{{cite web|url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-dens-text.php|title=Resident Population Data – 2010|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2010-12-22|year=2010}}</ref>
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|population_census_year = 2010
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|population_density_km2 = 33.7
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|population_density_sq_mi = 87.4
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|population_density_rank = <!-- 178th (unknown source, commented for now) -->
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|GDP_PPP_year = 2010
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|GDP_PPP = $14.658 trillion<ref name=IMF_GDP>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=111&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=40&pr.y=10|title=United States|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref>
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|GDP_PPP_rank = 1st
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|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $47,123<ref name="IMF_GDP"/>
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|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 6th
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|GDP_nominal = $14.658 trillion<ref name="IMF GDP"/>
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|GDP_nominal_rank = 1st
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|GDP_nominal_year = 2010
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|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $47,132<ref name="IMF_GDP"/>
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|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 9th
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|HDI_year = 2010
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|HDI = {{increase}} 0.902<ref name="HDI">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2010_EN_Tables_reprint.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2010|year=2010|publisher=United Nations|accessdate=4 November 2010}}</ref>
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|HDI_rank = 4th
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|HDI_category = <span style="color:#006000;">very high</span>
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|Gini = 45.0<ref name="WF"/>
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|Gini_rank = 44th
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|Gini_year = 2007
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|currency = ] ($)
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|currency_code = USD
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|country_code = USA
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|utc_offset = −5 to −10
|utc_offset_DST = −4 to −10
|cctld = ] ] ] ]
|calling_code = ]
|date_format = m/d/yy (])
|drives_on = right
|demonym = ]
|footnotes =
{{note|engoffbox}}a. English is the official language of at least 28 states—some sources give a higher figure, based on differing definitions of "official".<ref name=ILW/> English and ] are both official languages in the state of Hawaii.

{{note|engfactobox}}b. English is the ''de facto'' language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the ].

{{note|areabox}}c. Whether the United States or the ] is larger is ]. The figure given is from the U.S. ]'s '']''. Other sources give smaller figures. All authoritative calculations of the country's size include only the 50 states and the District of Columbia, not the territories.

{{note|popbox}}d. The population estimate includes people whose usual residence is in the fifty states and the District of Columbia, including noncitizens. It does not include either those living in the territories, amounting to more than 4&nbsp;million U.S. citizens (most in ]), or U.S. citizens living outside the United States.
}}<!--
The following opening paragraphs on this subject are a topic of great debate. Check the discussion page before editing. In particular, do ''not'' add mention of the territories to the first sentence: they are possessions of the United States, not part of it.
-->

The '''United States of America''' (also referred to as the '''United States''', the '''U.S.''', the '''USA''', or ''']''') is a ] ] comprising ] and a ]. The country is situated mostly in central ], where its ] and ], the ], lie between the ] and ]s, bordered by ] to the north and ] to the south. The state of ] is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and ] to the west across the ]. The state of ] is an ] in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses ] in the ] and Pacific.

At 3.79 million square miles (9.83&nbsp;million km<sup>2</sup>) and with over 308 million people, the United States is the ] largest country by total area, and the third largest both by ] and ]. It is one of the world's most ] and ] nations, the product of large-scale ].<ref name="DD">Adams, J. Q., and Pearlie Strother-Adams (2001). ''Dealing with Diversity''. Chicago: Kendall/Hunt. ISBN 0-7872-8145-X.</ref> The ] is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2010 ] of $14.799 trillion (23%&nbsp;of ] and 20% of global GDP at ]).<ref name="IMF GDP">{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=111&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=64&pr.y=8|publisher=International Monetary Fund|title=World Economic Outlook Database|month=October|year=2009|accessdate=2010-04-27}}</ref><ref>The ] has a larger collective economy, but is not a single nation.</ref>

] of ] have inhabited what is now the mainland United States for many thousands of years. This ] was greatly reduced by disease and warfare after ]. The United States was founded by ] located along the ]. On July&nbsp;4, 1776, they issued the ], which proclaimed their right to ] and their establishment of a cooperative union. The rebellious states defeated the ] in the ], the first successful ].<ref>Dull, Jonathan R. (2003). "Diplomacy of the Revolution, to 1783," p. 352, chap. in ''A Companion to the American Revolution'', ed. Jack P. Greene and J. R. Pole. Maiden, Mass.: Blackwell, pp. 352–361. ISBN 1-4051-1674-9.</ref> The current ] was adopted on September&nbsp;17, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic with a strong ]. The ], comprising ten ] guaranteeing many ], was ratified in 1791.

Through the 19th century, the United States displaced native tribes, acquired land from ], ], the ], ], and ], and ] the ] and the ]. Disputes between the ] and ] over the expansion of the ] and ] provoked the ] of the 1860s. The North's victory prevented a permanent split of the country and led to the ] in the United States. By the 1870s, the national economy was the world's largest.<ref>{{cite web|author=Maddison, Angus|url=http://www.ggdc.net/maddison/Historical_Statistics/horizontal-file_09-2008.xls|title=Historical Statistics for the World Economy|publisher=The Groningen Growth and Development Centre, Economics Department of the University of Groningen|year=2006|accessdate=2008-11-06}}</ref> The ] and ] confirmed the country's status as a military power. It emerged from ] as the ] and a permanent member of the ]. The end of the ] and the ] left the United States as the sole superpower. The country accounts for 43% of ] and is a leading economic, political, and cultural force in the world.<ref>{{cite web|author=Cohen, Eliot A.|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/59919/eliot-a-cohen/history-and-the-hyperpower|title=History and the Hyperpower|work=Foreign Affairs|date=July/August 2004|accessdate=2006-07-14}} {{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1217752.stm|title=Country Profile: United States of America|publisher=BBC News|date=2008-04-22|accessdate=2008-05-18}}</ref>

==Etymology==
{{See also|Names for United States citizens}}
In 1507, German ] ] produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere ] after Italian explorer and cartographer ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-24-america-turns-500_N.htm?csp=34|title=Cartographer Put 'America' on the Map 500 years Ago|work=USA Today|date=2007-04-24|accessdate=2008-11-30}}</ref> The former British colonies first used the country's modern name in the ], the "unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America" adopted by the "Representatives of the united States of America" on July&nbsp;4, 1776.<!--Do not uppercase "united" here: it is unambiguously lowercased in the Declaration--><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/charters.html|title=The Charters of Freedom|publisher=National Archives|accessdate=2007-06-20}}</ref> On November&nbsp;15, 1777, the ] adopted the ], which states, "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" The Franco-American treaties of 1778 used "United States of North America", but from July&nbsp;11, 1778, "United States of America" was used on the country's ], and it has been the official name ever since.<ref>{{cite web|author=McClure, James|url=http://www.ydr.com/ci_9569289|title=A Primer: The 'First Capital' Debate|publisher=YDR.com|date=2008-06-12|accessdate=2010-07-26}}</ref>

The short form "United States" is also standard. Other common forms include the "U.S.", the "USA", and "America". Colloquial names include the "U.S. of A." and, internationally, the "States". "]", a once popular name for the United States, derives from ]; it appears in the name "]".

The standard way to refer to a citizen of the United States is as an "]". Though "United States" is the official appositional term, "American" and "U.S." are more commonly used to refer to the country adjectivally ("American values," "U.S.&nbsp;forces"). "American" is rarely used in English to refer to people not connected to the United States.<ref>Wilson, Kenneth G. (1993). ''The Columbia Guide to Standard American English''. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-231-06989-8.</ref>

The phrase "United States" was originally treated as plural—e.g., "the United States are"—including in the ], ratified in 1865. It became common to treat it as singular—e.g., "the United States is"—after the end of the Civil War. The singular form is now standard; the plural form is retained in the idiom "these United States".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002663.html|author=Zimmer, Benjamin|date=2005-11-24|title=Life in These, Uh, This United States|publisher=University of Pennsylvania—Language Log|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref>

==Geography, climate, and environment==
{{Main|Geography of the United States|Climate of the United States|Environment of the United States}}
The land area of the ] is approximately 1.9&nbsp;billion acres (770&nbsp;million hectares). Alaska, separated from the contiguous United States by Canada, is the largest state at 365 million acres (150&nbsp;million hectares). Hawaii, occupying an archipelago in the central Pacific, southwest of North America, has just over 4&nbsp;million acres (1.6&nbsp;million hectares).<ref>{{cite web|author=Lubowski, Ruben, Marlow Vesterby, and Shawn Bucholtz|url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/arei/eib16/chapter1/1.1/|title=AREI Chapter 1.1: Land Use|publisher=Economic Research Service|date=2006-07-21|accessdate=2009-03-09}}</ref> The United States is the world's third or fourth ] (land and water), ranking behind Russia and Canada and just above or below ]. The ranking varies depending on how two territories disputed by China and ] are counted and how the total size of the United States is calculated: the CIA ''World Factbook'' gives 3,794,101 square miles (9,826,675&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>),<ref name="WF">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html|title=United States|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|date=2009-09-30|accessdate=2010-01-05 (area given in square kilometers)}}</ref> the United Nations Statistics Division gives {{convert|3717813|sqmi|km2|0}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2005/Table03.pdf|title=Population by Sex, Rate of Population Increase, Surface Area and Density|publisher=UN Statistics Division|work=Demographic Yearbook 2005|accessdate=2008-03-25 (area given in square kilometers)}}</ref> and the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' gives {{convert|3676486|sqmi|km2|0}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/616563/United-States|title=United States|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica|accessdate=2008-03-25 (area given in square miles)}}</ref> Including only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, just ahead of Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20080208233209rn_1/education.yahoo.com/reference/factbook/countrycompare/area/3d.html|title=World Factbook: Area Country Comparison Table|publisher=Yahoo Education|accessdate=2007-02-28}}</ref>
] of the ]]]

The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way further inland to ] forests and the rolling hills of the ]. The ] divide the eastern seaboard from the ] and the grasslands of the ]. The ]–], the world's ], runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile ] of the ] stretches to the west, interrupted by ] in the southeast. The ], at the western edge of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, reaching altitudes higher than 14,000&nbsp;feet (4,300&nbsp;m) in ]. Farther west are the rocky ] and deserts such as the ]. The ] and ] mountain ranges run close to the ]. At 20,320&nbsp;feet (6,194&nbsp;m), Alaska's ] is the tallest peak in the country and in North America. Active ]es are common throughout Alaska's ] and ], and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands. The ] underlying ] in the Rockies is the continent's largest volcanic feature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/under/under.html|title=Supervolcano: What's Under Yellowstone?|author=O'Hanlon, Larry|publisher=Discovery Channel|accessdate=2007-06-13}}</ref>
]]]
The United States, with its large size and geographic variety, includes most climate types. To the east of the ], the climate ranges from ] in the north to ] in the south. The southern tip of ] is tropical, as is Hawaii. The Great Plains west of the 100th meridian are semi-arid. Much of the Western mountains are ]. The climate is arid in the Great Basin, desert in the Southwest, ] in ], and ] in coastal ] and ] and southern Alaska. Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar. Extreme weather is not uncommon—the states bordering the ] are prone to ], and most of the world's ]es occur within the country, mainly in the Midwest's ].<ref>{{cite web|author=Perkins, Sid|url=http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070701131631/http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp|archivedate=2007-07-01|title=Tornado Alley, USA|accessdate=2006-09-20|date=2002-05-11|work=Science News}}</ref>

The U.S. ecology is considered "]": about 17,000 species of ] occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of ]s are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.<ref>{{cite web|author=Morin, Nancy|url=http://www.fungaljungal.org/papers/National_Biological_Service.pdf|title=Vascular Plants of the United States|publisher=National Biological Service|work=Plants|accessdate=2008-10-27}}</ref> The United States is home to more than 400 mammal, 750 bird, and 500 reptile and amphibian species.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sdi.gov/curtis/TxTab4x1.html|title=Global Significance of Selected U.S. Native Plant and Animal Species|publisher=SDI Group|date=2001-02-09|accessdate=2009-01-20}}</ref> About 91,000 insect species have been described.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/bugnos.htm|title=Numbers of Insects (Species and Individuals)|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|accessdate=2009-01-20}}</ref> The ] of 1973 protects threatened and endangered species and their habitats, which are monitored by the ]. There are fifty-eight ] and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and ] areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.nps.gov/applications/release/Detail.cfm?ID=639|title=National Park Service Announces Addition of Two New Units|publisher=National Park Service|date=2006-02-28|accessdate=2006-06-13}}</ref> Altogether, the government owns 28.8% of the country's land area.<ref name=FL>{{cite web|url=http://johnshadegg.house.gov/rsc/Federal%20Land%20Ownership--May%202005.pdf|title=Federal Land and Buildings Ownership|publisher=Republican Study Committee|date=2005-05-19|accessdate=2009-03-09}}</ref> Most of this is ], though some is leased for oil and gas drilling, mining, logging, or cattle ranching; 2.4% is used for military purposes.<ref name=FL/>

