Monday, December 31, 2012

Cuomo plans overhaul of ESDC

From the New York Post:

Gov. Cuomo plans a top-to-bottom shake-up of the state’s leading economic-development and job-creation agency early in the new year after concluding it is outdated, ineffective and poorly organized, The Post has learned.

The Empire State Development Corp., which hands out billions of dollars in economic-development grants and tax benefits, is “disjointed, dysfunctional — and nobody really is sure on the inside who is responsible for what,’’ said a senior Cuomo administration official.

“ESDC has not even branded itself properly. For many people, ESDC means nothing,’’ the official continued.

Friday, December 28, 2012

'Tis the Season for Charitable Giving

From a Democracy for America e-mail:

This time of year, the Democracy for America community is inspired to share its good fortune with others. If you are in a position to share as well, here is a list of DFA staff-picked charities, all of which would be worthy recipients of your gift.

Doctors Without Borders: Medical and administrative staff work in nearly 70 countries providing medical aid to those most in need regardless of their race, religion, or political affiliation. They travel to some of the most challenging corners of our globe to bring critical aid to those suffering.

Heifer International: Their mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty, and care for the Earth. Your contribution will purchase an animal of your choice -- goats, cows, bees, water buffalo are among the options -- to give families the world over a hand-up and hope for a way out of poverty toward on-going prosperity.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: The DFA staff adore their dogs, so the thought of harm and cruelty to any animal makes our stomachs turn. The ASPCA works to rescue animals from abuse, pass humane laws and share resources with shelters nationwide.

Nature Conservancy: We've got just this one planet for our home, let's take care of her! The Nature Conservancy works around the world and in all 50 US states to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.

Global Fund for Women: This might just be one of the best ways to get involved in the War for Women. The Global Fund for Women is a grant-making foundation that advances women's human rights by funding women-led organizations worldwide, enabling women and girls to reach their potential and live free of discrimination and violence.

Ronald McDonald House Charities: Their mission is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Families of critically ill kids find solace, comfort and a warm meal at Ronald McDonald Houses around the country.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Hospital Compare

Hospital Compare has information about the quality of care at over 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals across the country. You can use Hospital Compare to find hospitals and compare the quality of their care.

The information on Hospital Compare:

Can help you make decisions about where you get your health care;
Encourages hospitals to improve the quality of care they provide.

Remember, in an emergency, you should go to the nearest hospital. When you can plan ahead, discuss the information you find here with your health care provider to decide which hospital will best meet your health care needs.

Some of the criteria:

Patient Survey Results

HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) is a national survey that asks patients about their experiences during a recent hospital stay. Use the results shown here to compare hospitals based on ten important hospital quality topics.

Timely & Effective Care

These measures show how often hospitals provide care that research shows gets the best results for patients with certain conditions. This information can help you compare which hospitals give recommended care most often as part of the overall care they provide to patients.

Readmissions, Complications and Deaths

Patients who are admitted to the hospital for treatment of medical problems sometimes get other serious injuries, complications, or conditions, and may even die. Some patients may experience problems soon after they are discharged and need to be admitted to the hospital again. These events can often be prevented if hospitals follow best practices for treating patients.

Use of Medical Imaging (tests like Mammograms, MRIs, and CT scans)

These measures give you information about hospitals' use of medical imaging tests for outpatients based on the following:
Protecting patients’ safety, such as keeping patients’ exposure to radiation and other risks as low as possible.
Following up properly when screening tests such as mammograms show a possible problem.
Avoiding the risk, stress, and cost of doing imaging tests that patients may not need.


Spending per hospital patient with Medicare

The "Spending per Hospital Patient with Medicare" measure shows whether Medicare spends more, less or about the same per Medicare patient treated in a specific hospital, compared to how much Medicare spends per patient nationally. This measure includes any Medicare Part A and Part B payments made for services provided to a patient during the 3 days prior to the hospital stay, during the stay, and during the 30 days after discharge from the hospital.

Number of Medicare patients treated

This shows the number of Medicare patients with a certain condition (MS-DRG) that a hospital treated during the current data collection period. These data are based on the number of Medicare patients that were discharged with a certain condition. They do not include patients in Medicare Health Plans.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Location identifier code of airports and cities around the world

3-Letter Codes for World Destinations.

FLY, EVE, TOY, DAY, FAT, BOY, GEO, BIO, NYC, ARM, LEG

would you think that this are all international identifier codes for destinations around the world? This are in fact IATA codes for cities and airports. (IATA - International Air Transport Association)

FLY is the IATA code for Finley in Australia, EVE for Evenes in Norway, TOY for Toyama in Japan, DAY for Dayton in Ohio, United States, and NYC for sure, New York City.

Are you looking for JFK Airport, DFW Airport, LAX , BWI, or IAH Airport.
Here you will find lists of cities and airports throughout the world with the
3-letter location identifier code for airports and cities.

Monday, December 24, 2012

it MUST be Saint Nick


The shopping, wrapping presents and decorating are finished. Now it is time to sit back and enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. Have a safe and happy holiday. One more thing, don’t forget to help your kids track Santa and his team of reindeer as they journey across the world delivering presents.


Friday, December 21, 2012

North Dakota is Nation's Fastest-Growing State Since 2011

According to the newly released population estimates, New York had 19,570,261 residents at July 1, 2012. That is 68,645 (0.4%) more than at July 1, 2011 and 1.0% more than at Census Day - April 1, 2010.



Thursday, December 20, 2012

Gun Control Legislation

From a November 14, 2012 report of the Congressional Research Service via Federation of American Scientists

Congress has debated the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and ammunition, with strong advocates arguing for and against greater gun control. In the wake of the July 20, 2012, Aurora, CO, theater mass shooting, in which 12 people were shot to death and 58 wounded (7 of them critically) by a lone gunman, it is likely that there will be calls in the 112th Congress to reconsider a 1994 ban on semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices that expired in September 2004. There were similar calls to ban such feeding devices (see S. 436/H.R. 1781) following the January 8, 2011, Tucson, AZ, mass shooting, in which 6 people were killed and 14 wounded, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was grievously wounded. These calls could be amplified by the August 5, 2012, Sikh temple shooting in Milwaukee, WI, in which six worshipers were shot to death and three wounded by a lone gunman.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

American Community Survey Brief: Veterans 2011

This brief highlights veterans 18 and older who reside in the United States and focuses on their racial, ethnic and regional diversity. Regional diversity includes foreign-born veterans and their countries of origin in addition to the native-born veteran population. The American Community Survey collects data on veterans in order to help government agencies, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, to establish programs for job counseling, training and placement.

Sample topics covered in the brief include racial and ethnic diversity and birthplace of veterans.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

New Population Projections Show Much Slower Growth

From New Strategist Publications

New Projections Show Much Slower Population Growth

A lot has happened since the last time the Census Bureau produced national population projections: a recession, a baby bust, a 2010 census that counted 3 million fewer non-Hispanic whites than expected, and two elections in which minorities flexed their political muscle with profound results. How do the Census Bureau's new projections capture these events and what will be their impact on the nation's future population? Let's take a look at what the projections show...

Much slower population growth: The Census Bureau's new projections show a population of just 399.8 million in 2050. This is much less than the 439.0 million projected for 2050 in the previous set of projections (produced in 2008).

Non-Hispanic white decline: The new projections show the number of non-Hispanic whites peaking in 2024 at just under 200 million and declining steadily after that. As a share of the population, however, non-Hispanic whites will remain above 50 percent until 2043. Non-Hispanic whites are already in decline among Americans under age 45. The non-Hispanic white share of the younger population will fall below 50 percent in 2027. Among the nation's children (under age 18), the non-Hispanic white share is projected to fall below 50 percent in 2018.

Slowing Growth Will Not Slow Diversity

The Census Bureau's new population projections forecast much slower growth than had been projected a few years ago. But this slower growth does not mean the population will diversify any more slowly. Only 46.6 percent of Americans will be non-Hispanic white in 2050, according to the new projections, almost identical to the 46.3 percent forecast by the old projections.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Friday, December 14, 2012

More Adults Living in Shared Households, More Receiving Food Stamps, Public Assistance Unchanged

In 2011, 17.9 percent of people 18 and older lived in someone else’s household, up from 16.0 percent in 2007, prior to the start of the economic recession, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. Specifically, 41.2 million adults in 2011 lived in a household in which they were neither the householder, the householder’s spouse nor the householder’s cohabiting partner. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of these additional adults increased by 1.9 million, from 17.3 percent to 17.9 percent of adults.

