The Manufacturing and International Trade Report

The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2012 Manufacturing and International Trade Report (MITR). This new annual report contains manufacturing data on the value of product shipments. The data are published on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis from the 2012 Economic Census Industry Series. The MITR also includes official U.S. export and import merchandise trade statistics.

The MITR will, for the first time, provide a comprehensive comparison between detailed manufacturing product class data and associated import and export data.

Population of locations involved in determining the nation’s top team in college football

The U.S. Census Bureau presents a graphic that shows the population of the cities and metropolitan areas involved in the first-ever four-team playoff in college football’s top division. In the first semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 1, No. 2-ranked Oregon (Eugene, Ore.) takes on No. 3 Florida State (Tallahassee, Fla.) in Pasadena, Calif. In the other semifinal, top-ranked Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) faces No. 4 Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio) in New Orleans. The championship game will be on Monday, Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas.

Census Bureau Projects U.S. and World Populations on New Year's Day

As the nation prepares to ring in the new year, the U.S. Census Bureau today projected the United States population will be 320,090,857 on Jan. 1, 2015. This represents an increase of 2,334,187, or 0.73 percent, from New Year’s Day 2014, and 11,345,319, or 3.67 percent, since Census Day (April 1) 2010.

Most decade-specific words in Billboard popular song titles 1890-2014

From prooffreader.com

The inspiration for this post came from my being too lazy to set my iPod to shuffle, and then noticing it played a bunch of songs in a row from the 1930s and '40s that started with the letters "in" ("In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," "In the Still of the Night", etc.) Naturally, being a data nerd, my first thought was to quantify the phenomenon.

The data comes not from Billboard itself, but from www.bullfrogspond.com; I don't know much about the data source, but it certainly looks thorough and painstaking, and up to date.

Reporters Without Borders' 2014 World Press Freedom Index: U.S. falls 13 places

Reporters Without Borders has posted its annual look at the state of press freedom around the world. As always, there are problems galore. As RWB points out, press freedom is non-existent in many countries, and people brave enough to be reporters there risk their liberty or lives even in absence of war. China, Sudan and Saudi Arabia are among them. On the other end of the study are Canada and the Scandinavian countries, where the press is outstandingly free. As for the United States:
Countries that pride themselves on being democracies and respecting the rule of law have not set an example, far from it. Freedom of information is too often sacrificed to an overly broad and abusive interpretation of national security needs, marking a disturbing retreat from democratic practices. Investigative journalism often suffers as a result.

This has been the case in the United States (46th), which fell 13 places, one of the most significant declines, amid increased efforts to track down whistleblowers and the sources of leaks.

The 2014 Holiday Season

This festive season, or simply the holidays, is a time for gathering and celebrating with family and friends, gift giving, reflection and thanks. To commemorate this time of year, the U.S. Census Bureau presents the following holiday-related facts and figures from its collection of statistics.  (Graphic)  Rush to the Stores $24.4 billion Estimated retail sales by the nation’s department stores (including leased departments) in December 2013. This represents an estimated 40.9 percent jump from the previous month when retail sales were estimated at 17.3 billion. No other month-to-month increase in department store sales last year was as large. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade Survey

Trashing electronics becomes illegal in New York

If Santa brings you a shiny new laptop, game console or flat-screen TV, don't toss the old one in the trash. Starting Jan. 1, the final phase of New York's 2010 electronics recycling law takes effect, making it illegal for consumers to throw so-called "e-waste" in the garbage. Violators can be fined $100.

Read More at WRBG-TV

Recycling Your Electronic Waste

Disposal Ban: Beginning January 1, 2015, consumers may no longer dispose of certain types of electronic equipment in landfills, waste-to-energy facilities, in the trash, or at curbside for trash pickup. Use the recycling options described below.

Two Ways to Recycle Your Electronic Waste

Option 1: Use a Manufacturer's Takeback Program

1. Go to DEC's list of electronic equipment manufacturers registered in NYS, to find manufacturers, their brands electronic equipment covered by the law, and their electronic waste acceptance program websites and toll-free telephone numbers.
2. Follow the specific instructions listed on the manufacturer's website or provided over the telephone. The manufacturer is required to provide information on how to recycle your equipment, free of charge.

Florida Passes New York to Become the Nation’s Third Most Populous State

From the Census Bureau:

By adding an average of 803 new residents each day between July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014, Florida passed New York to become the nation’s third most populous state, according to U.S. Census Bureau state population estimates released today. Florida’s population grew by 293,000 over this period, reaching 19.9 million. The population of New York increased by 51,000 to 19.7 million.