==History==
{{Main|History of the United States}}

===Native Americans and European settlers===
{{See also|Native Americans in the United States|European colonization of the Americas|Thirteen Colonies}}
The ] of the U.S. mainland, including ], are believed to have ], beginning between 12,000 and 40,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://anthropology.si.edu/HumanOrigins/faq/americas.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071128083459/http://anthropology.si.edu/HumanOrigins/faq/americas.htm|archivedate=2007-11-28|title=Peopling of Americas|publisher=Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History|month=June|year=2004|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref> Some, such as the ] ], developed advanced agriculture, grand architecture, and state-level societies. After Europeans began settling the Americas, ] from epidemics of imported diseases such as ].<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Meltzer, D.J.|year=1992|title=How Columbus Sickened the New World: Why Were Native Americans So Vulnerable to the Diseases European Settlers Brought With Them?|journal=New Scientist|page=38|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13618424.700-how-columbus-sickened-the-new-world-why-were-nativeamericans-so-vulnerable-to-the-diseases-european-settlers-brought-with-them.html}}</ref>

]'' transported ] to the New World in 1620, as depicted in ]'s ''The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor'', 1882]]
In 1492, ] explorer ], under contract to the Spanish crown, reached several Caribbean islands, making ] with the indigenous people. On April&nbsp;2, 1513, Spanish ] ] landed on what he called "]"—the first documented European arrival on what would become the U.S. mainland. Spanish settlements in the region were followed by ones in the present-day ] that drew thousands through Mexico. French fur traders established outposts of ] around the ]; France eventually claimed much of the North American interior, down to the Gulf of Mexico. The first successful English settlements were the ] in ] in 1607 and the ]' ] in 1620. The 1628 chartering of the ] resulted in a wave of migration; by 1634, ] had been settled by some 10,000 ]s. Between the late 1610s and the American Revolution, about 50,000 convicts were shipped to Britain's American colonies.<ref>{{cite web|work=Butler, James Davie|url=http://www.dinsdoc.com/butler-1.htm|title=British Convicts Shipped to American Colonies|publisher=Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History|work=American Historical Review 2|month=October|year=1896|accessdate=2007-06-21}}</ref> Beginning in 1614, the Dutch settled along the lower ], including ] on ].

In 1674, the Dutch ceded their American territory to England; the province of ] was renamed New York. Many new immigrants, especially to ], were ]s—some two-thirds of all Virginia immigrants between 1630 and 1680.<ref>Russell, David Lee (2005). ''The American Revolution in the Southern Colonies''. Jefferson, N.C., and London: McFarland, p. 12. ISBN 0-7864-0783-2.</ref> By the turn of the 18th century, ] were becoming the primary source of bonded labor. With the 1729 division of ] and the 1732 colonization of ], the thirteen British colonies that would become the United States of America were established. All had local governments with elections open to most free men, with a growing devotion to the ancient ] and a sense of self-government stimulating support for ]. All legalized the ]. With high birth rates, low death rates, and steady immigration, the colonial population grew rapidly. The ]ist movement of the 1730s and 1740s known as the ] fueled interest in both religion and religious liberty. In the ], British forces seized Canada from the French, but the ] population remained politically isolated from the southern colonies. Excluding the ] (popularly known as "American Indians"), who were being displaced, those thirteen colonies had a population of 2.6&nbsp;million in 1770, about one-third that of Britain; nearly one in five Americans were black slaves.<ref>Blackburn, Robin (1998). ''The Making of New World Slavery: From the Baroque to the Modern, 1492–1800''. London and New York: Verso, p. 460. ISBN 1-85984-195-3.</ref> Though ], the American colonials had no representation in the ].

===Independence and expansion===
]'', by ], 1817–18]]
Tensions between American colonials and the British during the ] of the 1760s and early 1770s led to the ], fought from 1775 through 1781. On June&nbsp;14, 1775, the ], convening in ], established a ] under the command of ]. Proclaiming that "]" and endowed with "certain ]," the Congress adopted the ], drafted largely by ], on July&nbsp;4, 1776. That date is now celebrated annually as America's ]. In 1777, the ] established a weak ] government that operated until 1789.

After the ] by American forces ] and ], Great Britain ] and the states' ] over American territory west to the ]. A ] was organized in 1787 by those wishing to establish a strong national government, with powers of taxation. The ] was ratified in 1788, and the new republic's ], and ]—George Washington—took office in 1789. The ], forbidding federal restriction of ], was adopted in 1791.

Attitudes toward ] were shifting; a ] protected the African slave trade only until 1808. The Northern states abolished slavery between 1780 and 1804, leaving the ]s of the South as defenders of the "]." The ], beginning about 1800, made ] a force behind various social ]s, including ].

]
Americans' eagerness to ] prompted a long series of ]. The ] of French-claimed territory under President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 almost doubled the nation's size.<ref>{{cite web|title=Louisiana Purchase|url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/lewisclark2/circa1804/heritage/louisianapurchase/louisianapurchase.htm|work=National Parks Services|accessdate=1 March 2011}}</ref> The ], declared against Britain over various grievances and fought to a draw, strengthened U.S. ]. A series of U.S. military incursions into Florida led ] it and other Gulf Coast territory in 1819. The ] in the 1830s exemplified the ] policy that stripped the native peoples of their land. The United States annexed the ] in 1845. The concept of ] was popularized during this time.<ref>Morrison, Michael A. (1999). ''Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, pp. 13–21. ISBN 0-8078-4796-8.</ref> The 1846 ] with Britain led to U.S. control of the present-day ]. The U.S. victory in the ] resulted in the 1848 ] of ] and much of the present-day ]. The ] of 1848–49 further spurred western migration. ] made relocation easier for settlers and increased conflicts with Native Americans. Over a half-century, up to 40 million ], or buffalo, were slaughtered for skins and meat and to ease the railways' spread. The loss of the buffalo, a primary resource for the ], was an existential blow to many native cultures.

===Civil War and industrialization===
]'', lithograph by ], ca. 1863]]
] between slave and ] mounted with arguments over the relationship between the ], as well as ] over the spread of slavery into new states. ], candidate of the largely antislavery ], was elected president in 1860. Before he took office, seven slave states declared their ]—which the federal government maintained was illegal—and formed the ]. With the Confederate ], the ] began and four more slave states joined the Confederacy. Lincoln's ] in 1863 declared slaves in the Confederacy to be free. Following the ] victory in 1865, three amendments to the U.S. Constitution ] for the nearly four million ]s who had been slaves,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1860a-02.pdf|title=1860 Census|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2007-06-10}} Page 7 lists a total slave population of 3,953,760.</ref> ], and ]. The war and its resolution led to a substantial increase in ].<ref>De Rosa, Marshall L. (1997). ''The Politics of Dissolution: The Quest for a National Identity and the American Civil War''. Edison, NJ: Transaction, p. 266. ISBN 1-56000-349-9.</ref> The war remains the deadliest conflict in American history, resulting in the deaths of 620,000 soldiers.<ref>Maris Vinovskis (1990). "''''". Cambridge University Press. p.6. ISBN 0521395593</ref>

], ], 1902]]
After the war, the ] ] ] policies aimed at reintegrating and rebuilding the Southern states while ensuring the rights of the newly freed slaves. The resolution of the disputed ] by the ] ended Reconstruction; ] soon ]. In the North, urbanization and an unprecedented ] from ] and ] hastened the ]. The wave of immigration, lasting until 1929, provided labor and transformed American culture. National infrastructure development spurred economic growth. The 1867 ] from Russia completed the country's mainland expansion. The ] in 1890 was the last major armed conflict of the Indian Wars. In 1893, the ] of the Pacific ] was overthrown in a coup led by American residents; the United States annexed the archipelago in 1898. Victory in the ] the same year demonstrated that the United States was a ] and led to the annexation of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the ].<ref>{{cite web|author=Gates, John M.|url=http://www3.wooster.edu/History/jgates/book-ch3.html|title=War-Related Deaths in the Philippines|work=Pacific Historical Review|publisher=College of Wooster|date=August 1984|accessdate=2007-09-27}}</ref> The Philippines gained independence a half-century later; Puerto Rico and Guam remain U.S. territories.

===World War I, Great Depression, and World War II===
{{See also|American Expeditionary Forces|Military history of the United States during World War II}}
] during the ], 1936]]
At the outbreak of ] in 1914, the United States remained neutral. Most Americans sympathized with the British and French, although many opposed intervention.<ref>Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty (1991). ''The Reader's Companion to American History.'' New York: Houghton Mifflin, p. 576. ISBN 0-395-51372-3.</ref> In 1917, the United States joined the ], helping to turn the tide against the ]. After the war, the Senate did not ratify the ], which established the ]. The country pursued a policy of ], verging on ].<ref>McDuffie, Jerome, Gary Wayne Piggrem, and Steven E. Woodworth (2005). ''U.S. History Super Review''. Piscataway, NJ: Research & Education Association, p. 418. ISBN 0-7386-0070-9.</ref> In 1920, the ] movement won passage of a ] granting ]. The prosperity of the ] ended with the ] that triggered the ]. After his election as president in 1932, ] responded with the ], a range of policies increasing government intervention in the economy. The ] of the mid-1930s impoverished many farming communities and spurred a new wave of western migration.
] ] ] on ], June 6, 1944]]
The United States, effectively neutral during ]'s early stages after ]'s ] in September 1939, began supplying ] to the ] in March 1941 through the ] program. On December 7, 1941, the ] launched a surprise ], prompting the United States to join the Allies against the ] as well as the ] by the thousands.<ref>{{cite web|author=Burton, Jeffrey F., et al.|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce3.htm|title=A Brief History of Japanese American Relocation During World War II|work=Confinement and Ethnicity: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites|month=October|date=July 2000|accessdate=2010-04-02|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> Participation in the war spurred capital investment and industrial capacity. Among the major combatants, the United States was the only nation to become richer—indeed, far richer—instead of poorer because of the war.<ref>Kennedy, Paul (1989). ''The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers''. New York: Vintage, p. 358. ISBN 0-679-72019-7.</ref> Allied conferences at ] and ] outlined a new system of international organizations that placed the ] and ] at the center of world affairs. As ], a 1945 ] held in ] produced the ], which became active after the war.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/55407.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070612221444/http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/55407.htm|archivedate=2007-06-12|title=The United States and the Founding of the United Nations, August 1941&nbsp;– October 1945|month=October|year=2005|accessdate=2007-06-11|publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of the Historian}}</ref> The United States, having ], used them on the Japanese cities of ] in August. ] on September 2, ending the war.<ref>Pacific War Research Society (2006). ''Japan's Longest Day''. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 4-7700-2887-3.</ref>

===Cold War and protest politics===
] delivering his "]" speech, 1963]]
The United States and Soviet Union jockeyed for power after World War II during the ], dominating the military affairs of Europe through ] and the ], and engaging in ]s in many locations. Resisting leftist land and income redistribution projects around the world, the United States often supported authoritarian governments. American troops fought ] forces in the ] of 1950–53. The ] pursued a series of investigations into suspected leftist subversion, while Senator ] became the figurehead of anticommunist sentiment.

The 1961 Soviet launch of the ] prompted President ]'s call for the United States to be first to land ], achieved in 1969. Kennedy also faced a ] with Soviet forces in Cuba. Meanwhile, the United States experienced sustained economic expansion. A growing ], symbolized and led by African Americans such as ], ], and ], used ] to confront segregation and discrimination. Following ] in 1963, the ] and ] were passed under President ]. Johnson and his successor, ], expanded a proxy war in Southeast Asia into the unsuccessful ]. A widespread ] grew, fueled by ], ], and the ]. ], ], and others led a ] that sought political, social, and economic equality for women.