This information comes from Poverty and Shared Households by State: 2011, one of three briefs recently released highlighting economic conditions using statistics from the American Community Survey. The other briefs examine levels of participation in food stamp, nutrition assistance and public assistance programs.

Poverty and Shared Households by State: 2011 explores the growth in households that contain an “additional adult” (a resident 18 and older who is neither the householder, the householder’s spouse, nor the householder’s cohabiting partner). This brief also provides information at the state level between 2007 and 2011 and examines whether or not household sharing is influenced by economic circumstances.

In recent years, shared households have increased as a proportion of all U.S. households. In 2007, prior to the start of the economic recession, 19.8 million or 17.6 percent of households were shared. Nationally, shared households peaked in 2010 at 22.2 million or 19.4 percent of all households and declined to 22.0 million or 19.2 percent of households in 2011.

In the District of Columbia, California, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Nevada, 20 percent or more of the population 18 and older lived in someone else’s household in 2011, the highest shares among the states and the state equivalents.

The number and percentage of these additional adults increased in 40 states between 2007 and 2011 with larger increases in the South. Florida experienced a 4.4 percentage point increase to lead all states, followed by Nevada (3.9 percentage points).

In 2011, more than one in three young adults 18 to 24 were residents in someone else’s household; the same was true of more than 30 percent of those 25 to 34. For the latter group, the share of additional adults increased by 4.5 percentage points since 2007, compared with a 1.7 percentage-point increase for those 18 to 24.

States in which more than one-third of young adults 25 to 34 were additional adults included California, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.

Almost half of all additional adults were children of the householder. Additional adults can also be parents of the householder (9.6 percent), siblings (8.1 percent) and other relatives (16.0 percent). Nonrelatives accounted for the remaining 19.2 percent. The share of additional adults who were children of the householder increased by 1.7 percentage points between 2007 and 2011, while the percentage who were parents or nonrelatives declined.

Many of the adults sharing a household with relatives would have been in poverty if they had been living on their own. The official poverty rate for additional adults (based on family income) in 2011 was 15.8 percent. However, their individual poverty rate was 55.5 percent. (This “individual” poverty measure looks at what the poverty rate would be if the additional adults lived alone.)

Food Stamp/SNAP Receipt

A second brief, Food Stamp/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Receipt in the Past 12 Months for Households by State: 2010 and 2011, presents American Community Survey statistics for households at national and state levels. The brief shows that in 2011, 14.9 million households, or 13 percent, reported receiving such benefits during the past 12 months, up from 11.9 percent in 2010. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia experienced a rise in participation, with the District of Columbia, Alabama and Hawaii among the states with the largest increases. In 2011, Oregon had the highest participation rate (18.9 percent).

Public Assistance Receipt

The third brief, Public Assistance Receipt in the Past 12 Months for Households: 2010 and 2011, analyzes American Community Survey data at the national and state levels. According to the brief, 3.3 million households, or 2.9 percent, in 2011 reported receiving some form of public assistance benefits at some point in the previous 12 months. For the first time in several years, there was no significant increase in the number or percentage of American households receiving public assistance benefits relative to the previous year.

Also, for the first time in several years, the percentage of households receiving public assistance declined in some states. Four states (Indiana, Iowa, New Hampshire and Utah) and the District of Columbia had lower participation rates in 2011 compared with 2010. However, seven states (Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia) had increases between 2010 and 2011 in participation rates.

Seventeen states — concentrated in the West and Northeast — and the District of Columbia had a higher participation rate in the percentage of households receiving public assistance than the national average. Conversely, 24 states had lower participation rates than the U.S. average, with 11 of them in the South and nine in the Midwest.

The American Community Survey provides a wide range of important statistics about people and housing for every community across the nation. The results are used by everyone from retailers and homebuilders to town and city planners. The survey is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40 topics it covers, such as education, occupation, language, ancestry and housing costs for even the smallest communities. Ever since Thomas Jefferson directed the first census in 1790, the census has collected detailed characteristics about our nation's people, and questions about our economy were added under President Madison in 1810.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Increased State Government Revenues and General Expenditures for 2011

Total state government revenue increased to $2.3 trillion in 2011, up 11.3 percent from $2.0 trillion in 2010, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Total state government revenue includes general revenues (mainly tax revenue), utility revenue, liquor store revenue and insurance trust revenue. General revenues were $1.7 trillion in 2011, a 5.7 percent increase from 2010. General expenditures by state governments rose 3.7 percent in 2011 to $1.7 trillion.

The findings are from the 2011 Annual Survey of State Government Finances, which shows revenues, expenditures, debt, and cash and security holdings for each state as well as a national summary of state government finances.

The increase in state government revenue in 2011 was mainly because of a $141.0 billion increase in social insurance trust revenue. Social insurance trust revenue includes employee retirement investments, which had gains in 2011. There was also an increase in tax revenue as government taxes collected in 2011 ($757.9 billion) grew 8.0 percent over 2010 ($701.7 billion) and accounted for 45.9 percent of general revenue.

Expenditures for education ($592.3 billion), public welfare ($496.8 billion) and health and hospitals ($125.7 billion) represented the top three expenditures in state government budgets.

State government budgets depend mostly on revenue from general sources: taxes, federal grants, service charges and other miscellaneous revenues. General revenues fund most state programs and in general comprise the bulk of state government revenue (72.9 percent in 2011).

Highlights of General Revenues

Social insurance trust systems showed revenues of $591.7 billion in 2011, a gain of 31.3 percent over the year before. Two major sources make up the state trust systems: state employee retirement systems and state social insurance trust systems including the unemployment compensation system, state government workers’ compensation programs and other insurance trust systems.

Individual income tax revenue ($259.1 billion) grew 9.8 percent in 2011 over 2010 ($236.0 billion). General sales taxes revenue grew 5.4 percent to $234.5 billion in 2011.

Federal grants increased 3.4 percent from 2010 to 2011 to $574.1 billion and accounted for 34.7 percent of general revenue. Federal grants for welfare programs comprised 57.9 percent of all federal grants received in 2011, increasing 5.3 percent to $332.6 billion.

Service charges (excluding those for utilities) collected rose by 6.6 percent from $169.9 billion in 2010 to $181.1 billion in 2011. Service charges accounted for 11.0 percent of general revenue.

Highlights of State Government Expenditures

State government spending on public welfare was greater than 30 percent of general expenditures in 14 states, led by Tennessee (39.0 percent), Rhode Island (37.5 percent) and Maine (36.3 percent). (See Table 1.)

Unemployment compensation spending was $121.4 billion in 2011; this represented a 10 percent decrease from 2010, when it was $134.9 billion. (See Figure 1.)

State government spending on education totaled more than 40 percent of general expenditures in 13 states, led by Georgia (46.6 percent), Indiana (45.5 percent) and Alabama (45.0 percent). The accompanying table shows general expenditures and education expenditures and their shares of total spending for each of the 50 states for 2011 and 2010. (See Table 2.)

The leading states in highway spending, measured as a percentage of general expenditures, were South Dakota (14.9 percent), North Dakota (14.2 percent) and Alaska (14.2 percent). (See Figure 2.)

The leading states in spending on public health and hospitals, measured as a percentage of general expenditures, were Hawaii (12.9 percent), Missouri (11.2 percent) and Connecticut (10.8 percent).

For the 43 states with lotteries, ticket sales totaled $54.7 billion in 2011, compared with $53.1 billion in 2010. Lottery prizes awarded totaled $33.8 billion in 2011 and lottery proceeds were $18.3 billion in 2011. The top three states in lottery ticket sales were New York ($7.0 billion), Massachusetts ($4.2 billion) and Florida ($3.8 billion). The same states also ranked highest in prizes awarded: New York ($4.0 billion), Massachusetts ($3.2 billion) and Florida ($2.5 billion).

