Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010

Summary of Key Findings

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that in 2010, median household income declined, the poverty rate increased and the percentage without health insurance coverage was not statistically different from the previous year.

Real median household income in the United States in 2010 was $49,445, a 2.3 percent decline from the 2009 median.

The nation’s official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent, up from 14.3 percent in 2009 ─ the third consecutive annual increase in the poverty rate. There were 46.2 million people in poverty in 2010, up from 43.6 million in 2009 ─ the fourth consecutive annual increase and the largest number in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published.

The number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 49.0 million in 2009 to 49.9 million in 2010, while the percentage without coverage −16.3 percent – was not statistically different from the rate in 2009.

This information covers the first full calendar year after the December 2007-June 2009 recession. See section on the historical impact of recessions.

These findings are contained in the report Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010. The following results for the nation were compiled from information collected in the 2011 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC):

Income

Since 2007, the year before the most recent recession, real median household income has declined 6.4 percent and is 7.1 percent below the median household income peak that occurred prior to the 2001 recession in 1999. The percentages are not statistically different from each another.

Race and Hispanic Origin (Race data refer to people reporting a single race only. Hispanics can be of any race.)

Among race groups, real median income declined for white and black households between 2009 and 2010, while changes for Asian and Hispanic-origin households were not statistically different. Real median income for each race and Hispanic-origin group has not yet recovered to the pre-2001 recession all-time highs. (See Table A.)

Regions

Households in the Midwest, South and West experienced declines in real median income between 2009 and 2010. The apparent change in median household income for the Northeast was not statistically significant. (See Table A.)

Nativity

Median income for households maintained by native-born householders declined between 2009 and 2010 in real terms. The change in the median income of all foreign-born households was not statistically significant. (See Table A.)

Earnings

In 2010, the earnings of women who worked full time, year-round were 77 percent of that for men working full time, year-round, not statistically different from the 2009 ratio. The 2010 real median earnings of these men and women were not different from the 2009 earnings.

Since 2007, the number of men working full time, year-round with earnings decreased by 6.6 million and the number of corresponding women declined by 2.8 million.

Income Inequality

Based on the Gini Index, the change in income inequality between 2009 and 2010 was not statistically significant, while the changes in shares of aggregate household income by quintiles showed a slight shift to more inequality. The Gini index was 0.469 in 2010.

(The Gini index is a measure of household income inequality; zero represents perfect income equality and 1 perfect inequality.)

Poverty

The poverty rate in 2010 was the highest since 1993 but was 7.3 percentage points lower than the poverty rate in 1959, the first year for which poverty estimates are available. Since 2007, the poverty rate has increased by 2.6 percentage points.

In 2010, the family poverty rate and the number of families in poverty were 11.7 percent and 9.2 million, respectively, up from 11.1 percent and 8.8 million in 2009.

The poverty rate and the number in poverty increased for both married-couple families (6.2 percent and 3.6 million in 2010 from 5.8 percent and 3.4 million in 2009) and female-householder-with-no-husband-present families (31.6 percent and 4.7 million in 2010 from 29.9 percent and 4.4 million in 2009). For families with a male householder no wife present, the poverty rate and the number in poverty were not statistically different from 2009 (15.8 percent and 880,000 in 2010).

Thresholds

As defined by the Office of Management and Budget and updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, the weighted average poverty threshold for a family of four in 2010 was $22,314.
(See < http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshld/index.html> for the complete set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition.)

Race and Hispanic Origin (Race data refer to people reporting a single race only. Hispanics can be of any race.)

The poverty rate for non-Hispanic whites was lower in 2010 than it was for other racial groups. Table B details 2010 poverty rates and numbers in poverty, as well as changes since 2009 in these measures, for race groups and Hispanics.

Doubled-Up Households

Doubled-up households are defined as households that include at least one “additional” adult: a person 18 or older who is not enrolled in school and is not the householder, spouse or cohabiting partner of the householder. In spring 2007, prior to the recession, doubled-up households totaled 19.7 million. By spring 2011, the number of doubled-up households had increased by 2.0 million to 21.8 million and the percent rose by 1.3 percentage points from 17.0 percent to 18.3 percent.

In spring 2011, 5.9 million young adults age 25-34 (14.2 percent) resided in their parents’ household, compared with 4.7 million (11.8 percent) before the recession, an increase of 2.4 percentage points.

It is difficult to precisely assess the impact of doubling up on overall poverty rates. Young adults age 25-34, living with their parents, had an official poverty rate of 8.4 percent, but if their poverty status were determined using their own income, 45.3 percent had an income below the poverty threshold for a single person under age 65.

Age

The poverty rate increased for children younger than 18 (from 20.7 percent in 2009 to 22.0 percent in 2010) and people 18 to 64 (from 12.9 percent in 2009 to 13.7 percent in 2010), while it was not statistically different for people 65 and older (9.0 percent).

Similar to the patterns observed for the poverty rate in 2010, the number of people in poverty increased for children younger than 18 (15.5 million in 2009 to 16.4 million in 2010) and people 18 to 64 (24.7 million in 2009 to 26.3 million in 2010) and was not statistically different for people 65 and older (3.5 million).

Nativity

The 2010 poverty rate for naturalized citizens was not statistically different from 2009, while the poverty rates of native-born and noncitizens increased. Table B details 2010 poverty rates and the numbers in poverty, as well as changes since 2009 in these measures, by nativity.

Regions

The South was the only region to show statistically significant increases in both the poverty rate and the number in poverty — 16.9 percent and 19.1 million in 2010 — up from 15.7 percent and 17.6 million in 2009. In 2010, the poverty rates and the number in poverty for the Northeast, Midwest and the West were not statistically different from 2009. (See Table B.)
Health Insurance Coverage

The number of people with health insurance increased to 256.2 million in 2010 from 255.3 million in 2009. The percentage of people with health insurance was not statistically different from 2009.

Between 2009 and 2010, the percentage of people covered by private health insurance declined from 64.5 percent to 64.0 percent, while the percentage covered by government health insurance increased from 30.6 percent to 31.0 percent. The percentage covered by employment-based health insurance declined from 56.1 percent to 55.3 percent.

The percentage covered by Medicaid (15.9 percent) was not statistically different from 2009.

In 2010, 9.8 percent of children under 18 (7.3 million) were without health insurance. Neither estimate is significantly different from the corresponding 2009 estimate.

The uninsured rate for children in poverty (15.4 percent) was greater than the rate for all children (9.8 percent).

In 2010, the uninsured rates decreased as household income increased from 26.9 percent for those in households with annual incomes less than $25,000 to 8.0 percent in households with incomes of $75,000 or more.

Race and Hispanic Origin (Race data refer to those reporting a single race only. Hispanics can be of any race.)

The uninsured rate and number of uninsured in 2010 were not statistically different from 2009 for non-Hispanic whites and blacks, while increasing for Asians. The number of uninsured Hispanics was not statistically different from 2009, while the uninsured rate decreased to 30.7 percent. (See Table C.)

Nativity

The proportion of the foreign-born population without health insurance in 2010 was about two-and-a-half times that of the native-born population. The 2010 uninsured rate was not statistically different from the 2009 rate for native-born, the foreign-born overall and noncitizens but rose for naturalized citizens. Table C details the 2010 uninsured rate and the number of uninsured, as well as changes since 2009 in these measures, by nativity.

Regions

The Northeast and the Midwest had the lowest uninsured rates in 2010. Between 2009 and 2010, there were no statistical differences in uninsured rates for any of the regions. The number of uninsured increased in the Northeast, while there were no statistically significant changes for the other three regions. (See Table C.)

Historical Impact of Recessions

Since 2010 represents the first full calendar year after the recession that ended in June 2009, one can compare changes in income, poverty and health insurance coverage between 2009 and 2010 with changes during the first year after the end of other recessions:

Median household income declined the first full year following the December 2007 to June 2009 recession, as well as in the first full year following three other recessions (March 2001 to November 2001, January 1980 to July 1980 and December 1969 to November 1970). However, household income increased the first full year following the November 1973 to March 1975 recession, and the changes following the July 1990 to March 1991 and July 1981 to November 1982 recessions were not statistically significant.

The poverty rate and the number of people in poverty increased in the first calendar year following the end of the last three recessions. For the recessions that ended in 1961 and 1975, the poverty rate decreased in the next full calendar year.

