An Introduction to The United States of America
By most definitions the world's only superpower, and the largest national economy since the 1870s, the US accounts for just under a fifth of global PPP GDP, is the pre-eminent military force and has exported many elements of its culture to almost all corners of the earth. See full country profile.Latest Research News from USA
30 current US jobs including:
Director, Market Research, Remote, USA, $127,500-160,000 - (posted Apr 9 2024)
Market Research Director, Remote, USA, $115-140,000 depending on experience - (posted Mar 28 2024)
Associate Market Research Director, Remote, USA, $90-120,000 depending on experience - (posted Mar 28 2024)
GOVERNMENT: Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic
AREA: 9,826,675 sq km
POPULATION: 313,875,000 (2012 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: No official language. Main language English; Spanish second most widely spoken.
Some business and general info
The Market Research Industry
Trade and Industry in The United States of America
Pick any other subject and the Big theme keeps on going, from the buildings of Manhattan to the natural awe of the Grand Canyon; from the brains of its Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and the success of its corporations (524 of the Forbes 2000 list in 2011) to the global fascination with its entertainment industry. You don't have to go to the US to experience America, but a record of more than 56 million international tourists did in 2007, spending $122.7 billion dollars.
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By most definitions the world's only superpower, and the largest national economy since the 1870s, the US accounts for just under a fifth of global PPP GDP, is the pre-eminent military force and has exported many elements of its culture to almost all corners of the earth.
Inhabited originally by a multitude of indigenous tribes, the nation is now a melting pot of nationalities formed by many decades of immigration. Thirty-one of its ancestry groups have more than one million members, with German, Irish, African and English Americans the four biggest. The United States itself originated in the thirteen colonies established by British settlers along the east coast from the early 17th to early 18th centuries. The colonies fought for their independence and officially declared it in 1776, then expanded via annexation, purchase, treaty and Civil War to something like the current US territory by the late 19th century. (See a good map of this).
Inevitably for a global titan, the country has many enemies, from nations with opposing ideologies to individuals reacting to its ubiquitous culture and perceived interference in the affairs of other states - including military interventions in Asia, Central America and the middle east. To its many friends, the country stands for much that the modern world holds dear, including freedom, democracy and the principle of self-determination. It's not been mean with its enormous wealth, pouring aid into third world countries whether through the public purse or private foundations - and into first world countries too, such as bankrupt post-War Europe via the Marshall Plan.For the future? Much has been said of its indebtedness and of the rise of new competitors for economic hegemony, notably China, but the USA's nominal GDP is still more than twice that of the People's Republic and there are many assumptions in the projections which say the gap can continue to close rapidly. Don't be all that surprised if it's still the world's largest economy in 2020 or even 2050.
GDP: $15.094 trillion (2011 est.); per capita $48,386
Religions Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
Currency: US dollar
Telephone Code: +1
MR Association(s):
Many associations and bodies including the MRA, AMA and CASRO - see the bottom of this page.
The USA is comfortably the largest research market in the world. According to the ESOMAR Global Prices Study 2012 the country was also the most expensive for carrying out research.
Source: ESOMAR
2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion is the world's largest by some distance, and per capita figure is also high - 9th in terms of nominal GDP and 6th in terms of PPP. The country is the world's largest importer and 2nd or 3rd largest exporter (Germany, amazingly, is right up there with China and the US) with a 2010 trade deficit of $635bn. As of 2012, the US remains the world's largest manufacturer, representing a fifth of all global manufacturing output.
Its welfare state is little developed by comparison with other developed world countries and income inequality relatively high. The top 1% received 21.8% of total income in 2005, and paid 27.6% of all federal taxes - it also possesses 33.4% of net wealth. An estimated 15.1% of the population live below the poverty line (2010); and the US Census Bureau's estimated population of 313,796,000 for the country includes an estimated 11.2 million illegal immigrants.
About 60% of global currency reserves are invested in the US dollar, versus about 24% for the next highest currency, the euro. US investments in foreign countries total over $3.3 trillion, almost twice that of any other country. Total public and private debt at the end of Q1 2010 was $50.2 trillion, or 3.5 times GDP, with public debt making up just under $14tn of this. The US is one of the top-performing economies in terms of ease of doing business and global competitiveness.
Exports were $1.5tn in 2011 - electronic and mechanical goods making up 49.0% of this and Canada (19.4%), Mexico (12.8%) and China (7.2%) being the biggest partners. Imports of $2.2tn came from China (19.5%), Canada (14.2%) and Mexico (11.8%) and included industrial supplies (32.9%), mechanical and electrical goods (30.4%) and consumer goods (31.8%).
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laurence@mrweb.com