As a result of the ], in 1974 Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign, to avoid being ] on charges including obstruction of justice and abuse of power; he was ] by Vice President ]. The ] administration of the late 1970s was marked by ] and the ]. The election of ] as president in 1980 heralded a ], reflected in major changes in ]. His second term in office brought both the ] and significant ]. The subsequent Soviet collapse ended the Cold War.

===Contemporary era===
] on the morning of ]]]
Under President ], the United States took a lead role in the UN–sanctioned ]. The longest economic expansion in modern U.S. history—from March 1991 to March 2001—encompassed the ] administration and the ].<ref>{{cite web|author=Voyce, Bill|url=http://iwin.iwd.state.ia.us/iowa/ArticleReader?itemid=00003700&print=1|title=Why the Expansion of the 1990s Lasted So Long|publisher=Iowa Workforce Information Network|date=2006-08-21|accessdate=2007-08-16}}</ref> A ] and ] led to ] in 1998, but he remained in office. The ], one of the closest in American history, was resolved by a ]—], son of George H. W. Bush, became president.

On ], ] terrorists struck the ] in New York City and ] near Washington, D.C., killing nearly three thousand people. In response, the ] launched the global ]. In October 2001, U.S. forces led an ], removing the ] government and al-Qaeda training camps. ] continue to fight a guerrilla war. In 2002, the Bush administration began to press for ] in Iraq on ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Many Europeans Oppose War in Iraq|work=USA Today|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-02-14-eu-survey.htm|date=2003-02-14|accessdate=2008-09-01}}{{cite web|author=Springford, John|title='Old’ and ‘New’ Europeans United: Public Attitudes Towards the Iraq War and US Foreign Policy|publisher=Centre for European Reform|url=http://www.cer.org.uk/pdf/back_brief_springford_dec03.pdf|month=December|year=2003|accessdate=2008-09-01}}</ref> Lacking the support of NATO or an explicit UN mandate for military intervention, Bush organized a ]; coalition forces ] ] in 2003, removing dictator ]. In 2005, ] caused severe destruction along much of the ], devastating ]. On November 4, 2008, amid a global ] the first African American president, ], was elected. In 2010, major ] and ] reforms were enacted. The ] in the Gulf of Mexico that year became the largest peacetime oil disaster in history.<ref>{{cite news|author=|title=BP Oil Spill Is Now The Largest Ever In Gulf|publisher=CBS/Associated Press|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/01/national/main6636406.shtml|date=2010-07-01|accessdate=2010-07-01}}</ref>

==Government and elections==
{{Main|Federal government of the United States|state governments of the United States|elections in the United States}}
], which houses the ].]]
The United States is the world's oldest surviving ]. It is a ] and ], "in which ] is tempered by ] protected by ]."<ref>Scheb, John M., and John M. Scheb II (2002). ''An Introduction to the American Legal System''. Florence, KY: Delmar, p. 6. ISBN 0-7668-2759-3.</ref> The government is regulated by a system of ] defined by the U.S. Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document. In the ], citizens are usually subject to ], federal, state, and local; the ]'s duties are commonly split between ] and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a ] of citizens by district. There is no ] at the federal level, and it is very rare at lower levels.

], home and workplace of the ].]]
The federal government is composed of three branches:
* ]: The ] ], made up of the ] and the ], makes ], ], approves treaties, has the ], and has the power of ], by which it can remove sitting members of the government.
* ]: The ] is the ] of the military, can veto ] before they become law, and appoints the ] (subject to Senate approval) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
* ]: The ] and lower ], whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find ].

].]]
The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, each representing a ] for a two-year term. House seats are ] among the states by population every tenth year. As of the ], seven states have the minimum of one representative, while California, the most populous state, has fifty-three. The Senate has 100 members with each state having two senators, elected ] to six-year terms; one third of Senate seats are up for election every other year. The president serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office ]. The president is ], but by an indirect ] system in which the determining votes are apportioned by state. The Supreme Court, led by the ], has nine members, who serve for life.

The state governments are structured in roughly similar fashion; ] uniquely has a ] legislature. The ] (chief executive) of each state is directly elected. Some state judges and cabinet officers are appointed by the governors of the respective states, while others are elected by popular vote.

All laws and governmental procedures are subject to judicial review, and any law ruled in violation of the Constitution is voided. The original text of the Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual states. ] protects the right to the "great writ" of ], and ] guarantees the ] in all criminal cases. ] require the approval of three-fourths of the states. The Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times; the first ten amendments, which make up the ], and the ] form the central basis of Americans' individual rights.

===Parties, ideology, and politics===
{{Main|Politics of the United States|Political ideologies in the United States}}
] taking the ] from U.S. Chief Justice ], January 20, 2009]]
The United States has operated under a ] for most of its history. For elective offices at most levels, state-administered ]s choose the major party nominees for subsequent ]s. Since the ], the major parties have been the ], ], and the ], ]. Since the Civil War, only one ] presidential candidate—former president ], running as a ] in ]—has won as much as 20% of the popular vote.

Within American ], the Republican Party is considered center-right or "]" and the Democratic Party is considered center-left or "]". The states of the ] and ] and some of the ] states, known as "]", are relatively liberal. The "]" of the ] and parts of the ] and ] are relatively conservative.

The winner of the ], Democrat ], is the ]. All previous presidents were men of solely European descent. The ] saw the Republican Party ] and ], where the Democrats retain the majority. In the ], the Senate comprises 51 Democrats, two ] who caucus with the Democrats, and 47 Republicans; the House comprises 242 Republicans and 193 Democrats. There are 29 Republican and 20 Democratic ], as well as one independent.

==Political divisions==
{{Main|U.S. state}}
{{See|Territorial evolution of the United States|United States territorial acquisitions}}
The United States is a ] of fifty states. The original thirteen states were the successors of the ] that rebelled against British rule. Early in the country's history, three new states were organized on territory separated from the claims of the existing states: ] from ]; ] from ]; and ] from ]. Most of the other states have been carved from territories obtained through war or purchase by the U.S. government. One set of exceptions comprises ], ], and ]: each was an independent republic before joining the union. During the ], ] broke away from Virginia. The most recent state—Hawaii—achieved statehood on August 21, 1959. The states ] to ] from the union.

The states compose the vast bulk of the U.S. land mass; the two other areas considered integral parts of the country are the District of Columbia, the ] where the capital, Washington, is located; and ], an uninhabited but ] in the Pacific Ocean. The United States also possesses five major overseas territories: ] and the ] in the Caribbean; and ], ], and the ] in the Pacific.<ref>See 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(36) and 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(38) U.S. Federal Code, Inmigration and Nationality Act. {{USC|8|1101a}}</ref> Those born in the major territories (except for American Samoa) possess ].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30527.pdf| title = PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES: A PRIMER (Page 7)| accessdate = 2010-01-18| date = 2000-04-17| publisher = United States Congressional Research Service|format=PDF}}</ref> American citizens residing in the territories have many of the same rights and responsibilities as citizens residing in the states; however, they are generally exempt from federal income tax, may not vote for president, and have only ].<ref>Raskin, James B. (2003). ''Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court Vs. the American People''. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 36–38. ISBN 0-415-93439-7.</ref>

{{USA midsize imagemap with state names}}

==Foreign relations and military==
{{Main|Foreign policy of the United States|United States Armed Forces}}
] and ] ], May 2010]]

The United States exercises global economic, political, and military influence. It is a permanent member of the ] and New York City hosts the ]. It is a member of the ], ], and ]. Almost all countries have ] in Washington, D.C., and many have ] around the country. Likewise, nearly all nations host ]. However, ], ], ], ], ], and the ] (Taiwan) do not have formal diplomatic relations with the United States.

The United States has a "]" with the ]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/04/content_10937866.htm|title=Obama Highlights U.S.-Britain Special Relationship|accessdate=2010-11-03|publisher=Xinhua News Agency| date=2009-03-03}}{{dead link|date=April 2011}}</ref> and strong ties with ], ], ], ], ], and ]. It works closely with fellow ] members on military and security issues and with its neighbors through the ] and ] such as the trilateral ] with Canada and ]. In 2008, the United States spent a net $25.4 billion on ], the most in the world. As a share of ] (GNI), however, the U.S. contribution of 0.18% ranked last among twenty-two donor states. In contrast, private overseas giving by Americans is relatively generous.<ref>{{cite web|author=Shah, Anup|title=US and Foreign Aid Assistance|date=2009-04-13|publisher=GlobalIssues.org|url=http://www.globalissues.org/article/35/us-and-foreign-aid-assistance|accessdate=2009-10-11}}</ref>
] ]]]

The president holds the title of commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces and appoints its leaders, the ] and the ]. The ] administers the armed forces, including the ], ], ], and ]. The ] is run by the ] in peacetime and the ] in time of war. In 2008, the armed forces had 1.4 million personnel on active duty. The ] and ] brought the total number of troops to 2.3 million. The Department of Defense also employed about 700,000 civilians, not including contractors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2009/May%202009/0509facts_fig.pdf|title=The Air Force in Facts and Figures (Armed Forces Manpower Trends, End Strength in Thousands)|work=Air Force Magazine|date=May 2009|accessdate=2009-10-09}}</ref>

Military service is voluntary, though ] may occur in wartime through the ]. American forces can be rapidly deployed by the Air Force's large fleet of transport aircraft, the Navy's eleven active aircraft carriers, and ]s at sea with the Navy's ] ]. The military operates 865 bases and facilities abroad,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/BSR_2008_Baseline.pdf|title=Base Structure Report, Fiscal Year 2008 Baseline|publisher=Department of Defense|accessdate=2009-10-09}}</ref> and maintains ] in 25 foreign countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/history/hst1003.pdf|title=Active Duty Military Personnel Strengths by Regional Area and by Country (309A)|publisher=Department of Defense|date=2010-03-31|accessdate=2010-10-07}}</ref> The extent of this global military presence has prompted some scholars to describe the United States as maintaining an "empire of bases."<ref>{{cite web|author=Ikenberry, G. John|url=http://people.cas.sc.edu/rosati/ttp.ikenberry.empirereviews.fa.march04.htm|title=Illusions of Empire: Defining the New American Order|work=Foreign Affairs|date=March/April 2004}} {{cite web|author=Kreisler, Harry, and Chalmers Johnson|url=http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people4/CJohnson/cjohnson-con3.html|title=Conversations with History|publisher=University of California at Berkeley|date=2004-01-29|accessdate=2007-06-21}}</ref>

Total U.S. military spending in 2008, more than $600 billion, was over 41% of global military spending and greater than the next fourteen largest national military expenditures combined. The per capita spending of $1,967 was about nine times the world average; at 4% of GDP, the rate was the second-highest among the top fifteen military spenders, after ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/resultoutput/15majorspenders|title=The Fifteen Major Spender Countries in 2008|publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute|accessdate=2009-10-09}}</ref> The proposed base ] for 2011, $549 billion, is a 3.4% increase over 2010 and 85% higher than in 2001; an additional $159 billion is proposed for the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://comptroller.defense.gov/defbudget/fy2011/FY2011_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf|title=Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request Overview |publisher=Department of Defense|date=February 2010|accessdate=2010-08-19}}</ref> As of September 2010, the United States is scheduled to have 96,000 troops deployed to Afghanistan, and 50,000 to Iraq.<ref>{{cite news|author=Hennessey, Kathleen, and Liz Sly|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012516655_obama03.html|title=U.S. Combat Forces To Be out of Iraq by Aug. 31|publisher=Seattle Times/Tribune Washington Bureau|date=2010-08-02|accessdate=2010-08-18}}</ref> As of January 5, 2011, the United States had suffered 4,432 military fatalities during the ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx|title=Operation Iraqi Freedom|publisher=Iraq Coalition Casualty Count|date=2011-01-05|accessdate=2011-01-05}}</ref> and 1,448 during the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icasualties.org/OEF/index.aspx|title=Operation Enduring Freedom|publisher=Iraq Coalition Casualty Count|date=2011-01-05|accessdate=2011-01-05}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of the United States}}

