35 Amazing Facts About the USA You Must Know

by Petr Novák, ? The accuracy of the information provided in this article was last verified on this date. If you spot any errors, please let us know in the comments. Thank you. :-) Updated 04/09/2024 Fun Facts

Which American state has more cows than people? What is the only place in the USA where coffee beans are grown? And where do they have a grizzly bear on the state flag, even though no one has seen one there since 1922?

Interesting Facts About the USA

1. The highest point in the state of Florida is Britton Hill, with an elevation of just 105 feet.
2. More than 66 percent of Americans are overweight.
3. The state of Alaska is 429 times larger than Rhode Island, but Rhode Island has a significantly larger population.
4. The average American disposes of 1.36 tons of food per year at the supermarket.
5. Approximately 12% of Americans are either low-income or living in poverty. You can recognize an economically disadvantaged neighborhood by the condition of its residents’ teeth—if they are decayed or completely missing, it is likely a slum.
6. Alaska has a longer coastline than all other 49 states combined.
7. In the United Kingdom, the average health care expenditure is £3840$4,770 per person per year; in the United States, it is $12,530. The data is for 2021.
8. There are three times more cows than people in Montana.
9. The average American consumes 600 cans of soda a year.
10. Hawaii is the only place in the USA where coffee is grown.
11. There are 890 motor vehicles per 1,000 people in the USA. The highest numbers are in Gibraltar (1,444), San Marino (1,300) and New Zealand (884). The fewest cars per capita are in North Korea (1), the Central African Republic (4), and within Europe, Kosovo (94). (Source)
12. The grizzly bear is the official animal of California, although none have been spotted there since 1922. (Source)
13. Jimmy Carter was the first American president to be born in a hospital.
14. In the middle of the last century, the United States had the highest GDP per capita; as of 2022, it was ranked twelfth.
15. There are roughly 25 million adults in America—meaning individuals still living with their parents.
16. One survey found that 25 percent of all Americans with Internet access visit pornographic sites during work hours.
17. In 2011, the USA’s trade balance with China was 49,000 times larger than it was in 1985.
18. One in seven Americans has at least 10 credit cards.
19. The city of Juneau, Alaska is 3,255 mi2 in size, making it larger than the entire state of Delaware.
20. For every 100,000 residents in the USA, 505 live in prison. This is the sixth highest prison population per capita in the world. (Source)
21. There are more unemployed people in the USA than there are in Denmark.
22. The city of Atlanta in Georgia was originally named Terminus and Marthasville. The name Atlanta wasn’t adopted until December 29, 1845.
23. More than 52 percent of children living in Cleveland, Ohio, are in poverty.
24. In 1950, more than 80 percent of American men were employed. Today, fewer than 65% are.
25. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, more than 167,000 Americans have student loans of at least $200.
26. There are several communities in the USA named Santa Claus—one of them is in Indiana, for example.
27. There are 314 million people in the United States, roughly 46 million of whom depend on food stamps.
28. On average, one in four children in the USA lives on food stamps.
29. In 1940, 68% of American women between the ages of 20 and 34 were married. Today, only 39.2% of women in the same age group are married.
30. The USA has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy at 22%, with New Zealand second at 14%.
31. More people are diagnosed with a mental disorder in the United States than anywhere else in the world.
32. The USA’s national debt as a percentage of GDP is higher than that of Greece, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, or Spain.
33. If Bill Gates donated all his money to the U.S. government, it would only cover the USA’s national debt deficit for 15 days.
34. The US national debt is now 22 times higher than it was during Jimmy Carter’s presidency.
35. From the founding of the country until 1981, the U.S. national debt rose to $1,000,000,000,000. In January 2023, the debt surpassed $31,489,489,800,000.

Do you know of any other interesting statistics about the USA? Join the discussion! And don’t forget to read another article with USA trivia!