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Life in America: 1983 vs. Today

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The editors at Top Degrees Online decided to research the topic of:

LIFE IN AMERICA

1983 VS. TODAY

Population


- 1983: 233 million
- Today: 313 million

Top 10 states by population


- 1983 Today
- 1. California 1. California
- 2. New York 2. Texas
- 3. Texas 3. New York
- 4. Pennsylvania 4. Florida
- 5. Illinois 5. Illinois
- 6. Ohio 6. Pennsylvania
- 7. Florida 7. Ohio
- 8. Michigan 8. Michigan
- 9. New Jersey 9. Georgia
- 10. North Carolina 10. North Carolina

By gender


- Gender - 1983 - Today
- Female - 120 million - 158 million
- Male - 113 million - 153 million

Economics

GDP


- 1983 - Today
- $3.5 trillion - $14.5 trillion

Mean household income


- Lowest fifth - Second fifth - Third fifth - Fourth fifth - Highest fifth - Top 5 percent
- 1983 $5,053 - $12,693 - $20,986 - $31,492 - $57,819 - $87,359
- Today $11,239 - $29,204 - $49,842 - $80,080 - $178,020 - $311,444

Median home sales price


- 1983 - Today
- $89,800 - $272,900

Employment by industry


- Industry - 1983 - Today
- Management, professional, and related occupations - 29160000 - 54043000
- Management, business, and financial operations occupations - 12192000 - 22678000
- Professional and related occupations - 16968000 - 31365000
- Service occupations - 16039000 - 25459000
- Sales and office occupations - 27763000 - 33152000
- Sales and related occupations - 11386000 - 15457000
- Office and administrative support occupations - 16377000 - 17695000
- Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations - 11463000 - 12821000
- Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations - 1126000 - 994000
- Construction and extraction occupations - 6463000 - 7005000
- Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations - 3874000 - 4821000
- Production, transportation, and material moving occupations - 16650000 - 16994000
- Production occupations - 9306000 - 8455000
- Transportation and material moving occupations - 7344000 - 8540000

Politics

Which political party do you identify as a member of?


- 1983 - Today
- Democrat - 43% - 32%
- Republican - 24% - 24%
- Independent - 30% - 38%
- President - Republican Ronald Reagan - Democrat Barack Obama

Barack Obama just won re-election, and Ronald Reagan was headed there in 1983. Here is a look at how each man won re-election:


- Reagan 50.8% of the vote
- Obama 51.1% of the vote

Women in Congress


- Female members of the House and Senate by party
- 1983 - Today
- 24 (13 Democrat, 11 Republican) - 97 (74 Democrat, 23 Republican)

Entertainment

Top movies


- 1983 Today
- 1. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, $252 million 1. Marvel's The Avengers, $623 million
- 2. Terms of Endearment, $108 million 2. The Dark Knight Rises, $448 million
- 3. Flashdance, $92 million 3. The Hunger Games, $408 million
- 4. Trading Places, $90 million 4. Skyfall, $302 million
- 5. War Games, $79 million 5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, $296 million

Top singles of the year


- 1983 Today
- 1. "Every Breath You Take" The Police 1. "I Knew You Were Trouble" Taylor Swift
- 2. "Billie Jean" Michael Jackson 2. "Ho Hey" The Lumineers
- 3. "Flashdance... What a Feeling" Irene Cara 3. "When I Was Your Man" Bruno Mars
- 4. "Down Under" Men at Work 4. "Don't You Worry Child" Swedish House Mafia
- 5. "Beat It" Michael Jackson 5. "Locked Out of Heaven" Bruno Mars
- * 1983 information based on year-end Billboard chart; today's data from iTunes

Technology


- 1983 - Today
- Camcorder - Smartphone
- CD - Same smartphone as above
- Apple IIe - Really thin laptop or one of the new tablets (not the iPad)

SOURCES


- Apple
- Billboard
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Google
- Pew Research Center
- Rutgers University
- usgovernmentspending.com
- U.S. Census Bureau


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