After the most recent recession, there was no significant difference in the uninsured rate during the first full year after the recession. However, in the year following the recessions that ended in 1991 and 2001, the uninsured rate increased.

Supplemental Poverty Measure

The Census Bureau’s statistical experts, with assistance from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget, the Economics and Statistics Administration and other appropriate agencies and outside experts, are now developing a Supplemental Poverty Measure. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, for which the Census Bureau expects to publish preliminary estimates in October 2011, will provide an additional measure of economic well-being. It will not replace the official poverty measure and will not be used to determine eligibility for government programs. See Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010 for more information.


The Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement is subject to sampling and nonsampling errors. All comparisons made in the report have been tested and found to be statistically significant at the 90 percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted.


For additional information on the source of the data and accuracy of the estimates for the CPS, visit .


Table A. Median Household Income
2009 2010 Percent change in real median income
(in 2010 dollars)

Region
U.S.
$50,599 $49,445 *-2.3
Northeast
$53,949 $53,283 -1.2
Midwest
$49,684 $48,445 *-2.5
South
$46,368 $45,492 *-1.9
West
$54,722 $53,142 *-2.9

Race and Hispanic Origin of Householder
White
$52,717 $51,846 * -1.7
White, not Hispanic
$55,360 $54,620 -1.3
Black
$33,122 $32,068 *-3.2
Asian
$66,550 $64,308 -3.4
Hispanic origin
$38,667 $37,759 -2.3

Nativity of Householder
Native-born
$51,337 $50,288 *-2.0
Foreign-born
$44,648 $43,750 -2.0
Naturalized citizen
$52,833 $52,642 -0.4
Not a citizen
$36,685 $36,401 -0.8

*Change statistically significant at the 90 percent confidence level.


Table B. People in Poverty
(Numbers in thousands)
2009 2010 Change in poverty
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Region
U.S.
43,569 14.3 46,180 15.1 *2,611 *0.8
Northeast
6,650 12.2 6,987 12.8 336 0.6
Midwest
8,768 13.3 9,148 13.9 380 0.6
South
17,609 15.7 19,072 16.9 *1,463 *1.2
West
10,542 14.8 10,973 15.3 431 0.5

Race and Hispanic Origin
White
29,830 12.3 31,650 13.0 *1,819 *0.7
White, not Hispanic
18,530 9.4 19,599 9.9 *1,070 *0.5
Black
9,944 25.8 10,675 27.4 *732 *1.6
Asian
1,746 12.5 1,729 12.1 -17 -0.4
Hispanic origin
12,350 25.3 13,243 26.6 *893 *1.3
Nativity
Native-born
36,407 13.7 38,568 14.4 *2,161 *0.7
Foreign-born
7,162 19.0 7,611 19.9 *450 0.9
Naturalized citizen
1,736 10.8 1,906 11.3 *169 0.5
Not a citizen
5,425 25.1 5,706 26.7 281 *1.5

*Statistically different from zero at the 90 percent confidence level.


Table C. People Without Health Insurance Coverage
(Numbers in thousands)
2009 2010 Change
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Region
U.S.
48,985 16.1 49,904 16.3 *919 0.2
Northeast
6,434 11.8 6,779 12.4 *345 0.6
Midwest
8,368 12.7 8,605 13.0 237 0.4
South
21,576 19.2 21,665 19.1 88 -0.1
West
12,606 17.7 12,855 17.9 249 0.2

Race and Hispanic Origin
White
37,124 15.3 37,385 15.4 261 --
White, not Hispanic
22,715 11.5 23,093 11.7 378 0.2
Black
7,838 20.3 8,132 20.8 294 0.5
Asian
2,317 16.5 2,600 18.1 *284 *1.6
Hispanic origin
15,450 31.6 15,340 30.7 -110 *-0.9

Nativity
Native-born
36,305 13.6 36,881 13.8 576 0.2
Foreign-born
12,680 33.7 13,023 34.1 343 0.4
Naturalized citizen
2,951 18.4 3,356 20.0 *405 *1.6
Not a citizen
9,729 45.1 9,667 45.1 -62 --

*Change statistically significant from zero at the 90 percent confidence level.

--Represents or rounds to zero.

Twitter: 100 Million Users Strong

Five years ago, Twitter came to life when @jack sent the first Tweet to his seven followers. Now, 100 million active users around the globe turn to Twitter to share their thoughts and find out what’s happening in the world right now.

More than half of them log in to Twitter each day to follow their interests. For many, getting the most out of Twitter isn’t only about tweeting: 40 percent of our active users simply sign in to listen to what’s happening in their world.

More HERE.

Health Insurance in Small Firms: Availability, Coverage, and the Effect of Tax Incentives

A new study by the Office of Advocacy investigates health care coverage provided by small firms and the effects of state and federal tax incentives on health insurance availability. States have tried a variety of approaches to improve health plan coverage, particularly health insurance offered by small businesses. The study finds that most existing state tax incentive programs apply to a narrow class of employers. The increase in the federal self-employed health insurance tax deduction in 2003 did create an incentive for some self-employed individuals to purchase health insurance. In 2007, it was estimated that small employers deducted approximately $53.8 billion for health insurance benefits.

The research summary can be found HERE [PDF].

Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Joe Sobota at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.

Flags of Every Country

Well, almost every country. No South Sudan, the newly-independent nation. And no, there's no separate flag of Scotland.

More Retirees With $100,000 Allowances

Thirteen percent of newly retired members of the state Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) in 2010 qualified for a pension of more than $100,000, according to data posted this week at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center's government transparency website. Most of the 125 new PFRS retirees with six-figure pensions worked for agencies on Long Island and in the lower Hudson Valley, including the Port Authority of NY & NJ, continuing a trend that has developed in the past decade.

The average pension for all newly retired PFRS members came to $63,791, while pensions averaged $29,988 for members of the New York State Employee Retirement System (ERS), which covers all county and municipal workers outside New York City.

Remembering 9/11 and How to Be Part of National Day of Service

"You can find – or create – local opportunities to honor the victims and heroes of 9/11 at www.serve.gov. At that site, you’ll find everything from food drives and neighborhood cleanups, to activities that help honor our military, our veterans, and our first responders."

September Is National Preparedness Month

Disability.gov’s Emergency Preparedness section has quite a few tools and resources that can help people with disabilities and others prepare for, and recover from, emergency situations and disasters. You'll also find information about the importance of including people with disabilities in emergency preparedness efforts - including planning for, responding to and recovering from a disaster or emergency.

Education Impacts Work-Life Earnings 5 Times More Than Other Demographic Factors

According to a new U.S. Census Bureau study, education levels had more effect on earnings over a 40-year span in the workforce than any other demographic factor, such as gender, race and Hispanic origin. For example, a worker with a professional degree is expected to make more than a worker with a eighth grade education or lower.

Some groups, such as non-Hispanic white males, Asian males and Asian females, benefit more from higher levels of education than other groups over a 40-year career for those with a professional degree. White males with a professional degree make more than double (about $2.4 million more) than that of Hispanic females with the same level of education.

(Note: Hispanics may be any race. All references in this news release to race groups such as black or white exclude Hispanic members of the race group in question; that is, all are “non-Hispanic.”)

Many factors, such as race and Hispanic origin, gender, citizenship, English-speaking ability and geographic location do influence work-life earnings but none had as much impact as education. The estimated impact on annual earnings between a professional degree and an eighth grade education was about $72,000 a year, roughly five times the impact of gender, which was $13,000.

These findings come from the report Education and Synthetic Work-Life Earnings [PDF], which looks at the economic value of educational attainment by estimating the amount of money that people might earn over the course of a 40-year work-life given their level of education. The report also looks at the effect of other factors, such as race and gender groups and other characteristics with regard to this relationship.

“This analysis shows that there is a clear and well-defined relationship between education and earnings,” said Tiffany Julian, an analyst in the Census Bureau’s Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division. “The overall economic value of educational attainment in this report supports the belief that higher levels of education are well-established paths to better jobs and higher earnings.”

Other highlights:
Overall, white males had higher earnings than any other group at every education level, with the exception of those with a master’s degree, which was topped by Asian males, and those with a professional degree, where Asian males were not significantly different from white males.
In general, women in the most economically advantaged race groups usually earn less than men in the most disadvantaged race groups. For example, a white female with master’s degree is expected to earn $2.4 million over a 40-year work-life. In comparison, a Hispanic male with a master’s degree is expected to earn $2.8 million.

