Nearly 6 Out of 10 Children Participate in Extracurricular Activities

Fifty-seven percent of children between 6 and 17 years old participate in at least one after-school extracurricular activity, according to a new report released today from the U.S. Census Bureau. The report found that children were more likely to participate in sports (35 percent) than clubs or lessons like music, dance and language (both around 29 percent).       A Child’s Day: Living Arrangements, Nativity, and Family Transitions: 2011 uses statistics from the Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine aspects of a child’s well-being, examining their participation in extracurricular activities, and how participation related to a child’s living arrangements, parental nativity status and household or economic transitions.

Back to School: 2014-2015

By August, summertime will be winding down and vacations will be coming to an end, signaling that back-to-school time is near. It’s a time that many children eagerly anticipate — catching up with old friends and making new ones, and settling into a new daily routine. Parents and children alike scan newspapers and websites looking for sales on a multitude of school supplies and the latest clothing fads and essentials. This edition of Facts for Features highlights the many statistics associated with the return to classrooms by our nation’s students and teachers.

Back-to-School Shopping

$8.6 billion  

The estimated amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2013. Sales at bookstores in August 2013 were estimated at $1.6 billion. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services <http://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/excel/mrtssales92-present.xls>

For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2012, there were 25,421 family clothing stores, 6,945 children and infants clothing stores, 25,455 shoe stores 7,443 office supply and stationery stores, 20,893 sporting goods stores, 7,244 book stores and 8,196 department stores. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 County Business Patterns, NAICS: 448210, 44814, 448130, 453210, 451211 and 4521<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2012/00A1//naics~44813|44814|448210|451211|4521|453210>

How much snow it takes to close schools (map)

A recent post on Reddit provided a map of the US, broken down by counties, which predicts the general amount of snow needed before your local school closes. It was created based on a combination of local news reports, a survey, and average snowfall levels from NOAA maps. It then makes an approximation of the differing levels of snow it takes to call off school.

From Herkimer and Oneida Counties Census Data Affiliate via HERE.

Fun with statistics! from the Census Bureau

I watched these fun Statistics in Schools videos. One addresses "how a picture can help you answer the three basic questions of statistical analysis: 'how big is it?', 'what difference does it make?', and 'are you sure that's just not dumb luck?'"