California remained the nation’s most populous state in 2014, with 38.8 million residents, followed by Texas, at 27.0 million. Although the list of the 10 most populous states overall was unchanged, two other states did change positions, as North Carolina moved past Michigan to take the ninth spot.

Another milestone took place in Georgia (ranked 8th), which saw its population surpass 10 million for the first time.

North Dakota was the nation’s fastest-growing state over the last year. Its population increased 2.2 percent, followed by the 1.7 percent growth in Nevada and Texas. Each of the 10 fastest-growing states was in the South or West with the exception of North Dakota. 

Six states lost population between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014: Illinois (9,972 or -0.08 percent), West Virginia (3,269 or -0.18 percent), Connecticut (2,664 or -0.07 percent), New Mexico (1,323 or -0.06 percent, Alaska (527 or -0.07 percent) and Vermont (293 or -0.05 percent).

The United States as a whole saw its population increase by 2.4 million to 318.9 million, or 0.75 percent.

NEW: 2012 Manufacturing and International Trade Report

This new annual report from the U.S. Census Bureau will, for the first time, provide a comprehensive comparison between detailed manufacturing product class data and associated import and export data. The data are published on a North American Industry Classification System basis from the 2012 Economic Census Industry Series, presented with official U.S. export and import merchandise trade statistics. Future reports will also incorporate statistics from the Annual Survey of Manufactures. Go to: http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/MITR/2012/.

How School-Age Child Poverty in Every County Compares with Prerecession Levels

According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released today, the poverty rate for school-age children had no statistical change in 2,199 counties between 2007 and 2013 while 928 counties experienced an increase and 15 showed a decline.       The statistics are from the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program, which provides the only up-to-date, single-year income and poverty statistics for all counties and school districts — roughly 3,140 counties and nearly 14,000 school districts nationally. Data from the American Community Survey are an important input to these estimates.       “County school-age child poverty rates are still above their prerecession levels in metropolitan areas of California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, as well as the coastal areas of the Northeast and Great Lakes states,” said Wesley Basel of the Census Bureau’s Small Area Estimates Branch. “State and local programs use these statistics for distributing funds and managing school programs.”

State and Local Government Spending Grows Faster Than Revenue

Between 2007 and 2012, total expenditures for state and local governments increased by 18.2 percent, from $2.7 trillion to $3.2 trillion, while total revenue declined 1.1 percent over the same five-year period, from $3.1 trillion to $3.0 trillion, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data from the 2012 Census of Governments released today.       Two major contributors to the decline in total revenues were employee retirement revenue, which includes earnings on investments and contributions, (dropping 67.7 percent, from $533.3 billion to $172.0 billion) and interest earnings (falling 44.6 percent, from $91.9 billion to $50.9 billion).       “State and local government revenues continue to be impacted by capital market fluctuations, especially employee retirement revenues,” said Kevin Deardorff, chief of the Census Bureau’s Economy-Wide Statistics Division.       The findings are from the 2012 Census of Governments: Finance — Surveys of State and Local Government Finances, which shows revenues, expenditures, debt, and cash and security holdings by level and type of government. Level of government includes state, local, and state and local combined. Type of government includes state, county, city, township, special district and school district.

Trends in Income Inequality and its Impact on Economic Growth

In most OECD countries, the gap between rich and poor is at its highest level in 30 years. Today, the richest 10 per cent of the population in the OECD area earn 9.5 times the income of the poorest 10 per cent; in the 1980s this ratio stood at 7:1 and has been rising continuously ever since. However, the rise in overall income inequality is not (only) about surging top income shares: often, incomes at the bottom grew much slower during the prosperous years and fell during downturns, putting relative (and in some countries, absolute) income poverty on the radar of policy concerns.

More from OECD

U.S. Population Projections: 2014-2060

The Population Projections Program produces projections of the United States resident population by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, and nativity. The 2014 National Projections are based on the July 1, 2013 population estimates, which are based on the 2010 Census, and provide projections of the population for July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2060. The projections were produced using a cohort-component method and are based on assumptions about future births, deaths, and net international migration.

More from the Census Bureau, which releases new national projections periodically.

The Census Bureau released 2012 Commodity Flow statistics

The Commodity Flow Survey (CFS), undertaken through a partnership between the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) is conducted every 5 years (years ending in "2" and "7") as part of the Economic Census. The CFS produces data on the movement of goods in the United States. It provides information on commodities shipped, their value, weight, and mode of transportation, as well as the origin and destination of shipments of commodities from manufacturing, mining, wholesale, and selected retail and services establishments.

