One of my colleagues was doing a presentation about various free data sources. This is what was written about the Census:
The Census Bureau conducts a number of programs. The most famous is the decennial Census, mandated in Article 1 Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. The 2010 Census had only handful of question pertaining to race, Hispanic origin, gender, age, and whether the address is one’s primary residence.
Census 2000 was the last iteration to contain a long form for approximately 1 household in 6 to fill out. That information included data about income, education, mobility, nativity,, ancestry, disability, military service, housing stock and more. These types of data are now being captured in something called the American Community Survey, which, starting in 2010, will be released every year for all geographies. Because the sample size is smaller than the Census 2000 long form sample, there are data releases for periods of 1-, 3- or 5-year groupings, depending on the size of geographies. There are reasoning behind these breakdowns, but suffice to say here that one ought not ever compare 1-year data with 3-year or 5-year data.
There is also an Economic Census, measuring the country’s businesses every five years, reflecting those years ending with 2 and 7. Since the survey isn’t sent out until the very end of the target years, data for these years released don’t start coming out until a couple years after the named years. Incidentally, there are separate surveys for agriculture and governments conducted at the same time.
If you go to Census.gov, you’ll see headings such as People & Households and Business & Industry in the center of the page. Although not immediately obvious, these terms are hyperlinks that may provide you with easier access to Census data.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
An AFF2 how-to guide
With the Legacy American FactFinder ending by the end of 2011, you may find this how-to guide from Michigan’s Dept of Technology helpful.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Half of First-Time Mothers Receive Paid Leave
Fifty-one percent of working women who had their first birth between 2006 and 2008 received paid leave (i.e. maternity leave, sick leave, vacation) compared with 42 percent between 1996 and 2000, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
This finding comes from Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns of First-Time Mothers: 1961-2008 [PDF], a report that analyzes trends in women’s work experience before their first child, identifies their maternity leave arrangements before and after the birth and examines how rapidly they returned to work...
The likelihood that a mother has access to paid leave varies with age, hours worked and education. About 24 percent of women under age 22 used paid leave compared with 61 percent of women 25 and older. Full-time workers were more likely to use paid-leave benefits than part-time workers (56 percent and 21 percent, respectively). Women who have not graduated from high school are less likely to use paid maternity leave as women who have graduated from college.
Other highlights:
Women are more likely to work while pregnant than they did in the 1960s. Two-thirds (66 percent) of women who had their first birth between 2006 and 2008 worked during pregnancy, compared with 44 percent who had their first birth between 1961 and 1965.
Eight out of 10 (82 percent) working women who had their first birth between 2006 and 2008 worked within one month of their child’s birth compared with 73 percent of working women who gave birth to their first child between 1991 and 1995.
Older mothers are more likely than younger mothers to work closer to the end of their pregnancies. Sixty-seven percent of mothers 22 and older worked into the last month of their pregnancy, compared with 56 percent of mothers less than age 22.
Four out of 10 (42 percent) women received unpaid maternity leave. Both paid and unpaid maternity leave were more likely to be used after birth than before.
Twenty-two percent of first time mothers quit their jobs – 16 percent while they were pregnant and another 6 percent by 12 weeks after their child’s birth.
Women who worked during their pregnancy are more likely to return to work within three to five months compared with women who did not work before the birth of their first child.
Eight out of 10 mothers who worked during their pregnancy returned to work within a year of their child’s birth to the same employer. About seven out of 10 of these women returned to a job at the same pay, skill level and hours worked per week.
Two out of 10 mothers switched employers when returning to work. These mothers experienced greater job changes compared with mothers who returned to the same employer. One out of four was employed at a new job that had comparable pay, skill level and hours worked.
This finding comes from Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns of First-Time Mothers: 1961-2008 [PDF], a report that analyzes trends in women’s work experience before their first child, identifies their maternity leave arrangements before and after the birth and examines how rapidly they returned to work...
The likelihood that a mother has access to paid leave varies with age, hours worked and education. About 24 percent of women under age 22 used paid leave compared with 61 percent of women 25 and older. Full-time workers were more likely to use paid-leave benefits than part-time workers (56 percent and 21 percent, respectively). Women who have not graduated from high school are less likely to use paid maternity leave as women who have graduated from college.
Other highlights:
Women are more likely to work while pregnant than they did in the 1960s. Two-thirds (66 percent) of women who had their first birth between 2006 and 2008 worked during pregnancy, compared with 44 percent who had their first birth between 1961 and 1965.
Eight out of 10 (82 percent) working women who had their first birth between 2006 and 2008 worked within one month of their child’s birth compared with 73 percent of working women who gave birth to their first child between 1991 and 1995.
Older mothers are more likely than younger mothers to work closer to the end of their pregnancies. Sixty-seven percent of mothers 22 and older worked into the last month of their pregnancy, compared with 56 percent of mothers less than age 22.
Four out of 10 (42 percent) women received unpaid maternity leave. Both paid and unpaid maternity leave were more likely to be used after birth than before.
Twenty-two percent of first time mothers quit their jobs – 16 percent while they were pregnant and another 6 percent by 12 weeks after their child’s birth.
Women who worked during their pregnancy are more likely to return to work within three to five months compared with women who did not work before the birth of their first child.
Eight out of 10 mothers who worked during their pregnancy returned to work within a year of their child’s birth to the same employer. About seven out of 10 of these women returned to a job at the same pay, skill level and hours worked per week.
Two out of 10 mothers switched employers when returning to work. These mothers experienced greater job changes compared with mothers who returned to the same employer. One out of four was employed at a new job that had comparable pay, skill level and hours worked.
The Research Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2010
The Census Bureau, with assistance from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and in consultation with other appropriate agencies and outside experts, introduces a new measure of poverty to complement the official measure, which has been in use since the 1960s. The official measure will continue to be produced every year and be used to assess eligibility for government programs and determine funding distribution. The supplemental poverty measure, on the other hand, is intended to better reflect contemporary social and economic realities and government policy effects and thus provide a further understanding of economic conditions and trends. This report [PDF] presents estimates of the prevalence of poverty at the national level in 2010 -- overall and for selected demographic groups -- for both the official and supplemental measures.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Your Economy
Explore economic activity in your own community - and across the country.
YourEconomy.org is a business census containing more than 24 million active establishments (over 41 million total) providing detailed information about the performance of businesses from a local to a national perspective.
YourEconomy.org is a business census containing more than 24 million active establishments (over 41 million total) providing detailed information about the performance of businesses from a local to a national perspective.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Video game sales
One of my colleagues spent a while looking for a source that identified unit sales for the various “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” games. Finally, he found this:
www.vgchartz.com.
The “Sales” tab is particularly cool, in that you can enter a title & get unit sales for worldwide & the U.S.
www.vgchartz.com.
The “Sales” tab is particularly cool, in that you can enter a title & get unit sales for worldwide & the U.S.
Monday, November 7, 2011
China Agricultural and Economic Data
Where to find data for Chinese agriculture? The US Dept of Agriculture!
The national level database contains 250 annual series, including crop and livestock production, input use, macroeconomic data, industrial output, price indexes, and food consumption.
The national level database contains 250 annual series, including crop and livestock production, input use, macroeconomic data, industrial output, price indexes, and food consumption.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The New NHGIS
The Minnesota Population Center is pleased to announce the release of the new National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) website, including:
A redesigned front page providing access to new FAQs, user guides and data documentation
A redesigned data extract system that allows users to:
download multiple years of data in one extract
download multiple geographic levels (states, counties, etc.) in one extract
constrain or expand data searches flexibly by specifying any combination of geographic levels, years, topics, or datasets
The new site also provides Census 2010 Redistricting Data with corresponding 2010 shapefiles. More new data from the American Community Survey and 2010 Summary File 1 will be added throughout the year.
