The Average American, Part 2

US Resident Population by State, 2000

As Kevin O'Keefe traveled back and forth across the United States he met many people who helped him define the criteria for The Average American. But he also relied on the statistics from the 2000 US Census. If there is anything at all that you would like to know about the US, between 1790 and now, you are sure to be able to find it by looking on the website for the US Census Bureau. Their home page states the business of the Census Bureau: Measuring America -- People, Place, and Our Economy. From QuickFacts I see that the mean travel time for Stanwood residents to get to work is 29.5 minutes, as opposed to the 5 minutes determined for The Average American. I also learn that, on May 31, the US population was 313,648,520. Ten days later our population had grown by 71,500!

OK, installment number two of criterion required for someone to be The Average American:

*live where there is at least 0.1 inches of snow annually

*live where the average annual temperature is between 45 and 65 degrees

*ls between eighteen and fifty-three years old

*spends most of time indoors

*gets moderate exercise weekly

*has health insurance

*walks under own power

*weighs 135 to 205 pounds

*lives in urbanized and suburban America

*resides on zero to two acres

*has a private lawn

*supports the U.S. troops

*drinks soda

*drinks coffee regularly or occasionally

*has an electric coffeemaker in the home

*eats bread weekly

*believes music can bring family closer together

*has stereo in the home

*wears glasses and/or contacts to "correct his vision"

*has all five senses

*can read English

*can speak English fluently

*his community mirrors racial/ethnic make-up of the nation

*life is "impacted" by drugs or alcohol

*opposes legalization of marijuana for recreational use

*supports the use of pot for medicinal use

*has visited the ocean

*lives within 100 miles of the ocean

*lives in the Eastern-most time zones

*has consumed alcohol

*considers homosexuality an acceptable alternative lifestyle

*has color television

*has cable service

*has a DVD and/or VCR

*commonly watches television daily

*household's per capita income is between $15,000 and $75,000

*primary weekday destination is within 5 miles of home

*primary mode of transportation is the privately owned motor vehicle

*home has a porch and/or deck and/or balcony and/or patio

*has outdoor grill at home

*eats meat (red and white)

*has one to three registered voters in household

*lives on a local road

*household files federal income-tax return

*household files state income-tax return

*pays sales tax in state

*eats ice cream at least once a month

*lives within 2 miles of a public park

*uses recreational facilities annually

One more installment coming tomorrow. In the meantime, Today's Bonus! If you'd like to know what the equivalent to The Average Joe is in various countries, check out this Wikipedia page. And if you'd like a few more fun insights into The Average American, click here.