Since 2010, household growth has trailed population growth decade (%)
Over the course of the nation’s history, there has been a slow but steady decrease in the size of the average U.S. household – from 5.79 people per household in 1790 to 2.58 in 2010. But this decade will likely be the first since the one that began in 1850 to break this long-running trend, according to newly released Census Bureau data. In 2018 there were 2.63 people per household.
Households are increasing in size mathematically because the growth in the number of households is trailing population growth. The newly released data indicates that the population residing in households has grown 6% since 2010 (the smallest population growth since the 1930s), while the number of households has grown at a slower rate (4%, from 116.7 million in 2010 to 121.5 million in 2018).
Since 2010, household growth has  | trailed population growth  | Growth in number of households and population per  | decade (%)  | 60  | 44  | 40  | 37  | Household  | growth  | 20  | Population  | growth  | 0  | 1910  | 1960  | 1860  | 2010 '18  | Note: Data labels are for 1860 and 2018. Population growth refers  | to the population residing in households.  | Source: Pew Research Center analysis of Census historical  | statistics, 2010 Census SF1 data and 2018 American Community  | Survey.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 