Explore the new site now!
Please note: the original NHGIS website remains accessible, but will be taken offline later this fall, after which users will no longer be able to access previously requested extracts. If you still need to download some requested data or would like to revise or resubmit older extracts through the original site, please do so in the near future.
A redesigned front page providing access to new FAQs, user guides and data documentation
A redesigned data extract system that allows users to:
download multiple years of data in one extract
download multiple geographic levels (states, counties, etc.) in one extract
constrain or expand data searches flexibly by specifying any combination of geographic levels, years, topics, or datasets
The new site also provides Census 2010 Redistricting Data with corresponding 2010 shapefiles. More new data from the American Community Survey and 2010 Summary File 1 will be added throughout the year.
Explore the new site now!
Please note: the original NHGIS website remains accessible, but will be taken offline later this fall, after which users will no longer be able to access previously requested extracts. If you still need to download some requested data or would like to revise or resubmit older extracts through the original site, please do so in the near future.
Friday, November 4, 2011
More Young Adults are Living in Their Parents' Home
Between 2005 and 2011, the proportion of young adults living in their parents' home increased, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The percentage of men age 25 to 34 living in the home of their parents rose from 14 percent in 2005 to 19 percent in 2011 and from 8 percent to 10 percent over the period for women.
These statistics come from http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2011, a series of tables from the 2011 Current Population Survey providing a look at the socioeconomic characteristics of families and households at the national level.
These statistics come from http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2011, a series of tables from the 2011 Current Population Survey providing a look at the socioeconomic characteristics of families and households at the national level.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Every Secretary of State office in the US
Here's a link to a directory of all 50 states' Secretary of State sites, where one incorporates.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
State & County QuickFacts and USA Counties
State & County QuickFacts provides "Quick, easy access to facts about people, business, and geography".
USA Counties features over 6,300 data items for the United States, States and counties from a variety of sources. Files include data published for 2010 population as well as many other items from the 2010 Census of Population and Housing, the 1990 census, the 1980 census and the 2007, 2002, 1997, and 1992 economic censuses.
Both from the US Census.
USA Counties features over 6,300 data items for the United States, States and counties from a variety of sources. Files include data published for 2010 population as well as many other items from the 2010 Census of Population and Housing, the 1990 census, the 1980 census and the 2007, 2002, 1997, and 1992 economic censuses.
Both from the US Census.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
7 Billion: How Did We Get So Big So Fast?
From NPR:
It was just over two centuries ago that the global population was 1 billion — in 1804. But better medicine and improved agriculture resulted in higher life expectancy for children, dramatically increasing the world population, especially in the West.
As higher standards of living and better health care are reaching more parts of the world, the rates of fertility — and population growth — have started to slow down, though the population will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.
U.N. forecasts suggest the world population could hit a peak of 10.1 billion by 2100 before beginning to decline. But exact numbers are hard to come by — just small variations in fertility rates could mean a population of 15 billion by the end of the century.
It was just over two centuries ago that the global population was 1 billion — in 1804. But better medicine and improved agriculture resulted in higher life expectancy for children, dramatically increasing the world population, especially in the West.
As higher standards of living and better health care are reaching more parts of the world, the rates of fertility — and population growth — have started to slow down, though the population will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.
U.N. forecasts suggest the world population could hit a peak of 10.1 billion by 2100 before beginning to decline. But exact numbers are hard to come by — just small variations in fertility rates could mean a population of 15 billion by the end of the century.
New Birth, Death, and Employment Firm Size Data
U.S. Census Bureau annual employment size of firm data (partially funded by the SBA Office of Advocacy) on firm births, deaths and job creation has been updated for 2008. Nonemployer data for 2009 was also updated and saw a decline from 2008 levels. See HERE for data.
Should you need further information, please feel free to contact the Office of Advocacy at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.
Should you need further information, please feel free to contact the Office of Advocacy at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Global Education Digest 2011
Source: UNESCO
From the press release:
Governments are struggling to meet the rising demand for secondary education, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where there are enough school places for just 36% of children of age to enroll. Girls face the greatest barriers as the gender gap widens across the region, according to the 2011 Global Education Digest published by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Globally, secondary schools have been accommodating almost one hundred million more students each decade, with the total number growing by 60% between 1990 and 2009. But with increasing numbers of children attending and completing primary level education, demand for places in secondary education has increased exponentially. ...
The Digest, produced by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, presents a wide range of indicators on the extent to which girls and boys are enrolling and completing secondary education. The report also enriches policy debates by examining the human and financial resources devoted to the classroom experience of students. For example, the total number of secondary teachers has risen by 50% since 1990 although shortages persist, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Link to full report.
From the press release:
Governments are struggling to meet the rising demand for secondary education, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where there are enough school places for just 36% of children of age to enroll. Girls face the greatest barriers as the gender gap widens across the region, according to the 2011 Global Education Digest published by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Globally, secondary schools have been accommodating almost one hundred million more students each decade, with the total number growing by 60% between 1990 and 2009. But with increasing numbers of children attending and completing primary level education, demand for places in secondary education has increased exponentially. ...
The Digest, produced by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, presents a wide range of indicators on the extent to which girls and boys are enrolling and completing secondary education. The report also enriches policy debates by examining the human and financial resources devoted to the classroom experience of students. For example, the total number of secondary teachers has risen by 50% since 1990 although shortages persist, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Link to full report.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
CENSUS BUREAU APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE: Action alert!
From Terri Ann Lowenthal of the Census Project:
Next week, both the House and Senate will be back in session.
The Senate is expected to finish action on its first 'minibus' appropriations bill (H.R. 2112) for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12), covering three appropriations accounts: Commerce, Justice & Science (which includes the Census Bureau); Transportation/HUD; and Agriculture. While we have not yet seen amendments that would affect the Census Bureau's funding, anything is possible -- there was a rumor last week about an amendment to reduce the Bureau's Working Capital Fund, a lesser known but robust revolving line item that funds critical core activities of the agency -- and we will keep a close eye on continued Senate debate.
Meanwhile, House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY) announced that conferees would begin work next week on the minibus bill, even though the House itself has not considered any of the bills incorporated in the larger one. Therefore, conferees will be working with parameters set by the House Appropriations Committee and, presumably, the full Senate.
As a reminder, key activities in the Periodic Censuses and Programs (Periodics) account are the 2010 Census (final evaluations; data products; challenge program; Census Coverage Measurement, or undercount/overcount estimates); research and planning for 2020 Census; and the 2012 Economic Census and 2012 Census of Governments. The Salaries and Expenses (S&E) account covers ongoing economic and demographic surveys and research supporting ongoing programs.
Here's the current lay of the land:
1. The Census Bureau requested $752.7M for Periodics, a reduction of $138.5M from the FY11 funding level. House appropriators allocated only $596.2M for Periodics (H.R. 2596), a reduction of 21% below the request (and 25% below the FY11 funding level). With this funding level, the Census Bureau says it would cancel the 2012 Economic Census, scheduled to start this fiscal year, with data collection occurring at the start of 2013. The Bureau also would delay or cancel some 2010 Census evaluations (possibly including the Count Question Resolution Program, through which local governments can challenge their census counts) and unique 2010 Census data products. The House budget cuts also would delay estimates of undercount/overcount from the Census Coverage Measurement program.