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Geovisualization: Simulation of U.S. Births and Deaths

One of our Data Detectives thought you might enjoy having a look at a simulation of births and deaths across the US. It appeared in Atlantic Cities magazine. To start the simulation, in the text below the map, at the end of the second paragraph, click on the phrase "click here to begin it" link.


Federal, State & Local Governments - A Closer Look

A part of the IRS, FSLG is responsible for ensuring federal tax compliance by federal, quasi-governmental and state agencies; city, county, and other units of local government; and governmental entities in American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The office coordinates activities with other IRS offices such as Customer Account Services, Counsel, Government Liaison & Disclosure, Employee Plans and Excise Tax. Additionally, Federal, State and Local Governments works with the Taxpayer Advocate Service to resolve tax problems.

FSLG delivers various services through partnership with government associations, practitioner associations, IRS Counsel, and other IRS offices. Individualized service is available to you on a voluntary basis. Specially trained IRS staff can address tax topics - unique to government entities - that may relate to, for example, governments as employers, and issues of payments to outside contractors.

To read the January 2013 edition of the FSLG Newsletter, please visit the Current Edition in the Government Entities section of the IRS.gov website.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Census Bureau Releases American Community Survey Estimates, Most Detailed Portrait of Every U.S. Community

The U.S. Census Bureau released estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS) for the combined years from 2007 to 2011, providing the only statistics down to the neighborhood level on school enrollment, jobs, housing and many other measures. These estimates are ideal for measuring trends for areas with populations of less than 20,000.

Along with the estimates, the Census Bureau is rolling out a series of new tools to make it easier to search, embed on other websites, download and share the survey estimates.

The American Community Survey provides a wide range of important statistics about people and housing for every community across the nation. The results are used by everyone from town and city planners to retailers and homebuilders. The survey is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40 topics it covers, such as education, occupation, language, ancestry and housing costs for even the smallest communities. Ever since Thomas Jefferson directed the first census in 1790, the census has collected detailed characteristics about our nation’s people. Questions about jobs and the economy were added 20 years later under James Madison, who said such information would allow Congress to “adapt the public measures to the particular circumstances of the community,” and over the decades, allow America “an opportunity of marking the progress of the society.”

“By telling the story of our towns and neighborhoods, the American Community Survey helps planners locate schools and firehouses,” said Thomas Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau’s acting director. “Thanks to the cooperation of the public, the Census Bureau produces reliable, quality statistical information for even small communities in the U.S. That’s why it’s so important for households that are selected to participate in the ACS to respond.”

Interactive Tools

The Census Bureau has updated its popular QuickFacts site with the new American Community Survey statistics, making it even easier for people to find information about a town, county or state. The Census Bureau has also launched “Easy Stats,” a tool that allows users to build their own tables by selecting a desired topic and geography. Early next year, the Census Bureau will release “Dwellr,” a mobile app designed to put Census Bureau statistics directly in the hands of new users in an engaging way.

“The Census Bureau is striving like never before to make our statistics easier to find and use,” Mesenbourg said. “We’re innovating with new technology to make statistical information more interactive and relevant to younger and more diverse audiences. As our Founding Fathers recognized, having an informed population is crucial to our nation’s democracy. At the Census Bureau, we are doing our part to empower Americans with statistical information so they have an accurate picture of our nation’s people, places and economy.”

Billions of Estimates

This ACS release consists of about 11 billion individual estimates. These five-year estimates are based on completed interviews with almost 2 million housing units each year from 2007 through 2011. By pooling several years of survey responses, the American Community Survey can generate detailed statistical portraits for small areas. Groupings of five-year estimates are released annually.

The five-year estimates are available for all states, counties, places, congressional districts, census tracts and block groups. Today’s release marks the first time since the 2000 Census that statistics for ZIP Code tabulation areas — a close approximation of the U.S. Postal Service’s ZIP Code areas — have been released on such a wide range of topics.

In addition to detailing housing and commuting, the 2007-2011 estimates permit communities to observe the composition of their population, from preschool to the oldest ages and milestones in between, including college, work and marriage:

Visitors to the Census Bureau website can find their community estimates at American FactFinder.

Beginning in January, the American Community Survey will become more convenient for most participants with the added option of responding online to the survey. That will make it the 61st Census Bureau survey with Internet response. At that time, the survey will also add a series of questions on computer and Internet usage. The data gathered through these questions will become available beginning in 2014.

More About the American Community Survey

The American Community Survey replaces the “long form” that historically produced demographic, housing, social and economic estimates for the nation as part of the once-a-decade census. Many of the questions asked on the American Community Survey have been asked since 1810 on the census form. The decennial census program, which includes the American Community Survey and the 2010 Census, along with the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates program, serves as the basis for the allocation of more than $400 billion in federal funds to state, local and tribal governments every year. These vital estimates also guide planning in the private sector as well as the work done by policymakers at all levels of government and in communities of all sizes. All survey responses are strictly confidential and protected by law. The collection of this information has been directed by Congress or the federal courts.

This set of statistics is the third release from the American Community Survey this fall. In September, the Census Bureau released single-year estimates for 2011 for all areas with populations of 65,000 or more. In October, a corresponding set of three-year estimates (2009-2011) was released for areas with populations of 20,000 or more.

Monday, December 10, 2012

How Teens Do Research in the Digital World

From Pew Internet:

Three-quarters of AP and NWP teachers say that the internet and digital search tools have had a “mostly positive” impact on their students’ research habits, but 87% say these technologies are creating an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans” and 64% say today’s digital technologies “do more to distract students than to help them academically.”

These complex and at times contradictory judgments emerge from 1) an online survey of more than 2,000 middle and high school teachers drawn from the Advanced Placement (AP) and National Writing Project (NWP) communities; and 2) a series of online and offline focus groups with middle and high school teachers and some of their students. The study was designed to explore teachers’ views of the ways today’s digital environment is shaping the research and writing habits of middle and high school students....

Friday, December 7, 2012

Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100

Visualization by Martin De Wulf

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2011). World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision.

Western Europe in 2010 looks more like an ice cream cone than a pyramid.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Worldwide Employment Rates

The ILO is the international organization responsible for drawing up and overseeing international labour standards. It is the only 'tripartite' United Nations agency that brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to jointly shape policies and programmes promoting Decent Work for all. This unique arrangement gives the ILO an edge in incorporating 'real world' knowledge about employment and work.

Check out Statistics and databases.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Fiscal Cliff Impact

From the Tax Foundation:

This calculator allows you to compare your federal tax burden under two scenarios - what you paid when you filed this year (2011 tax law), and what you'll pay in 2013 assuming the country goes over the "Fiscal Cliff" - that is, all Bush-era and Obama tax cuts expire, the payroll tax holiday expires, and AMT is not patched.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Intimate Partner Violence, 1993–2010

From Bureau of Justice Statistics:

From 1994 to 2010, the overall rate of intimate partner violence in the United States declined by 64%, from 9.8 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older to 3.6 per 1,000. The number of intimate partner victimizations also declined, from approximately 2.1 million victimizations in 1994 to around 907,000 in 2010 — a decline of about 1.2 million victimizations over the 18-year data collection period. From 1994 to 2000, similar declines were observed for overall violent crime (down 47%) and intimate partner violence (down 48%). However, during the more recent 10-year period from 2001 to 2010, the decline in the overall intimate partner violence rate slowed and stabilized while the overall violent crime rate continued to decline.

Domestic violence can be any physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological action that one person uses to gain power or control over another. If you are being abused by a partner--or if you know someone in that situation-- find out how to get help and stay safe.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Local Area Personal Income, 2009 – 2011

From the http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/lapi/2012/pdf/lapi1112.pdf Bureau of Economic Analysis

Personal income rose in 2011 in all of the nation’s 366 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for the first time since 2007, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal income growth ranged from 14.8 percent in Odessa, Texas to 1.0 percent in Rochester, Minnesota. Personal income in the United States rose 5.2 percent in 2011, up from 3.8 percent in 2010. Inflation, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, accelerated to 2.4 percent in 2011 from 1.9 percent in 2010.