{| class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width: 270px;"
|- style="background:#f5f5f5;"
! colspan="3" | Economic indicators
|-
| ] || 8.9% <small>(March 2011)</small> || style="text-align: right;" | <ref name=ESS0910>{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm|title=Employment Situation Summary|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Labor|date=2010-12-03|accessdate=2011-01-03}}</ref>
|-
| GDP growth || 2.8% <small>(4Q 2010), 2.8% <small>(2009&nbsp;– 2010)</small>|| style="text-align: right;" | <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm|title=National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product, 4th Quarter and Annual 2010 (Second Estimate)|publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis|date=2011-02-25|accessdate=2011-03-23}} Change is based on ]. Quarterly growth is expressed as an annualized rate.</ref>
|-
| ] inflation || 2.7% <small>(March 2010&nbsp;– March 2011)</small> || style="text-align: right;" | <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm|title=Consumer Price Index: March 2011|publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics|date=2011-04-15|accessdate=2011-04-19}}</ref>
|-
| ] || 14.3% <small>(2009)</small> || style="text-align: right;" | <ref name=CBPR09>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p60-238.pdf|title=Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=2010-09-16|accessdate=2010-09-16}}</ref>
|-
| ] || $14.22 trillion <small>(March 21, 2011)</small> || style="text-align: right;" | <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np|title=Debt Statistics|publisher=U.S. Dept. of the Treasury|accessdate=2011-03-21}}</ref>
|-
| ] || $54.2 trillion <small>(4Q 2009)</small> || style="text-align: right;" | <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/Z1/Current/z1r-1.pdf|title=Flow of Funds Accounts of the United States|publisher=U.S. Federal Reserve|date=2010-03-11|accessdate=2010-05-31}}</ref>
|}

The United States has a ] ], which is fueled by abundant ]s, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity.<ref>Wright, Gavin, and Jesse Czelusta, "Resource-Based Growth Past and Present", in ''Natural Resources: Neither Curse Nor Destiny'', ed. Daniel Lederman and William Maloney (World Bank, 2007), p. 185. ISBN 0-8213-6545-2.</ref> According to the ], the U.S. GDP of $14.799 trillion constitutes 24% of the ] at market exchange rates and almost 21% of the gross world product at ] (PPP).<ref name="IMF GDP"/> It has the largest national GDP in the world, though it is about 5% less than the GDP of the ] at PPP in 2008. The country ranks ninth in the world in ] and sixth in ].<ref name="IMF GDP"/>

The United States is the ] of goods and ], though ] are relatively low. In 2008, the total ] was $696 billion.<ref>"". USATODAY.com. July 10, 2009.</ref> Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its top trading partners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/top/dst/current/balance.html|title=Top Ten Countries with which the U.S. Trades|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=August 2009|accessdate=2009-10-12}}</ref> In 2007, vehicles constituted both the leading import and leading export commodity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009/tables/09s1267.xls|title=Table 1267—U.S. Exports and General Imports by Selected SITC Commodity Groups|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2009-10-12}}</ref> Japan is the largest foreign holder of U.S. public debt, having surpassed China in early 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/business/2010-02/16/c_13177277.htm|title=Japan surpasses China as largest holder of U.S. Treasury securities|publisher=Xinhua|date=2010-02-16|accessdate=2010-04-04}}</ref> The United States ranks second in the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weforum.org/pdf/GCR09/GCR20092010fullrankings.pdf|title=Table 4: The Global Competitiveness Index 2009–2010 Rankings and 2008–2009 Comparisons|author=World Economic Forum|accessdate=2009-09-09}}</ref>

] and the ] in ].]]
In 2009, the ] was estimated to constitute 55.3% of the economy, with federal government activity accounting for 24.1% and state and local government activity (including federal transfers) the remaining 20.6%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/index.php|title=Government Spending Overview|publisher=usgovernmentspending.com|accessdate=2009-05-09}}</ref> The economy is ], with the ] contributing 67.8% of GDP, though the United States remains an industrial power.<ref name=Econ>{{cite web|url=http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080312123609/http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html|archivedate=2008-03-12|accessdate=2008-03-12|title=USA Economy in Brief|publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, International Information Programs}}</ref> The leading business field by gross business receipts is wholesale and retail trade; by net income it is manufacturing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009/tables/09s0724.xls|title=Table 724—Number of Tax Returns, Receipts, and Net Income by Type of Business and Industry: 2005|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2009-10-12}}</ref> Chemical products are the leading manufacturing field.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009/tables/09s0964.xls|title=Table 964—Gross Domestic Product in Current and Real (2000) Dollars by Industry: 2006|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=May 2008|accessdate=2009-10-12}}</ref> The United States is the third largest producer of oil in the world, as well as its largest importer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2173rank.html|title=Rank Order—Oil (Production)|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|accessdate=2009-10-12}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2174rank.html|title=Rank Order—Oil (Consumption)|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|accessdate=2009-10-12}}{{cite web|url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html|title=Crude Oil and Total Petroleum Imports Top 15 Countries|publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration|date=2009-09-29|accessdate=2009-10-12}}</ref> It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, sulfur, phosphates, and salt. While ] accounts for just under 1% of GDP,<ref name=Econ/> the United States is the world's top producer of corn<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grains.org/page.ww?section=Barley,+Corn+%26+Sorghum&name=Corn|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080112182404/http://www.grains.org/page.ww?section=Barley,+Corn+%26+Sorghum&name=Corn|archivedate=2008-01-12|title=Corn|publisher=U.S. Grains Council|accessdate=2008-03-13}}</ref> and soybeans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5442|title=Soybean Demand Continues to Drive Production|publisher=Worldwatch Institute|date=2007-11-06|accessdate=2008-03-13}}</ref> The ] is the world's largest by dollar volume.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ir.nyse.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=129145&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1036503&highlight=|title=New Release/Ultra Petroleum Corp.,|publisher=NYSE Euronext|date=2007-07-03|accessdate=2007-08-03}}</ref> ] and ] are the two most recognized brands in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheskin.com/view_news.php?id=2|title=Sony, LG, Wal-Mart among Most Extendible Brands|publisher=Cheskin|date=2005-06-06|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>

In August 2010, the American labor force comprised 154.1 million people. With 21.2 million people, government is the leading field of employment. The largest private employment sector is health care and social assistance, with 16.4 million people.<ref name=ESS0910/> About 12% of workers are ], compared to 30% in Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web|author=Fuller, Thomas|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/14/news/europe.php|title=In the East, Many EU Work Rules Don't Apply|date=2005-06-15|work=International Herald Tribune|accessdate=2007-06-28}}</ref> The World Bank ranks the United States first in the ease of hiring and firing workers.<ref name="EDBI">{{cite web|url=http://www.doingbusiness.org/ExploreEconomies/?economyid=197|accessdate=2007-06-28|title=Doing Business in the United States (2006)|publisher=World Bank}}</ref> In 2009, the United States had the third highest labor productivity per person in the world, behind Luxembourg and Norway. It was fourth in productivity per hour, behind those two countries and the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conference-board.org/data/economydatabase/|title=Total Economy Database, Summary Statistics, 1995–2010|publisher=The Conference Board|work=The Conference Board Total Economy Database|date=September 2010|accessdate=2009-09-20}}</ref> Compared to Europe, U.S. property and corporate ] are generally higher, while labor and, particularly, ] rates are lower.<ref>{{cite news|author=Gumbel, Peter|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,662737-2,00.html|title=Escape from Tax Hell|date=2004-07-11|work=Time|accessdate=2007-06-28}}</ref>

===Income and human development===
] ] in ] ], ].]]
{{Main|Income in the United States}}
{{See also|Income inequality in the United States|Poverty in the United States|Affluence in the United States}}

According to the ], the pretax ] in 2007 was $49,777. The median ranged from $65,469 among Asian American households to $32,584 among African American households.<ref name=CBPR09/> Using ] exchange rates, the overall median is similar to the most affluent cluster of ]. After declining sharply during the middle of the 20th century, ] have plateaued since the early 1970s, with 11–15% of Americans below the ] every year, and 58.5% spending at least one year in poverty between the ages of 25 and 75.<ref name="USCB IP&HIC 2007">{{cite web|author=DeNavas-Walt, Carmen, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica Smith|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p60-235.pdf|format=PDF|title=Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|month=August|year=2008|accessdate=2008-11-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Hacker|first=Jacob S.|year=2006|title=The Great Risk Shift: The New Economic Insecurity and the Decline of the American Dream|location=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0195335341}}</ref> In 2009, 43.6 million Americans lived in poverty.<ref name=CBPR09/>

The U.S. welfare state is one of the least extensive in the developed world, reducing both ] and ] by considerably less than the mean for rich nations,<ref name="Sme">{{cite journal | last1 = Smeeding | first1 = T. M. | year = 2005 | title = Public Policy: Economic Inequality and Poverty: The United States in Comparative Perspective | url = | journal = Social Science Quarterly | volume = 86 | issue = | pages = 955–983 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Kenworthy | first1 = L. | year = 1999 | title = Do Social-Welfare Policies Reduce Poverty? A Cross-National Assessment" ''Social Forces'' 77(3), 1119–1139. Bradley, D., E. Huber, S. Moller, F. Nielsen, and J. D. Stephens (2003). "Determinants of Relative Poverty in Advanced Capitalist Democracies | url = | journal = American Sociological Review | volume = 68 | issue = 1| pages = 22–51 }}</ref> though combined private and public social expenditures per capita are higher than in any of the ].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Fishback|first=Price V.|date=May 2010|title=Social Welfare Expenditures in the United States and the Nordic Countries: 1900–2003|journal=NBER Working Paper series|volume=15982|url=http://papers.nber.org/papers/w15982}}</ref> While the American welfare state does well in reducing poverty among the elderly,<ref>Orr, D. (November–December, 2004). "Social Security Isn't Broken: So Why the Rush to 'Fix' It?" In C. Sturr and R. Vasudevan, eds. (2007). ''Current Economic Issues''. Boston: Economic Affairs Bureau.</ref> the young receive relatively little assistance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=a_new_deal_of_their_own|author=Starr, Paul|date=2008-02-25|title=A New Deal of Their Own|work=American Prospect|accessdate=2008-07-24}}</ref> A 2007 ] study of children's well-being in twenty-one industrialized nations ranked the United States next to last.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/13_02_07_nn_unicef.pdf|title=Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Well-Being in Rich Countries|author=UNICEF|work=BBC|year=2007|accessdate=2007-09-10}}</ref>

Despite strong increases in productivity, low unemployment, and low inflation, income gains since 1980 have been slower than in previous decades, less widely shared, and accompanied by increased economic insecurity. Between 1947 and 1979, ] rose by over 80% for all classes, with the incomes of poor Americans rising faster than those of the rich.<ref name="Bar">Bartels, L. M. (2008). ''Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.demos.org/inequality/numbers.cfm#1|author=Hartman, C.|year=2008|title=By the Numbers: Income|accessdate=2008-07-24}}</ref> Median household income has increased for all classes since 1980,<ref>{{cite web|author=Henderson, David R.|url=http://www.hoover.org/publications/digest/3522596.html|title=The Rich—and Poor—Are Getting Richer|work=Hoover Digest|year=1998|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref> largely owing to more dual-earner households, the closing of the ], and longer work hours, but growth has been slower and strongly tilted toward the very top (see graph).<ref name="Sme"/><ref name="Bar"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frbsf.org/news/speeches/2006/1106.html|author=Yellen, J.|year=2006|title=Speech to the Center for the Study of Democracy 2006–2007 Economics of Governance Lecture University of California, Irvine|publisher=Federal Reserve Board|location=San Francisco|accessdate=2008-07-24}}{{cite web|author=Shapiro, Isaac|url=http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=746|title=New IRS Data Show Income Inequality Is Again on the Rise|date=2005-10-17|publisher=Center on Budget and Policy Priorities|accessdate=2007-05-16}} Gilbert, D. (1998). ''The American Class Structure''. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. ISBN 0-534-50520-1.</ref> Consequently, the share of income of the top 1%—21.8% of total reported income in 2005—has more than doubled since 1980,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/29/business/29tax.html?ex=1332820800&en=fb472e72466c34c8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss|title=Income Gap Is Widening, Data Shows|author=Johnston, David Cay|work=New York Times|date=2007-03-29|accessdate=2007-05-16}}</ref> leaving the United States with the greatest income inequality among developed nations.<ref name="Sme"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/TabFig2005prel.xls|author=Saez, E.|title=Table A1: Top Fractiles Income Shares (Excluding Capital Gains) in the U.S., 1913–2005|publisher=UC Berkeley|month=October|year=2007|accessdate=2008-07-24}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2172.html|title=Field Listing—Distribution of Family Income—Gini Index|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|date=2007-06-14|accessdate=2007-06-17}}</ref> The top 1% pays 27.6% of all federal taxes; the top 10% pays 54.7%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/88xx/doc8885/EffectiveTaxRates.shtml|title=Shares of Federal Tax Liabilities, 2004 and 2005|publisher=Congressional Budget Office|accessdate=2008-11-02}}</ref> Wealth, like income, is highly concentrated: The richest 10% of the adult population possesses 69.8% of the country's household wealth, the second-highest share among developed nations.<ref>{{cite web|author=Domhoff, G. William|url=http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html|title=Table 4: Percentage of Wealth Held by the Top 10% of the Adult Population in Various Western Countries|publisher=University of California at Santa Cruz, Sociology Dept.|work=Power in America|month=December|year=2006|accessdate=2006-08-21}}</ref> The top 1% possesses 33.4% of net wealth.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kennickell, Arthur B.|url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/oss/oss2/papers/concentration.2004.5.pdf|title=Table11a: Amounts (Billions of 2004 Dollars) and Shares of Net Worth and Components Distributed by Net Worth Groups, 2004|publisher=Federal Reserve Board|work=Currents and Undercurrents: Changes in the Distribution of Wealth, 1989–2004|date=2006-08-02|accessdate=2007-06-24}}</ref>