Please visit the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Fact Finder to access the data. 

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.

How Young Adults Today Compare With Previous Generations in Neighborhoods Nationwide

Young adults today, often called the millennial generation, are more likely to be foreign born and speak a language other than English at home, compared with young adults in 1980, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest statistics from the American Community Survey released this week.

“Many of the differences between generations examined within these latest data reflect long-term demographic and societal changes,” said Jonathan Vespa, a Census Bureau demographer. “Three decades of decennial census statistics combined with the latest American Community Survey statistics give us a unique view of how — and where — our nation is changing. In this case, we can look at the changing characteristics of young adults over the last few decades.”

More from the Census Bureau.

Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses – 2013

Slightly more than 3.0 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported by private industry employers in 2013, resulting in an incidence rate of 3.3 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, according to estimates from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The rate reported for 2013 continues the pattern of statistically significant declines that, with the exception of 2012, occurred annually for the last
11 years.

Key findings from the 2013 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

 The total recordable cases (TRC) incidence rate of injury and illness reported by private industry employers declined in 2013 from a year earlier, as did the rate for cases of a more serious nature involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction—commonly referred to as DART— marking the first decline in the DART rate since 2009.
 The rate of reported injuries and illnesses declined significantly in 2013 among the manufacturing, retail trade, and utilities sectors but was statistically unchanged among all other private industry sectors compared to a year earlier.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Study: Both Public, Police View Black Kids As Older, Less Innocent Than Whites

According to research published by the American Psychological Association, Black boys as young as 10 are proven to not be given the same presumption of childhood innocence as their White peers. Instead, they’re considered to be much older than what they are, perceived to be guilty, and face police violence if accused of a crime.

The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, sought to examine the extent to which the racial bias exists and how significant the consequences are. Speaking on the report, Phillip Atiba Goff, PhD, explained, “Children in most societies are considered to be in a distinct group with characteristics, such as innocence and the need for protection. Our research found that Black boys can be seen as responsible for their actions at an age when White boys still benefit from the assumption that children are essentially innocent.”

More from News One.

Mixed race couples

Some race of spouse data:

2012 Pew study

Mapping Interracial/Interethnic Married-Couple Households in the United States: 2010

What else is there that described mixed-race couples?

Hepatitis C and Baby Boomers

Baby boomers who dabbled in intravenous recreational drugs and embraced free love decades ago are now finding that behavior can have a price: hepatitis C.

The deadly viral disease brings few symptoms. In fact, it can live in your body silently for decades, slowly causing severe liver damage, even cancer. About 150 million people worldwide, and 3.2 million Americans, are chronically infected with the virus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Still, even when diagnosed, many patients refuse medicines.

More from Lifescript

Holy Smokes: Number of American Smokers Dwindles, CDC Reports

What a drag for cigarette companies.

Cigarette smoking among adults in America is at its lowest level on record, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Wednesday.

The rate of people smoking dropped from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 17.8 percent in 2013, the lowest rate since the CDC’s Nation Health Interview Survey began keeping records in 1965. Despite an increase in the U.S. population, the total number of adult smokers dropped from 45.1 million in 2005 to 42.1 million in 2013.

More from Newsweek.

Why C.E.O.s Are Growing Beards

THESE are dark days for the shaving industry. After experiencing a century of fairly steady growth, makers of razors and other shaving equipment have seen revenues level off or fall in the last few years. Beards are back.

One striking feature of this resurgence is that for the first time in well over a century, a growing number of the world’s business leaders are sporting facial hair. Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin, Goldman Sachs’s chief executive, Lloyd C. Blankfein, and Marc Benioff, the billionaire founder and chief executive of Salesforce, are just a few prominent examples.

It’s easy to view the bearded business leader as a mere extension of the overall beard trend, or yet another sign that work environments are becoming more casual. But the tangled history of facial hair and capitalism suggests that deeper forces are at work.