Friday, November 30, 2012

More Adults Living in Shared Households, More Receiving Food Stamps, Public Asistance Unchanged

In 2011, 17.9 percent of people 18 and older lived in someone else’s household, up from 16.0 percent in 2007, prior to the start of the economic recession, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. Specifically, 41.2 million adults in 2011 lived in a household in which they were neither the householder, the householder’s spouse nor the householder’s cohabiting partner. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of these additional adults increased by 1.9 million, from 17.3 percent to 17.9 percent of adults.

This information comes from Poverty and Shared Households by State: 2011, which explores the growth in households that contain an “additional adult” (a resident 18 and older who is neither the householder, the householder’s spouse, nor the householder’s cohabiting partner). This brief also provides information at the state level between 2007 and 2011 and examines whether or not household sharing is influenced by economic circumstances.

In recent years, shared households have increased as a proportion of all U.S. households. In 2007, prior to the start of the economic recession, 19.8 million or 17.6 percent of households were shared. Nationally, shared households peaked in 2010 at 22.2 million or 19.4 percent of all households and declined to 22.0 million or 19.2 percent of households in 2011.

In the District of Columbia, California, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Nevada, 20 percent or more of the population 18 and older lived in someone else’s household in 2011, the highest shares among the states and the state equivalents.

The number and percentage of these additional adults increased in 40 states between 2007 and 2011 with larger increases in the South. Florida experienced a 4.4 percentage point increase to lead all states, followed by Nevada (3.9 percentage points).

In 2011, more than one in three young adults 18 to 24 were residents in someone else’s household; the same was true of more than 30 percent of those 25 to 34. For the latter group, the share of additional adults increased by 4.5 percentage points since 2007, compared with a 1.7 percentage-point increase for those 18 to 24.

States in which more than one-third of young adults 25 to 34 were additional adults included California, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.

Almost half of all additional adults were children of the householder. Additional adults can also be parents of the householder (9.6 percent), siblings (8.1 percent) and other relatives (16.0 percent). Nonrelatives accounted for the remaining 19.2 percent. The share of additional adults who were children of the householder increased by 1.7 percentage points between 2007 and 2011, while the percentage who were parents or nonrelatives declined.

Many of the adults sharing a household with relatives would have been in poverty if they had been living on their own. The official poverty rate for additional adults (based on family income) in 2011 was 15.8 percent. However, their individual poverty rate was 55.5 percent. (This “individual” poverty measure looks at what the poverty rate would be if the additional adults lived alone.)

Food Stamp/SNAP Receipt

A second brief released Food Stamp/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Receipt in the Past 12 Months for Households by State: 2010 and 2011, presents American Community Survey statistics for households at national and state levels. The brief shows that in 2011, 14.9 million households, or 13 percent, reported receiving such benefits during the past 12 months, up from 11.9 percent in 2010. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia experienced a rise in participation, with the District of Columbia, Alabama and Hawaii among the states with the largest increases. In 2011, Oregon had the highest participation rate (18.9 percent).

Public Assistance Receipt

The third brief, Public Assistance Receipt in the Past 12 Months for Households: 2010 and 2011, analyzes American Community Survey data at the national and state levels. According to the brief, 3.3 million households, or 2.9 percent, in 2011 reported receiving some form of public assistance benefits at some point in the previous 12 months. For the first time in several years, there was no significant increase in the number or percentage of American households receiving public assistance benefits relative to the previous year.

Also, for the first time in several years, the percentage of households receiving public assistance declined in some states. Four states (Indiana, Iowa, New Hampshire and Utah) and the District of Columbia had lower participation rates in 2011 compared with 2010. However, seven states (Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia) had increases between 2010 and 2011 in participation rates.

Seventeen states — concentrated in the West and Northeast — and the District of Columbia had a higher participation rate in the percentage of households receiving public assistance than the national average. Conversely, 24 states had lower participation rates than the U.S. average, with 11 of them in the South and nine in the Midwest.

The American Community Survey provides a wide range of important statistics about people and housing for every community across the nation. The results are used by everyone from retailers and homebuilders to town and city planners. The survey is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40 topics it covers, such as education, occupation, language, ancestry and housing costs for even the smallest communities. Ever since Thomas Jefferson directed the first census in 1790, the census has collected detailed characteristics about our nation's people, and questions about our economy were added under President Madison in 1810.

Robert Bernstein

Public Information Office

301-763-3030

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Learn more about the Economic Census

From the Census Bureau blog:

To help you learn more about the economic census, the Bureau has an updated website available that helps answer what the economic census is, why it is important, and how the data are used. Business.census.gov is a valuable resource for business owners and business leaders to understand the vital role they play in the 2012 Economic Census. The site contains resources for respondents, such as examples of economic census forms, videos, key dates, and FAQs, and a link to the Business Help Site, with access to our electronic reporting software.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Music From Across America

From USA.gov:

Music isn’t just a combination of notes and sounds from instruments. It is a reflection of the people who create it. Because of the many ethnic groups in America, we find rich diversity in music in our country. Music reflects community, culture and history. Using the Music Across America website , students will learn about musical instruments and the geographic and cultural context of music. The site’s activities encourage students to think about and express their own personal responses to music.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Google Updates Transparency Report

From Google Official Blog:

We’re updating the Transparency Report with data about government requests from January to June 2012.

This is the sixth time we’ve released this data, and one trend has become clear: Government surveillance is on the rise. As you can see from the graph below, government demands for user data have increased steadily since we first launched the Transparency Report. In the first half of 2012, there were 20,938 inquiries from government entities around the world. Those requests were for information about 34,614 accounts.

Social Security Retirement Estimator

The Retirement Estimator gives estimates based on your actual Social Security earnings record. Please keep in mind that these are just estimates. We can’t provide your actual benefit amount until you apply for benefits. And that amount may differ from the estimates provided because:

Your earnings may increase or decrease in the future.
After you start receiving benefits, they will be adjusted for cost-of-living increases.
Your estimated benefits are based on current law. The law governing benefit amounts may change because, by 2033, the payroll taxes collected will be enough to pay only about 75 cents for each dollar of scheduled benefits.
Your benefit amount may be affected by military service, railroad employment or pensions earned through work on which you did not pay Social Security tax.

Who Can Use the Retirement Estimator

You can use the Retirement Estimator if:

You have enough Social Security credits at this time to qualify for benefits and
You are not:
Currently receiving benefits on your own Social Security record;
Waiting for a decision about your application for benefits or Medicare;
Age 62 or older and receiving benefits on another Social Security record; or
Eligible for a Pension Based on Work Not Covered By Social Security.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Women’s earnings, 1979–2011

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Between 1979 and 2011, the earnings gap between women and men narrowed for most age groups. The women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio among 25- to 34-year-olds grew from 68 percent in 1979 to 92 percent in 2011, for example, and the ratio for 45- to 54-year-olds increased from 57 percent to 76 percent.

In 2011, among the age groupings of those 35 years and older, women had earnings that ranged from 75 percent to 81 percent of those of their male counterparts. Among younger workers, the earnings differences between women and men were not as large.

At each level of education, women aged 25 years and older have fared better than men with respect to long-term earnings growth. Although both women and men without a high school diploma have experienced declines in inflation-adjusted earnings since 1979, the drop for women was significantly less than that for men: a 10-percent decrease for women—as opposed to a 33-percent decline for men.

Friday, November 23, 2012

US abortions fall five percent, according to the CDC

From here:

According to the latest report from the CDC, U.S. abortions fell by five percent during the recession and its aftermath, a phenomenon that most likely, insist some researchers, owing to the greater diligence with which women use contraception during tough economic times...

Experts such as Duke University assistant professor in public policy and economics Elizabeth Ananat told the AP that the recession most likely led many women to believe that they simply couldn't afford to get pregnant.


Thursday, November 22, 2012

A Snack Retrospective

Here’s a glance at some of the breakthroughs, events, products and happenings that took place in the snack food industry within Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery’s 100-year existence and even a ‘tidbit’ before.

According to the website, ideafinder.com, we consume more than 4.3 billion lb. Of snack food a year, which could be why snacks may soon end up becoming America’s favorite meal.


