US Passport Statistics 1971/72

The document which I show here is relevant from a passport historical aspect. It is a summary of U.S. passport statistics from January 1973, issued by the U.S. Passport Office and highlights the following key points: US passport statistics

Legislation Impact
A law effective on August 26, 1968, eliminated passport renewals, which significantly influenced the statistics.

Increase in Passports Issued
In 1972, 2,728,021 passports were issued, a 14% increase over 1971, which had 2,398,968 passports issued. The number of passports issued in the fourth quarter of 1972 was 15% higher than the same quarter in 1971.

Quarterly Breakdown US passport statistics
The document provides a quarterly breakdown of passports issued from 1969 to 1972, showing an overall increase each year.

Geographical Distribution US passport statistics

First Area Destination
Europe was the most popular destination, though it saw a decrease from 81% in 1971 to 71% in 1972. The Far East, North, Central, & South America, the Middle East, Australia & Oceania, and Africa all saw slight increases in popularity.

Metropolitan Area of Residence
52% of passport recipients resided in 31 selected metropolitan areas. The New York area had the highest concentration (13%), followed by the LA-Long Beach area (6%), Chicago (5%), San Francisco-Oakland, and Washington D.C. (4% each).

Object of Travel
The majority of passport recipients (83%) were traveling for personal reasons or pleasure. Business (7%), educational or religious reasons (3%), and official reasons (7%) made up the remainder.

Occupation US passport statistics
41% of recipients listed specific occupations: housewife (19%), student (14%), clerk-secretary (5%), and teacher (3%). 30% were in “Independent Business or Profession.” Other categories included retired (5%), skilled, technical, or sales workers (9%), and none (7%).

Age Distribution
The age groups were distributed as follows: under 20 years (15%), 20–29 years (22%), 30–39 years (15%), 40–49 years (18%), 50–59 years (16%), 60–74 years (12%), and 75 years or older (2%).

Proposed Length of Stay
83% of recipients planned trips lasting less than 2 months, with 41% planning trips lasting 1 month to less than 2 months and 42% planning trips lasting less than 1 month.

Outstanding Passports
By December 31, 1972, approximately 10 1/2 million passports were outstanding, providing travel documentation for an estimated 11 1/2 million persons.

This summary reflects the growing demand for passports and shows regional variations in passport issuance. Furthermore, travel patterns, demographic characteristics, and travel intentions of U.S. passport holders during this period.

Conclusion
52 years ago, in 1972, 11.5 million passports were in circulation. Nowadays, these numbers reached almost 161 million according to the US Department of State in 2023. Which means that roughly 47% of Americans hold a passport. It seems that also a certain amount of passport cards (since 2008) are included. US passport statistics

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