50 Ways American Life Has Changed in the Last Decade

Big city life has become unaffordable for many young people. Millennials are making a move to the suburbs. Many people are still moving to the many big cities, but population growth is slowing at the benefit of suburban areas, many of which are located on the periphery of expensive regions.

People increasingly turn to their phones and computers to make purchases. Millennials buy more than a third — 36% — of what they need on their phones, an increase of about 20% since 2017, according to a CouponFollow survey.

Americans used to spend, on average, about 46 minutes a day talking to family and friends about things not work-related. That figure is now 39 minutes, according to data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. People are substituting video games for human interaction, according to the same report.

Traveling used to involve a lot of planning, the majority of which was usually done by a travel agent. Even just booking a flight required the services of such a person. This is no longer the case. The internet has largely replaced travel agents. There are now dozens of sites through which flights, hotels, and rides can be booked.

A 2017 study found that, basically, people are happier if they don’t have to clean or cook. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.4 million jobs in the cleaning sector as of 2018, about a million more than in 2016. The field is expected to grow 7% from 2018 to 2028.