2. Senate appropriators allocated $690M for Periodics (S. 1572). Report language directed the Census Bureau to conduct the Economic Census and to reduce spending on periodic programs (indicating less than a thorough understanding of this account, since the Econ Census IS a periodic program!). According to the Commerce Department's impact statement, the Census Bureau needs "no less than" $690 million for the Periodic Censuses and Programs account to start the 2012 Economic Census. However, the agency would eliminate some key elements of the Economic Census, including the Survey of Business Owners. It also would cut Group Quarters (prisons; college dorms; military barracks; nursing homes; juvenile detention centers; etc.) from the American Community Survey. The proposed Senate funding level also would affect final 2010 Census activities, as noted above in the consequences of the House-committee approved level. The Census Bureau indicated that the Senate funding level would "adversely impact" nearly 300 jobs.
3. The Census Bureau requested $272.1M for the S&E account, incorporating $14M in program decreases to help rein in spending, including popular activities such as the Statistical Abstract. The House committee allocated $258.5M, equal to the FY11 funding level. The Senate committee allocated $253.3M. Under either funding level, the Census Bureau would carry out its own proposed cutbacks and would not proceed with three other initiatives: statistics on state and local government pensions, which inform GDP calculations; updates to the nation's poverty measure (through the CPS Supplemental Survey); and research on the use of administrative records to replace or supplement field data collection.
4. Continuing Resolution for FY12: The current CR runs through November 18. Congress could extend the temporary funding measure until Thanksgiving, or until the week before Christmas. Too early to know!
For more detail on the consequences of reducing or eliminating these core Census Bureau programs, including the quinquennial Economic Census, please see the letters to the House and Senate signed by dozens of organizations participating in http://www.thecensusproject.org/ The Census Project
SUGGESTED ACTION: Census Bureau stakeholders should contact members of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, and Science, as well as the Appropriations Committee chairs and ranking members -- all presumed conferees -- to highlight the serious consequences of the proposed funding levels for the Bureau.
House subcommittee members
Senate subcommittee members
Please keep in mind that important research for the 2020 Census also is at stake. Congress is directing the Census Bureau to reduce spending on the decennial census significantly over the decade. The Census Bureau already has taken that directive to heart, but it cannot hope to implement new cost-saving methods and operations without a modest investment up front (e.g. early in the decade) on thorough research and testing.
Next week, both the House and Senate will be back in session.
The Senate is expected to finish action on its first 'minibus' appropriations bill (H.R. 2112) for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12), covering three appropriations accounts: Commerce, Justice & Science (which includes the Census Bureau); Transportation/HUD; and Agriculture. While we have not yet seen amendments that would affect the Census Bureau's funding, anything is possible -- there was a rumor last week about an amendment to reduce the Bureau's Working Capital Fund, a lesser known but robust revolving line item that funds critical core activities of the agency -- and we will keep a close eye on continued Senate debate.
Meanwhile, House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY) announced that conferees would begin work next week on the minibus bill, even though the House itself has not considered any of the bills incorporated in the larger one. Therefore, conferees will be working with parameters set by the House Appropriations Committee and, presumably, the full Senate.
As a reminder, key activities in the Periodic Censuses and Programs (Periodics) account are the 2010 Census (final evaluations; data products; challenge program; Census Coverage Measurement, or undercount/overcount estimates); research and planning for 2020 Census; and the 2012 Economic Census and 2012 Census of Governments. The Salaries and Expenses (S&E) account covers ongoing economic and demographic surveys and research supporting ongoing programs.
Here's the current lay of the land:
1. The Census Bureau requested $752.7M for Periodics, a reduction of $138.5M from the FY11 funding level. House appropriators allocated only $596.2M for Periodics (H.R. 2596), a reduction of 21% below the request (and 25% below the FY11 funding level). With this funding level, the Census Bureau says it would cancel the 2012 Economic Census, scheduled to start this fiscal year, with data collection occurring at the start of 2013. The Bureau also would delay or cancel some 2010 Census evaluations (possibly including the Count Question Resolution Program, through which local governments can challenge their census counts) and unique 2010 Census data products. The House budget cuts also would delay estimates of undercount/overcount from the Census Coverage Measurement program.
2. Senate appropriators allocated $690M for Periodics (S. 1572). Report language directed the Census Bureau to conduct the Economic Census and to reduce spending on periodic programs (indicating less than a thorough understanding of this account, since the Econ Census IS a periodic program!). According to the Commerce Department's impact statement, the Census Bureau needs "no less than" $690 million for the Periodic Censuses and Programs account to start the 2012 Economic Census. However, the agency would eliminate some key elements of the Economic Census, including the Survey of Business Owners. It also would cut Group Quarters (prisons; college dorms; military barracks; nursing homes; juvenile detention centers; etc.) from the American Community Survey. The proposed Senate funding level also would affect final 2010 Census activities, as noted above in the consequences of the House-committee approved level. The Census Bureau indicated that the Senate funding level would "adversely impact" nearly 300 jobs.
3. The Census Bureau requested $272.1M for the S&E account, incorporating $14M in program decreases to help rein in spending, including popular activities such as the Statistical Abstract. The House committee allocated $258.5M, equal to the FY11 funding level. The Senate committee allocated $253.3M. Under either funding level, the Census Bureau would carry out its own proposed cutbacks and would not proceed with three other initiatives: statistics on state and local government pensions, which inform GDP calculations; updates to the nation's poverty measure (through the CPS Supplemental Survey); and research on the use of administrative records to replace or supplement field data collection.
4. Continuing Resolution for FY12: The current CR runs through November 18. Congress could extend the temporary funding measure until Thanksgiving, or until the week before Christmas. Too early to know!
For more detail on the consequences of reducing or eliminating these core Census Bureau programs, including the quinquennial Economic Census, please see the letters to the House and Senate signed by dozens of organizations participating in http://www.thecensusproject.org/ The Census Project
SUGGESTED ACTION: Census Bureau stakeholders should contact members of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, and Science, as well as the Appropriations Committee chairs and ranking members -- all presumed conferees -- to highlight the serious consequences of the proposed funding levels for the Bureau.
House subcommittee members
Senate subcommittee members
Please keep in mind that important research for the 2020 Census also is at stake. Congress is directing the Census Bureau to reduce spending on the decennial census significantly over the decade. The Census Bureau already has taken that directive to heart, but it cannot hope to implement new cost-saving methods and operations without a modest investment up front (e.g. early in the decade) on thorough research and testing.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
List of Lists
While preparing for a presentation, a colleague stumbled upon this website created by a librarian that lists a series of lists. Some of them are a bit dated, but at worst, it may give one a direction to find more information.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Drop Off Your Unwanted or Expired Medications this Saturday
Saturday, October 29, you can dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired medications at a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collection site. Find a drug collection site near you. If you can’t participate in Prescription Drug Take Back Day, learn how to safely and properly dispose of unused medicines.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Updated QuickFacts Tables Available from Census Bureau
Summary profiles for geographic areas have been updated with the most recent information from frequently requested statistics from various Census Bureau programs including the 2010 Census, 2010 American Community Survey and 2007 Survey of Business Owners. These easy to access and easy to use tables are now available for the nation, state and counties and have expanded from places with populations of 25,000 or more to places with 5,000 or more. Tables also provide links to more detailed data sets.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Trends in College Pricing 2011
Source: College Board
Increases in college prices for the 2011-12 academic year reflect the continued impact of a weakened economy as well as state funding that has not kept pace with the growth in college enrollments. For the fifth consecutive year, the percentage increase in average tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities was higher than the percentage increase at private nonprofit four-year colleges.
