35 Amazing Facts About the USA You Must Know

by Petr Novák, ? This article’s information was last verified on this date. If you notice any errors, let us know in the comments. Thank you! :-) Updated 01/27/2025 Fun Facts

In which U.S. state are there more cows than people? How many days could Elon Musk fund the U.S. federal budget? Where is the only place in the United States that grows coffee beans? And which state features a grizzly bear on its flag, even though no one has seen one there since 1922?

Fascinating Facts About the United States

How many days would it take the U.S. federal government to spend all of Elon Musk’s wealth? How many years older have American brides become on average, and which city is bigger than an entire state? Discover interesting facts about the U.S. with links to relevant sources.

1. The Pentagon’s Area is Larger Than Vatican City

   The Pentagon serves as the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. Located in Arlington, Virginia, it has a total floor area of 0.23 mi², making it the second-largest office building in the world. The largest is the Surat Diamond Bourse in Surat, India.

   The Pentagon is even larger than Vatican City, which spans only 0.17 mi².

2. Florida’s Highest Point is Only 345 ft

   The highest point in the state of Florida is Britton Hill, with an elevation of just 345 ft. Of all the highest points in every U.S. state, Britton Hill ranks the lowest.

3. Three Out of Four Americans Are Overweight

   According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Health, 73.6% of Americans over the age of 20 are overweight. More concerning is the obesity rate, which affects 41.9% of adults over 20. Obesity also impacts 22.2% of adolescents aged 12–19 and 20.7% of children aged 6–11. High obesity rates place significant financial strain on the healthcare system.

4. The Smallest U.S. State Has More People Than the Largest

   Alaska, with a total area of 663,264 mi², is 546 times larger than Rhode Island, which measures just 1,214 mi². However, Rhode Island has a population of 1,097,379, while Alaska has only 733,391 residents.

5. Americans Waste Up to 40% of Their Food

   Every year in the U.S., 120 billion pounds of food are thrown away, representing approximately 40% of the entire food supply. For example, out of 10 apples on a supermarket shelf, 4 will be wasted without ever being consumed.

   On average, each American discards 325 lb of food annually. The estimated monetary value of all wasted food in the U.S. is $218,000,000,000 per year.

6. 11.5% of Americans Live Below the Poverty Line

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 37.9 million people in the U.S. lived in poverty in 2022, representing 11.5% of the population. One indicator of impoverished neighborhoods is poor dental health—missing or decayed teeth often signal a low-income area.

7. Alaska’s Coastline is Longer Than All Other States Combined

   The coastline of Alaska spans 6,640 mi, which is longer than the combined coastlines of the other 22 coastal states (5,839 mi).

8. Americans Spend $12,555 Per Year on Healthcare

   On average, each American spends $12,555 annually on healthcare. In comparison, Swiss citizens spend $8,049, Germans spend $8,011, and Norwegians spend $7,898. These figures are based on data from 2022.

9. South Dakota Has Four Times More Cows Than People

   In South Dakota, there are 3,550,000 cattle but only 919,318 residents. This translates to nearly four cows per person, making it the state with the highest ratio of cattle to humans in the U.S., according to National Beef Wire.

10. The Average American Drinks 348 Cans of Soda Annually

    On average, each U.S. resident consumes 348 cans of soda per year. However, this number has been declining in recent years, according to data.

11. 3 Out of 4 Americans Are Overweight

    According to statistics from the Department of Health, 73.6% of Americans over the age of 20 are overweight. More concerning is obesity, which affects 41.9% of Americans over 20. Among adolescents aged 12 to 19, 22.2% are obese, and 20.7% of children aged 6 to 11 also suffer from obesity. High obesity rates place a significant financial strain on the healthcare system.

12. The Smallest U.S. State Has More People Than the Largest

    Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area, spanning 663,264 mi². It’s 546 times larger than Rhode Island, which covers only 1,214 mi². However, Rhode Island has a population of 1,097,379, while Alaska is home to just 733,391 residents.

13. Americans Throw Away 40% of Their Food

    Each year in the U.S., 120 billion pounds of food are wasted, amounting to about 40% of the entire food supply chain. Imagine a shelf with 10 apples; 4 of them are discarded without being used.

    On average, each American throws away 325 lb of food annually. The approximate value of all wasted food in the U.S. is $218,000,000,000 per year.

14. 11.5% of Americans Live in Poverty

    According to data from the Census Bureau, about 37.9 million Americans lived in poverty in 2022, representing 11.5% of the population. Poor dental hygiene—such as decayed or missing teeth—can often be a marker of poverty-stricken areas.

