	American Citizen Services U.S. Visa Information Immigrant Visa Section Travel to the U.S. Study in the U.S. Doing Business with the U.S. GEI/SNAP Recruitment Services Foreign Agricultural Service America.gov Press and Culture U.S. Embassy Programs American Reference Center Publications Fulbright Commission Frequently Asked Questions
	Contact Us

POPULATION

The story of the American people is a story of immigration and diversity. The United States has welcomed more immigrants than any other country - more than 50 million in all - and still admits between 500,000 and 1 million persons a year. In the past many American writers emphasized the idea of the melting pot, an image that suggested newcomers would discard their old customs and adopt American ways. Typically, for example, the children of immigrants learned English but not their parents' first language. Recently, however, Americans have placed greater value on diversity, ethnic groups have renewed and celebrated their heritage, and the children of immigrants often grow up being bilingual.

(Source: Portrait of the U.S.A.)

DEMOGRAPHICS

Statistics - links compiled by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State
White House Social Statistics Briefing Room - statistical information produced by a number of Federal agencies on crime, demography, education and health
FedStats - the gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies
Immigration Statistics - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services/U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Census Bureau - U.S. Department of Commerce

Statistical Abstract of the United States - contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States

USA Statistics in Brief - a supplement to the Statistical Abstract of the United States presenting national summary data and state population estimates

Census 2000 Gateway - Census 2000 was the largest peacetime effort in the history of the United States. Information was compiled about the 115.9 million housing units and 281.4 million people across the United States.
American Community Survey - a new nationwide survey designed to provide communities a fresh look at how they are changing
State & County QuickFacts - quick, easy access to facts about people, business, and geography
Population Profile of the United States: 2000 - an Internet publication containing a wide range of data on demographic, social, economic, and housing trends for the country as a whole
A Century of Change: America, 1900-1999 - Census Bureau Facts for Features
We the People of More Than One Race in the United States (pdf), April 2005
We the People of Arab Ancestry in the United States (pdf), March 2005
We the People: Women and Men in the United States (pdf), January 2005
We the People: Aging in the United States (pdf), December 2004
We the People: Asians in the United States (pdf), December 2004
We the People: Hispanics in the United States (pdf), December 2004
Ancestry: 2000 (pdf), June 2004
Global Population Profile: 2002 (pdf), March 2004

GALILEO: Demographics and Census Data - GALILEO stands for GeorgiA LIbrary LEarning Online, an initiative of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. A World Wide Web-based virtual library, GALILEO provides access to multiple information resources.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY

"The Social Safety Net: Public Assistance and Health Care," in Portrait of the USA, published by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves

National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The NIH is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation. Its mission is science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) - the nation's principal health statistics agency

Fast Stats A to Z - statistical data on a wide range of topics, including alcohol use, births, diseases, life expectancy, etc.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CMS runs the Medicare and Medicaid programs - two national health care programs that benefit about 75 million Americans. And with the Health Resources and Services Administration, CMS runs the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a program that is expected to cover many of the approximately 10 million uninsured children in the United States.

Medicare 2000: 35 years of improving Americans' health and security
Medicaid Statistics and Data
A Profile of Medicaid - Chart Book 2000

Medicare.gov - The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare
National Coalition on Health Care - The National Coalition on Health Care is the nation's largest and most broadly representative alliance working to improve America's health care. The Coalition, which was founded in 1990 and is non-profit and rigorously non-partisan, is comprised of 94 organizations, employing or representing approximately 100 million Americans.
Social Security Administration

CRIME

Uniform Crime Reports - Federal Bureau of Investigation/U.S. Department of Justice

Bureau of Justice Statistics - U.S. Department of Justice

RACE, IMMIGRATION

For additional information, please see separate page on History and American Studies

"Celebrating a Nation of Immigrants," Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services/U.S. Department of Homeland Security, July 1 - 4, 2003
"One From Many: Immigration Patterns and Ethnic Composition" in Portrait of the USA, published by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State
Changing America: The United States Population in Transition, Electronic Journal, published by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State, June 1999

RACE

Toward One America: A National Conversation on Race, Electronic Journal, published by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State, August 1997
Race Data - U.S. Census Bureau/U.S. Department of Commerce
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - The primary focus of the NAACP continues to be the protection and enhancement of the civil rights of African-Americans and other minorities.

An aerial view from a helicopter shows the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. Over 250,000 people fighting for pending civil rights laws, such as desegregation, gathered at the Lincoln Memorial after a sign-carrying parade from the Washington Monument grounds. (© AP/WWP)

Web pages compiled by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State

IMMIGRATION

United States Foreign-Born Population - U.S. Census Bureau/U.S. Department Commerce

The Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2003 (pdf), August 2004

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - U.S. Department of Homeland Security

A Description of the Immigrant Population (pdf), Congressional Budget Office, November 2004
Making and Remaking America: Immigration into the United States, by Philip Martin and Peter Duignan, Hoover Essay, Hoover Institution, published October, 2003

WOMEN

Women in the United States - web page compiled by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State
Center for the American Woman and Politics - CAWP works to promote greater understanding of the relationship between women and politics in the U.S. and to encourage women's participation in public life.
National Organization for Women - the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States
Yahoo's Directory of Women's Organizations
National Museum of Women in the Arts - located in Washington D.C., this is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to recognizing the contributions of women artists

RELIGION

American Religious History (pdf), a bibliographical essay, published by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs/U.S. Department of State
American Religion Data Archive - This archive collects quantitative data sets for the study of American religion.
The Religious Landscape of the United States - The essays in this Electronic Journal, published by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State in March 1997, invite readers to consider two aspects of religious life in America, which derive from the First Amendment: the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom in American society and the remarkable religious vitality of a society with over 2000 religious denominations.
The American Religious Experience - a selection of sites on the role of religion in American history and culture
The Religious Movements Homepage - This site features information on Televangelism and Religious Groups (including cults and sects).

The Amish, the Mennonites, and the Plain People - This site, published by the Pennsylvania Dutch Country Welcome Center, explains the traditions of the Amish people.
The Amish - information on e.g. their history, beliefs, controversies
American Jewish Historical Society - The mission of the American Jewish Historical Society is to foster awareness and appreciation of the American Jewish past and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American Jewish history.

The Islamic Center, constructed 1950-1957. Washington, D.C. (Photo provided courtesy of Dr. Omar Khalidi, Agha Khan Foundation Program for Islamic Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Catholic Online - provides information on current topics facing the domestic and international Catholic Church, catalogs resources that address these issues.
Presbyterian Church in America - extensive news and official information about the Presbyterian Church
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - official Internet site
The Quaker Corner - resources for research of information about Quakers
Muslim Life in the United States - web page compiled by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State

Privacy Notice and Disclaimer

e-mail: embassy@usembassy.at