For Asian, black and Hispanic groups whose highest education completed is high school, the difference between each group’s work-life earnings was not large compared with the differences between these groups when they had higher levels of education.
Asian men and women with a bachelor’s degree or higher had greater returns on higher education than blacks or Hispanics of either gender. For example, an Asian female with a professional degree made $3.7 million in work-life earnings compared with $2.3 million for a Hispanic female with a professional degree.

Naturalized citizens saw a small yearly increase in earnings over the native-born population ($1,210), but those who were not citizens made $2,446 less a year than the native-born.

Language spoken at home had an effect on earnings: those who spoke a language at home other than English saw a decrease in annual earnings after considering all other factors. Even those who speak English “very well” saw a decrease of $989 in annual earnings compared with English-only speakers.

Geography impacted earnings, showing higher earnings in the Pacific states and in New England and lowest earnings in East South Central states.

Data for this research comes from the 2006-2008 3-year American Community Survey. All estimates are presented in 2008 dollars and represent the amount of estimated money that one can expect to earn from ages 25 to 64.

Energy studies

The Ethanol Decade: An Expansion of U.S. Corn Production, 2000-09 [PDF]: The recent 9-billion-gallon increase in corn-based ethanol production, which resulted from a combination of rising gasoline prices and a suite of Federal bioenergy policies, provides evidence of how farmers altered their land-use decisions in response to increased demand for corn. As some forecasts had suggested, corn acreage increased mostly on farms that previously specialized in soybeans. Other farms, however, offset this shift by expanding soybean production. Farm-level data reveal that the simultaneous net expansion of corn and soybean acreage resulted from a reduction in cotton acreage, a shift from uncultivated hay to cropland, and the expansion of double cropping (consecutively producing two crops of either like or unlike commodities on the same land within the same year).

The International Energy Outlook 2010 International Energy Outlook 2010 (IEO2010) presents an assessment by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the outlook for international energy markets through 2035. U.S. projections appearing in IEO2010 are consistent with those published in EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2010 (AEO2010), (April 2010).

Announcement from NYS Tax Department re: Hurricane Irene

President Barack H. Obama has declared certain counties in New York State to be disaster areas as a result of Hurricane Irene. As a result of this declaration, Commissioner Thomas H. Mattox has postponed certain tax filing and payment deadlines for taxpayers in these counties who were directly affected by the storm.
The relief provided for in this notice applies to taxpayers directly affected by the storm in the counties of Albany, Clinton, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Montgomery, Nassau, Orange, Otsego, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan, Suffolk, Ulster, Warren, and Westchester. This includes taxpayers residing in or having their principal place of business in these counties. In addition, the relief will also apply to taxpayers directly affected by the storm located in any additional counties in New York State that are declared disaster areas and eligible for federal tax relief after this notice is issued. The relief will also apply to taxpayers directly affected by the storm in counties in other states that are declared disaster areas and eligible for federal tax relief.

See details HERE [PDF].

Corporation Info Online

Here's a link to a directory of all 50 states' Secretary of State sites.

"Coordinated Legal Technologies has compiled the links on this page for legal professionals and others who are looking for quick access to the corporate information available in online searchable databases maintained by the Secretary of State for any given state. The extent of information available and the way in which it is present varies from state to state. Some states provide only a business name lookup, while others offer search by officer and director names, and UCC filing information. Please be sure to check the hosting state entity for more information about the type of content offered and the time periods covered."

Personal Income for Metropolitan Areas, 2010

Personal income rose in 2010 in all but four of the nation’s 366 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), according to estimates released this month by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal income in the metropolitan portion of the United States rose 2.9 percent in 2010 after falling 1.9 percent in 2009.

Clinical Trials

Some sources:

World Health Organization

IFPMA

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Fake a Sick Day? Non!

By Allison Linn
A new survey finds that a whopping 71 percent of Chinese workers admit to calling in sick when they weren’t.

On the other hand, only 16 percent of French workers say they have taken a fake sick day.

http://www.kronos.com/pr/kronos-global-absence-survey-shows-employees-around-the-world-playing-hooky-with-china-leading-the-pack.aspx The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive for Kronos Incorporated, found that about half of all Americans have taken a fake sick day. That’s about on par with countries including Canada and Australia.

More HERE.

Workplace fatalities in mining, 2004–2008

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Over the 5-year period from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2008, more than 90 percent of the workplace fatalities in the mining industry resulted from four kinds of events: transportation accidents, contact with objects and equipment, fires and explosions, and exposure to harmful environments.

Quizzle’s Survey of Credit Demographics

Who wins the credit score battle of the sexes?

Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) latest Liveability Ranking

From HERE:

Vancouver was first-equal with Melbourne in 2002, taking the top spot in the next ranking and holding it ever since. In this edition of the rankings, Vancouver dropped to third place after the city’s overall score dropped because of “a slight decline in its transport infrastructure score.” Vienna climbed into second place as Melbourne took first place, despite no change in its score.

Seven of the top ten cities are in Canada or Australia (3 and 4, respectively) and two cities are in Europe (Vienna at number two and Helsinki at 7). Auckland rounds out the top ten in tenth place, meaning Commonwealth countries have 8 out of the top ten most liveable cities.

However, the EIU notes that, “The performance of the most liveable cities reflects minimal variation between the scores of the top locations… only 1.8 percentage points separate the top ten cities. In this context, some 63 cities (down to Santiago in Chile) are considered to be in the very top tier of liveability…”

Robert Samuelson Defends Stat Abstract in Washington Post

Robert J. Samuelson recently published the op ed Don’t kill America’s databook in the Washington Post. He discusses the importance of the Statistical Abstract in the context of data transparency.

NYS Tax Dept: Offer in Compromise Program Reform

From one of those nifty tax digests I receive regularly:

Individuals seeking a fresh start from overwhelming tax debts may now be eligible for relief under a new hardship provision in the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance's Offer in Compromise Program.

The new provision enables them to accept offers where collection in full
would cause undue economic hardship. Previously, the program was only
available in cases of insolvency or bankruptcy.

For more information, see the Offer in Compromise Reform web page and this PDF document.

Multifactor Productivity Trends in Manufacturing, 2009

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics [PDF]

Manufacturing sector multifactor productivity declined at a 5.7 percent annual rate in 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. This was the largest annual decline in multifactor productivity since the series started in 1987. The multifactor productivity decline in 2009 reflected a 12.5 percent decrease in output and a 7.2 percent decrease in combined inputs.

National Transportation Library

Good source for transportation statistics:

Chapter 1 - The Transportation System

Chapter 2 - Transportation Safety

Chapter 3 - Transportation and the Economy

Chapter 4 - Transportation, Energy, and the Environment

How Many Species Are There on Earth?

The diversity of life is one of the most striking aspects of our planet; hence knowing how many species inhabit Earth is among the most fundamental questions in science. Yet the answer to this question remains enigmatic, as efforts to sample the world's biodiversity to date have been limited and thus have precluded direct quantification of global species richness, and because indirect estimates rely on assumptions that have proven highly controversial. ... In spite of 250 years of taxonomic classification and over 1.2 million species already catalogued in a central database, our results suggest that some 86% of existing species on Earth and 91% of species in the ocean still await description.

More HERE.

OPAL down for a week

From OPAL, the New York State's Online Permit Assistance and Licensing website:

If you want to start a new business or expand your current business, this site will help you find the New York State business permits you may need.

However

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to a scheduled upgrade, the online forms will NOT be available from September 6 through September 13, 2011. This website will NOT be available from September 9 through September 13, 2011. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

"Community college often gets a bad rap, but for years these institutions have helped many students — especially those trying to balance work, family and going to school — get the education and training they need. President Obama has called community colleges one of the keys to America’s economic future, and the new attention and increasingly bigger draw is bound to mix things up in the coming decade. Here are a few examples" of what is predicted to "evolve and even improve about the community college experience."

More HERE.

Publication of Final Criteria for Delineating Urban Areas for the 2010 Census

The Census Bureau published final criteria for delineating urban areas for the 2010 Census in the August 24, 2011 Federal Register. In addition to the final criteria, the notice contains a summary of comments received in response to the Census Bureau’s proposed urban area criteria and the Census Bureau’s responses to those comments. Background information about the Census Bureau’s urban-rural classification also is included.