Full article
Increases in college prices for the 2011-12 academic year reflect the continued impact of a weakened economy as well as state funding that has not kept pace with the growth in college enrollments. For the fifth consecutive year, the percentage increase in average tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities was higher than the percentage increase at private nonprofit four-year colleges.
Full article
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
2010 Guide to State and Local Census Geography
The 2010 Guide to State and Local Census Geography is now available. This Product is an update of the book by the same name that the Census Bureau produced in collaboration with the Association of Public Data Users (APDU) following the 1990 Census. (There was no similar product for 2000.) The 2010 web version offers similar content as the 1990 print version, but also provides links to lists of geographic entities within each state.
This guide provides a nice summary of each state’s geographic structure and some highlights about the state’s geographic history and current geography. Here's New York’s information.
This guide provides a nice summary of each state’s geographic structure and some highlights about the state’s geographic history and current geography. Here's New York’s information.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Household spending cuts
Some of my colleagues were interested to know if there is research regarding where consumers cut back first, second, etc., when times
are hard. This is different than what one OUGHT to cut back in hard
times, for which I find oodles of examples; I was looking for what people
ACTUALLY do.
Where Would You Cut Your Household Budget First? (2007) is interesting but flawed, in that it reflects what people saw they would do if there were hard times. But at the time, things seemed rosy.
More useful were Psychology of Bad Times Fueling Consumer Cutbacks (2008) and Consumer Cutbacks: Temporary or Permanent? (2009), which reported on actual hard-times responses.
Also very helpful: Americans Cutting Back on Everyday Expenses to Save Money (Harris poll, 2011).
Addressing the issue from a different angle: 12 Things We Buy in a Bad Economy (TIME - 2011)
But THE treasure trove, if one takes the time to study it, is the Consumer Expenditure Survey from the US Department of Labor, especially the most recent multiyear table (2006-2010 PDF), as well as the ones for previous years, going back to 1981.
Thanks to Alisa Coddington, John Skutnik, Terese Mulkern Terry, and Chantal Walvoord for their wisdom.
are hard. This is different than what one OUGHT to cut back in hard
times, for which I find oodles of examples; I was looking for what people
ACTUALLY do.
Where Would You Cut Your Household Budget First? (2007) is interesting but flawed, in that it reflects what people saw they would do if there were hard times. But at the time, things seemed rosy.
More useful were Psychology of Bad Times Fueling Consumer Cutbacks (2008) and Consumer Cutbacks: Temporary or Permanent? (2009), which reported on actual hard-times responses.
Also very helpful: Americans Cutting Back on Everyday Expenses to Save Money (Harris poll, 2011).
Addressing the issue from a different angle: 12 Things We Buy in a Bad Economy (TIME - 2011)
But THE treasure trove, if one takes the time to study it, is the Consumer Expenditure Survey from the US Department of Labor, especially the most recent multiyear table (2006-2010 PDF), as well as the ones for previous years, going back to 1981.
Thanks to Alisa Coddington, John Skutnik, Terese Mulkern Terry, and Chantal Walvoord for their wisdom.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Trends in High School Dropout & Completion Rates in the US: 1972–2009
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
From the description:
This report updates a series of NCES reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. The report includes national and regional population estimates for the percentage of students who dropped out of high school between 2008 and 2009, the percentage of young people who were dropouts in 2009, and the percentage of young people who were not in high school and had some form of high school credential in 2009. Data are presented by a number of characteristics including race/ethnicity, sex, and age. Annual data for these population estimates are provided for the 1972-2009 period. Information about the high school class of 2009 is also presented in the form on on-time graduation rates from public high schools.
Link to full report (PDF)
From the description:
This report updates a series of NCES reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. The report includes national and regional population estimates for the percentage of students who dropped out of high school between 2008 and 2009, the percentage of young people who were dropouts in 2009, and the percentage of young people who were not in high school and had some form of high school credential in 2009. Data are presented by a number of characteristics including race/ethnicity, sex, and age. Annual data for these population estimates are provided for the 1972-2009 period. Information about the high school class of 2009 is also presented in the form on on-time graduation rates from public high schools.
Link to full report (PDF)
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Public Assistance Receipt for Households: 2009 and 2010
This brief [PDF], based on the 2009 and 2010 American Community Survey results, notes geographic differences in the distribution of public assistance as well as change between 2009 and 2010.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Peak Affluence, Cell Phones and What It Takes to be Middle Class
American Consumers Newsletter
1. Hot Trends: PEAK AFFLUENCE, HOUSING VALUES, SELF-EMPLOYMENT, VOTING, CELL PHONES, AND MORE
2. Q & A: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE MIDDLE CLASS?
3. Cool Links: HOUSEHOLD INCOME INDEX; DEMOGRAPHIC CHARTBOOK; 2010 CENSUS REPORTS: BLACKS AND WHITES
4. Reference Tools: AMERICAN HOMES, AMERICAN MARKETPLACE, WHO WE ARE: ASIANS, BLACKS, and HISPANICS
1. Hot Trends: PEAK AFFLUENCE, HOUSING VALUES, SELF-EMPLOYMENT, VOTING, CELL PHONES, AND MORE
2. Q & A: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE MIDDLE CLASS?
3. Cool Links: HOUSEHOLD INCOME INDEX; DEMOGRAPHIC CHARTBOOK; 2010 CENSUS REPORTS: BLACKS AND WHITES
4. Reference Tools: AMERICAN HOMES, AMERICAN MARKETPLACE, WHO WE ARE: ASIANS, BLACKS, and HISPANICS
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
2011 Determinations of Political Jurisdictions Subject to Minority Language Assistance Provisions of the Voting Rights Act
Pursuant to specifications in the Voting Rights Act as amended in July 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau released today a list of 248 jurisdictions across the nation that must provide language assistance during elections for groups who are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process.
The list identifies which jurisdictions are covered by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act and must provide language assistance for Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Asian language groups. The Census Bureau has made these determinations following each decennial census since Section 203 was enacted in 1975. In 2006, Congress specified that the Census Bureau shall use statistics from the American Community Survey to make the determinations following the 2010 Census.
The 248 covered jurisdictions are 3.1 percent of the 2,920 counties and 4,972 minor civil divisions that comprise the political subdivisions in the United States. There are 79,245,487 voting-age eligible citizens in the covered jurisdictions, or 33.8 percent of the total U.S. voting-age population. The determinations found a total national population of 19,209,431 voting-age citizens from the language minority groups that reside in the 248 covered jurisdictions, compared with 13,463,635 and 296 jurisdictions in 2002, an increase of 42.7 percent. The determinations found a total of 14,794,716 Hispanics, 4,030,110 Asians and 384,605 American Indian/Alaskan Natives voting-age citizens in the covered jurisdictions.
Consistent with the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act in 2006, the determinations were processed using data from the 2005-2009 American Community Survey estimates. Census Bureau statisticians also used modeling techniques based on the 2010 Census population counts to improve the accuracy of the results.
A complete listing of which jurisdictions are covered, and for which language minority groups, can be found on the Federal Register Notice Public Inspection site. For more information, please visit HERE.