15. Alaska’s Coastline Is Longer Than All Other States Combined

    The length of Alaska’s coastline is 6,640 mi, which is more than the combined coastlines of the other 22 coastal states (5,839 mi).

16. Americans Spend $12,555 Annually on Healthcare

    Healthcare costs the average American $12,555 annually. In comparison, the average cost per citizen is $8,049 in Switzerland, $8,011 in Germany, and $7,898 in Norway. The data is from 2022.

17. South Dakota Has Four Times More Cows Than People

    In South Dakota, there are 3,550,000 cattle but only 919,318 residents. That’s nearly four cows for every person, the highest ratio of any U.S. state. This ratio is unmatched across the country.

18. The Average American Drinks 348 Cans of Soda Per Year

    The average U.S. resident drinks 348 cans of soda annually, although this number has been declining over the years.

19. Hawaii Is the Only U.S. State That Grows Coffee

    Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. with a suitable climate for growing coffee. The most famous coffee-growing region is Kona on the Island of Hawaii. Coffee is also cultivated in Hamakua, Puna, and Ka’u on the same island. During the 2022/2023 season, Hawaiian coffee farms produced 23,310,000 lb of coffee cherries.

    Experimental coffee plantations exist in Florida and South Carolina, but they do not operate on an industrial scale. Combined, they harvest less than 1,000 lb of coffee cherries annually.

20. There Are 908 Motor Vehicles for Every 1,000 People in the U.S.

    For every 1,000 residents in the U.S., there are 908 cars and trucks. Among countries with at least one million people, New Zealand surpasses this with 1,086 vehicles per 1,000 residents. Small territories like Gibraltar (1,444 vehicles), Guernsey (1,365), and San Marino (1,300) hold the top spots.

    On the other hand, North Korea has only 1 vehicle per 1,000 residents, and Bangladesh has 2. In Europe, Kosovo has the lowest ratio with 94 vehicles per 1,000 residents. The data is from 2022-2023.

21. California’s State Animal Hasn’t Been Seen in Over 100 Years

    The grizzly bear is the official state animal of California, even though no one has seen a grizzly in the state since 1922. Learn more.

22. The First U.S. President Born in a Hospital

    Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president born in a hospital, on October 1, 1924, at Wise Sanitarium in Plains, Georgia. All previous U.S. presidents were born at home.

23. The U.S. Once Had the World’s Highest GDP Per Capita

    In the 1940s and 1950s, the United States had the highest GDP per capita in the world. By 2023, it ranked 12th. According to World Bank data, the GDP per capita in the U.S. was $81,695.

24. Nearly Half of Young Adults in the U.S. Live with Their Parents

    Approximately 23 million Americans aged 18 to 29 still live with their parents, accounting for about 45% of this age group. This figure is similar to the 1940s, when young women often lived with their parents until marriage, and young men stayed home to help on family farms during the Great Depression.

25. 63% of Americans Have Watched Porn at Work

    According to an older study from 2014, 63% of Americans admitted to watching pornography at work within the previous three months. About 38% of men said they did this more than once, while 36% of women admitted to it, with 13% watching porn more than once.

26. How Dependent Is the U.S. on Chinese Imports?

    In 1985, the trade deficit between the U.S. and China stood at $6 million in favor of Chinese imports. By 2023, the trade imbalance had grown to $279.1 billion. Over 38 years, the U.S. has become increasingly reliant on Chinese imports, with the trade gap expanding 46,517 times.

27. 82% of Americans Have Credit Cards, 57% Have Debt

    According to a Forbes.com study, 82% of adult Americans had a credit card in 2022. The largest share of cardholders belongs to Baby Boomers (ages 58–73), who own an average of 4.6 credit cards each.

    About 56.9% of credit cards carry outstanding balances, with an average debt of $11,210. Interestingly, 13% of Americans own at least five credit cards.

28. The Largest City in the U.S. Is Bigger Than an Entire State

    The city of Sitka, Alaska, spans 2,870 mi², making it the largest city in the U.S. by area. Despite its size, Sitka has a population of only 8,458 residents. The city is larger in land area than the entire state of Delaware.

29. 1 in 188 Americans Is Currently in Prison

    In the U.S., 531 out of every 100,000 residents are currently incarcerated. This means that 1 in every 188 people is behind bars, placing the U.S. 6th globally in incarceration rates. The highest rates are in El Salvador (1,086 per 100,000), Cuba (794), and Rwanda (637).