Note that these areas form the foundation for delineating the metropolitan and micropolitan areas by OMB that are to come.

The final criteria are available from the Census Bureau’s website at

What 15 Financial Experts Want You to Know About College Expenses

There’s no shortage of information about college expenses: scholarships, loans, savings plans, the rising cost of college tuition, and more. Nearly everyone has advice for saving on or somehow managing to make college expenses work. But what do the experts have to say? We’ve found sound college advice from some of the top financial experts today, whether you’re wondering about 529s or raiding your retirement fund for college. Read on to find out what the experts know about saving and paying for college.

Other weather sources

In addition to sources such as the National Weather Service, weather.com, and Weather Underground, here are a couple other links:

The Northeast Climate Center

The Utah Climate Center at the Utah State University.

The Changing Profile of Autopsied Deaths in the US, 1972–2007

National Center for Health Statistics [PDF]

In 1972, almost 1 out of 5 deaths were autopsied. From 1972 through 2003, however, the autopsy rate dropped 58 percent from 19.3 percent to 8.1 percent. Although the autopsy rate has increased slightly since 2003, only 8.5 percent, or fewer than 1 out of 10 deaths, were autopsied in 2007.

Variation & Change in the State Standards for Reading & Mathematics, 2005 - 2009

National Center for Education Statistics [PDF]

There is wide variation among state proficiency standards.
• In 2009, as in 2003, 2005, and 2007, using NAEP as common metric, standards for proficient performance in reading and mathematics varied across states in terms of the levels of achievement required. For example, for grade 4 reading, the difference in the level required for proficient performance between the five states with the highest standards and the
five with the lowest standards was comparable to the difference between Basic and Proficient performance on NAEP. The results for reading at grade 8 and mathematics in both grades were similar.

Snapshot of Food Safety Milestones in the History of the FDA

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA posted, “Snapshot of Food Safety Milestones in the History of the FDA” on its Web site. Until a little over a century ago, there were no federal laws or regulations in place to protect the public from potentially dangerous substances in medicines or foods.

Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.

From the Department of Agriculture - Economic Research Service

U.S. farmers have adopted genetically engineered (GE) crops widely since their commercial introduction in 1996, notwithstanding uncertainty about consumer acceptance and economic and environmental impacts. In terms of share of planted acres, soybeans and cotton have been the most widely adopted GE crops in the U.S., followed by corn. This data product summarizes the extent of adoption of herbicide-tolerant and insect–resistant crops since their introduction in 1996.

Annual Energy Review

Source: Energy Information Administration

The Annual Energy Review (AER) is the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s primary report of historical annual energy statistics. For many series, data begin with the year 1949. Included are data on total energy production, consumption, and trade; overviews of petroleum, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, renewable energy, international energy, as well as financial and environmental indicators; and data unit conversion tables.

Same-sex couples in New York State

From the The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law

Data are compiled from PCT 15, Census 2010 SF-1. Same-sex couples are identified in households where Person 1 describes his or her relationship with another adult of the same sex as either a “husband/wife” or “unmarried partner”. The reported number of same-sex couples in the state and the associated figure for same-sex couples per 1,000 households are based on official Census tabulations.

More HERE.

What Is the Average Retirement Age?

by Alicia H. Munnell

Since working longer is the key to a secure retirement for the vast majority of older Americans, it is useful to take a look at labor force trends for those under and over age 65 for the last century.

Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of Serious Violent Crime

From 1993 to 2009, an average of 9% of victims of serious violent crime—rape or other sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault—received assistance from a victim service agency. Victim service agencies are publicly or privately funded organizations that provide victims with support and services to aid their physical and emotional recovery, offer protection from future victimizations, guide them through the criminal
justice system process, and assist them in obtaining restitution.

More HERE (PDF).

Earthquake Hazards Program

All you need to know about earthquakes from the USGS. The Last Earthquake in New York was a magnitude 2.2 on 2011 August 23 10:35:17 UTC, 28 km (17 miles) W of ALBANY, New York.

Like a Hurricane

Hurricane Irene is churning in the Atlantic, and if you live in a hurricane-prone part of the United States, it's time to prepare for severe storms.

USA.gov has the information you need to prepare your family, your business, and your pets. Don't let a disaster catch you by surprise - be prepared.

THE NEARLY COMPLETE LEIBER & STOLLER DISCOGRAPHY

"This discography focuses on officially released studio recordings; live recordings are included only where there is no studio version by that artist. Exceptions are noted as such."

Jerry Leiber of the songwriting team of Leiber & Stoller has died at the age of 78. The two men gave us a lot of hits, for the Coasters, the Drifters, Elvis Presley and a lot of other folks. I actually bought a book with many, though by no means, all of their songs. You will say "Gee, they wrote that, too?"

Children's Well Being

A number of reports released this month about children.

From the Annie E. Casey Foundation - 2011 Kids Count Data Book: National and State-By-State Data on Key Indicators of Child Well-Being

From the Census Bureau - A Child’s Day: 2009

From the National Center for Health Statistics - Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Children: National Health Interview Survey, 2010 [PDF]

From the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality - Hospital Stays for Children, 2009 [PDF]

All Time Top 100 Stars at the Box Office

This chart is not adjusted for inflation. The figures represent the total amount of US revenue generated by all the movies a star has appeared in over their lifetime.

Who's #1? You're probably thinking Tom Cruise (#8) or Harrison Ford (#5) or Tom Hanks (#3). My guess is that you will NEVER guess #1.

Childbearing

A couple PDF reports from the National Center for Health Statistics

Childbearing Differences Among Three Generations of U.S. Women
Transitions Between Childlessness and First Birth: Three Generations of U.S. Women

How To Live Forever

An inforgraphic talking about our current longevity, things that impact our lifespan, ways to improve that lifespan, and what the future may hold for making us live longer.

"Keeping America Informed" U.S. Government Printing Office's 150th Anniversary History Exhibit

Did you know that the Government Printing Office is celebrating 150
years?
Here is a press release [PDF] on an exhibit with a URL to a YouTube video showing the GPO employees viewing the exhibit.

State Agricultural Export Data

From the Department of Agriculture - Economic Research Service

Annual estimates of U.S. exports by State and commodity group based on each State's share of U.S. agricultural production.

Small Business Quarterly Bulletin

The Small Business Quarterly Bulletin [PDF] from Advocacy's Office of Economic Research is a brochure-style publication that contains commentary and analysis on the current employment and financing trends of small businesses.

Baby Boomers Envision What's Next?

From AARP:

As boomers approach retirement they are less confident about financing their retirement through their own savings or pensions. They are more likely to expect to rely on Social Security. Their health is also declining. As a result they are less optimistic about their retirement, and now have lowered expectations. They anticipate working longer, at least on a part-time basis, for the additional income. This is especially true among working boomers with lower incomes. The recession and financial meltdown have played a role in this pessimism,

Search for Patents

Inventors are encouraged to search the USPTO’s patent database to see if a patent has already been filed or granted that is similar to your patent. Patents may be searched in the USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database (PatFT). The USPTO houses full text for patents issued from 1976 to the present and TIFF images for all patents from 1790 to the present.

Employee Benefits for Same-Sex Partners

(description from American Demographics)

Thirty percent of same-sex unmarried domestic partners have access to health care benefits for their partner through their employer, according to the 2011 Employee Benefits Survey. In this Bureau of Labor Statistics' survey, for the first time, questions were included about access to benefits for unmarried domestic partners--same sex and opposite sex. The 30 percent of same-sex partners who have access to health care benefits exceeds the 25 percent of opposite-sex partners with access.

School Districts Integrate Technology into Common Core-based Curriculum

As states emphasize the Common Core State Standards, school districts work on meeting learning goals with technology.

Forty-four states, including New York State, and the District of Columbia have adopted the standards, and two state consortiums are designing assessments for them.

More info HERE.

The MetLife Report on American Grandparents

New Insights for a New Generation of Grandparents

There are 65 million grandparents in the U.S., an increase from 40 million in 1980. More than one in every four adults is a grandparent. A long way from being dependent, households that are headed by someone 45 to 64 years old command almost half (46%) of the nation’s total household income. If households older than age 65 are added in, the grandparent age share of the nation’s income rises to 60%, which is a full 10 percentage points higher than it was in 1980.

