Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 19, 1993 TAG: 9301190120
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIM ABRAMS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
DIVERSITY REIGNS ACROSS AMERICA
Bill Clinton says he wants his presidency to "look like America." But what does America look like these days?It's a nation of 255 million people with hundreds of languages, thousands of agendas and millions of problems, a land so diverse it's a wonder anything gets done.
A full quarter of the populace comes from ethnic and racial minorities, and the white majority continues to give ground to Koreans, Filipinos, Hmongs, Sri Lankans, Haitians and Guatemalans seeking the American dream.
Three-quarters of Americans live in urban areas, a mere 2.5 percent of the nation's land mass. Of 118 million in the civilian labor force, only 3 million still work on the farm.
Adding to urban strains, and the nation's vitality, are 20 million immigrants, one-fourth of whom arrived after 1985.
The median age of Americans is 33.1, compared with 18.9 in 1850 and 30.2 in 1950. One out of eight Americans is 65 or older, and the aging of the nation previews crises in health and Social Security programs.
The American male can expect to live to age 72, females to 78.8.
The 4.2 million births in 1990 was almost double the 2.2 million deaths. Infant mortality was down from 12.6 per 1,000 births in 1980 to 10 in 1990, but America still trailed many industrial countries.
There were other unenviable realities. More than 500,000 babies were born to teen-agers, and more than 1 million births - 64 percent of black births - were to unwed mothers. There are about 1.6 million abortions every year, four for every 10 live births.
There were 2.4 million marriages in 1990, but also 1.2 million divorces, and reflecting evolving social mores, 2.9 million unmarried couples.
The typical household has 2.63 members, down from 3.33 in 1960. That's partly a result of the 9.7 million households, 28 percent of the total, with single parents. Helping fill the space were 52 million dogs and 55 million cats.
Young Americans still see higher education as the key to success, and 21 percent of those over 25 have completed college.
But annual tuition - not including room and board - at four-year private schools topped $10,000 in 1990. College can be an expensive gamble when the educated have become a very visible part of the nation's 7.3 percent without jobs.
"It's very bad for young people," said Greg Williams, 26, of Rochester, N.Y., who received a master's degree from Northwestern University last September and is looking for work in journalism. "A lot of people are working up a lot of debt trying to stay in school and ride this out," he said.
Nearly 60 percent of the 56.9 million women in the labor force are working; 7.2 million people have more than one job.
Americans spent $257 billion in 1990 for recreation, including $52.5 billion on video, audio and computer equipment, and $28.3 billion on toys and sports supplies.
Two-thirds of American homes owned VCRs and 58.9 percent have cable for their 2.1 televisions. The average household kept the TV on six hours and 56 minutes daily, providing respite for the 27.8 million golfers, 18.4 million tennis players and 24 million joggers.
Americans owe more than $700 billion in short-term consumer installment credit, but even that pales to the $4 trillion national debt, which works out to $16,000 for every man, woman and child.
There's another side to this land of excess, where 64 percent own their homes but hundreds of thousands spend each night huddled on streets or in shelters.
"I tried not to be homeless; it represents being a total failure," said Jack Graham, 42, who spent 18 months on the streets of Chicago after an injury cost him his job as a correctional officer.
Americans remain a devout, giving people, with 20 percent doing volunteer work and three-fourths contributing to charity. Church and synagogue membership holds steady at 65 percent; 40 percent attend services regularly.
In this richest of nations, 14.3 percent of its populace lives below the poverty line. That includes 32.7 percent of the nation's 31 million blacks and 28.7 percent of the 22 million Hispanics.
One-fifth of all children, more than 14 million, live in poverty. Many will join the 4 million people between the ages of 14 and 24 who are high school dropouts with often-dismal job prospects.
The government administers to the 40 million Social Security recipients, 26 million receiving food stamps and 4.2 million households receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
No other nation comes close to the $940 billion the United States is expected to spend this year on health care. That's 14 percent of the gross national product, $3,700 for every person. Still, fewer than half of 2-year-olds in some cities have received immunizations for polio, diphtheria, measles and other diseases. Some 34 million Americans lack health insurance.