More from the New York Times

Thanksgiving Day: Nov. 27, 2014

In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims — early settlers of Plymouth Colony, held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest. This event is regarded by many as the nation’s first Thanksgiving. The Wampanoag  Indians in attendance played a  key role. Historians have recorded ceremonies of thanks among other groups of European settlers in North America. These include the British colonists in Virginia as early as 1619. The legacy of thanks and the feast have survived the centuries, as the event became a national holiday 151 years ago (Oct. 3, 1863) when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping, never on the occasional fifth Thursday. Where to Feast 115 million Number of occupied housing units across the nation in 2014’s second quarter — all potential stops for Thanksgiving dinner. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership, Table 8 <http://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/data/histtabs.html> 4.4 million Number of multigenerational households in the U.S. in 2013. These households, consisting of three or more generations, no doubt will have to purchase large quantities of food to accommodate all the family members sitting around the table for the holiday feast ─ even if there are no guests!  Source: 2013 American Community Survey, Table B11017 <http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_3YR_B11017&prodType=table>

Revenue Increased in All Service Sectors in 2013

Revenue increased in all of the nation’s 11 service sectors for employer firms, according to http://www.census.gov/services/index.html 2013 Service Annual Survey statistics released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau. Within the utilities sector, natural gas distribution showed a revenue increase of 15.7 percent, from $82.2 billion in 2012 to $95.1 billion in 2013.

The Service Annual Survey provides the most comprehensive national statistics available each year on service industry activity in the U.S. In 2009, the survey expanded to include data for all service industries, which account for approximately 55 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.

Highlights from service sectors:

Utilities
• Private sector utility revenue for 2013 was $541.0 billion, up 5.6 percent from $512.1 billion in 2012.

Transportation and Warehousing
• Revenue for transportation and warehousing for 2013 was $815.8 billion, up 4.1 percent from $783.9 billion in 2012.
• Pipeline transportation showed $36.5 billion in revenue for 2013, up 5.7 percent from $34.6 billion in 2012.

Information
• Information sector revenue for 2013 was $1.3 trillion, up 3.4 percent from 2012.
• Within the sector, the revenue for software publishers for 2013 was $172.3 billion, up 6.8 percent from $161.3 billion in 2012.
• In 2013, the revenue for wireless telecommunication carriers (except satellite) was $226.0 billion, up 3.4 percent from $218.5 billion in 2012.
• Data processing, hosting, and related services revenue for 2013 was $95.5 billion, up 6.4 percent from $89.8 billion in 2012.
• Revenue for Internet publishing and broadcasting and Web search portals for 2013 was $62.5 billion, up 10.3 percent from $56.7 billion in 2012.

Finance and Insurance
• Finance and insurance revenue for 2013 was $3.6 trillion, up 2.3 percent from 2012.
• Financial transactions processing, reserve, and clearinghouse activities showed $47.6 billion in revenue for 2013, up 12.2 percent from $42.5 billion in 2012.
• Portfolio management had $206.0 billion in revenue for 2013, up 10.7 percent from $186.0 billion in 2012.
• Investment advice revenue for 2013 was $31.8 billion, up 13.8 percent from $27.9 billion in 2012.

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
• Real estate and rental and leasing had $497.1 billion in revenue for 2013, up 7.0 percent from $464.6 billion in 2012.

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Professional, scientific, and technical services revenue for 2013 was $1.5 trillion, up 2.0 percent from 2012.

Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
• Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services had revenue of $745.2 billion for 2013, up 4.0 percent from $716.9 billion in 2012.

Educational Services
• Educational services revenue for 2013 was $56.9 billion, up 3.8 percent from $54.8 billion in 2012.

Health Care and Social Assistance
• Health care and social assistance revenue for 2013 was $2.2 trillion, up 2.7 percent from 2012.

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
• The arts, entertainment, and recreation sector had revenue of $222.2 billion for 2013, up 4.7 percent from $212.2 billion in 2012.

Other Services (Except Public Administration)
• Other services (except public administration) revenue for 2013 was $448.2 billion, up 6.0 percent from $422.7 billion in 2012.

The increased supply of underutilized labor from 2006 to 2014

The supply of labor and worker productivity are major sources of a nation’s long-term growth in economic output. The supply of labor depends on the size of a country’s population and the country’s labor force participation rate...

In the United States, the labor force participation rate for men has been falling for several decades. The participation rate for women increased for several decades until 1999, but has fallen since.

During a recession, a country’s actual economic output typically falls below its long-term potential output; recovery from a recession generally brings the economy back to its potential output. The recession that officially began in the United States in December 2007 and ended in June 2009 was the longest, and one of the deepest, since the Great Depression.5 Because of a slow recovery, the unemployment rate was higher in mid-2014 than it was during the year before the recession, raising concerns about the effect of the recession and the subsequent slow recovery on long-term potential output.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage month

The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, rode horseback from state to state, getting endorsements from 24 state governments, to have a day to honor American Indians. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations have been issued every year since 1994. This Facts for Features presents statistics for American Indians and Alaska Natives, as this is one of the six major Office of Management and Budget race categories.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, the statistics in the “Population” section refer to the population who reported a race alone or in combination with one or more other races.