Interesting ZIP code resource

Zipskinny, unfortunately, is based on Census 2000 data, not 2010...yet.

Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks and Hispanics

The median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly available government data from 2009.

These lopsided wealth ratios are the largest since the government began publishing such data a quarter century ago and roughly twice the size of the ratios that had prevailed between these three groups for the two decades prior to the Great Recession that ended in 2009.

The Pew Research Center analysis finds that, in percentage terms, the bursting of the housing market bubble in 2006 and the recession that followed from late 2007 to mid-2009 took a far greater toll on the wealth of minorities than whites.

More from Pew Research.

Standard & Poor's Credit Rating for each country

The map found HERE shows Standard & Poor's Credit Rating for each country. The US is no longer deep blue.

A Timeline of College Tuition

My wife went to college in the 1980s and recalled that she thought tuition at her private university was quite expensive. Since then, the tuition has increased fivefold, as we noticed on an alumni visit last week.

Speaking of which, A Timeline of College Tuition.

Search for Lost Money

What is Lost Money?

For your protection, banks, insurance companies, utilities, investment companies and many other businesses are required by State law to surrender inactive accounts to the State. These accounts are known as “lost,” “abandoned,” or “unclaimed” funds.

The Office of the State Comptroller serves as custodian of this money. If you can prove you are entitled to the money, we will gladly return it to you, at any time, without charge. Until the money is claimed, it is used by the State’s General Funds, serving the citizens and taxpayers of the State of New York.

The Future Technology

Handbook of New York State and Local Taxes

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.

New York State Transportation Equity Alliance

The New York State Transportation Equity Alliance (NYSTEA) is a coalition of over 75 groups across New York State working to reform federal and state transportation policy.

NYSTEA is coordinated by Empire State Future, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, UPROSE and WE ACT- combining regional land use planning, environmental justice and transportation policy experience.

Bar Codes

What is the best way for a business to obtain a barcode for a product?

I would start HERE.

Updates to CUNY's Census maps

The team at the CUNY Center for Urban Research has updated its interactive maps showing block-level race/ethnicity patterns in 2000 and 2010 in major US cities.

The maps are available at www.urbanresearchmaps.org/comparinator/pluralitymap.htm. Steven Romalewski has a blog post with more detail HERE. The news release is here.

Some updates:


1. Block-level coverage for all of New York State, as well as New Jersey and Connecticut. For example, here are links to Albany and Syracuse and Buffalo and Babylon/Islip on Long Island.

2. More cities. There are now 15 major urban regions mapped (Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.).

3. The maps now have three ways of comparing 2000 and 2010 racial patterns:
- a vertical slider bar dividing two overlapping maps (2000 on the left, 2010 on the right);
- a side-by-side comparison (two separate maps moving in unison), and
- a single-map overlay (you can fade between 2010 and 2000).

4. Color-coded the population change data in the popup window. Population increase is shown in green; decrease is shown in red. (A minor thing, but hopefully it makes the change values clearer.)

All three options for viewing are included so people can pick and choose which they like best, or which suits their particular needs. The vertical slider bar provides an effective "before and after" view. The side-by-side comparison works well for lingering over a given area, especially at the local level, taking the time to absorb the differences in demographic patterns. The single-map 2010/2000 overlay seems especially helpful for revealing the increase in diversity over a given area (as areas shaded with darker blues, oranges, etc fade to lighter shades indicating a more mixed population demographically) or vice versa.

CUNY Center for Urban Research has received some good feedback already on people's favorite comparison techniques. If you have a preference and have used the maps for a particular project, they would love to know.

Fewer Employees Cost More at MTA

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employees received an average total pay of $72,019 in 2010, up nearly 4 percent from the 2009 level, according to the latest complete MTA payroll posted at www.SeeThroughNY.net, the government transparency website sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy.

The list of highest-paid MTA employees was topped by Jay Walder, the agency's chairman and CEO, whose base salary in 2010 was $350,000, followed by seven other high-ranking MTA executives who earned between $241,341 and $285,331.

To read the full release, click here.

To visit the SeeThroughNY database, click here.

What is a "common wheelchair?"

Section 37.3 of the DOT’s regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (49 CFR Parts 27, 37, and 38) defines a "common wheelchair" as a mobility aid belonging to any class of three or four-wheeled devices, usable indoors, designed for and used by individuals with mobility impairments, whether operated manually or powered. A "common wheelchair" does not exceed 30 inches in width and 48 inches in length measured two inches above the ground, and does not weigh more than 600 pounds when occupied.

Is an electric scooter or other mobility device a common wheelchair?

If an electric scooter or other mobility device meets the physical specifications of a common wheelchair as defined by the DOT’s ADA regulations, it must be treated as a common wheelchair.

May a transit operator require common wheelchairs be secured to the vehicle?

Yes, provided that the transit operator has established such a policy. Section 37.165(c)(3) of the DOT’s ADA regulations allows a transit operator to establish a policy that requires all riders to have their common wheelchairs secured while aboard a transit vehicle. Therefore, the operator may decline to provide service to a rider who refuses to allow his or her common wheelchair to be secured. Alternatively, transit operators may adopt a policy that allows common wheelchairs to ride unsecured. If the rider wishes his or her wheelchair to be secured, however, the operator’s personnel must provide the requested assistance.

What kinds of securement equipment must be provided?

Section 38.23(d) of the DOT’s ADA regulations requires all ADA-compliant vehicles to have a two-part securement system, one to secure the common wheelchair, and a seatbelt and shoulder harness for the wheelchair user. Section 38.23(a) requires vehicles over 22 feet in length to have enough securement locations and devices to secure two common wheelchairs, while vehicles 22 feet and under must be able to accommodate at least one common wheelchair.

May a transit operator deny boarding to a rider whose common wheelchair is difficult to secure?

No. If the transit operator has a policy that requires securement, or if a rider asks that the wheelchair be secured, Section 37.165(f) of the DOT’s ADA regulations requires transit personnel to use their best efforts to secure any mobility device that meets the regulatory definition of a common wheelchair. Section 37.165(d) states that transit operators cannot refuse to accommodate a common wheelchair – including a scooter or other specialized mobility device that complies with the ADA regulation’s specifications -- because the wheelchair cannot be secured to the driver’s satisfaction. Given the diversity of "common" wheelchairs, transit operators should consult with the manufacturers of securement devices and wheelchairs, as well as the owner of the wheelchair, to determine the best means of securement.

Does a wheelchair user have to use the seatbelt and shoulder harness?

Under the broad non-discrimination provisions in Section 37.5 of the DOT’s ADA regulations, a transit operator is not permitted to mandate the use by wheelchair users of seatbelts and shoulder harnesses, unless the operator mandates the use of these devices by all passengers, including those sitting in vehicle seats. For example, on fixed route buses, if none of the other passengers are required to wear shoulder belts then neither can the person in the mobility device be required to do so.Transit operators may establish a policy that requires the seatbelt and shoulder harness to be used by all riders, including those who use wheelchairs as well as those who use vehicle seats, if seatbelts and shoulder harnesses are provided at all seating locations. In some cases, state law could require an operator to adopt such a policy.

What kind of services must transit personnel provide?

Because safe and nondiscriminatory transportation is the responsibility of the transit operator, Section 37.173 of the DOT’s ADA regulations requires transit operators to train their personnel to properly assist and treat individuals with disabilities with sensitivity, and to operate vehicles and equipment safely. This includes training personnel to use the accessibility equipment and to accommodate the different types of common wheelchairs. Attendant-type services (e.g., carrying passengers, personal baggage, or suitcases) are not required, but assistance with boarding and disembarking, including pushing a manual wheelchair up a particularly steep ramp, is required.

What if the accessibility equipment is missing or not working?

Section 37.161 of the DOT’s ADA regulations requires transit operators to maintain and repair the accessibility equipment. Section 37.163 requires public transit operators to establish a schedule or system to ensure regular and frequent maintenance checks and to take a vehicle out of service to repair or replace any broken or missing equipment before returning the vehicle to service. In some instances, a transit operator must provide alternative accessible transportation if the accessibility equipment is not present or not working.

Does a common wheelchair need brakes in order to use public transit?