===Science and technology===
] of ] on the surface of the Moon.]]
{{Main|Science and technology in the United States}}
{{See also|Technological and industrial history of the United States}}
The United States has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation since the late 19th century. In 1876, ] was awarded the first U.S. ]. ]'s laboratory developed the ], the first ], and the first viable ]. ] pioneered ], the ], and radio. In the early 20th century, the automobile companies of ] and ] promoted the ]. The ], in 1903, made the ].<ref>{{cite web|author=Benedetti, François| url =http://www.fai.org/news_archives/fai/000295.asp| archiveurl =http://web.archive.org/web/20070912065254/http://www.fai.org/news_archives/fai/000295.asp| archivedate =2007-09-12| title =100 Years Ago, the Dream of Icarus Became Reality| publisher =Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)|date=2003-12-17|accessdate=2007-08-15}}</ref>

The rise of ] in the 1930s led many European scientists, including ] and ], to immigrate to the United States. During World War II, the ] developed nuclear weapons, ushering in the ]. The ] produced rapid advances in rocketry, ], and computers. The United States largely developed the ] and its successor, the ]. Today, the bulk of research and development funding, 64%, comes from the private sector.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008/tables/08s0775.xls | title = Research and Development (R&D) Expenditures by Source and Objective: 1970 to 2004 | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | accessdate = 2007-06-19 }}</ref> The United States leads the world in scientific research papers and ].<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/mar/21/highereducation.uk4 |author=MacLeod, Donald| title = Britain Second in World Research Rankings | date=2006-03-21 | work = Guardian | accessdate = 2006-05-14 | location=London}}</ref> Americans possess high levels of technological consumer goods,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_percap-media-televisions-per-capita | title = Media Statistics: Televisions (per capita) by Country | publisher = NationMaster |month=December | year=2003}} {{cite web | url = http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_per_com_percap-media-personal-computers-per-capita | title = Media Statistics > Personal Computers (per capita) by Country | publisher = NationMaster |month=December | year=2003}} {{cite web | url = http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_rad_percap-media-radios-per-capita | title = Media Statistics > Radios (per capita) by Country | publisher = NationMaster | month = December | year = 2003 | accessdate = 2007-06-03 }}</ref> and almost half of U.S. households have ].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=116136 | title = Download 2007 Digital Fact Pack | date=2007-04-23| work = Advertising Age | accessdate = 2007-06-10 }}</ref> The country is the primary developer and grower of ], representing half of the world's biotech crops.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/39/download/isaaa-brief-39-2008.pdf | title = ISAAA Brief 39-2008: Executive Summary—Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2008 | publisher = International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications |page=15| accessdate = 2010-07-16 }}</ref>
], which extends {{convert|46876|mi|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Interstate FAQ (Question #3) |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |year=2006 |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/interstate/faq.htm#question3 |accessdate=2009-03-04}}</ref>]]
]. The United States has 27% of global coal reserves.<ref name="BPReview">{{cite web | url = http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2007/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/spreadsheets/statistical_review_full_report_workbook_2007.xls | title = BP Statistical Review of World Energy| publisher = British Petroleum | format = XLS |month=June | year=June 2007 | accessdate = 2010-02-22}}</ref>]]

===Transportation===
Everyday personal ] is dominated by the automobile driving on one of 13 million roads.<ref>{{cite web|url =http://en.wikipedia.org/Wikispeedia| title =Number of Highways|publisher =WikiSPEEDia, derived from U.S. Census Bureau| accessdate = 2010-06-10}}</ref> As of 2003, there were 759 automobiles per 1,000 Americans, compared to 472 per 1,000 inhabitants of the European Union the following year.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=STAT/06/125| title =Car Free Day 2006: Nearly One Car per Two Inhabitants in the EU25 in 2004| date=2006-09-19|publisher =Europa, Eurostat Press Office| accessdate = 2007-08-15 }}</ref> About 40% of ] are vans, ], or light trucks.<ref>{{cite web|url =http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/section_01.html| title =Household, Individual, and Vehicle Characteristics|publisher =U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics|work =2001 National Household Travel Survey|accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref> The average American adult (accounting for all drivers and nondrivers) spends 55 minutes driving every day, traveling {{convert|29|mi|km|0}}.<ref>{{cite web|url =http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/section_02.html| title =Daily Passenger Travel|publisher =U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics|work =2001 National Household Travel Survey|accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref>

The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned, while most major airports are publicly owned. The four largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are American; ] is number one.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/wats-passenger-carried.htm| title =Scheduled Passengers Carried (2008 data)|publisher=International Air Transport Association (IATA)|accessdate=2009-06-27}}</ref> Of the world's thirty busiest passenger airports, sixteen are in the United States, including the busiest, ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airports.org/cda/aci_common/display/main/aci_content07_c.jsp?zn=aci&cp=1-5-54-55_666_2__|title=Passenger Traffic 2006 Final|publisher=Airports Council International|date=2007-07-18|accessdate=2007-08-15}}</ref> While transport of goods by rail is extensive, relatively few people use rail to travel, within or between cities.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-07-15 | title = Intercity Passenger Rail: National Policy and Strategies Needed to Maximize Public Benefits from Federal Expenditures| date=2006-11-13| publisher = U.S. Government Accountability Office| accessdate = 2007-06-20 }}</ref> ] accounts for 9% of total U.S. work trips, compared to 38.8% in Europe.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.policy.rutgers.edu/vtc/documents/TOD.Euro-Style_Planning-Renne-Wells.pdf |format=PDF|author=Renne, John L., and Jan S. Wells| title = Emerging European-Style Planning in the United States: Transit-Oriented Development (p. 2) | year=2003 | publisher = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | accessdate = 2007-06-11}}</ref> Bicycle usage is minimal, well below European levels.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.transalt.org/files/resources/other/010901TQpdf021.pdf|author=Pucher, John, and Lewis Dijkstra| title = Making Walking and Cycling Safer: Lessons from Europe | month=February | year=2000| publisher = Transportation Alternatives |work=Transportation Quarterly | accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref>

===Energy===
{{See also|Energy policy of the United States}}

The ] market is 29,000 ] per year. ] is 7.8&nbsp;tons of oil equivalent per year, compared to Germany's 4.2&nbsp;tons and Canada's 8.3&nbsp;tons. In 2005, 40% of this energy came from petroleum, 23% from coal, and 22% from natural gas. The remainder was supplied by nuclear power and ] sources.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec1_3.pdf|title= Diagram 1: Energy Flow, 2007|work=EIA Annual Energy Review 2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration|accessdate=2008-06-25}}</ref> The United States is the world's largest consumer of petroleum.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2174rank.html|title= Rank Order—Oil (Consumption)|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|date=2007-09-06|accessdate=2007-09-14}}</ref> For decades, ] has played a limited role relative to many other developed countries, in part due to public perception in the wake of the 1979 ]. In 2007, several applications for new nuclear plants were filed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9762843|title= Atomic Renaissance|work=Economist|accessdate=2007-09-06|date=2007-09-06}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of the United States|Americans}}
]
{|class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width: 240px;"
|- style="background:#f5f5f5;"
! colspan="2" | Race/Ethnicity (2010)<ref name="Cen2010Summary">{{cite web|url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/|title=2010 Census Data| publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | accessdate = 2011-03-29}}</ref>
|-
| ] || style="text-align: center;" |72.4%
|-
| ] || style="text-align: center;" |12.6%
|-
| ] || style="text-align: center;" |4.8%
|-
| ] and ] || style="text-align: center;" |0.9%
|-
| ] and ] || style="text-align: center;" |0.2%
|-
| Other || style="text-align: center;" |6.2%
|-
| ] || style="text-align: center;" | 2.9%
|-
| ] (''of any race'') || style="text-align: center;" |16.3%
|}

The 2010 U.S. Census reported 308,745,538 residents; the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Clock projects the country's population now to be {{formatnum:{{data United States | Poptoday }} }},<ref name="POP">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|title=U.S. POPClock Projection}} Figure updated automatically.</ref> including an estimated 11.2 million ].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cis.org/articles/2008/back808.pdf| author =Camarota, Steven A., and Karen Jensenius | title = Homeward Bound: Recent Immigration Enforcement and the Decline in the Illegal Alien Population | month =July | year =2008| publisher = Center for Immigration Studies | accessdate = 2008-08-06}}</ref> The third most populous nation in the world, after ] and ], the United States is the only industrialized nation in which large population increases are projected.<ref name="PRC">{{cite web|url=http://www.prcdc.org/summaries/uspopperspec/uspopperspec.html|title=Executive Summary: A Population Perspective of the United States|publisher=Population Resource Center|month=May|year=2000|accessdate=2007-12-20|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070604165856/http://www.prcdc.org/summaries/uspopperspec/uspopperspec.html|archivedate=2007-06-04}}</ref> With a birth rate of 13.82 per 1,000, 30% below the world average, its ] rate is 0.98%, significantly higher than those of Western Europe, Japan, and South Korea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2054rank.html|title=Rank Order—Birth Rate|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|year=2009|accessdate=2009-10-11}}</ref> In fiscal year 2010, over 1 million ] were granted ],<ref name="LPR">. ] ''Annual Flow Report.''</ref> most of them entered through ].<ref name="LPR"/> Mexico has been the leading source of new residents for over two decades; since 1998, China, India, and the Philippines have been in the top four sending countries every year.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/publications/LPR07.shtm|title=Persons Obtaining Legal Permanent Resident Status by Region and Country of Birth: Fiscal Years 1998 to 2007 (Table 3)|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security|accessdate=2008-09-06}}</ref>

The United States has a very ]—thirty-one ] have more than one million members.<ref name="An2000">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|title=Ancestry 2000|publisher=U.S.Census Bureau|month=June|year=2004|accessdate=2007-06-13}}</ref> ]s are the largest ]; ]s, ]s, and ]s constitute three of the country's four largest ancestry groups.<ref name="An2000"/> ]s are the nation's largest ] and third largest ancestry group.<ref name="An2000"/> ]s are the country's second largest racial minority; the two largest Asian American ethnic groups are ]s and ]s.<ref name="An2000"/> In 2010, the U.S. population included an estimated 5.2 million people with some ] or ] ancestry (2.9 million exclusively of such ancestry) and 1.2 million with some ] or ] ancestry (0.5 million exclusively).<ref name="Cen2010Race">{{cite web|author=Humes, Karen R., Nicholas A. Jones, and Roberto R. Ramirez|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf|title=Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010| publisher = U.S. Census Bureau| date = March 2011| accessdate = 2011-03-29}}</ref> The census now includes the category "Some Other Race" for "respondents unable to identify with any" of its five official race categories; more than 19 million people were placed in this category in 2010.<ref name="Cen2010Race"/>