Population

5.2 million

The nation’s population of American Indians and Alaska Natives, including those of more than one race. They made up about 2 percent of the total population in 2013. Of this total, about 49 percent were American Indian and Alaska Native only, and about 51 percent were American Indian and Alaska Native in combination with one or more other races. Source: 2011-2013 American Community Survey <http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_3YR_S0201&prodType=table>

11.2 million

The projected population of American Indians and Alaska Natives, alone or in combination, on July 1, 2060. They would comprise 2.7 percent of the total population. Source: Population projections <http://www.census.gov/population/projections/files/summary/NP2012-T4.xls>

432,343

The American Indian and Alaska Native population, alone or in combination, 65 and over. Source: 2013 American Community Survey <http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_3YR_S0201&prodType=table>

14

Number of states with more than 100,000 American Indian and Alaska Native residents, alone or in combination, in 2013. These states were California, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico,Washington, New York, North Carolina, Florida, Alaska, Michigan, Oregon, Colorado and Minnesota.Source: 2013 American Community Survey <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/S0201/0100000US.04000/popgr oup~009>

25th Anniversary of Technology That Propelled GIS, Digital and Online Mapping into 21st Century

U.S. Geological Survey Adds TIGER Roads as Basis for National Map

The convenience of getting directions today on smartphones and tablets can trace its roots to the digital geographic database created 25 years ago by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) database — the first nationwide digital map of roads, boundaries and water — was initially created for the 1990 Census to modernize the once-a-decade head count. However, its impact has extended well beyond its initial purpose by offering common map data in electronic form that powers today’s geographic information system industry.

“TIGER is just one example of how innovation in the government has spurred innovation and positive economic results in the private sector,”

Internet to Hit 3 Billion Users in 2015

The number of internet users worldwide will surpass 3 billion in 2015, according to new figures from eMarketer, increasing 6.2% next year to reach 42.4% of the entire world's population.

This year, the internet will reach more than two in five people in the world for the first time as online audience hits 2.89 billion users globally. By 2018, eMarketer estimates, nearly half the world's population, or 3.6 billion people, will access the internet at least once each month.

- See more at Emarketer

Best & Worst States at Combating the High Cost of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is a costly disease. It claims more lives in the U.S. than the next three most common types of cancer combined: colon, breast and pancreatic. And the chance of surviving lung cancer is equally disappointing — an underwhelming 16.6 percent, compared with 64.2 percent for colon cancer and 89.2 percent for breast cancer — calling for heightened attention to the deadly disease.

Not only is lung cancer physically and emotionally taxing, it also imposes an astounding financial toll on both the person it afflicts and the rest of society. According to the most recent National Institutes of Health estimates, the disease accounted for $12.1 billion of total cancer care costs in 2010. Five years earlier, premature deaths from lung cancer among adults aged 20 and older resulted in $36.1 billion in lost productivity.

Although many governments and organizations have implemented various measures, such as smoke-free bans and tobacco product regulations, to curb the prevalence of lung cancer, another 224,210 new patients were expected to be diagnosed with the illness this year alone.

Advancing the cause of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, WalletHub ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of their efforts to combat the expensive societal and economic impacts of the disease.

(NEW YORK IS IN THE TOP SIX OVERALL.)

More from WalletHub.

Income and Net Worth of Veteran Business Owners over the Business Cycle, 1989–2010

This month, the Office of Advocacy is releasing a new research report, Income and Net Worth of Veteran Business Owners over the Business Cycle, 1989–2010. The report looks at the effects of two decades of economic expansion and recession on the economic fortunes of veterans and veteran small business owners. It finds that veteran small business owners did better than veterans who did not own small businesses during the 20-year-period. The economic extremes of the period 1989-2010—including the end of the longest U.S. economic expansion and the Great Recession—had similar effects on all business owners—veteran and non-veteran alike.

The report and research summary are available on Advocacy’s webpage.

Unemployment rates by educational attainment and veteran status

Unemployment rates by educational attainment, October 2014

In October 2014, the unemployment rate edged down to 5.8 percent. For those 25 years and older with a bachelor's degree or more education, the unemployment rate was 3.1 percent, down from 3.8 percent in October 2013. For those with some college or an associate degree, the unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, down from 6.3 percent the previous year.