No. The DOT ADA regulations’ definition of a common wheelchair does not include a requirement for brakes or any other equipment. A transit operator may not deny transportation to a wheelchair user because the wheelchair does not have brakes or the user does not choose to set the brakes.

Can an operator refuse to carry a person with a disability, especially a person using an electric scooter that meets the definition of a "common wheelchair," because of higher insurance rates or liability concerns?

No. Section 37.5(g) of the DOT’s ADA regulations prohibits an operator from denying service to an individual with a disability because its insurance company conditions coverage or rates on the absence of individuals with disabilities or persons who use common wheelchairs.

Can a transit operator require a person to transfer from a wheelchair to a vehicle seat?

No. Section 37.165(e) of the DOT’s ADA regulations allows persons who use wheelchairs to transfer to a vehicle seat, if one is available. Such a move is the rider’s decision and the transit operator cannot force a rider to transfer to a vehicle seat, although the transit operator can suggest a transfer in a non-coercive way.For more information on this and other topics related to the ADA and public transit, contact:
Federal Transit Administration
Office of Civil Rights
East Building – 5th Floor, TCR
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590

The Marriage Equality Act

This document [PDF] explains that all marriages, whether of same-sex couples or different-sex couples, will be treated equally under all laws of the state. Accordingly, the Act applies to all taxes administered by the Tax Department as of the effective date of July 24, 2011.

Library Statistics

The latest update of the Public Libraries Survey (PLS) data is now available on the IMLS web site. This survey has a CENSUS URL, not so incidentally.

Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2008

In September 2008, state and local law enforcement agencies employed more than 1.1 million persons on a full-time basis, including about 765,000
sworn personnel (defined as those with general arrest powers). Agencies also employed approximately 100,000 part-time employees, including 44,000 sworn
officers. These findings come from the 2008 Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA), the fifth such census to be conducted since the quadrennial series began in 1992.

Nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by occupation, 2009

In 2009, the total number of reported nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases that required days away from work to recuperate was 1,238,490 cases for private industry, state government, and local government; the total incidence rate was 117 cases per 10,000 full-time workers.

Consumer Protection blog

Check out the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Protection blog for valuable tips to help you protect your privacy, manage your money, avoid scams, and much more. Recent posts suggest caution in downloading apps; describe how businesses track your web browsing; and reveal scams that target immigrants.

Women’s Earnings in 2010

From Bureau of Labor Statistics [PDF]

In 2010, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median weekly earnings of $669. Women earned 81 percent of the median weekly earnings of their male counterparts ($824). In 1979, the first year for which comparable
earnings data are available, women earned 62 percent of what men earned. The women's-to-men's earnings ratio has been in the 80 to 81 percent range since 2004; prior to this time, the ratio had been gradually trending upward.

Death in the United States, 2009

From the National Center for Health Statistics [PDF]

Mortality in the United States is best summarized by the age-adjusted death
rate—a measure that accounts for changes in the age distribution of the
population. This rate has declined in an almost uninterrupted manner since
1960. The death rate is now 45 percent lower than in 1960 (declining from
1,339.2 per 100,000 standard population in 1960 to 741.0 in 2009).
Although age-adjusted mortality has declined for all demographic groups
over a period of many decades, long-standing gaps between black and white
populations and between male and female populations have begun to narrow
only since the mid-1990s. Many of the recent improvements in death rates
and life expectancy for all population groups can be attributed to ongoing
reductions in death rates from major causes of death, such as heart disease,
cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases.

The National Pastime

I discovered this particular chart at www.baseball-reference.com which indicates what current and former teams have the best won-lost percentage since the franchises began.

OK, for current teams, you likely guessed the New York Yankees, formerly the New York Highlanders and Baltimore Orioles are #1 by about 30 percentage points. But who's #2?

Interestingly, the Yankees are NOT the #1 team in terms of Hall of Fame members. They have 42, but the Atlanta Braves (a .500 team since 1876) have 45; the Los Angeles Angeles Dodgers (#3 in winning percentage) have 46.

The #1 team in term of Hall of Fame representatives are the San Francisco Giants with 55; the Giants have the second-highest winning percentage.

The current teams with the lowest winning percentages are Tampa Bay (by a wide margin), followed by San Diego, Seattle, Texas, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Milwaukee.

10 Fascinating Projections About Education in the U.S.

Occasionally, people actually submit content to me. This post on educational trends is one of them.

Compensation costs up in June

Compensation for civilian workers rose 0.7%, wages and salaries rose 0.4%, and benefit costs rose 1.3%, seasonally adjusted, from March to June 2011. Over the year, compensation rose 2.2%, wages and salaries 1.6%, and benefits 3.6%

Pew Analysis of Census Data Demonstrates Wealth Gaps

From APDU

A recently released Pew Research Center analysis of data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation demonstrates that the median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households. Access the report, Twenty-to-One: Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, and associated coverage in The Washington Post.

Nonemployer Statistics, 2009

Annual report on businesses without paid employees in nearly 300 industries for the nation, states, counties and metropolitan areas. Most who own such businesses are self-employed and operate very small businesses (for example, real estate agents or beauticians) that may or may not be their primary source of income.

The number of nonemployer businesses...declined by more than 260,000 between 2008 and 2009 across the United States, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau...In 2009, there were 21.1 million nonemployer firms, a decrease of about 1.2 percent from 2008. This continues a decline first noted in 2008 — following the beginning of the recession at the end of 2007 — when the total number fell by more than 350,000 from a peak of 21.7 million firms in 2007.

“Nonemployer firms generate a small percentage of total U.S. business receipts, but they constitute the majority of U.S. businesses...”

Online seminars

Someone asked me about finding an online seminar about a particular topic, and I found a couple that I had used before.

But then I came across www.finervista.com; "Find best online seminars and webcasts by industry experts." A useful site for a variety of topics.

IRS migration profiles: 2008/09 data added

The IRS has released new county and state level migration data for years 2008/2009. The Missouri SDC has updated its menu pages and web applications to provide access to these latest available data. See HERE.

Slashing the Census Budget

Census cuts could end some surveys

The Census Bureau would have to make severe cuts in the type of data it collects from American households and businesses if its budget is slashed 25 percent, as proposed under a bill being considered by the House Appropriations Committee, according to experts on the census.

The agency, which is closing half its regional offices to save money, has warned that cuts that big would likely mean an end to next year’s Economic Survey, which is conducted every five years and is used to calculate the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, among other things. There also could be deep cuts in the American Community Survey, a monthly survey of households that provides detailed information on a wide variety of habits, from commuting patterns to household income levels.

While the Obama administration has proposed reducing the agency’s budget from $1.15 billion to $1.02 billion, House lawmakers are considering a bill that would give the Census Bureau $885 million in 2012 — almost $300 million less. That is much deeper than the 6 percent cut being proposed for the Commerce Department, which oversees the bureau.

Census Budget: House Bill Would Gut Economic Monitoring, Endanger GDP And Other Stats

"It would have major, permanent impacts on the nation's economic and demographic statistics," the bureau said, according to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), a member and past chair of the House Joint Economic Committee.

Maurine Haver, the head of the National Association of Business Economists' statistics committee...did note that collecting less information is good only for people who are not interested in answers.

"I just have no clue what they are thinking," Haver said. "If you want to run the country not based on information but just based on your ideology, this is fine -- if you don't need to know what's going on out there."

Also, The Consequences of Budget Cuts.

Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act: July 26

This day marks the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which guarantees equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications.