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Home Inspection Fee Calculator

If you buying a house, you need to get an inspection. Rates tend to run from $200 to over $500. Here's a good rule of thumb for inspectors. I also appreciate the specificity of this calculator.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Cesarean Rates for Your Local Hospital

From Our Real Village:

Expecting women are encouraged to investigate area hospitals before choosing where to birth. Sounds simple enough but the information is rarely readily available. A handful of great resources currently exist that made significant progress in gathering this information, the OurBodies blog, the Unnecessarean, and the Birth Survey. This article offers expecting families and birth professionals a comprehensive list of resources to find c-section information by hospital across America.

Here are the New York State statistics on Hospital Maternity-Related Procedures and Practices Statistics.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Three Myths re Copyright Law & Where to Start to Fix It

Intellectual property lawyer Paul Rapp got hold of a Congressional committee paper designed to "analyze current US Copyright Law by examining three myths on copyright law and possible reforms to copyright law that will lead to more economic development for the private sector and to a copyright law that is more firmly based upon constitutional principles." Unfortunately, the powers that be have put a kibosh on it. Those of us concerned about intellectual property rights and innovation, which should be everyone, should read it, and ask your members of Congress to push for these commonsense changes.

Myth 1: "The purpose of copyright is to compensate the creator of the content." That's NOT what it says in the Constitution. "Most legislative discussions on this topic, particularly during the extension of the copyright term, are not premised upon what is in the public good or what will promote the most productivity and innovation, but rather what the content creators 'deserve' or are 'entitled to' by virtue of their creation."

Myth 2: "Copyright is free market capitalism at work.
"Copyright violates nearly every tenet of laissez faire capitalism. Under the current system of copyright, producers of content are entitled to a guaranteed, government instituted, government subsidized content-monopoly.
"It is guaranteed because it is automatic upon publishing.
"It is a system implemented and regulated by the government, and backed up by laws that allow for massive damages for violations. These massive damages are not conventional tort law damages, but damages that are vastly disproportionate from the actual damage to the copyright producer."

Myth 3: "The current copyright legal regime leads to the greatest innovation and productivity...
"With no copyright protection, it was perceived that there would be insufficient incentive for content producers to create new content – without the ability to compensate them for their work. And with too much copyright protection, as in copyright protection that carried on longer than necessary for the incentive, it will greatly stifle innovation. In addition, excessive copyright protection leads to what economists call 'rent-seeking' which is effectively non-productive behavior that sucks economic productivity and potential from the overall economy.
This Goldilocks-like predicament – not too little and not too much – was what our Founding Fathers had in mind with the phrase 'securing for limited Times.'"

Read the whole thing HERE because it is an important issue, in terms of the economy, innovation, and free expression.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Census Bureau Releases 2011 New Supplemental Poverty Measure Research Findings

The Census Bureau, with support from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released its second annual report, The Research Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2011, describing research on a new supplemental poverty measure. This measure extends information provided by the official poverty measure, released Sept. 12, by explicitly including benefits from many of the government programs designed to assist low-income families and individuals.

Today’s report compares 2011 supplemental poverty estimates to 2011 official poverty estimates for numerous demographic groups at the national level. In addition, for the first time, the report presents supplemental poverty estimates for states, using three-year averages. At the national level, the report also compares 2010 supplemental poverty estimates with 2011 estimates and examines the effect of excluding individual resource or expenditure elements.

According to the report, the supplemental poverty measure rate was 16.1 percent last year, which was higher than the official measure of 15.0 percent. Neither the supplemental measure nor the official poverty rate was significantly different from the corresponding rate in 2010.

There has been a continuing debate about the best approach to measure income and poverty in the United States since the publication of the first official U.S. poverty estimates in 1964. In 2009, an interagency group asked the Census Bureau, in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to develop a new, supplemental measure to allow for an improved understanding of the economic well-being of American families and how federal policies affect those living in poverty.

“There are several important differences between the official and supplemental poverty measures,” said Kathleen Short, a U.S. Census Bureau economist and the report’s author. “For instance, the supplemental measure uses new poverty thresholds that represent a dollar amount spent on a basic set of goods adjusted to reflect geographic differences in housing costs. The official poverty thresholds are the same no matter where you live.”

There are two other major differences as well. The official measure includes only pre-tax money income. Income for the supplemental measure adds the value of in-kind benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, school lunches, housing assistance and refundable tax credits like the earned income tax credit. Additionally, supplemental poverty measure resources deduct from income necessary expenses for critical goods and services such as taxes, child care and other work-related expenses, and contributions toward the cost of medical care and health insurance premiums or medical out-of-pocket costs.

Estimates for States

Using three-year averages (2009-2011), the U.S. poverty rate was 15.8 percent using the supplemental poverty measure and 15.0 percent using the official measure. However, the picture in individual states varied considerably.

There are 15 states or equivalents for which the supplemental rates were higher than the official statewide poverty rates: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.

For another 26 states, supplemental rates were lower than the official statewide poverty rates: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Rates in the remaining 10 states were not statistically different using the two measures.

Comparing Poverty Rates for Different Demographic Groups

Unlike the current official poverty measure, the supplemental poverty measure can show the effects of tax and transfer policies on various subgroups. According to the report:

--Including in-kind benefits results in lower poverty rates for some groups. For instance, the supplemental poverty rate was lower for children than the official rate: 18.1 percent compared with 22.3 percent.

--Subtracting necessary expenses from income results in higher poverty rates for other groups. The supplemental poverty rate for those 65 and older was 15.1 percent compared with only 8.7 percent using the official measure. Medical out-of-pocket expenses were an important element for this group.

--Even though supplemental poverty rates were lower for children and higher for those 65 and older than under the official measure, the rates for children were still higher than the rates for 18- to 64-year-olds and people 65 and older. The 15.5 percent supplemental rates for 18- to 64-year-olds was not statistically different from the 15.1 percent rate for people 65 and older.

--Supplemental poverty rates were higher than the official measure for all race groups and for Hispanics, with one exception: blacks, who had a supplemental poverty rate of 25.7 percent and an official rate of 27.8 percent.

--Primarily because of geographically adjusted poverty thresholds, supplemental poverty rates differed by region. Supplemental poverty rates were higher than official rates for the Northeast and West, lower in the Midwest and not statistically different from the official measure in the South. These results reflect differences in housing costs.

The measures presented in this report used the 2012 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement with income information that referred to calendar year 2011 to estimate supplemental poverty measure resources.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Who Bought Your Politician?

Ask politicians whether campaign contributions influence their decisions, and they’ll tell you certainly not.

Ask any citizen, and they’ll likely give the opposite answer.

With that in mind, WIRED is re re-introducing a web-based embeddable widget — for anybody to use — that lists the top 10 donors and their contributions to any member of the House and Senate, their opponents, and the presidential candidates. Wired updated the widget in conjunction with Maplight, the Berkeley, California-based nonprofit dedicated to following money and politics.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

America Recycles Day - How You Can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

November 15 is America Recycles Day. Whether you're at home, on the go, in the office, or at school, there are many opportunities to go green by reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Find out what you can do to help make a difference in our environment.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Teacher and School Employee Pay Updated on SeeThroughNY

A searchable online database of earnings for 366,640 employees of New York State school districts outside New York City was posted today at www.SeeThroughNY.net, the transparency website sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy.

Long Island schools had the highest average pay by region at $73,949. The Mohawk Valley has the lowest average pay at $36,394. Seven regions average pay increased over the four-year period while only the Capital Region and Mohawk Valley have decreased average pay over that period, which includes the worst period of the recession.

For the full release online or to download the pdf with tables and charts, click here.
To access the database on SeeThroughNY, click here.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Internet Users by Language

Internet World Stats is an International website that features up to date world Internet Usage, Population Statistics, Travel Stats and Internet Market Research Data, for over 233 individual countries and world regions.

Because of the importance of this research, and due to the lack of other sources, Internet World Stats publishes several tables and charts featuring analysis and details for the top ten languages and also for the detailed world languages in use by country.

Friday, November 9, 2012

National Reading and Writing Assessments

In order to determine how our students are doing in a variety of school subjects across the U.S and in comparison with students from other nations, educational assessments are administered every year. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. The NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education. They develop national and state reports on educational progress.

