In the last two decades, the United States has been in the throes of rapid economic change brought by new technologies and the globalization of the economy. One of the best ways to study the effects of change on the U.S. population is through the abundant information available on the website of the United States Bureau of the Census. In addition to the decennial census, whose detailed results for the year 2000 are now available, the Bureau of the Census makes available the annual Statistical Abstract of the United States, which provides statistics on all aspects of U.S. life, from voting participation to weather records, and from education to entertainment. This article contains a snapshot of major trends that have affected the economy and labor force in the past two decades. It is derived from information collected by the Bureau of the Census, most of which is on the Bureau's publicly accessible website. The Census Bureau's list of the professions expected to see the largest job growth between now and 2010 is included in this article.