Population Distribution

36 million
Number of people who have a disability. They represent 12 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

By age —

-- 5 percent of children 5 to 17 have disabilities.
-- 10 percent of people 18 to 64 have disabilities.
-- 37 percent of adults 65 and older have disabilities.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

12.3%
Percentage of females with a disability, compared with 11.6 percent of males.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

18.8%
Percentage of people with a disability in West Virginia, highest of all states. Utah has the lowest with 8.9 percent of its residents reporting a disability.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey


Specific Disabilities

10.2 million
Number of people who have a hearing difficulty. Of these, 5.8 million are 65 and older.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

6.5 million
Number of people with a vision difficulty.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

13.5 million
Number of people 5 and older who have difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions. Of these, 2.1 million are children
5 to 17 years of age.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

19.4 million
Number of people 5 and older who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey


On the Job

6%
Percentage of disabled workers 16 and older who use public transportation to commute to work. In addition, 70 percent of people with a
disability drive alone, 13 percent carpool, 4 percent walk and 3 percent use a taxicab, motorcycle, bicycle or other means.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

22%
Percentage of disabled workers 16 and older who work in the educational services and health care and social assistance industries, the
highest of any industry.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey


Income and Poverty

21%
Percent of the population age 16 and older with a disability that are below the poverty level. Eleven percent of the population age 16 and
older without a disability are below the poverty level.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

72%
Percentage of disabled people 16 and older who are not in the labor force. Twenty-seven percent of people without a disability are not in the labor force.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

$18,865
Median earnings of the population age 16 and older with a disability, this compares with $28,983 for the population without a disability.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey


Serving Our Nation

$35.3 billion
Amount of compensation veterans received for service-connected disabilities in fiscal year 2008.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Table 521


Education

28%
Percentage of people 25 and older with a disability who have less than a high school graduate education. This compares with 12 percent
for those with no disability.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

13%
Percentage of people 25 and older with a disability who have a bachelor's degree or higher. This compares with 31 percent for
those with no disability.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

Marriage equality map

Arthur @AmeriNZ "made a couple illustrations to depict the reality of marriage equality in the US now that New York is officially the sixth US state to enact it. The map...depicts Free States, which have marriage equality, those that forbid it (the majority) and those that are somewhere in between (the second biggest group). This sort of map shows up curiosities, like the northern state of Michigan banning marriage equality and the southern state of North Carolina not doing anything at all (yet). California won’t be counted as a free state until its infamous Proposition 8 is overturned one way or another."

Census 2010 maps

The Program on Applied Demographics has posted over 100 maps showing almost all the indicators available in the Demographic Profile dataset for New York. Presently the subject matter of the maps concentrate on housing occupancy and tenure, household type (family, nonfamily) and the relationship (in household, in group quarters) but also include maps of population size and density. More population variables will be added.

The maps have been organized into three groupings—economic region, county/subcounty, and major cities. You can find a link to all these maps from the PAD home page. On the left side of the home page, there is a new section entitled Maps and carries with it the subtitle of Census 2010 Atlas. Click on that hyperlink and it will carry you to the map index page which shows the availability of maps by subject for the three levels of geography. (For the cities, we mapped the variables by tract.)

In terms of viewing the maps simply put your cursor on one of the check marks and click. At the bottom of each map page there are two nice browsing features. If you click the forward-backward buttons, you see other maps for the same geographic level. Or if you want to see more detail at a different level of geography, select from the change geographic detail list.

108 Stores with Senior Discounts

Since I am, ahem, eligible for AARP, my sister (younger by less than two years!) sent me this admittedly useful list.

"Gone are the days of your grandmother’s “early bird special” at the local diner. As our baby boomers reach retirement age, hundreds of retailers are featuring new and improved discounts exclusively for the 60 and older crowd. We have composed a list of senior savings that will help you keep more cash in your pocket. Whoever said getting older was a bad thing, obviously didn’t know about these fantastic senior discounts!"

Restaurants
Retail and Apparel
Grocery
Travel
Activities & Entertainment
Miscellaneous

Click this link to view the list

Maps: Agriculture

Interesting set of agricultural maps compiled by And Arthur.

Death by PowerPoint

Life After Death PowerPoint from EMT Media on Vimeo.

Facts about the Average American

From Cheryl Russell, editorial director, New Strategist Publications

There is no single source of information on the average American. To know him (or her), you have to follow the demographics. To that end, here is a sampling of just a few of the characteristics of the average American (adult) or household.

1. The average American makes $735/week.
Current Population Survey

2. The average American has $34 in his/her wallet.
Survey of Consumer Payment Choice

3. The average American spends $69 a day.
Gallup

4. The average American has a job (58%).
Bureau of Labor Statistics

5. The average American thinks hard work is the way to get ahead (70%).
General Social Survey

6. The average American thinks the government's number-one priority should be to help keep and create jobs in America (51%).
Economic Mobility Project

7. The average American has employer-provided health insurance (56%).
Current Population Survey

8. The average American household spends $3,126 a year out-of-pocket on health care.
Consumer Expenditure Survey

9. The average American has a landline telephone (70%).
National Health Interview Survey

10. The average American has a cell phone (87%), but does not own a smart phone (only 35% own one).
National Health Interview Survey, Pew Research Center

11. The average American says the economy/jobs will be the top issue in the 2012 election (60%).
Kaiser Polls

12. The average American has less than $100,000 in savings (54%).
AARP

13. The average American does not directly own any stock. (Only 19% of households own stock directly.)
Survey of Consumer Finances

14. The average American household is $75,600 in debt (including the mortgage).
Survey of Consumer Finances

15. The average American has been to college (56%), but does not have a college degree.
Current Population Survey

16. The average American owns a desktop (59%) and/or laptop computer (52%).
Pew Internet & American Life Project

17. The average American used the Internet today (59%).
Pew Internet & American Life Project

18. The average American says he/she is in very good or excellent health (56%).
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

19. The average American is overweight (63%).
National Health Interview Survey

20. The average American eats at least two snacks a day (65%).
USDA

21. The average American drinks alcohol regularly (52%).
National Health Interview Survey

22. The average American goes to the doctor at least twice a year (65%).
National Health Interview Survey

23. The average American is taking at least one prescription drug.
Health, United States

24. The average American sometimes or often has trouble sleeping (55%).
General Social Survey

25. The average American is currently married (51%).
Families and Living Arrangements

26. The average American has never divorced (only 21% have ever divorced).
Survey of Income and Program Participation

27. The average American lives in one of the top 50 metropolitan areas (54%).
2010 census

28. The average American is a homeowner (65%).
2010 census

29. The average American lives in an 1,800 square foot house.
American Housing Survey

30. The average American lives in a house built before 1975.
American Housing Survey

31. The average American believes the effects of global warming have already begun or soon will (53%).
Gallup

32. The average American household is air-conditioned (87%).
American Housing Survey

33. The average American watches 2 hours and 49 minutes of television a day.
American Time Use Survey

34. The average American has two or more children (57%).
General Social Survey

35. The average American favors spanking children, if necessary (69%).
General Social Survey

36. The average American was born in-state (52%).
American Community Survey

37. The average American's parents were born in the United States (78%)
General Social Survey

38. The average American's grandparents (all four) were born in the United States (59%).
General Social Survey

39. The average American household owns two vehicles.
Consumer Expenditure Survey

40. The average American household owns at least one pet (62%).
American Pet Products Association

41. The average American pays his/her credit card bill in full each month (54%).
National Bureau of Economic Research

42. The average American household has a net worth of $96,000.
Survey of Consumer Finances

43. The average American believes in God without a doubt (59%).
General Social Survey

44. The average American believes in evolution (56%).
General Social Survey

45. The average American favors the death penalty (68%).
General Social Survey

46. The average American often or always recycles (64%).
General Social Survey

47. The average American wants the government to spend more on education (74%), health care (60%), and the environment (60%).
National Opinion Research Center

48. The average American is worried about being able to maintain his/her standard of living (58%).
Gallup

49. The average American believes the honesty and ethical standards of Congress are low (57%).
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics

50. The average American does not know which political party controls the House of Representatives (62%).
Pew Research Center

For more about the the average American, see the 10th edition of The American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns, available in hardcopy or as a PDF download with links to Excel files of each data table.

The Effect of Income on Appliances in U.S. Households

Looking across the country at how people live, the factors that cause the most differences in home lifestyle, including energy use, are:

Geographic Location
Socioeconomics
Household Income
Geographic location determines what climate people live in, what appliances they have, and what types of energy they use in their home. Socioeconomic differences may show how differences vary based on race, gender, or the number and relationships of the persons in a household. Household income can affect the number and cost-related attributes and types of appliances, like televisions, that most households have. This document looks at the relationships of these factors to home appliance ownership, based on information from the 2001 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), conducted by the Energy Information Administration.

Let the poor sweat

There was this recent article in the National Review, Modern Poverty Includes A.C. and an Xbox, reporting on a Heritage Foundation report, What is Poverty. The implication was clear: the poor in the United States don't have it all that bad.