The population growth of ] (the terms are officially interchangeable) is a major ]. The 50.5 million Americans of Hispanic descent<ref name="Cen2010Race"/> are identified as sharing a distinct "]" by the Census Bureau; 64% of Hispanic Americans are of ].<ref name=CB2007>{{cite web | url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-ds_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G2000_B03001&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=04000US48&-format=&-_lang=en&-SubjectID=15233304 | title = B03001. Hispanic or Latino Origin by Specific Origin | work = 2007 American Community Survey | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | accessdate = 2008-09-26}}</ref> Between 2000 and 2010, the country's Hispanic population increased 43% while the non-Hispanic population rose just 4.9%.<ref name="Cen2010Summary"/> Much of this growth is from immigration; as of 2007, 12.6% of the U.S. population was foreign-born, with 54% of that figure born in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/pop.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|work=Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009| title=Tables 41 and 42—Native and Foreign-Born Populations|accessdate = 2009-10-11}}</ref> Fertility is also a factor; the average Hispanic woman gives birth to 3.0 children in her lifetime, compared to 2.2 for non-Hispanic black women and 1.8 for non-Hispanic white women (below the ] of 2.1).<ref name="PRC"/> ] (as defined by the Census Bureau, all those beside non-Hispanic, non-multiracial whites) constitute 34% of the population; they are projected to be the majority by 2042.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012496.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080822044429/http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012496.html|archivedate=2008-08-22|title=An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=2008-08-14|accessdate=2008-09-06}}</ref>

About 82% of Americans live in ] (as defined by the Census Bureau, such areas include the ]s);<ref name="WF"/> about half of those reside in cities with populations over 50,000.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-state=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-P1&-mt_name=&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=&-format=US-1&-_lang=en| title = United States—Urban/Rural and Inside/Outside Metropolitan Area (GCT-P1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000)| publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | date =2000-04-01| accessdate = 2008-09-23 }}</ref> In 2008, 273 ] had populations over 100,000, nine cities had more than 1 million residents, and four ] had over 2 million (], ], ], and ]).<ref name=PopEstBigCities>{{cite web | url = http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/census/popestimate/copy_of_2008-subcounty-population-hawaii/SUB_EST2008_01.pdf | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuJk99 | archivedate = 2009-12-07|format=PDF| title =Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2008 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008 | work = 2008 Population Estimates | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division | date =2009-07-01| accessdate = 2009-10-11}}</ref> There are fifty-two ] with populations greater than 1 million.<ref name=PopEstMSA>{{cite web | url = http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/census/popestimate/2008_MSA_Hawaii/CBSA_EST2008_05.pdf | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuJzkG | archivedate = 2009-12-07 |format=PDF| title = Table 5. Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings: July 1, 2007 to July 1, 2008 | work = 2008 Population Estimates | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau| date =2009-03-19| accessdate = 2009-10-11}}</ref> Of the fifty fastest-growing metro areas, forty-seven are in the West or South.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/013426.html|title=Raleigh and Austin are Fastest-Growing Metro Areas|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=2009-03-19|accessdate=2009-10-11}}{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> The metro areas of ], Houston, ], and ] all grew by more than a million people between 2000 and 2008.<ref name=PopEstMSA/>
<center>{{Largest Metropolitan Areas of the United States}}</center>

==Language==
{{Main|Languages of the United States}}
{{See also|Language Spoken at Home (U.S. Census)}}
{|class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width: 200px;"
|- style="background:#f5f5f5;"
!colspan="2"|Languages (2007)<ref name="USCB Lang">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/tables/10s0053.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|work=Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010|title=Table 53—Languages Spoken at Home by Language: 2007|accessdate=2009-09-21}}</ref>
|-
|] (''only'')||style="text-align: center;"|225.5 million
|-
|], incl. ]||style="text-align: center;"|34.5 million
|-
|]||style="text-align: center;"|2.5 million
|-
|], incl. ]||style="text-align: center;"|2.0 million
|-
|]||style="text-align: center;"|1.5 million
|-
|]||style="text-align: center;"|1.2 million
|-
|]||style="text-align: center;"|1.1 million
|-
|]||style="text-align: center;"|1.1 million
|}

] is the de facto ]. Although there is no ] at the federal level, some laws—such as ]—standardize English. In 2007, about 226 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. ], spoken by 12% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language.<ref name="USCB Lang"/><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.adfl.org/resources/enrollments.pdf| title = Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Institutions of Higher Learning|date=fall 2002| publisher = MLA| accessdate = 2006-10-16}}</ref> Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in at least twenty-eight states.<ref name=ILW>{{cite web|author=Feder, Jody| url = http://www.ilw.com/immigrationdaily/news/2007,0515-crs.pdf| title = English as the Official Language of the United States—Legal Background and Analysis of Legislation in the 110th Congress|date=2007-01-25| publisher = Ilw.com (Congressional Research Service)| accessdate = 2007-06-19}}</ref> Both ] and English are official languages in Hawaii by state law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html|title=The Constitution of the State of Hawaii, Article XV, Section 4| publisher=Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau|date=1978-11-07|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>

While neither has an official language, ] has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as ] does for English and French.<ref>{{cite book| author =Dicker, Susan J. | title = Languages in America: A Pluralist View |year=2003|pages=216, 220–25 | location =Clevedon, UK| publisher = Multilingual Matters|isbn=1853596515}}</ref> Other states, such as ], mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents including court forms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=ccp&group=00001-01000&file=412.10-412.30|title=California Code of Civil Procedure, Section 412.20(6)| publisher=Legislative Counsel, State of California|accessdate=2007-12-17}} {{cite web|url=http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/allforms.htm|title=California Judicial Council Forms| publisher=Judicial Council, State of California|accessdate=2007-12-17}}</ref> Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: ] and ] are recognized by American Samoa and Guam, respectively; ] and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands; Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico.

==Religion==
] church; most Americans identify as Christian.]]
{{Main|Religion in the United States}}
{{See also|History of religion in the United States|Freedom of religion in the United States|Separation of church and state in the United States|List of religious movements that began in the United States}}

The United States is officially a ]; the ] of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion and forbids the establishment of any ]. In a 2002 study, 59% of Americans said that religion played a "very important role in their lives," a far higher figure than that of any other wealthy nation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167|title=Among Wealthy Nations...U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion| publisher=Pew Research Center|work=Pew Global Attitudes Project|date=2002-12-19|accessdate=2008-10-23}}</ref> According to a 2007 survey, 78.4% of adults identified themselves as ],<ref name="Pew">{{cite web|url=http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/affiliations-all-traditions.pdf|title=Religious Composition of the U.S.| publisher=Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life|work=U.S. Religious Landscape Survey|year=2007|accessdate=2008-10-23}}</ref> down from 86.4% in 1990.<ref name="ARIS">{{cite web|url=http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris/key_findings.htm|title=American Religious Identification Survey| publisher=CUNY Graduate Center|year=2001|accessdate=2007-06-17}}</ref> ] denominations accounted for 51.3%, while ], at 23.9%, was the largest individual denomination. The study categorizes white ], 26.3% of the population, as the country's largest religious cohort;<ref name="Pew"/> another study estimates evangelicals of all races at 30–35%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uakron.edu/bliss/docs/Religious_Landscape_2004.pdf|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuMoCD|archivedate=2009-12-07|author=Green, John C|title=The American Religious Landscape and Political Attitudes: A Baseline for 2004| publisher=University of Akron Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics|accessdate=2007-06-18}}</ref> The total reporting non-Christian religions in 2007 was 4.7%, up from 3.3% in 1990.<ref name="ARIS"/> The leading non-Christian faiths were ] (1.7%), ] (0.7%), ] (0.6%), ] (0.4%), and ] (0.3%).<ref name="Pew"/> The survey also reported that 16.1% of Americans described themselves as ], ], or simply having ], up from 8.2% in 1990.<ref name="Pew"/><ref name="ARIS"/>

==Education==
] in ] is an example of a ] in America.]]
{{Main|Education in the United States}}
{{See also|Educational attainment in the United States|Higher education in the United States}}

American ] is operated by state and local governments, regulated by the ] through restrictions on federal grants. Children are required in most states to attend school from the age of six or seven (generally, ] or ]) until they turn eighteen (generally bringing them through ], the end of ]); some states allow students to leave school at sixteen or seventeen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d02/dt150.asp |title=Ages for Compulsory School Attendance... |accessdate = 2007-06-10 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics}}</ref> About 12% of children are enrolled in ] or ] ]s. Just over 2% of children are ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/statistics.html |title=Statistics About Non-Public Education in the United States |accessdate = 2007-06-05 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Non-Public Education}}</ref>

The United States has many competitive private and public ], as well as local ]s with open admission policies. Of Americans twenty-five and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attended some college, 27.2% earned a ], and 9.6% earned graduate degrees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-550.pdf|title=Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate = 2006-08-01}}</ref> The basic ] is approximately 99%.<ref name="WF" /><ref>For more detail on U.S. literacy, see , U.S. Department of Education (2003).</ref> The United Nations assigns the United States an Education Index of 0.97, tying it for 12th in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=Human Development Indicators|year=2005|publisher=United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Reports|accessdate = 2008-01-14|url=http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDR05_HDI.pdf|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070620235428/http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDR05_HDI.pdf|archivedate=2007-06-20}}</ref>

==Health==
{{See also|Health care in the United States|Health care reform in the United States|Health insurance in the United States}}
The United States life expectancy of 77.8 years at birth<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus06.pdf#027|title=Health, United States, 2006|month=November | year=2006|publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics|accessdate = 2007-08-15}}</ref> is a year shorter than the overall figure in Western Europe, and three to four years lower than that of Norway, Switzerland, and Canada.<ref>{{cite web |author=Eberstadt, Nicholas, and Hans Groth|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/19/opinion/edeber.php |title=Healthy Old Europe|date=2007-04-19|work=International Herald Tribune|accessdate = 2007-06-19 }}</ref> Over the past two decades, the country's rank in life expectancy has dropped from 11th to 42nd in the world.<ref>{{cite news|author=MacAskill, Ewen|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/aug/13/usa.ewenmacaskill |title=US Tumbles Down the World Ratings List for Life Expectancy|date=2007-08-13 |work= Guardian|accessdate = 2007-08-15|location=London}}</ref> The infant mortality rate of 6.37 per thousand likewise places the United States 42nd out of 221 countries, behind all of Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html |title=Rank Order—Infant Mortality Rate|date=2007-06-14|publisher =CIA|work=The World Factbook|accessdate = 2007-06-19}}</ref> Approximately ] and an additional third is overweight;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_adult_03.htm |title=Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2003–2004 |accessdate = 2007-06-05 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics}}</ref> the obesity rate, the highest in the industrialized world, has more than doubled in the last quarter-century.<ref>{{cite book | author= Schlosser, Eric | year = 2002 | title = Fast Food Nation | publisher = Perennial | location = New York| isbn = 0060938455 |page = 240 }}</ref> Obesity-related ] is considered epidemic by health care professionals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/12/2451#R3-101329 |title=Fast Food, Central Nervous System Insulin Resistance, and Obesity|year=2005 |accessdate = 2007-06-17|work= ]|publisher=American Heart Association}}</ref>

] in ], the world's largest medical center<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.texmedctr.tmc.edu/root/en/GetToKnow/FactsandFigures/Facts+and+Figures.htm|title=2007 Facts & Figures|accessdate = 2008-11-07|publisher=Texas Medical Center}}</ref>]]
The U.S. adolescent pregnancy rate, 79.8 per 1,000 women, is nearly four times that of France and five times that of Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/PUBLICATIONS/factsheet/fsest.htm |title=Adolescent Sexual Health in Europe and the U.S.—Why the Difference?|month=October | year=2001 |accessdate = 2007-06-17 |publisher=Advocates for Youth |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070520020329/http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/PUBLICATIONS/factsheet/fsest.htm |archivedate = 2007-05-20}}</ref> ], is highly controversial. ] ban public funding of the procedure and restrict late-term abortions, require parental notification for minors, and mandate a waiting period. While the abortion rate is falling, the abortion ratio of 241 per 1,000 live births and abortion rate of 15 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 remain higher than those of most Western nations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5511a1.htm|author=Strauss, Lilo T., et al.|title=Abortion Surveillance—United States, 2003|accessdate = 2007-06-17 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive Health|work=MMWR|date=2006-11-24}}</ref>