These are the jurisdictions in New York State:
Bronx County………………………………………………………………………………. Hispanic
Kings County……………………………………………………………………………….. Asian (Chinese)
Kings County……………………………………………………………………………….. Hispanic
Nassau County…………………………………………………………………………….. Hispanic
New York County…………………………………………………………………………. Asian (Chinese)
New York County…………………………………………………………………………. Hispanic
Queens County……………………………………………………………………………. Asian (Asian Indian)
Queens County……………………………………………………………………………. Asian (Chinese)
Queens County……………………………………………………………………………. Hispanic
Queens County……………………………………………………………………………. Asian (Korean)
Suffolk County……………………………………………………………………………… Hispanic
Westchester County……………………………………………………………………. Hispanic
The list identifies which jurisdictions are covered by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act and must provide language assistance for Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Asian language groups. The Census Bureau has made these determinations following each decennial census since Section 203 was enacted in 1975. In 2006, Congress specified that the Census Bureau shall use statistics from the American Community Survey to make the determinations following the 2010 Census.
The 248 covered jurisdictions are 3.1 percent of the 2,920 counties and 4,972 minor civil divisions that comprise the political subdivisions in the United States. There are 79,245,487 voting-age eligible citizens in the covered jurisdictions, or 33.8 percent of the total U.S. voting-age population. The determinations found a total national population of 19,209,431 voting-age citizens from the language minority groups that reside in the 248 covered jurisdictions, compared with 13,463,635 and 296 jurisdictions in 2002, an increase of 42.7 percent. The determinations found a total of 14,794,716 Hispanics, 4,030,110 Asians and 384,605 American Indian/Alaskan Natives voting-age citizens in the covered jurisdictions.
Consistent with the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act in 2006, the determinations were processed using data from the 2005-2009 American Community Survey estimates. Census Bureau statisticians also used modeling techniques based on the 2010 Census population counts to improve the accuracy of the results.
A complete listing of which jurisdictions are covered, and for which language minority groups, can be found on the Federal Register Notice Public Inspection site. For more information, please visit HERE.
These are the jurisdictions in New York State:
Bronx County………………………………………………………………………………. Hispanic
Kings County……………………………………………………………………………….. Asian (Chinese)
Kings County……………………………………………………………………………….. Hispanic
Nassau County…………………………………………………………………………….. Hispanic
New York County…………………………………………………………………………. Asian (Chinese)
New York County…………………………………………………………………………. Hispanic
Queens County……………………………………………………………………………. Asian (Asian Indian)
Queens County……………………………………………………………………………. Asian (Chinese)
Queens County……………………………………………………………………………. Hispanic
Queens County……………………………………………………………………………. Asian (Korean)
Suffolk County……………………………………………………………………………… Hispanic
Westchester County……………………………………………………………………. Hispanic
Monday, October 17, 2011
Health Insurance Coverage Estimates for All Counties
The U.S. Census Bureau released 2008 and 2009 estimates of health insurance coverage for each of the nation’s roughly 3,140 counties. Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) are currently the only source for estimates of health insurance coverage status for every county in the nation.
These estimates are available by sex, age groups, race and Hispanic origin (for states only), and income-to-poverty ratios relevant to the new health care reform legislation and other health programs. They enable local planners to determine, for instance, the counties in which low-income children are most likely to lack health insurance coverage. The data pertain to those under age 65.
SAHIE is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others in the health care field. CDC uses these statistics in support of its National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, providing free cancer screenings to low-income, uninsured women. The health insurance estimates help determine the level of need for breast and cervical cancer screenings in communities nationwide.
The estimates are based on statistical models combining data from a variety of sources, including the American Community Survey (ACS), Census Bureau population estimates, administrative records, such as aggregated federal tax returns and Medicaid participation records, and 2000 Census statistics.
“This is the first SAHIE release to make use of the American Community Survey,” said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves. “In the past, our statistical models were based on the Current Population Survey, which has a smaller sample. The larger ACS sample allows us to provide estimates for additional income groups.
“By combining data from many sources through statistical modeling, we can considerably enhance the precision of state and county health insurance coverage estimates,” Groves said.
Along with the data, the Census Bureau is releasing a thematic mapping tool that permits users to examine health insurance coverage by county, based on various demographic variables.
At present, SAHIE is the only source of health insurance estimates for all counties. There are no county estimates derived from the Current Population Survey. In late October, the Census Bureau will, for the first time, release health insurance coverage estimates for counties with a population of 20,000 to 65,000 from the 2008-2010 ACS. Eventually the five-year estimates from ACS will include statistics on health insurance coverage.
These estimates are available by sex, age groups, race and Hispanic origin (for states only), and income-to-poverty ratios relevant to the new health care reform legislation and other health programs. They enable local planners to determine, for instance, the counties in which low-income children are most likely to lack health insurance coverage. The data pertain to those under age 65.
SAHIE is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others in the health care field. CDC uses these statistics in support of its National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, providing free cancer screenings to low-income, uninsured women. The health insurance estimates help determine the level of need for breast and cervical cancer screenings in communities nationwide.
The estimates are based on statistical models combining data from a variety of sources, including the American Community Survey (ACS), Census Bureau population estimates, administrative records, such as aggregated federal tax returns and Medicaid participation records, and 2000 Census statistics.
“This is the first SAHIE release to make use of the American Community Survey,” said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves. “In the past, our statistical models were based on the Current Population Survey, which has a smaller sample. The larger ACS sample allows us to provide estimates for additional income groups.
“By combining data from many sources through statistical modeling, we can considerably enhance the precision of state and county health insurance coverage estimates,” Groves said.
Along with the data, the Census Bureau is releasing a thematic mapping tool that permits users to examine health insurance coverage by county, based on various demographic variables.
At present, SAHIE is the only source of health insurance estimates for all counties. There are no county estimates derived from the Current Population Survey. In late October, the Census Bureau will, for the first time, release health insurance coverage estimates for counties with a population of 20,000 to 65,000 from the 2008-2010 ACS. Eventually the five-year estimates from ACS will include statistics on health insurance coverage.
Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher on the Appointment of H. Carl McCall as Chair of SUNY Board of Trustees
"Few individuals have served New York State with such distinction and in so many capacities as the Honorable H. Carl McCall. As a former state senator, as New York State Comptroller, and as the state’s Commissioner of Human Rights, Mr. McCall has proven one of our most valued and admired public servants. And now, I’m proud to call him Chairman McCall as he assumes his new leadership role in the service of the citizens of New York State.
“At the same time, I want to express my sincere gratitude and admiration to Trustee Carl Hayden for his exceptional leadership during a particularly tumultuous and historic period in SUNY's history.
“The appointment of Carl McCall – a long-time member of our Board of Trustees – ushers in a new era of achievement for SUNY, and I commend Governor Andrew Cuomo for providing the state university with such a stalwart leader. In his new capacity, Chairman McCall will be able to give even greater force, wisdom, and vision to the task of making SUNY the most outstanding public higher education system in the country.
“Since his first days in office, Governor Cuomo articulated a clear vision for public higher education as a catalyst for New York’s economic recovery, and he has delivered on his promise. The governor proposed, helped pass, and signed into law landmark reform for New York's tuition policies, which will help SUNY maintain both quality and accessibility for years to come.
“Now, with the selection of Carl McCall to lead the Board of Trustees, Governor Cuomo has shown, once again, that his commitment to SUNY’s academic excellence and its role as an economic driver is for the long haul. We look forward to a fruitful partnership.”
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 467,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with nearly 3 million alumni around the globe. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu
“At the same time, I want to express my sincere gratitude and admiration to Trustee Carl Hayden for his exceptional leadership during a particularly tumultuous and historic period in SUNY's history.