My initial inclination was not to even to address the issue. After all, it was one of those unwinnable arguments with people of a particular mindset And look at some of the items- Owning a refrigerator? Probably provided by the landlord; ditto the stove and oven. Air conditioning is a necessity in much of the country. TVs are relatively cheap form of information and entertainment. Even people in Afghanistan and sub-Saharan Africa have cell phones. And are these new items or second-hand?

But some of my data colleagues made interesting points:

One wrote: "Poverty status is about the ability of a 'family' to obtain a given standard of living based on its current flow of resources during some relatively short period, e.g. one year. Much of today's poor were not poor in the recent past, when they were able to purchase the consumer durables" measured. Interestingly, my seven-year daughter made pretty much the same observation when I was talking about this.

Another data colleague reflected on the interesting responses of who "bought stuff when employed, and now haven’t worked in years and it’s difficult to replace what they have. Where Heritage sees luxurious poor people, I see a desperately sliding middle class. And there’s no substantial research here to prove either view is right.

"Not to mention the details. If you have an air conditioner, you may not be able to afford to turn it on. Individual pay-as-you-go cell phones are encouraged for the unemployed as a help in job searches and more stable than land lines given the instability of housing for the poor... Subsidized housing often comes with washers and dryers because it takes less resources than trips to the laundromat. Go into any thrift shop in the U.S. and find used x-box systems for $10 or less as the employed trade up to a better system. And non-digital TVs for the taking."

It's clear that the writer created "a 'straw man' in selectively picking out polling data indicating that most Americans view poverty as third world style depravation. If you think that is approprate to the US, then quite right; few Americans qualify." But, by American standards, the promise of children doing better than their parents is very much in question.

Factfinder 2 mystery

One of our Data Detectives entered a New York State address. The American Factfinder 2 system retrieved information for a township in Missouri. Another address in Buffalo NY retrieved data for Buffalo City in
Johnson County Wyoming.

However, the system worked as expected when entering the zip code, with or without the city and state.

The Census Bureau has indicated that FactFinder 2 works best with Firefox
3.5 or greater, and that has shown to be accurate. Using Internet Explorer 8 earlier, though, currently does not work well with FactFinder. Apparently, FactFinder will work with IE 7, but not higher versions. The Census Bureau is working on this problem.

Our Data Detective got good results using Google Chrome, but incorrect results using Opera.

Tips and Tricks for Using the New American FactFinder Webinar

July 28, 2011
2:00-3:30 PM EDT

Register

Are you frustrated by the Census Bureau's new American FactFinder? Can't find the data you want? This webinar will provide a how-to demonstration to get the tips and tricks you'll need to successfully use the new American FactFinder. The webinar will also cover when the Census Bureau plans to move other data sets, such as the American Community Survey, to the new FactFinder.

Presenter:
Nancy Gemignani
Research Specialist, California State Census Data Center
State of California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit

Webinar pricing is as follows:
• C2ER Members: Free
• LMI Training Institute Member States: Free
• APDU Members: $25
• All Others: $50

http://www.correlated.org/

"69 percent of people who have business cards have gotten a speeding ticket, compared with 53 percent of people in general.
Based on a survey of 298 people who have business cards and 743 people in general."

This is one the truly bizarre factoids available at Correlated.org. Forget the fact that these are self-selected people, and therefore it's not a scientific survey; it's just weird. But from the webpage, the Freakonomics people seem to like it.

Age/sex/race in New York State

Based on Census 2010 Summary File 1 from data detective Jan K. Vink of the Program on Applied Demographics at Cornell University.

PAD brings skills in demographics, economics, statistics, data gathering and data analysis together to provide a variety of organizations and data analysis together to provide a variety of organizations with data, information and advice. PAD works closely with the New York State Department of Economic Development, the U.S. Census Bureau and other organizations to assist them in their activities. PAD maintains its own web site which has an extensive data section where viewers have access to the latest data on New York, including data from Census 2010.

Census Bureau Releases New Local-Level Demographic Info from 2010 Census for NY, 5 other states

The U.S. Census Bureau today released new, detailed demographic information from the 2010 Census for Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Oklahoma and Vermont.

These Summary File 1 tables provide the most detailed counts available so far from the 2010 Census, including cross-tabulations of age, sex, households, families, relationship to householder, housing units, detailed race and Hispanic or Latino origin groups, and group quarters. The statistics are available for a variety of geographic areas, with most tables available down to the block or census tract level.

What's Unique in Summary File 1

Summary File 1 provides new layers of detail about the topics covered in the 2010 Census and cross-tabulates many of these topics to provide a more nuanced picture. Beyond just providing counts of families, for example, the summary file also shows the number of families by type, by the age of the children present and by race and Hispanic origin of the householder.

Many of the tables are repeated for nine race and Hispanic or Latino origin groups: white alone, black or African-American alone, American Indian and Alaska Native alone, Asian alone, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, some other race, two or more races, Hispanic or Latino, and white alone not Hispanic or Latino.

New topics include:
•Single year of age by sex
•More detail on children, including adopted, stepchildren and grandchildren
•Race and Hispanic origin of householder
•More detail on household relationships
•Group quarters population by sex, age and group quarters type
•Housing tenure (rented or owned) by age, household type, race and Hispanic origin of householder
•Mortgage status of owned housing units

OMB approves ACS Internet test plan

Last week, OMB approved the Census Bureau’s revised plan to test the ACS Internet option. Click on supporting docs and see the June 15 doc for the plan.

The Impact of Regulatory Costs on Business

From SBA [PDF].

"The annual cost of federal regulations in the United States increased to more than $1.75 trillion in 2008. Had every U.S. household paid an equal share of the federal regulatory burden, each would have owed $15,586 in 2008."

Check especially the chart on PDF page 60.

High School Longitudinal Study of 2009: A First Look at Fall 2009 9th-Graders

From the National Center for Education Statistics:

This report features initial findings from the base year of a new longitudinal study that started with a nationally representative cohort of ninth-graders in the fall of 2009 and will follow these students through postsecondary education and the world of work. The base year data focus on students’ transitions into high school, especially their decisions about courses and plans for postsecondary education and careers. The HSLS:09 study captures these decisions, plans, expectations, and activities generally but also specifically in math and science.

Children's Dental Care: Advice and Checkups, 2008

This Statistical Brief provides analysis for dental visits among children ages 2-17 and the advice given by doctors to the parents of children for their dental checkups and frequency of routine checkups. In terms of following the doctor's advice to have routine dental checkups, only about half (49.3 percent) of the children received them.

The Connection Between Obesity and Poverty

By Phil Izzo, Wall Street Journal

A new report finds shows that Americans are getting fatter and notes worse rates among those with low incomes, but some states don’t exactly fit the pattern.

Living Arrangements of Children: 2009

This report [PDF] from the Census Bureau examines the diversity of children’s living arrangements in households in the United States. The data are from the household relationship module of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) collected in early 2009. This is an update of an earlier report based on data from the 2004 SIPP Panel.

Tax Department Policy on Manufacturer's Discounts Received Using Store Loyalty Cards

From NYS sales tax guidance

This memorandum describes the procedures that sellers should follow to properly disclose to customers that certain discounts received through store loyalty cards are manufacturer's discounts.

Many businesses use store loyalty cards to offer their customers incentives to shop frequently at their stores. These incentives often include discounts that are activated by scanning the customer's loyalty card at the cash register.

When these loyalty card discounts are given and the discounted item is subject to sales tax, the amount subject to sales tax generally depends on whether the discount reflects a manufacturer's discount or a store discount. If the store is reimbursed for the amount of the discount by the manufacturer, distributor or other third party, it is a manufacturer's discount. If the store receives no reimbursement from a third party for the amount of the discount given, it is a store discount.

Generally, when a customer purchases an item subject to sales tax and receives a manufacturer's discount, the amount subject to sales tax is the full price of the item before subtracting the discount. For store discounts, however, the amount subject to sales tax is the price of the item after the discount is applied...

In the case of a manufacturer's discount, the store must adequately disclose to the customer, at or before the time of purchase, that the discount the customer is receiving is a manufacturer's discount. This is to ensure that the customer is aware that the full purchase price is subject to sales tax. If the seller fails to adequately disclose this information to the customer...the seller must collect sales tax from the customer on the reduced price of the item. However, in this case, when the seller files its sales tax return it must still remit sales tax on the full price of the item before the discount. That is, the seller itself will be required to pay the sales tax on the amount of the manufacturer's discount.