The NCES performed a national computer-based writing assessment, administered to students in grades 8 and 12 throughout the United States, in 2011. Here are the writing assessment results. They also performed a reading assessment in 2011, and in the winter of 2013, the NCES will administer a reading assessment to student in grades 4, 8, and 12. You can learn more about the 2011 reading assessment results and check out the schedule and methodology for the 2013 assessments.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Veterans Day: November 11

From USA.gov:

Veterans Day is an American federal holiday honoring military veterans. It is also a holiday in many countries around the world every November 11, where it is Armistice or Remembrance Day. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I.

Today Veterans Day honors veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice. Veterans Day is always on November 11, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls.

[However, since it DOES fall on a Sunday, Monday, the 12th of November is considered a federal holiday.]

Facts for Features: Veterans Day from the Census Bureau.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Sociologist’s Compendium of World Statistics

From HERE:

Sociological statistics are ever-changing, influenced constantly by new studies and advancing technologies. For sociologists and students who need socio-oriented data, trying to keep up on the latest research can be a challenge. You can take some of the stress away from the stat-search by tapping into our pool of links to the most complete, professional statistic resources the web has to offer.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

NOAA aquatic bots break the ice on climate research

From GNC Tech:

Over the years, NOAA has sent various data-taking probes deep into the Arctic Ocean looking for answers about climate change. In this latest, extreme test of technology endurance, the agency's swimming robots deliver high science at low cost.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors: 2012

From the conservative-leaning Cato Institute, written by Chris Edwards, October 9, 2012 (White Paper).

"The recovery from the recent recession has been very sluggish, and the nation's governors have struggled with the resulting budget deficits, unemployment, and other economic problems in their states. Many reform-minded governors elected in 2010 have championed tax reforms and spending restraint to get their states back on track. Other governors have expanded government with old-fashioned tax-and-spend policies.

"That is the backdrop to this year's 11th biennial fiscal report card on the governors, which examines state budget actions since 2010. It uses statistical data to grade the governors on their taxing and spending records—governors who have cut taxes and spending the most receive the highest grades, while those who have increased taxes and spending the most receive the lowest grades."



Friday, November 2, 2012

Handbook of New York State and Local Taxes, October 2012 Edition

The Handbook of New York State and Local Taxes provides a general descriptive overview of the taxes which New York State and its local governments impose, and is revised periodically to reflect recently enacted law changes. It does not include non-tax revenue sources such as motor vehicle fees and the Lottery. Instead, it focuses on taxes, especially those administered by the Department of Taxation and Finance.


Thursday, November 1, 2012

Census Bureau Geography website redesigned & reorganized

The Geography section of the U.S. Census Bureau's website has been updated and reorganized to help you better find geography information from the Census Bureau.


The initial phase of the website update includes reorganizing information on the site into seven categories:
About Us
Maps & Data
Reference
Partnerships
Education
Research
GSS Initiative

Many links on the website are changing. In the initial release, the new webpages and the existing webpages are running simultaneously. Not all webpages have been moved to the new design/organization at this time. Some of the older information will be archived. Over the next several months Census will continue to move pages into the updated organization and put in additional redirects to automatically take you from the old pages to the new ones.

If you have any questions about the website please contact geo.geography@census.gov.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Employment Status by Block Group

In the 2011 ACS, there is a new Table B23025, which has a simplified labor for data without the age/gender breakouts. This table will be available in the 2007-2011 ACS (5-year) file and will be available for block groups.

Already available is this table for block groups from the 2006-2010 ACS (5-year) file!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Annual Uniform Crime Report, 2011 Preliminary

Preliminary figures indicate that, as a whole, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation reported a decrease of 4.0 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to their attention for 2011 when compared with figures reported for 2010. The violent crime category includes murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Collectively, the number of property crimes in the United States in 2011 decreased 0.8 percent when compared with data from 2010. Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson is also a property crime, but data for arson are not included in property crime totals. Figures for 2011 indicate that arson decreased 5.0 percent when compared with 2010 figures.


More from the FBI.

Monday, October 29, 2012

The Global Gender Gap Report

The Global Gender Gap Report, introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006, provides a framework for capturing the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities around the world. The index benchmarks national gender gaps on economic, political, education- and health-based criteria and provides country rankings that allow for effective comparison across regions and income groups and over time.

The rankings are designed to create greater awareness among a global audience of the challenges posed by gender gaps and the opportunities created by reducing them. The methodology and quantitative analysis behind the rankings are intended to serve as a basis for designing effective measures for reducing gender gaps.


Friday, October 26, 2012

American Housing Survey: 2011 Detailed Tables

Dozens of detailed tables on the characteristics of housing in the United States are now available. A wide range of topics is covered, including plumbing and source of water and sewage disposal; housing problems; householder’s satisfaction with home and neighborhood; value, purchase price and source of down payment; recent home improvement activity and costs; safety features and potential health hazards; features in home providing accessibility to people with disabilities; and socio-economic characteristics of the householder. Statistics are national-level only. .

Also, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has published microdata with results from this survey for the nation and selected metro areas.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Eurostat regional yearbook 2012

The 2012 regional yearbook published by Eurostat, is the statistical office of the European Union. The publication gives an overview of the most recent economic, social and demographic developments in the 271 NUTS level 2 regions and, for some indicators, the 1 303 NUTS level 3 regions of the 27 Member States of the European Union as well as, when available, the regions in the four EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), the acceding country (Croatia) and three of the candidate countries (Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey).

As the publication contains many maps, which are the most user friendly way to present regional statistics, a new interactive tool, the Statistical Atlas, is also launched on the Eurostat website. This tool contains maps of all regions in the EU (down to NUTS level 3) as well as the possibility to display rivers, cities and roads. On these maps, the full range of statistical indicators included in the Regional Yearbook can be selected and displayed in a clear and readable way.

The Eurostat regional yearbook 2012 includes fourteen chapters on economy, population, health, education, labour market, structural business statistics, tourism, information society, agriculture, transport, science, technology & innovation, European cities, coastal regions and territorial typologies.

More here.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2011

From the National Center for Health Statistics

The age-adjusted death rate decreased from 747.0 deaths per 100,000 population in 2010 to 740.6 deaths per 100,000 population in 2011. From 2010 to 2011, age-adjusted death rates decreased significantly for 5 of the 15 leading causes of death: Diseases of heart, Malignant neoplasms, Cerebrovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis. The age-adjusted death rate increased for 6 leading causes of death: Chronic lower respiratory diseases, Diabetes mellitus, Influenza and pneumonia, Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, Parkinson's disease, and Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids. Life expectancy remained the same in 2011 as it had been in 2010 at 78.7 years.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The puzzling case of boys who are hitting puberty earlier

From the New York Times:

A large study released by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that boys are entering puberty earlier now than several decades ago — or at least earlier than the time frame doctors have historically used as a benchmark.

The study, widely considered the most reliable attempt to measure puberty in American boys, estimates that boys are showing signs of puberty six months to two years earlier than was reported in previous research, which historically taught that 11 ½ was the general age puberty began in boys. But experts cautioned that because previous studies were smaller or used different approaches, it is difficult to say how much earlier boys might be developing.

The study echoes research on girls, which has now established a scientific consensus that they are showing breast development earlier than in the past.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Americans Are Visiting the Doctor Less Frequently

In 2010, working-age adults made an average of 3.9 visits to doctors, nurses or other medical providers, down from 4.8 in 2001, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Among those with at least one such visit, the average number of visits also declined, from 6.4 to 5.4 over the period.

These findings are from Health Status, Health Insurance, and Medical Services Utilization: 2010 [PDF], a periodic report that examines the relationship between the use of medical services (such as visits to doctors and nights spent in the hospital), health status, health insurance coverage and other demographic and economic characteristics. The statistics come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Consumption of Diet Drinks in the United States

From the National Centers for Health Statistics:

About 20% of the U.S. population aged 2 years and over consumed diet drinks
on a given day during 2009‒2010. The percentage consuming diet drinks
was similar for females and males at all ages except among adolescents aged
12‒19. The percentage consuming diet drinks increased with age for both
males and females.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Census Bureau Seeks Advice On LGBT Populations

From BuzzFeed:


The U.S. Census Bureau announced that it is seeking advice on how to address lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations in implementing the once-a-decade census.

