U.S. citizens are less likely to buy a house, marry or drive to work alone, according to new data from the Census Bureau.

More than six months before the 2010 United States Census is set to begin, the U.S. Census Bureau has released the latest data gleaned from its 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). The result is an early statistical snapshot of the economic downturn and its impact on people’s day-to-day living situations.

A number of the changes represented in this year’s ACS report no doubt reflect the national recession, which began in December 2007.

For example, following a steady rise since 2000, median home values dropped in 2008. Meanwhile, the home-ownership rate fell half a point, to 66.6 percent, the lowest since 2002. And, although health coverage differed widely by region (See below), the number of people in the U.S. without health insurance increased to 46.3 million last year (15.4 percent of the population) from 45.7 million the prior year.

The ACS survey covers more than 40 topics, including income, housing, education levels and family structure. Health insurance status and marital history are among the new questions asked for the 2008 ACS.

The following are some of the key issues highlighted in the latest annual ACS.

Home Prices: Home prices continued to slip. Median home values in 2008 dropped 2 percent from the previous year. Fortunately, for many this means that mortgage payments are down. Nevertheless, tight credit has ruled out buying for many would-be homeowners, which helps explain why rental costs are up about $7 per month.

Health Insurance: One in four Texans (24.1 percent) were without health insurance in 2008 — the highest uninsured rate in the nation. In Massachusetts, however, fewer than one in 20 residents (4.1 percent) lacked coverage, due in large part to the state’s law requiring residents to have health insurance.

Income: Real median household income in the U.S. fell from $52,673 in 2007 to $52,029 in 2008. This represents a 1.2 percent drop since the 2007 ACS. In 2008, household incomes increased in only five states, whereas 22 states saw gains in income in 2007.

Marriage: The number of men and (especially) women waiting longer to marry is rising. There are more women who have never been married than there were last year — 28.1 percent compared with 27.6 percent in 2007. Slightly more men said they had never married (38 percent), half a percentage point greater than in the prior year.

Education: Educational attainment is on the rise, as reflected in the 17.5 percent of Americans who reported having earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, up from 17.4 percent in 2007. Moreover, 10.2 percent received graduate degrees, up from 10.1 percent in 2007. More Americans are finishing high school, too, with 85 percent of citizens having received a high school diploma in 2008, up from 84.5 percent the prior year.

Foreign-Born: Fewer available jobs makes the U.S. less appealing to foreigners looking to immigrate. The number of foreign-born U.S. citizens dropped a 10th of a percent this year. The total foreign-born population represented 12.5 percent of the population in 2008; it was 12.6 percent in 2007. Most immigrants to the U.S. were born in Latin America (53.1 percent), but the fastest-growing immigrant group is Asian-born (27.3 percent of the population, up from 26.8 percent in 2007).

Commuting: The percentage of employees who drove alone to work decreased from 76.1 percent in 2007 to 75.5 percent in 2008, while the percentage of carpoolers increased from 10.4 percent in 2007 to 10.7 percent in 2008. The percentage of commuters using public transportation increased slightly between 2007 and 2008, from 4.9 percent to 5 percent.

The ongoing survey of approximately 3 million households provides one of the most complete yearly pictures of the nation’s population available.

USA Today has a nifty graphic of a state-by-state breakdown of the data HERE.

Resources

2008 American Community Survey
U.S. Census Bureau, Sept. 21, 2009

Census Bureau Releases 2008 American Community Survey Data
U.S. Census Bureau, Sept. 21, 2009

U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey (graphic)
by Anthony DeBarros, Jack Gillum, Barbara Hansen, Paul Overberg and Juan Thomassie
USA Today

Census Data Show Recession-Driven Changes
by Sam Roberts
The New York Times, Sept. 21, 2009

America’s Changing Landscape
by Francesca Levy
Forbes, Sept. 21, 2009