The U.S. health care system far ] any other nation's, measured in both per capita spending and percentage of GDP.<ref>''OECD Health Data 2000: A Comparative Analysis of 29 Countries'' (OECD: Paris, 2000). See also {{cite web |url=http://classic-web.archive.org/web/20061118234952/http://dll.umaine.edu/ble/U.S.+HCweb.pdf|title=The U.S. Healthcare System: The Best in the World or Just the Most Expensive?|year=2001|accessdate = 2006-11-29 |publisher=University of Maine}}</ref> The ] ranked the U.S. health care system in 2000 as first in responsiveness, but 37th in overall performance. The United States is a leader in medical innovation. In 2004, the nonindustrial sector spent three times as much as Europe per capita on biomedical research.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Groves, Trish| year=2008|month=February |title=Stronger European Medical Research |journal=British Medical Journal |volume=336 |pages=341–342| doi=10.1136/bmj.39489.505208.80 |pmc=2244738 |pmid=18276671 |first1=T |issue=7640 |issn=0959-8138}}</ref>

Unlike in all other developed countries, health care coverage in the United States is not ]. In 2004, private insurance paid for 36% of personal health expenditures, private out-of-pocket payments covered 15%, and federal, state, and local governments paid for 44%.<ref name="CDC H">{{cite web |url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus06.pdf|title=Health, United States, 2006|accessdate = 2006-11-24 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics}}</ref> In 2005, 46.6 million Americans, 15.9% of the population, were uninsured, 5.4 million more than in 2001. The main cause of this rise is the drop in the number of Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance.<ref name="CBPP">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=629|title=Poverty Remains Higher, and Median Income for Non-Elderly Is Lower, Than When Recession Hit Bottom: Poor Performance Unprecedented for Four-Year Recovery Period|publisher=Center for Budget and Policy Priorities|date =2006-09-01|accessdate = 2007-06-24}}</ref> The subject of uninsured and underinsured Americans is a major political issue.<ref>{{cite news|author=Abelson, Reed|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/health/policy/10health.html|title=Ranks of Underinsured Are Rising, Study Finds|date= 2008-06-10|work=New York Times|accessdate=2008-10-25}} {{cite journal|author=Blewett, Lynn A. et al.|title=How Much Health Insurance Is Enough? Revisiting the Concept of Underinsurance|year= 2006|work=Medical Care Research and Review|volume=63|issue=6|pages=663–700|doi=10.1177/1077558706293634|journal=Medical Care Research and Review|pmid=17099121|month=Dec|first1=LA|first2=A|first3=TJ|issn=1077-5587}}</ref> A 2009 study estimated that lack of insurance is associated with nearly 45,000 deaths a year.<ref>{{cite news|author=Park, Madison |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/18/deaths.health.insurance/index.html?eref=rss_latest|title=45,000 American Deaths Associated with Lack of Insurance |publisher=CNN|date=2009-09-18|accessdate = 2009-10-01}}</ref> In 2006, ] became the first state to mandate universal health insurance.<ref>{{cite news|author=Fahrenthold, David A.|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040401937.html|title= Mass. Bill Requires Health Coverage|date= 2006-04-05|work=Washington Post|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref> ] passed in early 2010 will create a near-universal health insurance system around the country by 2014.

==Crime and law enforcement==
{{Main|Law enforcement in the United States|Crime in the United States}}
{{See also|Law of the United States|Incarceration in the United States|Capital punishment in the United States}}

]
Law enforcement in the United States is primarily the responsibility of local police and ]'s departments, with ] providing broader services. Federal agencies such as the ] (FBI) and the ] have specialized duties. At the federal level and in almost every state, jurisprudence operates on a ] system. State courts conduct most criminal trials; ] handle certain designated crimes as well as certain ]s from the state systems.

Among ], the United States has above-average levels of violent crime and particularly high levels of ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/eighthsurvey/8sv.pdf|title=Eighth United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2001–2002) |publisher=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) |date = 2005-03-31|accessdate=2008-05-18}} {{cite journal |author=Krug, E.G, K.E. Powell, and L.L. Dahlberg |year=1998 |title=Firearm-Related Deaths in the United States and 35 Other High- and Upper-Middle Income Countries |journal=International Journal of Epidemiology |volume=7|issue=2 |pages=214–221 |url=http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/2/214 |doi=10.1093/ije/27.2.214 |pmid=9602401 |month=Apr |first1=EG |first2=KE |first3=LL |issn=0300-5771}}</ref> In 2007, there were 5.6 murders per 100,000 persons,<ref name="Crime 2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/data/table_01.html|title=Crime in the United States by Volume and Rate per 100,000 Inhabitants, 1988–2007|work=Crime in the United States 2007|publisher=FBI|month=September | year=2008|accessdate=2008-10-26}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> three times the rate in neighboring Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/legal02.htm?sdi=crimes|title=Crimes by Type of Offence|publisher=Statistics Canada|date=2008-07-17|accessdate=2008-10-26}}{{dead link|date=March 2010}}</ref> The U.S. homicide rate, which decreased by 42% between 1991 and 1999, has been roughly steady since.<ref name="Crime 2007"/> ] are the subject of ].

The United States has the highest documented ] rate<ref name="SP">{{cite web |url=http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/inc_newfigures.pdf|title=New Incarceration Figures: Thirty-Three Consecutive Years of Growth |month=December | year=2006 |accessdate = 2007-06-10 |publisher=Sentencing Project}}</ref> and total prison population<ref>{{cite web| author=Walmsley, Roy |url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/world-prison-population-list-2005.pdf |format=PDF|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070628215935/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/world-prison-population-list-2005.pdf |archivedate=2007-06-28|title=World Prison Population List |year=2005|accessdate = 2007-10-19|publisher=King's College London, International Centre for Prison Studies}} For the latest data, see {{cite web|url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/north_america_records.php?code=190|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070804061423/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/north_america_records.php?code=190|archivedate=2007-08-04|title=Prison Brief for United States of America|date=2006-06-21|accessdate = 2007-10-19|publisher=King's College London, International Centre for Prison Studies}} For other estimates of the incarceration rate in China and North Korea see {{cite web|author=Adams, Cecil|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2494/does-the-united-states-lead-the-world-in-prison-population |title=Does the United States Lead the World in Prison Population? |date=2004-02-06|accessdate = 2007-10-11 |publisher=The Straight Dope}}</ref> in the world. At the start of 2008, more than 2.3 million people were incarcerated, more than one in every 100 adults.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=35912 |title=Pew Report Finds More than One in 100 Adults are Behind Bars|date=2008-02-28|accessdate = 2008-03-02|publisher=Pew Center on the States}}</ref> The current rate is about seven times the 1980 figure.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/incrttab.htm |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070611192107/http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/incrttab.htm |archivedate=2007-06-11 |title=Incarceration Rate, 1980–2005 |year=2006|accessdate = 2007-06-10 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics}}</ref> African American males are jailed at about six times the rate of white males and three times the rate of Hispanic males.<ref name="SP"/> In 2006, the U.S. incarceration rate was over three times the figure in Poland, the ] (OECD) country with the next highest rate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/highest_to_lowest_rates.php|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070824173340/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/highest_to_lowest_rates.php|archivedate=2007-08-24|title=Entire World—Prison Population Rates per 100,000 of the National Population|year=2007|accessdate = 2007-10-19|publisher=King's College London, International Centre for Prison Studies}}</ref> The country's high rate of incarceration is largely due to ] and ].<ref name="SP"/><ref name="HRW">{{cite web |url=http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/2000/usa/Rcedrg00-05.htm |title=The Impact of the War on Drugs on U.S. Incarceration |month=May | year=2000 |accessdate = 2007-06-10 |publisher=Human Rights Watch}}</ref>

Though it has been abolished in most Western nations, ] is sanctioned in the United States for certain federal and military crimes, and in thirty-four states. Since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court ] after a four-year moratorium, there have been more than 1,000 executions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions-united-states-2007 |title=Executions in the United States in 2007|accessdate = 2007-06-15 |publisher=Death Penalty Information Center}}</ref> In 2006, the country had the sixth highest number of executions in the world, following China, ], ], Iraq, and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-penalty-international-perspective |title=Executions Around the World|accessdate = 2007-06-15|year=2007 |publisher=Death Penalty Information Center}}</ref> In 2007, ] became the first state to legislatively abolish the death penalty since the 1976 Supreme Court decision, followed by ] in 2009 and ] in 2011.<ref name="QuinnSignsAbolition">{{cite news|url=http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2011/03/quinn-signs-death-penalty-ban-commutes-15-death-row-sentences-to-life.html|title=Quinn Signs Death Penalty Ban, Commutes 15 Death Row Sentences to Life|date=2011-03-09|accessdate=2011-03-09|newspaper=]}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of the United States}}
{{See also|Social class in the United States}}
]]]
The United States is a ] nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values.<ref name="DD"/><ref name="Society in Focus">Thompson, William, and Joseph Hickey (2005). ''Society in Focus''. Boston: Pearson. ISBN 0-205-41365-X.</ref> Aside from the now small ] and ] populations, nearly all Americans or their ancestors immigrated within the past five centuries.<ref>Fiorina, Morris P., and Paul E. Peterson (2000). ''The New American Democracy''. London: Longman, p. 97. ISBN 0-321-07058-5.</ref> The culture held in common by most Americans—mainstream American culture—is a ] largely derived from the ] with influences from many other sources, such as ].<ref name="DD"/><ref>Holloway, Joseph E. (2005). ''Africanisms in American Culture'', 2d ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 18–38. ISBN 0-253-34479-4. Johnson, Fern L. (1999). ''Speaking Culturally: Language Diversity in the United States''. Thousand Oaks, Calif., London, and New Delhi: Sage, p. 116. ISBN 0-8039-5912-5.</ref> More recent immigration from ] and especially ] has added to a cultural mix that has been described as both a homogenizing ] and a heterogeneous ] in which immigrants and their descendants retain distinctive cultural characteristics.<ref name="DD"/>

According to ]'s cultural dimensions analysis, the United States has the highest ] score of any country studied.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/individualism/|title=Individualism| publisher = Clearly Cultural|accessdate=2009-02-28}}</ref> While the mainstream culture holds that the United States is a ],<ref>{{cite book |last=Gutfield |first=Amon |year=2002 |title=American Exceptionalism: The Effects of Plenty on the American Experience |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |location=Brighton and Portland |page=65 |isbn=1903900085}}</ref> scholars identify significant differences between the country's social classes, affecting ], language, and values.<ref>{{cite book |last=Zweig |first=Michael |year=2004 |title=What's Class Got To Do With It, American Society in the Twenty-First Century |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, NY |isbn=0801488990}} {{cite web |url=http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED309843&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b800472a5 |title=Effects of Social Class and Interactive Setting on Maternal Speech |publisher=Education Resource Information Center |accessdate=2007-01-27}}</ref> The ] has initiated many contemporary social trends such as ], ], and multiculturalism.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ehrenreich |first=Barbara |year=1989 |title=Fear of Falling, The Inner Life of the Middle Class |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=0060973331}}</ref> Americans' self-images, social viewpoints, and cultural expectations are associated with their occupations to an unusually close degree.<ref>{{cite book |last=Eichar |first=Douglas |year=1989 |title=Occupation and Class Consciousness in America |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, CT |isbn=0313261113}}</ref> While Americans tend greatly to value socioeconomic achievement, being ] is generally seen as a positive attribute.<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Keefe |first=Kevin |year=2005 |title=The Average American |publisher=PublicAffairs |location=New York |isbn=158648270X}}</ref> Though the ], or the perception that Americans enjoy high ], plays a key role in attracting immigrants, various studies indicate that the United States has less social mobility than Canada and the Nordic countries.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/2/7/45002641.pdf|title=A Family Affair: Intergenerational Social Mobility across OECD Countries|publisher=OECD| work = Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth|year=2010 |accessdate=2010-09-20}} {{cite web|url=http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf|title=Intergenerational Mobility in Europe and North America|author=Blanden, Jo, Paul Gregg, and Stephen Malchin| publisher = Centre for Economic Performance|month=April | year=2005 |accessdate=2006-08-21 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060623094610/http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf |archivedate = June 23, 2006}}</ref>

Women now mostly work outside the home and receive a majority of ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/news/articles/female_college.html |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070609151527/http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/news/articles/female_college.html |archivedate=2007-06-09 |title=Women's Advances in Education |publisher=Columbia University, Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-06-06}}</ref> In 2007, 58% of Americans age 18 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 25% had never been married.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/pop.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|work=Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009| title=Table 55—Marital Status of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1990 to 2007|accessdate = 2009-10-11}}</ref> ] is contentious. Some states permit ] in lieu of marriage. Since 2003, ] have permitted gay marriage as the result of judicial or legislative action, while voters in more than a dozen states have barred the practice via ].