Employment and unemployment among all veterans, Gulf-War era II veterans, and nonveterans

In 2013, the employment-population ratio for all veterans was 47.9 percent, compared to 61.4 percent for nonveterans age 18 and over. (The ratio is the number of employed people as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population age 18 and older.) Gulf-War era II veterans, who served on active duty anywhere in the world sometime since September 2001, had an employment-population ratio of 73.3 percent in 2013.

Lessons Learned from 2014 Test Will Improve 2020 Census Operations

One of [the Census Bureau's] major goals was to test ways to maximize Internet response. In 2020, we hope to use technology to reduce the overall cost of the census by potentially as much as $5 billion in taxpayer money compared with conducting it on paper (as in all past censuses). This test researched the use of the Internet in two main ways:

As a way to contact people prior to the survey — We introduced “Notify Me Census,” which allowed households to tell us the most convenient way to contact them when it is time to respond to the survey. About 3 percent of households that were provided the “Notify Me” option opted to receive an email or text message instead of standard mail materials.

As a response option — Nearly 58 percent of housing units responded online. The test’s overall self-response rate was 71 percent, meaning that 81 percent of self-responders chose to respond via the Internet rather than by mail or phone.

We made big strides toward maximizing the efficiency of our enumerators’ work using technology, including the use of smartphones to collect interview data and record their hours and mileage — all tasks done on paper in previous censuses. We also conducted a “bring your own device” test at Census Bureau headquarters to assess new secure software for collecting data on smartphones and tablets owned by enumerators (as opposed to using devices furnished by taxpayers).

More from the Census Bureau.

Peak indifference to surveillance

We have reached the moment after which the number of people who give a damn about their privacy will only increase. The number of people who are so unaware of their privilege or blind to their risk that they think "nothing to hide/nothing to fear" is a viable way to run a civilisation will only decline from here on in.

And that is the beginning of a significant change.

Like all security, privacy is hard. It requires subtle thinking, and the conjunction of law, markets, technology and norms to get right. All four of those factors have been sorely lacking.

More from BoingBoing

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans Have Access to High-Speed Internet

Connectivity Varies Across U.S. Metros and Demographic Groups

      An estimated 78.1 percent of people in U.S. households had a high-speed Internet connection last year, according to a new report released this week from the U.S. Census Bureau. However, digital divides exist among the nation’s metropolitan areas and demographic groups.

       These statistics come from the American Community Survey, which collected data on this topic for the first time in 2013 and is the largest survey used to examine computer and Internet use in the U.S.

       Although most Americans have access to computers and high-speed Internet, differences in high-speed Internet use were as large as 25 percentage points between certain age and race groups, while divides between specific income and educational attainment groups were as large as 45 percentage points. In addition, among the nation’s metro areas, Boulder, Colo., had one of the highest rates of high-speed Internet use at 96.9, while Laredo, Texas, had one of the lowest rates at 69.3 percent.

       The report released this week, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2013, includes analysis of household computer ownership and Internet use by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, income and education. It covers areas of the country with populations larger than 65,000.

ACS for Local Area Planning and Analysis: The 2014 Planning Database

The 2014 Planning Database of selected 2010 Census and selected 2008-2012 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates is now available, incorporating the most current ACS small area estimates. Data are provided at both the census block group and the tract levels of geography. The Planning Database (PDB) assembles a range of housing, demographic, socioeconomic, and census operational data that can be used for survey and census planning. In addition to variables extracted from the census and ACS databases, operational variables include the 2010 Census Mail Return Rate for each block group and tract.

The Weird & True Story of America’s Most Popular Social Security Number

It’s a bad idea to keep your Social Security card in your wallet (despite the fact that the card says you should), but it used to be common practice. In 1938, before identity theft was the problem it is today, a wallet manufacturer wanted to show potential buyers how well their Social Security cards would fit in their wallets, so they put fake ones in the ones they sold (similar to cardboard “credit cards” you may see in wallets today).

The cards in the wallets were fake, but the number on them wasn't.

More from Credit.com

Homeowner trends: fewer homes are underwater, but have no sidewalks

The number of homeowners who owe more for their house than it is worth fell by 1.7 million between 2011 and 2013, according to the Census Bureau's American Housing Survey.

