In 1970, 1 U.S. priest served 1,430. But in 2018, 1 U.S. priest served 4,240 (almost tripled): Data from Center For Applied Research in Apostolate (CARA)

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/catholic-church-looking-more-few-good-men-n903041 (29 Jan. 2020)

Excerpt:

In the last 50 years, the number of U.S. priests who serve as day-to-day leaders of parishes — known as diocesan priests, as opposed to those who join religious orders — has dropped by almost a third, from about 37,300 in 1970 to about 25,800 last year, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, the number of U.S. Catholics who identify with a parish has grown by 43 percent, from about 48 million to about 68.5 million, according to CARA and the Official Catholic Directory, which has tracked church membership and other data for more than 200 years.

That means far fewer priests are serving far more parishioners today. In 1970, an active parish priest served an average of about 1,430 church members; last year, he served an average of about 4,240, almost triple.