“The appointment of Carl McCall – a long-time member of our Board of Trustees – ushers in a new era of achievement for SUNY, and I commend Governor Andrew Cuomo for providing the state university with such a stalwart leader. In his new capacity, Chairman McCall will be able to give even greater force, wisdom, and vision to the task of making SUNY the most outstanding public higher education system in the country.
“Since his first days in office, Governor Cuomo articulated a clear vision for public higher education as a catalyst for New York’s economic recovery, and he has delivered on his promise. The governor proposed, helped pass, and signed into law landmark reform for New York's tuition policies, which will help SUNY maintain both quality and accessibility for years to come.
“Now, with the selection of Carl McCall to lead the Board of Trustees, Governor Cuomo has shown, once again, that his commitment to SUNY’s academic excellence and its role as an economic driver is for the long haul. We look forward to a fruitful partnership.”
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 467,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with nearly 3 million alumni around the globe. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu
Friday, October 14, 2011
Updated Legislative Spending Posted Online
New York's State Legislature spent $105 million during the six-month period ending last March, according to the latest legislative expenditure data posted at SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center's transparency website. SeeThroughNY includes expenditures dating back to October 1, 2006, in what has become the most extensive searchable database of its kind available to New Yorkers on the Internet.
The expenditure information can be sorted by reporting period, expenditure type, and member name. Users can also isolate spending for individual units of the legislature's central staff...
For the full text of the Press Release, click here.
To go right to the database, click here.
The expenditure information can be sorted by reporting period, expenditure type, and member name. Users can also isolate spending for individual units of the legislature's central staff...
For the full text of the Press Release, click here.
To go right to the database, click here.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
GDP, Income and Wages
From the Bureau of Economic Analysis
Per Capita Real GDP by Metropolitan Area
Per Capita Real GDP by State
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Consumer Expenditures and Income [PDF]
Occupational Employment and Wages, 2010 [PDF]
Per Capita Real GDP by Metropolitan Area
Per Capita Real GDP by State
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Consumer Expenditures and Income [PDF]
Occupational Employment and Wages, 2010 [PDF]
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Developments in Women-owned Business, 1997-2007
The years from 1997 to 2007 were a dynamic period in the U.S. economy. The strong growth early in this period was arrested by the recession of 2000-2001; strong economic growth resumed in 2002-2007. The data reflect an economy moving out of a recession and ending on a high note in 2007. How did women and other small business owners fare during this 10-year period between 1997 and 2007?
The primary goal of this report [PDF] is to place gender in a broader perspective. Business ownership no longer can be analyzed simply on the basis of the owner’s gender; businesses owned by women and men more and more share the same general development patterns. Moreover, the strong growth of publicly held firms, which cannot be identified by the demographic characteristics of their many owners, has led to the need to focus on both privately owned and publicly held firms.
The research summary can be found HERE.
Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Joe Johnson at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.
The primary goal of this report [PDF] is to place gender in a broader perspective. Business ownership no longer can be analyzed simply on the basis of the owner’s gender; businesses owned by women and men more and more share the same general development patterns. Moreover, the strong growth of publicly held firms, which cannot be identified by the demographic characteristics of their many owners, has led to the need to focus on both privately owned and publicly held firms.
The research summary can be found HERE.
Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Joe Johnson at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
NYS Tax Department Announces Record Number of Businesses Using Online Services
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance announced that a record number of businesses have moved to the Web for all aspects of filing state taxes.
Monday, October 10, 2011
States With The Highest (and Lowest) Homeownership
The dream of owning a home has become increasingly unattainable for many Americans, and the situation is not likely to improve soon, as the collapse of the housing market and the recession continue to take their toll. That is the disturbing conclusion to be drawn from the US Census Bureau’s newly released report Housing Characteristics: 2010, an overview of the national home market at the end of the last decade. One of the highlights of the report is a list of the states that have the highest and lowest percentage of homes occupied by their owners. 24/7 Wall St.’s review of the data found that homeownership rates were high in thinly populated states and those with low home prices, while homeownership was low in states with expensive homes and large cities.
The homeownership rate is the second highest on record, behind only 2000, since homeownership data collection began in 1890. However, the rate decreased by 1.1 percentage points to 65.1 percent between 2000 and 2010. The decrease is the largest since the period from 1930 to 1940.
The homeownership rate is the second highest on record, behind only 2000, since homeownership data collection began in 1890. However, the rate decreased by 1.1 percentage points to 65.1 percent between 2000 and 2010. The decrease is the largest since the period from 1930 to 1940.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Voting Law Changes in 2012
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
Ahead of the 2012 elections, a wave of legislation tightening restrictions on voting has suddenly swept across the country. More than five million Americans could be affected by the new rules already put in place this year -- a number larger than the margin of victory in two of the last three presidential elections.
This report [PDF] is the first full accounting and analysis of this year's voting cutbacks. It details both the bills that have been proposed and the legislation that has been passed since the beginning of 2011.
+ Link to the appendix [PDF], "a compilation of potentially vote-suppressing legislation proposed in the 2011 legislative sessions."
+ Link to the overview [PDF], a four-page summary with key findings
Ahead of the 2012 elections, a wave of legislation tightening restrictions on voting has suddenly swept across the country. More than five million Americans could be affected by the new rules already put in place this year -- a number larger than the margin of victory in two of the last three presidential elections.
This report [PDF] is the first full accounting and analysis of this year's voting cutbacks. It details both the bills that have been proposed and the legislation that has been passed since the beginning of 2011.
+ Link to the appendix [PDF], "a compilation of potentially vote-suppressing legislation proposed in the 2011 legislative sessions."
+ Link to the overview [PDF], a four-page summary with key findings
Saturday, October 8, 2011
2010-11 NYS County, Municipal Payrolls Posted on Revamped SeeThroughNY
The Empire Center for New York State Policy has posted updated municipal salaries on the newly revamped SeeThroughNY.net, the Center's transparency website. The data include the names and earnings of the 168,748 people who worked for New York's city, county, town and village governments in 2010-11.
The Center also paired the data with its annual report on these salaries, which summarizes average wages on a regional basis for each of the local governments (outside of New York City) contained in the database.
The Center also paired the data with its annual report on these salaries, which summarizes average wages on a regional basis for each of the local governments (outside of New York City) contained in the database.
Friday, October 7, 2011
National Center for Educational Statistics
Beginning Teacher Attrition & Mobility: Results From the First Through Third Waves of the 2007–08 Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study" [PDF]
Dropout Prevention Services and Programs in Public School Districts: 2010-11 [PDF]
Military Service Members and Veterans: A Profile of Those Enrolled in Undergraduate & Graduate Education in 2007–08 [PDF]
Postsecondary Institutions and Price of Attendance in the United States: 2010–11, Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2009–10, & 12-Month Enrollment: 2009–10[PDF]
Projections of Education Statistics to 2019[PDF]
Dropout Prevention Services and Programs in Public School Districts: 2010-11 [PDF]
Military Service Members and Veterans: A Profile of Those Enrolled in Undergraduate & Graduate Education in 2007–08 [PDF]
Postsecondary Institutions and Price of Attendance in the United States: 2010–11, Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2009–10, & 12-Month Enrollment: 2009–10[PDF]
Projections of Education Statistics to 2019[PDF]
Credit card statistics, industry facts, debt statistics
This page contains credit card statistics -- including statistics on credit card debt, credit card delinquencies, credit scores, credit card interest rates, bankruptcies, average credit card debt and more -- compiled by the CreditCards.com staff.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Steve Jobs, from his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."