Just over 5 million homeowners reported in 2013 that they were underwater on their mortgage--or 11 percent of homeowners with a mortgage. This was less than the 6.8 million and 14 percent of homeowners with a mortgage who reported being underwater in 2011. Despite the progress, the 2013 figure is more than double what it was in 2007.

From the Demo Memo

Only 56 percent of U.S. households have sidewalks in their neighborhood, according to the 2013 American Housing Survey. Sidewalks are even less common in the neighborhoods of the nation's homeowners—only 48 percent have them compared with 71 percent of renters.

Renters are more likely to have sidewalks in their neighborhood because many live in central cities where sidewalks are the norm.


From the Demo Memo

Veterans Day 2014: Nov. 11

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary marking the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Veterans

19.6 million

Number of military veterans in the United States in 2013. Source: 2013 American Community Survey<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/DP02>

1.6 million

Number of female veterans in the United States in 2013. Source: 2013 American Community Survey <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21001>

11.3%

Percent of veterans in 2013 who were black. Additionally, 79.3 percent were non-Hispanic white; 1.4 percent were Asian; 0.7 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.2 percent were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; 1.2 percent were some other race. (The numbers for blacks, non-Hispanic whites, Asians, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and some other race cover only those reporting a single race.) Source: 2013 American Community Survey <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101>

6.0%

Percent of veterans in 2013 who were Hispanic. Source: 2013 American Community Survey<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101>

9.3 million

Number of veterans 65 years and older in 2013. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.6 million were younger than 35. Source: 2013 American Community Survey <http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21001>

When They Served

Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment, 2013

Annual data on the labor force, employment, and unemployment in states and substate areas are available from two major sources: the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. The CPS is a sample survey of about 60,000 households nationwide conducted for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the Census Bureau. The LAUS program is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor in which State workforce agencies prepare estimates using concepts, definitions, and estimation procedures prescribed by BLS.

This bulletin presents 2013 annual averages from the CPS for census regions and divisions; the 50 states and the District of Columbia; and 54 large metropolitan areas, 22 metropolitan divisions, and 41 principal cities. Data from the CPS differ from the official estimates produced by the individual States through the LAUS program. CPS estimates are provided herein because they are a current source of information on the demographic and economic characteristics of the labor force in subnational areas, from the same source as the official labor force data for the United States as a whole.

Data, going back to 1997, can be found from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

American Community Survey content review

The U.S. Census Bureau recently completed the first phase of a comprehensive content review of every question on the American Community Survey (ACS), using an objective cost-benefit analysis. With the aim of delivering maximum public benefit while ensuring a minimum of public burden, the Census Bureau’s analysis yields seven questions slated for removal from the survey. They include these:


Housing Question No. 6—Business/Medical Office on Property—Is there a business (such as a store or barber shop) or a medical office on this property?
Person Question No. 12—Undergraduate Field of Degree—This question focuses on this person's Bachelor's Degree. Please print below the specific major(s) of any Bachelor's Degrees this person has received.
Person Question No. 21a—Get Married—In the past 12 months did this person get—Married?
Person Question No. 21b—Get Widowed—In the past 12 months did this person get—Widowed?
Person Question No. 21c—Get Divorced—In the past 12 months did this person get—Divorced?
Person Question No. 22—Times Married—How many times has this person been married?
Person Question No. 23—Year Last Married —In what year did this person last get married?

A 60-day Federal Register notice was published October 31, 2014, effective through December 30, 2014. The Bureau invites you to review it and provide comments according to the instructions included in the notice.

The link is HERE.

For additional information, please go to the ACS Content Review webpage.

New York State Board of Elections Unofficial Election Night Results

The unofficial election night results displayed on this web site are based on the unofficial results reported to us by each County Board of Elections and as such, are posted on the web as a convenience to the public. New York State Election Law requires a complete recanvass of all votes cast on Election Day and the canvass of all valid absentee, special, and affidavit (provisional) ballots before any election results can be certified. Once all ballot counting tasks have been completed (usually within 15 days for a primary and within 25 days for a general election), each County Board certifies their respective election results pursuant to and in accordance with the applicable sections of New York State Election Law (see NYS Election Law, Sections 3-222, 9-200, 9-208). Those certifications are then sent to the State Board for aggregation, certification and publication/posting.

If you are looking for local election results, please contact the county board of elections. Write-in results are shown in the aggregate. Individual names for write-ins are only published in the official results and only by the State Board if a write-in candidate is a winner.