===Popular media===
{{Main|Cinema of the United States|Television in the United States|Music of the United States}}
]]]
The world's first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in New York City in 1894, using ]'s ]. The next year saw the first commercial screening of a projected film, also in New York, and the United States was in the forefront of ]'s development in the following decades. Since the early 20th century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around ], California. Director ] was central to the development of ] and ]'s '']'' (1941) is frequently cited as the greatest film of all time.<ref>. Filmsite.org; . BFI. Retrieved on 2007-06-19.</ref> American screen actors like ] and ] have become iconic figures, while producer/entrepreneur ] was a leader in both ] and movie ]. The ]s of Hollywood have produced the most commercially successful movies in history, such as '']'' (1977) and '']'' (1997), and the products of Hollywood today dominate the global film industry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/bpi/eng/unescopress/2000/00-120e.shtml |title=World Culture Report 2000 Calls for Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage |date=2000-11-17 |publisher=UNESCO |accessdate=2007-09-14}} {{cite web |url=http://www1.worldbank.org/economicpolicy/globalization/thwart.html |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071017111347/http://worldbank.org/economicpolicy/globalization/thwart.html |archivedate=2007-10-17 |title=Summary: Does Globalization Thwart Cultural Diversity? |publisher=World Bank Group |accessdate=2007-09-14}}</ref>

Americans are the heaviest television viewers in the world,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_vie-media-television-viewing |title=Media Statistics > Television Viewing by Country |publisher=NationMaster |accessdate=2007-06-03}}</ref> and the average viewing time continues to rise, reaching five hours a day in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1005003 |title=Broadband and Media Consumption |date=2007-06-07|publisher=eMarketer |accessdate=2007-06-10}}</ref> The four major broadcast networks are all commercial entities. Americans listen to radio programming, also largely commercialized, on average just over two-and-a-half hours a day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1004830 |title=TV Fans Spill into Web Sites |date=2007-06-07|publisher=eMarketer |accessdate = 2007-06-10}}</ref> Aside from ]s and ], the most popular websites are ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="alexa-topsitesus">{{cite web |url=http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US |title=Top Sites in United States |year=2010 |publisher=Alexa |accessdate=2010-03-27}}</ref>

The rhythmic and lyrical styles of ] have deeply influenced ] at large, distinguishing it from European traditions. Elements from ] idioms such as the ] and what is now known as ] were adopted and transformed into ] with global audiences. ] was developed by innovators such as ] and ] early in the 20th century. ] developed in the 1920s, and ] in the 1940s. ] and ] were among the mid-1950s pioneers of ]. In the 1960s, ] emerged from the ] to become one of America's most celebrated songwriters and ] led the development of ]. More recent American creations include ] and ]. American pop stars such as Presley, ], and ] have become global celebrities.<ref>Biddle, Julian (2001). ''What Was Hot!: Five Decades of Pop Culture in America''. New York: Citadel, p. ix. ISBN 0-8065-2311-5.</ref>

===Literature, philosophy, and the arts===
{{Main|American literature|American philosophy|American art|American classical music}}

], one of the best-known figures of the ], a group of writers that came to prominence in the 1950s]]
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, American art and literature took most of its cues from Europe. Writers such as ], ], and ] established a distinctive American literary voice by the middle of the 19th century. ] and poet ] were major figures in the century's second half; ], virtually unknown during her lifetime, is now recognized as an essential American poet.<ref>]. 1999. ''Emily Dickinson''. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers. p. 9. ISBN 0-7910-5106-4.</ref> A work seen as capturing fundamental aspects of the national experience and character—such as ]'s '']'' (1851), Twain's '']'' (1885), and ]'s '']'' (1925)—may be dubbed the "]."<ref>{{cite journal|author=Buell, Lawrence|title=The Unkillable Dream of the Great American Novel: ''Moby-Dick'' as Test Case |year= 2008|work=American Literary History|volume=20|issue=1–2|pages=132–155|doi=10.1093/alh/ajn005|journal=American Literary History|month=Spring/Summer|issn=0896-7148}}</ref>

Eleven U.S. citizens have won the ], most recently ] in 1993. ] and ] are often named among the most influential writers of the 20th century.<ref>Quinn, Edward (2006). ''A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms''. Infobase, p. 361. ISBN 0-8160-6243-9. Seed, David (2009). ''A Companion to Twentieth-Century United States Fiction''. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons, p. 76. ISBN 1-4051-4691-5. Meyers, Jeffrey (1999). ''Hemingway: A Biography''. New York: Da Capo, p. 139. ISBN 0-306-80890-0.</ref> Popular literary genres such as the ] and ] developed in the United States. The ] writers opened up new literary approaches, as have ] authors such as ], ], and ].

The ], led by Thoreau and ], established the first major ]. After the Civil War, ] and then ] and ] were leaders in the development of ]. In the 20th century, the work of ] and ], built upon by ], brought ] to the fore of U.S. academics. ] and ] led a revival of ].

In the visual arts, the ] was a mid-19th-century movement in the tradition of European ]. The ] paintings of ] are now widely celebrated. The 1913 ] in New York City, an exhibition of European ], shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art scene.<ref>Brown, Milton W. (1988 1963). ''The Story of the Armory Show''. New York: Abbeville. ISBN 0-89659-795-4.</ref> ], ], and others experimented with new styles, displaying a highly individualistic sensibility. Major artistic movements such as the ] of ] and ] and the ] of ] and ] developed largely in the United States. The tide of modernism and then ] has brought fame to American architects such as ], ], and ].
] in ], part of the ]]]
One of the first major promoters of ] was impresario ], who began operating a lower ] entertainment complex in 1841. The team of ] produced a series of popular ] comedies in New York starting in the late 1870s. In the 20th century, the modern musical form emerged on ]; the songs of musical theater composers such as ], ], and ] have become ]. Playwright ] won the Nobel literature prize in 1936; other acclaimed U.S. dramatists include multiple ] winners ], ], and ].

Though largely overlooked at the time, ]'s work of the 1910s established him as the first major U.S. composer in the classical tradition; other experimentalists such as ] and ] created a distinctive American approach to classical composition. ] and ] developed a new synthesis of popular and classical music. ] ] and ] helped create ], while ] and ] were leaders in 20th century ballet. Americans have long been important in the modern artistic medium of ], with major photographers including ], ], and ]. The newspaper ] and the ] are both U.S. innovations. ], the quintessential comic book ], has become an American icon.<ref>{{cite book | last=Daniels | first=Les | authorlink=Les Daniels | year=1998 | title=Superman: The Complete History | page=11 | edition=1st | publisher=] | isbn=1-85286-988-7 }}</ref>

===Food===
{{Main|American cuisine}}
Mainstream American cuisine is similar to that in other Western countries. Wheat is the primary cereal grain. Traditional American cuisine uses indigenous ingredients, such as turkey, venison, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup, which were consumed by Native Americans and early European settlers. Slow-cooked pork and beef barbecue, crab cakes, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies are distinctively American foods. ], developed by African slaves, is popular around the South and among many African Americans elsewhere. ] cuisines such as ], ], and ] are regionally important.

Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants. French fries, Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos, and pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources are widely consumed.<ref name="IFT">{{cite web |url=http://www.ift.org/cms/?pid=1000496 |author=Klapthor, James N. |title=What, When, and Where Americans Eat in 2003 |publisher=Institute of Food Technologists |date=2003-08-23|accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref> Americans generally prefer coffee to tea. Marketing by U.S. industries is largely responsible for making orange juice and milk ubiquitous breakfast beverages.<ref>Smith, Andrew F. (2004). ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America''. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 131–32. ISBN 0-19-515437-1. Levenstein, Harvey (2003). ''Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American Diet''. Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London: University of California Press, pp. 154–55. ISBN 0-520-23439-1.</ref> During the 1980s and 1990s, Americans' caloric intake rose 24%;<ref name="IFT" /> frequent dining at fast food outlets is associated with what public health officials call the American "]."<ref>Boslaugh, Sarah (2010). "Obesity Epidemic", in ''Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices'', ed. Roger Chapman. Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, pp. 413–14. ISBN 978-0-7656-1761-3.</ref> Highly sweetened soft drinks are widely popular; sugared beverages account for 9% of the average American's caloric intake.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fast Food, Central Nervous System Insulin Resistance, and Obesity |publisher=American Heart Association |year=2005 |work=] |url=http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/12/2451#R3-101329 |accessdate=2007-06-09}} {{cite web |title=Let's Eat Out: Americans Weigh Taste, Convenience, and Nutrition |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Agriculture |url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib19/eib19_reportsummary.pdf|accessdate=2007-06-09}}</ref>

===Sports===
{{Main|Sports in the United States}}
] ] looking to ] the ball]]
Baseball has been regarded as the ] since the late 19th century, even after being eclipsed in popularity by ]. ] and ] are the country's next two leading professional team sports. ] and ] attract large audiences. American football is now by several measures the most popular spectator sport.<ref>{{cite web |author=Krane, David K. |title=Professional Football Widens Its Lead Over Baseball as Nation's Favorite Sport |url=http://www.harrisinteractive.com/Insights/HarrisVault8482.aspx?PID=337 |publisher=Harris Interactive |date=2002-10-30|accessdate=2007-09-14}} Maccambridge, Michael (2004). ''America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation''. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-375-50454-0.</ref> Boxing and horse racing were once the most watched individual sports, but they have been eclipsed by ] and ], particularly ]. ] is played widely at the youth and amateur levels. ] and many outdoor sports are popular as well.

While most major U.S. sports have evolved out of European practices, basketball, ], ], ], and ] are American inventions. ] and ] arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate Western contact. Eight ] have ] The United States has won 2,301 medals at the ], more than any other country,<ref>{{cite web|title=All-Time Medal Standings, 1896–2004 | publisher = Information Please|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0115108.html | accessdate=2007-06-14}} {{cite web|title=Distribution of Medals—2008 Summer Games| publisher = Fact Monster|url=http://www.factmonster.com/sports/olympics/2008/distribution-medals-summer-games.html| accessdate=2008-09-02}}</ref> and 253 in the ], the second most.<ref>{{cite web|title=All-Time Medal Standings, 1924–2006|publisher=Information Please|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0115207.html|accessdate=2007-06-14}} {{cite web|title=Olympic Medals|publisher=Vancouver Organizing Committee|url=http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/|accessdate=2010-03-02}} Norway is first.</ref>{{Clear}}

===Measurement systems===
{{main|United States customary units}}
The country retains United States customary units, constituted largely by British ] such as miles, ]s, and ]. Distinct units include the U.S. gallon and U.S. pint volume measurements. Along with ] and ], the United States is one of the three countries that have not adopted the ]. However, ] are increasingly used in science, medicine, and many industrial fields.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/appendix/appendix-g.html|title=Appendix G: Weights and Measures|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|date=|accessdate=2010-04-01}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Misplaced Pages-Books}}
{{Wikisource-inline|Wikisource:United States|United States of America}}
{{Portal box|Geography|North America}}
* ]
* ]
{{Clear}}

==References==
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{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links}}
{{osmrelation|148838}}
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*{{CIA World Factbook link|us|United States}}
* Portal to U.S. Information Agency resources
* Official site of the U.S. ]
* Statistics from the Population Reference Bureau
* Collected informational links for each state
*] from ]
* ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' entry
*{{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States}}
* Wide-ranging data from the ]
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* Economic, environmental, and energy data for each state from the U.S. ]
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* Collected by the National Center for Public Policy Research
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Revision as of 13:36, 11 June 2011

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