California

California is the most populous U.S. state, with an estimated population of 38,049,462 as of January 1, 2008. In 2006, 50 percent of the state's population was female. With regard to racial-ethnic background, 59.8 percent of state residents are white, 6.2 percent are African American, 12.3 percent are Asian American, and 35.9 percent are of Latino descent.

In California, the average family size is 3.54. Over 68 percent of households are family households, and 51 percent of those families have children under the age of 18. Of the family households, an overwhelming majority (73 percent) are married-couple families, 19 percent are headed by single mothers, and 8 percent are headed by a single father.

In 2006, there were 548,882 births in the state. Of those births, 29 ...