An Aging Nation Braces for More Deadly Falls

As the American population ages, the number of older people who fall and suffer serious, even fatal, injuries is soaring. So retirement communities, assisted living facilities and nursing homes where millions of older Americans live are trying to balance safety and their residents’ desire to live as they choose.

They are hiring architects and interior designers, some of whom wear special glasses that show the building as an old person would see it. Some have begun to install floor lighting, much like that on airplanes, that automatically illuminates a pathway to the bathroom when a resident gets out of bed.

The number of people over 65 who died after a fall reached nearly 24,000 in 2012, almost double the number 10 years earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 200,000 Americans over 65 died after falls in the decade from 2002 to 2012. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death in that age group.
And more than 2.4 million people over 65 were treated in emergency departments for injuries from falls in 2012 alone, an increase of 50 percent over a decade.

READ MORE from the New York Times

Where the 3 million left out of health insurance live

Last week, the New York Times analyzed data from Enroll America and the data group Civis Analytics to determine how to find the still uninsured to help get them signed up for health insurance in the next enrollment period for Obamacare, which starts November 15. What this analysis found, though, was the remarkable difference in the uninsured rate in states that expanded Medicaid versus those that didn't, and the Times is following up on that story.

According to their analysis of the data, about three million people — mostly concentrated in the South — remain without insurance coverage because of the refusal by Republican lawmakers to accept the expansion. Based on the Enroll America/Civis Analytics data, the uninsured rate would drop by two percentage points nationally if the 24 hold-out states took the expansion. The rates in those states, though, would drop dramatically.

More from Daily Kos.

Albany, NY Listed in Top 10 Places for Service Members Transitioning to Civilian Life

Veterans looking for a new place to call home may want to consider Albany. The city is ranked number nine in a list by USAA, Hiring Our Heroes and Syracuse University.

See more at TWC Albany.

Read the list at USAA and click on Military Retirement.

Survey of Income and Program Participation: Dynamics of Economic Well-Being 2009-2012

This table package traces a sample of U.S. residents and examines how many of them were poor during at least some portion of the four-year period as well as how long their poverty spells lasted. It also looks at how many entered into poverty, how many exited and how many stayed poor during the entire period. The statistics — which come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation — are presented at the national level by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2011-2013 ACS 3-Year Estimates

The Census Bureau released the 2011-2013 American Community Survey (ACS) 3-Year Estimates, the most relied-upon source for up-to-date socioeconomic information every year. The release covers a three-year period from 2011 to 2013 and more than 40 topics, such as educational attainment, income, health insurance coverage, occupation, language spoken at home, nativity, ancestry and selected monthly homeowner costs.

The statistics are available in detailed tables for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district, every metropolitan area, and all counties and places with populations of 20,000 or more. 

Happiest Cities in New York State; YES, the list includes Albany

High incomes, a diverse population, and feeling like you’re at the center of the universe combine as just a few reasons those who live in the Empire State feel happy about where they reside. The happiest New Yorkers are those who live in certain cities, which CreditDonkey has determined give residents the most reasons to smile about. We have ranked them from 1 to 10 on our list of the happiest cities in New York.

New Yorkers wonder why they would live anywhere else. They feel like they have the world at their fingertips — from the shops and job opportunities in New York City to the wonder of Niagara Falls and the chance to get away from it all in the Adirondacks. High incomes, a diverse population, and feeling like you’re at the center of the universe combine as just a few reasons those who live in the Empire State feel happy about where they live.

Certain cities in New York give residents more reasons to be happy than others. CreditDonkey considered a range of factors to come up with the happiest cities in this state. Take a look to find your happy place.

More from Credit Donkey.

FRED, the main economic database of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

To access data in FRED, the main economic database of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis,  go to http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2.
 
If you want to map FRED data, go to GeoFRED at http://geofred.stlouisfed.org.
 
To compare vintage data with the latest numbers, use ALFRED athttp://alfred.stlouisfed.org.
 
For data on banking competition, use CASSIDI at http://cassidi.stlouisfed.org.
 
And for data and primary source documents related to the economic history of the U.S., including the history of the Federal Reserve System, use FRASER athttps://fraser.stlouisfed.org. 
 
All of these services – and more – are free from the St. Louis Fed.

Interactive Map of World Population by Point, Latitude, and Longitude

André Christoffer Andersen created this nifty interactive map that estimates world population at any coordinate. Andersen was inspired by Bill Rankin's data visualizations. According this this map, the most populous coordinate is in the Punjab region.

More from BoingBoing.