# US Population Pyramid Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-population-pyramid-question/815381>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 4, 2018, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-population-pyramid-question/815381 "2018-06-04T00:11:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![TheUser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/45deac/32.png) [@TheUser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheUser)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-population-pyramid-question/815381/1 "2018-06-04T00:11:47Z")

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I noticed a discrepancy in US Population figures that I can’t quite explain:

1. The # of births was\*\* increasing from 1976-1990 and also 1997-2007\*\* (let’s call them Early Millennials and Late Millennials):

[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WIiWAukATG4/WVZ-zIwLjQI/AAAAAAAArkM/CX5QWxblPIQgK2BhMnh3HIQLhSyDvIV6gCLcBGAs/s1600/USBirths2016.JPG](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WIiWAukATG4/WVZ-zIwLjQI/AAAAAAAArkM/CX5QWxblPIQgK2BhMnh3HIQLhSyDvIV6gCLcBGAs/s1600/USBirths2016.JPG)

You can also check this on Page 3 of this CDC PDF: [https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67\_01.pdf](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf)

1. However, US Population Pyramids show the population \*\*under 20 declining \*\*as of 2015/2016/2017:

[![](https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/newsroom/blogs/2016/06/americas-age-profile-told-through-population-pyramids/Chart-1.png) ](https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/newsroom/blogs/2016/06/americas-age-profile-told-through-population-pyramids/Chart-1.png)

also [https://www.populationpyramid.net/united-states-of-america/2017/](https://www.populationpyramid.net/united-states-of-america/2017/)

Why? The Early Millennials make an appearance in the population pyramid, but the Late Millennials do not. It’s as if there was no baby boom from 1997-2007, but we know that there was, based on the # of births above.

Any thoughts on this discrepancy?

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**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-population-pyramid-question/815381/2 "2018-06-04T18:27:47Z")

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Don’t forget that the population pyramid also includes immigration. The majority of immigrants likely arrive without a lot of under-20 children, as a guess. For the USA, immigration is a significant factor.