Read more about Steve Jobs HERE.
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."
Read more about Steve Jobs HERE.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Crime and Arrrest
From the Bureau of Justice Statistics:
Arrest in the United States, 1980-2009 [PDF]
Bureau of Justice Statistics - Criminal Victimization, 2010 [PDF]
Arrest in the United States, 1980-2009 [PDF]
Bureau of Justice Statistics - Criminal Victimization, 2010 [PDF]
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Stack Exchange
There is a popular programmers Q&A site, Stack Overflow. It is part of a larger network of Q&A sites on a range of topics, Stack Exchange. While it is tech-heavy, there are several decidedly non-technical ones – cooking, photography, bicycles among others.
Notably, there is answers.onstartups.com, described as "Q&A for entrepreneurs looking to start or run a new business."
(Thanks, Al!)
Notably, there is answers.onstartups.com, described as "Q&A for entrepreneurs looking to start or run a new business."
(Thanks, Al!)
Monday, October 3, 2011
How to Enroll in the U.S. Visa Lottery
There are many ways to legally immigrate to the United States, but only one of them depends completely on luck: the congressionally mandated visa lottery, which offers 50,000 green cards to people from certain countries.
Registration for the 2013 visa lottery will be open from October 4 to November 5, 2011. Participation is only available through the State Department’s website at www.dvlottery.state.gov. It's free to enter the lottery so watch out for fraudulent websites that pretend to be government sites.
Learn how to participate in the lottery, how to avoid being disqualified, and how to avoid scams.
Registration for the 2013 visa lottery will be open from October 4 to November 5, 2011. Participation is only available through the State Department’s website at www.dvlottery.state.gov. It's free to enter the lottery so watch out for fraudulent websites that pretend to be government sites.
Learn how to participate in the lottery, how to avoid being disqualified, and how to avoid scams.
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality: recent statistics
Coverage in Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance for the Private Sector, 2000 and 2010 [PDF]
Trends in the Pharmaceutical Treatment of Children's Asthma, 1997 - 2008 [PDF]]
Readmissions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 2008 [PDF]
Also, from the Census Bureau: Health Insurance Coverage of Workers Aged 18 to 64, by Work Experience: 2008 and 2010 [PDF]
Trends in the Pharmaceutical Treatment of Children's Asthma, 1997 - 2008 [PDF]]
Readmissions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 2008 [PDF]
Also, from the Census Bureau: Health Insurance Coverage of Workers Aged 18 to 64, by Work Experience: 2008 and 2010 [PDF]
Sunday, October 2, 2011
NCES releases The Condition of Education 2011
The Condition of Education 2011 summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presents 50 indicators on the status and condition of education and provides a closer look at postsecondary education by institutional level and control. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available. The 2011 print edition includes indicators in five main areas: (1) participation in education; (2) learner outcomes; (3) student effort and educational progress; (4) the contexts of elementary and secondary education; and (5) the contexts of postsecondary education.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Consolidated Federal Funds Report
The Consolidated Federal Funds Report is proposed to reach its end run this year. This could well be the last report of this kind issued! Be a part of history, read it, and maybe print a copy and keep it for your records.
Friday, September 30, 2011
The 2012 Statistical Abstract
The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.
Use the Abstract as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to sources of more information both in print and on the Web.
Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations.
Use the Abstract as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to sources of more information both in print and on the Web.
Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations.
Quarterly Summary of State & Local Tax Revenue
2nd Quarter Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenue — This summary shows quarterly tax revenue statistics on property, sales, license, income and other taxes. Statistics are shown for individual state governments as well as national estimates of total state and local taxes, including 12-month calculations. This quarterly survey has been conducted continuously since 1962.
How small errors can have a big impact on small populations
When you checked the boxes on your census form, you probably did not pay much attention to the form design. But it is something the Census Bureau researches and gives a lot of attention. Something as simple as using vertical instead of horizontal boxes can have a big impact on how you read the form and the data we gather.
If one person’s eye misreads the form and checks the wrong box, it may not change percentages of statistics very much. But if even 1 percent of a large population checks the wrong box on a question, it could lead to an inaccurate picture of a smaller population.
More HERE.
If one person’s eye misreads the form and checks the wrong box, it may not change percentages of statistics very much. But if even 1 percent of a large population checks the wrong box on a question, it could lead to an inaccurate picture of a smaller population.
More HERE.
Find Government Forms Online
You can quickly find the federal form you need by searching or browsing by name, type, or agency. Find tax forms, postal service forms, and more.
Find government forms now.
Find government forms now.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
My Big Fat Planet, Climate Change Chronicles from NASA
NASA currently has more than a dozen Earth science spacecraft and instruments in orbit studying the oceans, land, and atmosphere. With these tools they measure several key climate change indicators like carbon dioxide concentration, global surface temperature, Arctic sea ice, land ice, and sea levels.
Visit my big fat planet, a blog hosted by Dr. Amber Jenkins, as she explores fantastic images of our changing Earth.
Visit my big fat planet, a blog hosted by Dr. Amber Jenkins, as she explores fantastic images of our changing Earth.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Intercensal estimates now available
The Census Bureau put the intercensal estimates online today.
The intercensal estimates are a time series of annual population estimates that start with population counts on April 1, 2000 (Census counts adjusted for geographic changes and such) and are consistent with findings from Census 2010. The series end with estimates for July 1, 2010.
These series are being used to control the ACS.
The intercensal estimates are a time series of annual population estimates that start with population counts on April 1, 2000 (Census counts adjusted for geographic changes and such) and are consistent with findings from Census 2010. The series end with estimates for July 1, 2010.
These series are being used to control the ACS.
Finding Medicare doctors
Medicare can help you locate and compare doctors and other healthcare professionals by specialty, location, and more. You can even look for providers who accept the Medicare-approved amount as payment in full.
Find and compare doctors.
Find and compare doctors.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The World's Religious Composition
In the world today, there are over 10,000 distinct religious groups, each advocating a particular way of life, preaching a path to achieve lasting happiness. Many of these groups are connected to a larger central religious belief system, such as Catholicism is connected to Christianity, or Sunnism is connected to Islam. However regardless of any such connection their differences are large enough to warrant a separation from other groups in the overall group.
More HERE.
More HERE.
Monday, September 26, 2011
New Economic Indicator Database Search Available from Census Bureau
Statistics from 12 economic indicators are now easy to access and easier to use with the new economic indicator database search. With the release of the Quarterly Financial Report for retail trade, all 12 of the Census Bureau's economic indicators are accessible in this user-friendly Internet tool. It provides an easy way to create statistical tables in ASCII text or time series charts in spreadsheet format. Users can select an indicator and choose statistics by item, time period and other dimensions using drop-down menus at http://www.census.gov/econ/currentdata/.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Standard
From Living Water.
Thom Vaught has provided background information to one of the most terrible fires in the history of the United States:
It was a chilly Sunday morning on February 7, 1904. The firemen of Engine Co. 15 were expecting a quiet day as they readied for inspection. Their routine was interrupted by an automated fire alarm at 10:48 a.m. in the John Hurst and Company building. These men were answering the first call of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.
Once the Fire Chief was on the scene, he quickly realized the danger... He called in nearly the entire Baltimore City Fire Department to fight the fire but even that was not enough to contain the persistent flames.