The census, which has never counted LGBT people directly, has indirectly referenced gay people through its count of same-sex married couples and "unmarried partner" households in the past.

With the formation of the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations, however, the Census Bureau stated that it will be seeking advice from the 31-member committee "on topics such as housing, children, youth, poverty, privacy, race and ethnicity, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other populations." Specifically, the Bureau noted, the committee will provide advice on "a wide range of variables that affect the cost, accuracy and implementation of the Census Bureau's programs and surveys, including the once-a-decade census."

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

HIV Testing in the U.S. Household Population

This report presents nationally representative estimates and trends for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing among the U.S. household population aged 15–44. Data are presented for lifetime experience with HIV testing and HIV testing in the past year, including testing done as part of prenatal care.

Data for this report come from the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), consisting of 22,682 interviews with men and women aged 15–44, conducted from June 2006 through June 2010. The overall response rate for the 2006–2010 NSFG was 77%: 78% for women and 75% for men.

Among U.S. women aged 15–44, the percentage ever tested for HIV outside of blood donation increased significantly from 35% in 1995 to 55% in 2002, and to 59% in 2006–2010. Among men aged 15–44, the percentage ever tested outside blood donation fell from 47% in 2002 to 42% in 2006–2010.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Statistics Resources and Big Data on the Internet

Statistics Resources and Big Data on the Internet is a comprehensive listing of statistics and big data resources and sites on the Internet. This bibliography of sources is taken from my Subject Tracer™ Information Blog titled Statistics Resources and is constantly updated with Subject Tracer™ bots.

These sites will help you to discover a wide range of avenues through which you may locate and leverage the latest statistics resources applicable to many different types of projects, programs and research. As this site is constantly updated it would be to your benefit to bookmark and return to the above URL frequently.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Choice of College Major Can Mean Millions Over Career

The field of bachelor’s degree makes a considerable difference in a college graduate’s annual earnings, according to 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) data released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau. These differences add up over the span of one’s work-life. For example, among people whose highest degree is a bachelor’s, engineering majors earn $1.6 million more than education majors.

These findings come from two separate ACS reports. The first report, Field of Degree and Earnings by Selected Employment Characteristics: 2011, provides information about the relationship between the field of bachelor’s degrees, median annual earnings, and the likelihood of full-time employment...

The second report, Work-Life Earnings by Field of Degree and Occupation for People With a Bachelor’s Degree: 2011, explores the relationship between how far one goes in school and how much money one might make over the course of a 40-year career (from age 25 to 64). It goes into further detail for people whose highest degree is a bachelor’s by investigating how college major and occupation impact these work-life earnings. This is the first time the Census Bureau has ever analyzed work-life earnings by both field of degree and occupation.

Friday, October 12, 2012

The Patent, Used as Sword

The New York Times, Sunday, October 7, 2012

Thousands of executives and companies are caught in a software patent system that federal judges, economists, policy makers and technology executives say is so flawed that it often stymies innovation.

Alongside the impressive technological advances of the last two decades, some argue, a pall has descended: the marketplace for new ideas has been corrupted by software patents used as destructive weapons.

This article is Part 7 of the iEconomy series, which examines the challenges posed by increasingly globalized high-tech industries.



Thursday, October 11, 2012

Updated NYS Legislative Spending Posted

New York's State Legislature spent $102 million during the six-month period ending last March, according to the latest legislative data posted at SeeThroughNY. The expenditure information, which goes back to 2006, can be sorted by reporting period, expenditure type, and member name. Users can also isolate spending for individual units of the Legislature's central staff.

Ranked by office expenditures, highest-spending members in the Senate and Assembly were Kenneth Lavalle (R-Long Island) at $510,598.26 and Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) at $488,359.44, respectively.

The period covered by the Legislature's release of six-month expenditure data ends before the Assembly reportedly made a secret payment of $103,080, under the cover of "legal services," to settle sexual harassment claims brought by two former staffers against Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn). However, it does include a total of $424,237 in payments, by both the Assembly and Senate, to four law firms for "legal services" not further specified in the data.

To view the database, click here.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

School Enrollment in the United States: 2011

The Census Bureau's annual, national-level statistics on the characteristics of students, from nursery to graduate school. According to the statistics, enrollment in private elementary and high schools was 4.1 million in 2011, down from 4.8 million in 2005 and a high of 6.3 million in 1965. Furthermore, non-Hispanic white children now make up only a slight majority of elementary school students (54 percent), down from 58 percent in 2005.

For the first time, the Census Bureau has developed a series of charts illustrating trends in enrollment from 1947 to the present. These include the distribution of school enrollment by level from 1955 forward, trends in college enrollment by sex and by race, and dropout rates of students in 10th through 12th grades.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Autumn Colors: Predictions, Activities

If you're planning a long trip--or even a short local trip--to see fall colors, check out the U.S. Forest Service's Fall Colors 2012.

You can view webcams that show scenic views in a few states; call the hotline to get predictions about fall colors; get ideas about activities for kids; learn about the science behind fall colors; and more.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Cyber Security: A Shared Responsibility

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, now in its ninth year, and is a nationally recognized effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) to raise cyber security awareness across the country and to empower citizens, businesses, government and schools to improve their cyber security preparedness. In celebration of Cyber Security Awareness Month, the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ Office of Cyber Security (DHSES OCS), in partnership with these organizations, offers free awareness materials and resources to assist you in educating students and citizens about cyber security.

Cyber Security Awareness Month materials:

The New York State Cyber Awareness Toolkit is available on our website, and includes cyber security themed posters, calendars, bookmarks, guides, brochures, and other content that can be downloaded.
Stop.Think.Connect. toolkits for Students, Parents and Educators, citizens and others.
Additional Stop.Think.Connect. materials are located HERE and HERE and HERE.
Talk with students about staying safe online.
Consider signing the Cyber Pledge
Brand and distribute the Cyber Tips Newsletter.
Watch for information on this year’s NYS Kids Safe Online Cyber Security Awareness Poster Contest for Kindergarten through Grade 12 students.
View awareness videos - visit the DHSES OCS website.
Plan to attend the Awareness Month Webcast on 10/11 at 2pm .

Please visit the Awareness Month page at for more ideas and resources.

Friday, October 5, 2012

International Visitation in the United States

The Office of Travel & Tourism Industries has 2012 U.S. Travel and Tourism Statistics (Inbound) that identifies INTERNATIONAL visitors to US states and selected cities, and other data.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Emergency & Transitional Shelter Population: 2010

Studying the population in emergency and transitional shelters for people experiencing homelessness provides information about one segment of the group quarters population in the United States. This special report focuses on the 209,000 people enumerated in the 2010 Census at emergency and transitional shelters and their demographic characteristics and geographic distribution. Although this population accounted for only 2.6 percent of the nearly 8 million people in group quarters, examining this group provides information on the portion of the population experiencing homelessness that is valuable to federal, state, and local agencies for a variety of reasons such as program planning and implementation.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

How People Get Local News and Information in Different Communities

From Pew Internet & American Life Project:

A new report from the Pew Research Center shows that many of the differences in local news consumption emerging from these data reflect the varying demographic compositions of different community types in the U.S. Some differences in the platforms people use might also be tied to the lower overall use of the internet and mobile platforms in small towns and rural areas.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Who Owns the Media?

From Journalism.org:

The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism has compiled a new interactive database to help users make sense of the changes at the highest levels.

Who Owns the News Media provides detailed statistics on the companies that now own our nation's news media outlets, from newspapers to local television news stations to radio to digital, and this accompanying summary highlights the major changes of the year.

Monday, October 1, 2012

What Your Beer Says About Your Politics

From the National Journal:

Americans who most often drink Dos Equis are in the middle-of-the-road while drinkers of Heineken's flagship brand are strongly Democratic. Samuel Adams drinkers are strongly Republican, and more likely to vote.

