The 2024 American Community Survey reveals a complex picture of post-pandemic America, showing that while the U.S. population has begun recovering from COVID-19's impact, significant economic and demographic challenges persist. According to the latest 2024 American Community Survey data, Americans are earning slightly less money, more are foreign-born, and fewer are purchasing homes or working remotely compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The 2024 American Community Survey, which provides comprehensive demographic, social, and economic data for places with more than 65,000 people, is now available through Social Explorer's mapping software in customizable map and tabular formats. This authoritative Census Bureau dataset underscores the uneven nature of the recovery following a pandemic that killed more than 1.2 million Americans.
What the 2024 American Community Survey Reveals
To understand the current state of the nation, Social Explorer analyzed five key categories from the 2024 American Community Survey data:
- Household income
- Homeownership
- Remote work
- Foreign-born population
- Married couples
Household Income: Mixed Results Across Major Metros
The 2024 American Community Survey data on household income tells a sobering story. The median household income in the United States fell 0.8 percent since the pandemic, dropping from an inflation-adjusted $82,266 in 2019 to $81,604 in 2024. The 2024 American Community Survey analysis found that households in half of the nation's 10 largest metro areas have suffered inflation-adjusted declines in income.
Inflation, which reached its highest level in a generation in 2022, appears to be the primary culprit for declining incomes in major metros. Five of the nation's 10 largest metros experienced significant declines according to the 2024 American Community Survey:
- Los Angeles: -1 percent to $96,405
- Chicago: -1.6 percent to $90,770
- Houston: -2.7 percent to $81,417
- Washington, D.C.: -3.1 percent to $126,244
- Philadelphia: -3.8 percent to $90,850
However, the 2024 American Community Survey data also shows brighter spots. Five of the 10 biggest metros experienced income growth:
- New York: +0.3 percent to $99,852
- Dallas-Fort Worth: +3.4 percent to $92,733
- Miami: +7.1 percent to $80,625
- Atlanta: +0.9 percent to $92,344
- Phoenix: +0.9 percent to $90,133
Some of the income gains documented in the 2024 American Community Survey likely resulted from outmigration patterns triggered by COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, which allowed white-collar workers to transition to remote work. According to the 2024 American Community Survey data, metros that became remote-work destinations showed varying results:
- Austin, Texas: -2.2 percent to $99,897
- Boise, Idaho: +2.5 percent to $88,695
- Bend, Ore.: +1.9 percent to $95,979
- Bozeman, Mont.: +9 percent to $103,918
- Wilmington, N.C.: -0.1 percent to $78,890
The largest percentage gains were registered in smaller metros:
- Hobbs, N.M., +34.5 percent to $80,482
- Orangeburg, +31.7 percent to $53,885
- Palatka, Fla., +30.3 percent to $51,293
- Key West, Fla., +23.9 percent to $100,256
- Morristown, Tenn., +22.5 percent to $62,456
The biggest gainer from a pure numerical standpoint was the Hobbs, N.M., metro area, where the inflation-adjusted median household income rose $20,627.
Although there were bright spots throughout the United States, 265 of the 497 metro areas reviewed by Social Explorer reported inflation-adjusted declines in median household income. They included:
- Clearlake, Calif., -28.8 percent to $51,434
- Tupelo, Miss., -21.2 percent to $52,405
- Statesboro, Ga., -20.5 percent to $54,066
- Rexburg, Idaho, -20 percent to $56,390
- Carson City, Nev., -18.3 percent to $62,948
Clearlake also posted the nation’s largest inflation-adjusted numerical loss, with median household incomes plunging $20,806.
Homeownership: Growth in Housing Units, Decline in Ownership Rates
According to 2024 American Community Survey data, the United States added more than 5 million housing units between 2021 and 2024. Of these new units, 3.2 million were owner-occupied and about 2 million were rented. Despite this construction boom, the 2024 American Community Survey shows that the percentage of homeowners fell slightly to 65.3 percent.
The 2024 American Community Survey data indicates that some regional markets bucked the trend. Holland, Michigan, reported the nation's highest homeownership rate at 88.7 percent according to the 2024 American Community Survey, followed by Homosassa Springs, Florida, at 86.3 percent and Shelton, Washington, at 85.4 percent.
However, the 2024 American Community Survey reveals that expensive housing markets struggled with homeownership. Los Angeles had the lowest percentage of owners in the nation at 48.2 percent, with other major markets showing similarly low rates: New York (51.2 percent), San Francisco (55.1 percent), and Austin (56.9 percent).
Remote Work: The Work-From-Home Revolution Slows
The 2024 American Community Survey data shows a significant decline in remote work. A Social Explorer analysis of 197 metro and micro statistical areas (MSAs) found that the number of Americans working from home fell from 27.6 million in 2021 to 22.1 million in 2024 – almost a 25 percent decline according to the 2024 American Community Survey analysis of 197 metro and micro statistical areas.
Interestingly, the 2024 American Community Survey data reveals that three of the five metros with the greatest decline in remote workers were in California's Bay Area – the epicenter of U.S. tech activity. The San Jose metro experienced a 55.2 percent drop in work-from-home employees, Santa Cruz declined 48.6 percent, and San Francisco fell 44.1 percent, all documented in the 2024 American Community Survey.
Springfield, Massachusetts, recorded the nation's largest drop, with the 2024 American Community Survey showing remote workers fell from 51,300 to about 19,100. The western Massachusetts metro, where the largest employers are education and healthcare, registered 62.8 percent of people who worked from home.
The New Haven, Conn., metro area reported a 53 percent decline in home workers, the third-highest figure in the nation.
Foreign-born Population: Significant Growth Across the Nation
The 2024 American Community Survey data shows that the percentage of foreign-born people in the United States grew 10.8 percent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 50.2 million people, or 14.8 percent of the nation's population.
According to the 2024 American Community Survey analysis, all 25 of the nation's metro areas with the biggest percentage increase in foreign-born Americans between 2021 and 2024 were in states that voted for President Trump in 2024. The 2024 American Community Survey documented the highest growth in Hammond, Louisiana, where the foreign-born population soared 350 percent, followed by Sunbury, Pennsylvania, at 322 percent growth.
The 2024 American Community Survey data also shows that the percentage of foreign-born residents declined in 133 of the 492 metro areas, with the greatest decline recorded in the Salisbury, Maryland, metro area at -58.9 percent according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
Married Couples: Minimal Change
The 2024 American Community Survey data on marriage rates shows relatively stable trends. The percentage of married Americans fell only 0.1 percent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 American Community Survey found that 134.3 million Americans were married in 2024, representing about 47.9 percent of the adult population. The number was a slight increase from the 130.4 million married couples – about 48 percent of the population – in 2021.
However, the 2024 American Community Survey reveals a notable shift in marital status overall. Americans who were never married climbed to 34.8 percent of the population, up from 34.2 percent in 2021, according to the 2024 American Community Survey data.
The 2024 American Community Survey identified Heber, Utah, as having the nation's highest percentage of married couples at 65.7 percent, while Gallup, New Mexico, had the lowest at 24.5 percent.
Explore the 2024 American Community Survey Data Yourself
The findings presented here represent just a fraction of the insights available in the 2024 American Community Survey. This rich dataset offers detailed demographic, social, and economic information that can help you understand trends in communities across the nation.
Log in to Social Explorer and begin conducting your own analysis using the 2024 American Community Survey data. Whether you're researching specific metro areas, comparing regional trends, or examining demographic changes in your community, Social Explorer provides the tools and data you need via an intuitive interface that makes it easy to visualize patterns and discover insights.