30. There Are More Unemployed Americans Than the Entire Population of Denmark

    The unemployment rate in the U.S. hovers around 4.10%, which equates to approximately 6.2 million people. This figure is higher than the entire population of Denmark. See the data.

31. Atlanta, Georgia, Used to Have a Different Name

    The city of Atlanta in Georgia was originally named Terminus and later Marthasville. It officially became Atlanta on December 29, 1845. Dozens of other U.S. cities have also had different names in the past. Learn more here.

32. Almost Half the Children in Syracuse, NY, Live in Poverty

    Syracuse, New York, is among the most poverty-stricken cities in the U.S., with 45.6% of children living below the poverty line. Other cities with high child poverty rates include Cleveland, Ohio (45.3%); Detroit, Michigan (44.2%); Dayton, Ohio (41.7%); and Rochester, New York (40.8%).

33. 1 in 3 American Men Is Unemployed

    In 1950, more than 80% of American men were employed across all age groups. By 2023, only 65.5% of men were employed.

34. More Than Half of U.S. Students Have Loans

    Approximately 55% of students at four-year public universities in the U.S. take out loans. The average student loan debt is $28,950. The highest average debts are in New Hampshire ($39,928), Delaware ($39,705), and Pennsylvania ($39,375).

    The lowest average student loan debts are in Utah ($18,344), New Mexico ($20,868), and California ($21,125).

35. Three Towns in the U.S. Are Named Santa Claus

    The largest town named Santa Claus is located in southwestern Indiana, with a population of 2,586 as of 2020. A much smaller town named Santa Claus exists in Georgia, which you’d have to search for on the map. The third is an uninhabited ghost town in Arizona, abandoned in 1995. You can still visit it on your way to Las Vegas by checking the map.

36. Food Stamps Support 12.3% of Americans

    The U.S. has a population of 333.3 million, and in 2022, 41.2 million of them relied on food stamps. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides social support to the nation’s poorest residents, helping them afford food. The average monthly benefit per person in 2022 was $231. About 43% of American children depend on food stamps.

37. 45,000 Flights Are Handled Daily in the U.S.

    Air traffic controllers in the U.S. handle 45,000 flights daily, carrying more than 2.9 million passengers. Annually, this totals 16,405,000 flights monitored by 520 control towers and 21 regional air traffic centers. Over 14,000 air traffic controllers manage the skies, with around 5,400 planes in the air at peak times. The U.S. has 19,633 airports—5,082 public and 14,551 private.

38. American Brides Are 8 Years Older Than Two Generations Ago

    In the 1950s, American women got married for the first time at an average age of 20, while men married at about 23. Over the decades, these ages have significantly increased. By 2023, the average age of first-time brides was 28, and grooms were over 30.

39. 15 Out of 1,000 American Teen Girls Get Pregnant

    According to World Bank data from 2022, an average of 15 out of 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 become pregnant in the U.S. This rate is relatively high among developed countries, with higher rates seen in Slovakia (27) and Hungary (22). In comparison, Niger (168) and Mozambique (165) have the highest rates globally.

40. 1 in 4 Americans Suffers From a Mental Disorder

    An estimated 26% of Americans over the age of 18 suffer from a mental health disorder. The most common issues are anxiety and depression, affecting approximately 9.5% of Americans. Women are about twice as likely to experience depression as men. Bipolar disorder affects about 2.6% of Americans aged 18 and older.

41. Every American Owes More Than They Earn in a Year

    The average U.S. national debt per capita is $76,426, while the average annual income is $59,384. This means the government owes more per person than the average American earns in a year.

    The external debt of the U.S. is 90.28% of its GDP. For comparison, Luxembourg’s external debt is 5,968% of its GDP, with every citizen owing $5,790,000.

42. The U.S. Government Would Spend Elon Musk’s Wealth in 14 Days

    If Elon Musk donated his entire wealth to the U.S. government, it would fund the federal budget for just 14 days. Musk’s total net worth is estimated at $245.7 billion, while the U.S. federal government plans to spend $6.32 trillion in 2024.

43. The U.S. National Debt in 2025

    As of January 27, 2025, the total federal debt of the United States reached $36,402,750,335,487. From the nation’s founding until 1981, the debt only grew to $1,000,000,000,000, but since the presidency of Jimmy Carter, it has increased 364 times.

Do you know other fascinating statistics about the United States? Share them in the comments! And don’t forget to check out another article with more U.S. facts.