Beer has a long and storied place in American presidential history and politics.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Populations Increasing in Many Downtowns, Census Bureau Reports

A U.S. Census Bureau report released this week shows that in many of the largest cities of the most-populous metro areas, downtown is becoming a place not only to work but also to live. Between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, metro areas with 5 million or more people experienced double-digit population growth rates within their downtown areas (within a two-mile radius of their largest city's city hall), more than double the rate of these areas overall.

Chicago experienced the largest numeric gain in its downtown area, with a net increase of 48,000 residents over 10 years. New York, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Washington also posted large population increases close to city hall. These downtown gains were not universal, however: New Orleans and Baltimore experienced the greatest population declines in their downtown areas (35,000 and slightly more than 10,000, respectively). Two smaller areas in Ohio — Dayton and Toledo — also saw downtown declines of more than 10,000.

These are just some of the findings in the new 2010 Census special report, http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/reports/c2010sr-01.pdf Patterns of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Population Change: 2000 to 2010. The report uses 2010 Census results to examine contemporary geographic patterns (as well as changes since the 2000 Census) of population density and distribution by race, Hispanic origin, age and sex for metro and micro areas collectively as well as individually. Metro areas contain at least one urbanized area of 50,000 population or more, while micro areas contain at least one urban cluster of less than 50,000, but at least 10,000.

“By including totals for both 2000 and 2010, this report helps us to understand patterns of change for this past decade,” Census Bureau Deputy Director Nancy Potok said. “The report, together with its associated online maps, graphics and statistical tables, provides a detailed view of the nation's centers of population and economic activity.”

A common theme for the non-Hispanic white alone population from 2000 to 2010 was population increases in the central areas of many of the largest principal cities, especially those in the largest metro areas.

“The Washington metro area is a notable example of this pattern,” said Steven Wilson, a co-author of the report. “We see increases in the non-Hispanic white population, in both numeric terms and share of the total population, in many of the District's census tracts in or close to the city's downtown area.” At the same time, this group's share of the population declined by 10 or more percentage points in many tracts in the surrounding suburbs of Washington, D.C.

These demographic patterns were not uniform across all race and ethnic groups; the black alone population increased in most metro areas outside the area's largest city. In Atlanta, for example, this group's share of the population rose by at least 10 percentage points in wide swaths surrounding the city. For Hispanics, growth was greatest in pockets along principal city perimeters and adjacent territory.

In several sections of the report, census tract data were examined to provide a neighborhood-level perspective on demographic patterns within individual metro areas. Because census tracts often change boundaries from one census to the next, one of the report's innovations was to retabulate 2000 Census data in updated 2010 Census tracts, thereby allowing the calculation of 2000 to 2010 change data by tract. Another feature of the report is the construction of distance bands as measured from city hall. This permits a look at population distribution and density at various distance ranges from a metro area's largest city center.

Along with metro and micro area data for all variables in the report, two online data tools were released: a series of interactive population pyramids showing the age and sex structure of all metro and micro areas in 2000 and 2010, and a set of “distance profiles” of the population for all metro areas. Also, an interactive mapping tool that allows users to see metro and micro area and census tract-level data is now available.

Other highlights:
• More than one in 10 U.S. residents lived in either the New York or Los Angeles metro area in 2010.
• Although metro areas covered only slightly more than one-quarter of the nation's land area, they were home to eight of every 10 people.
• The Hispanic share of the population increased in every U.S. metro area.
• While the non-Hispanic white alone, black alone and Asian alone populations grew faster in metro areas than in micro areas, the reverse was true for Hispanics.
• Next to those who were non-Hispanic white alone, Hispanics were the most populous race or ethnic group in most metro and micro areas in the western half of the U.S., with single-race blacks the largest in most areas in the eastern half.
• Metro area populations were younger (a median of 36.6 years) than the population in either micro areas (39.3 years) or territory outside either of these areas (41.9 years).
• Areas with the highest median ages were either in slow-growing regions like western Pennsylvania, which had past outmigration of the young combined with “aging in place,” or were faster-growing areas in parts of Florida and Arizona that were traditional retiree migration destinations.
• Areas with the lowest median ages included metro areas and micro areas in Utah, southern Idaho and along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

What 100 years of voting looks like

From Salon.com:

The story of American politics over the last few generations is one of ever increasing partisan polarization. Barack Obama was able to pick off a few Republican states in 2008, but ideology and party identity have largely synced up, draining the electoral map of much of its fluidity. When it comes to presidential politics, there are a lot of red states, a lot of blue states, and only a few true swing states...

To fully appreciate the journey that produced today’s polarized electoral map and the trends that will shape the future, Salon’s art director, Benjamin Wheelock, pored over a century’s worth of presidential, congressional and gubernatorial election results from every state, assigning each a shade of blue or red for each election year. Watch as the map travels backward from the divide we know today...

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Protected Planet Report 2012

From the Foreword:

Protected areas remain one of the cornerstones for promoting biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. Today protected areas cover 12.7% of the world’s terrestrial area and 1.6% of the global ocean area. They store 15% of the global terrestrial carbon stock, assist in reducing deforestation, habitat and species loss, and support the livelihoods of over one billion people...

The Protected Planet Report is a new initiative that tracks global progress towards Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Achieving this ambitious target, which calls for at least 17% of the world’s terrestrial areas and 10% of marine areas to be equitably managed and conserved by 2020, will require strong and effective partnerships: this report is an excellent example...

The Protected Planet Report 2012 underlines the successes of countries, communities and non- governmental organisations with respect to protected areas – since 1990, for example, protected areas have increased in number by 58% and in their extent by 48%. However, many protected areas face management, governance and financial challenges and half of the world’s most important sites for biodiversity are still unprotected.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

2012 ECONOMIC CENSUS WEBINAR

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 AT 1:00 PM EST

In November and December, more than 4 million businesses will receive forms for the 2012 Economic Census, the U.S. Government’s official five-year measure of American business and the economy. Response is required by law, and statistics that result will inform important business decisions and guide the development of effective public policy.

Businesses in your area are going to have questions, and they may look to organizations like yours for answers. To prepare you, the Census Bureau is offering a special webinar on Thursday, October 11 at 1:00 PM EST. In just one hour, you’ll learn all about the Economic Census so you can help local businesses understand the value of Census data and prepare to respond.

Complete information is available at business.census.gov, including industry statistics, videos and resources to help you reach out to your area. This site features story ideas and communications you can use through February 2013 when Economic Census forms are due.

Learn more on October 11 when you join Census for a highly informative session. Get the details at business.census.gov/webinar. Mark your calendar now, and find out why response makes a difference.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Congress.gov to replace Thomas.gov

The Library of Congress unveiled Congress.gov. It's a new website that will eventually replace THOMAS.gov as the government's site for accessing free, fact-based legislative information.

The Congress.gov site includes bill status and summary, bill text, House and Senate member profiles, and a number of new features, including effective display on mobile devices. Learn more about the new site.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Restrictions on Religion Are Tightening

From the New York Times:

Government restrictions on religion around the world were highest in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in the period before the Arab Spring uprisings, a new study has found, underscoring a factor that fueled hostilities in the region and led to the rise of political Islam after the revolts.

The study, by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life, said that in 2010 government restrictions on religion were “high or very high” in most of the Arab Spring countries, where suppression of Islamist movements contributed to the uprisings and spurred subsequent incursions of Islamists into political power.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Never the poverty data twain shall meet

What is the difference between:

the first bullet on page 13 here: "In 2011, the official poverty rate was 15.0 percent. There were 46.2 million people in poverty"

and

the first bullet on page 1 here: "In 2011, about 15.9 percent of the U.S. population had income below the poverty level, an increase from 15.3 percent in 2010. The number of people in poverty increased from 46.2 million to 48.5 mil-lion during the same time period."

The first is from the Current Population Survey and the second from the American Community Survey, as explained in How We Measure Poverty and Income.

"Many people contact us each year asking how to know which estimate to use for a particular purpose. For national estimates, we recommend the CPS because it provides a consistent historical time series at the national level and can also be used to look at limited state-level trends. However, because of the larger sample size and smaller sampling errors we recommend using the ACS for subnational geographies."