100 Years Of Change: America Then & Now [Infographic]

The world keeps changing. There’s no escaping that fact. Technology is what’s fueled that change for hundreds of years. Just in the last 20 to 30 years we have seen changes that none of us could have foreseen. It’s easy to get a sense of what is changing from year to year, but on a larger scale, it can be difficult to get a clear picture of how much the world has changed. In this 100 years of change study, we’re presented a side by side comparison of what change America has experienced.

We usually don’t focus on a particular country since our focus has always been on global technology, geek and social media developments, but in this case I will make an exception. The reason why is because this particular infographic pretty much reflects 100 years of change in all of the more predominant industrial countries around the world. I have to admit though that when people say that everything was better in the past, I am not one to agree with it.

Let’s have a quick look at some of the statistics presented in this infographic, shall we? First off, this infographic is called 100 Years Of Change: What Life Was Like Then & Now, and it is presented by MoneyChoice. One of the first things that strikes me in this 100 years of change infographic is the average income. A hundred years ago, the average income (per year) was just around $800, while today it’s just about $26,364. That’s a huge change, but things have of course gotten more and more expensive as well so it’s a little misleading.

A more astounding statistic is that the unemployment rate is just 1% higher than it was 100 years ago. If anything, that should tell us that things have not quite spiraled out of control just yet. A more eye-catching statistic is of course that the average life expectancy has increased by almost 25 years in just a hundred year’s time. If we were to use these metrics and predict the life expectancy in a 100 years from now, we would all reach around 100 years old.

I find this kind of study quite interesting since it clearly shows how much technology influences our society, both through the way we live today and through our health and life endeavors. Have a closer look at this infographic and find out how 100 years of change has affected America, and in some sense, the world.