A plea for help went out to areas surrounding Baltimore...Firefighters from Washington DC were the first to arrive. Upon arrival they were dismayed to find out that their fire hose couplings would not fit the fire hydrants. Baltimore, like most cities of that day, had their own standard by which fire hydrants and fire-fighting equipment were manufactured. As firefighters arrived, they tried to adapt to this different standard but the lowered water pressure and leaks continued to impact their ability to help. Firefighters from as far away as Philadelphia and New York City answered the call but each time the story was the same. The lack of a standard caused confusion and the resulting efforts were less effective.
The Great Baltimore Fire raged across the city for two days... It destroyed over 1,500 buildings covering nearly 70 city blocks.
In a report presented to Congress, the lack of a uniform standard was cited as a major contributing factor to the massive destruction. Congress tasked the fledgling National Bureau of Standards now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to investigate the matter. They discovered around 600 different sizes for fire equipment in use throughout the nation. As a result, the organization established a national standard for fire equipment.
Thom Vaught has provided background information to one of the most terrible fires in the history of the United States:
It was a chilly Sunday morning on February 7, 1904. The firemen of Engine Co. 15 were expecting a quiet day as they readied for inspection. Their routine was interrupted by an automated fire alarm at 10:48 a.m. in the John Hurst and Company building. These men were answering the first call of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.
Once the Fire Chief was on the scene, he quickly realized the danger... He called in nearly the entire Baltimore City Fire Department to fight the fire but even that was not enough to contain the persistent flames.
A plea for help went out to areas surrounding Baltimore...Firefighters from Washington DC were the first to arrive. Upon arrival they were dismayed to find out that their fire hose couplings would not fit the fire hydrants. Baltimore, like most cities of that day, had their own standard by which fire hydrants and fire-fighting equipment were manufactured. As firefighters arrived, they tried to adapt to this different standard but the lowered water pressure and leaks continued to impact their ability to help. Firefighters from as far away as Philadelphia and New York City answered the call but each time the story was the same. The lack of a standard caused confusion and the resulting efforts were less effective.
The Great Baltimore Fire raged across the city for two days... It destroyed over 1,500 buildings covering nearly 70 city blocks.
In a report presented to Congress, the lack of a uniform standard was cited as a major contributing factor to the massive destruction. Congress tasked the fledgling National Bureau of Standards now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to investigate the matter. They discovered around 600 different sizes for fire equipment in use throughout the nation. As a result, the organization established a national standard for fire equipment.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Census Bureau Releases 2010 ACS Single Year Estimates
Topics Include Commuting, Education, Income, Health Insurance and More
The U.S. Census Bureau released findings from the 2010 American Community Survey (ACS), the most relied-on source for up-to-date socioeconomic information every year. The release covers 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 estimates 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 65,000 or more. See the Census Bureau’s American FactFinder database to find statistics for your area. Selected high-level highlights can be found here [PDF].
One illustration of the extent of information available on one
of the major topics covered is the commute to work. According to the data, average travel time for workers 16 and older inched up from 25.1 minutes in 2009 to 25.3 minutes in 2010. The percentage who drove to work alone increased from 76.1 percent in 2009 to 76.6 percent in 2010. Conversely, the percentage who carpooled declined from 10.0 percent to 9.7 percent and the percentage taking public transportation slipped from 5.0 percent to 4.9 percent. Another 4.3 percent worked at home and 2.8 percent walked to work. About 1.7 percent commuted to work in other ways, including commuting by bicycle (731,286), motorcycle (266,777) and taxicab (151,247).
Average travel time to work was highest in Maryland (31.8 minutes), followed by New York (31.3 minutes). North Dakota and South Dakota had the shortest travel times, at 16.1 minutes and 16.8 minutes, respectively. Not coincidentally, Maryland also had the second-highest percentage of workers with jobs outside their county of residence (47.0 percent), behind only Virginia (51.3 percent). New Jersey (45.7 percent) and Georgia (41.6 percent) followed Maryland.
Detailed Report on Commuting
Also released was Commuting in the United States: 2009[PDF], a report that provides additional layers of analysis about commuting patterns for the nation and metro areas. Based on the 2009 ACS, the analysis gives a historical perspective of the nation’s commuting patterns. It also looks at how our commutes differ based on how we get to work, when we leave for work and how long it takes us. It further analyzes commutes based on a host of demographic characteristics, including race and Hispanic origin, occupation, gender, place of birth and other variables.
According to the report:
The recent rise in mean travel time to work is nothing new. In 1980, the first time the Census collected such information, average travel time was just under 22 minutes, then increased to about 25 minutes in 2000, where it remained in 2009.
In 2009, workers who carpooled took longer to get to work than those who drove alone; the difference was largest for those who departed in the midnight to 4:59 a.m. period, where average travel time for carpool commuters was 45.1 minutes, compared with 30.8 minutes for workers who drove alone.
Those who worked in production, transportation and material moving occupations were more likely to depart for work between midnight and 4:59 a.m. than any other occupational category (10.5 percent). At 1.9 percent, those in managerial, professional and related occupations had the lowest percentage of departures during this time period.
Mean travel time to work varied by nativity status: 28.1 minutes for foreign-born workers compared with 24.9 minutes for those who were native-born. Hispanic workers had the longest mean travel time when carpooling (29.0 minutes) and the shortest time for public transportation usage (46.0 minutes).
American Community Survey Brief Series
In addition, the Census Bureau released today a set of four separate briefs based on the 2010 ACS. These short reports supplement detailed tables with additional analysis on four key topics. These include:
Health insurance coverage
Employment ratios
Household income
Foreign-born from Latin America and the Caribbean
More than a dozen additional briefs will be released in monthly waves through the end of the year.
More about the American Community Survey (ACS)
As a complete count of the population, the 2010 Census results are critical for people who need to know how many people live in the United States and where they live. The ACS statistics, on the other hand, are based on a sample survey of the nation conducted over the course of the 2010 calendar year and describe how we live by providing estimates of key social, economic and housing characteristics.
In October, the Census Bureau will release a set of ACS statistics covering all areas with populations of 20,000 or more, based on data collected between 2008 and 2010. A third set of ACS statistics, available for all geographic areas regardless of population size, down to the block group level, will be released in December; these estimates will cover 2006-2010.
Methodology
As is the case with all surveys, statistics from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. All comparisons made in the reports have been tested and found to be statistically significant at the 90 percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted. Please consult the tables for specific margins of error. For more information, go here.
Changes in survey design from year to year can affect results. See http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/2010_release/ this for more information on changes affecting the 2010 statistics. See http://www.census.gov/acs/www/guidance_for_data_users/comparing_2010/ this for guidance on comparing 2010 ACS statistics with previous years and the 2000 Census.
Special Note
The Census Bureau released all of the 2010 ACS 1-year estimates on Thursday, September 22. Due to a technical issue, a limited number of products for smaller geographic areas are not available through American FactFinder at this time. However, all Detailed Tables are accessible in the ACS Summary File, through the Census Bureau’s FTP site.
Working with the ACS Summary File requires computer expertise. Technical documentation is available here [PDF]. Data users who are not able to access the Summary File can contact the American Community Survey Office (301-763-1405, acso.users.support@census.gov).
The U.S. Census Bureau released findings from the 2010 American Community Survey (ACS), the most relied-on source for up-to-date socioeconomic information every year. The release covers 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 estimates 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 65,000 or more. See the Census Bureau’s American FactFinder database to find statistics for your area. Selected high-level highlights can be found here [PDF].
One illustration of the extent of information available on one
of the major topics covered is the commute to work. According to the data, average travel time for workers 16 and older inched up from 25.1 minutes in 2009 to 25.3 minutes in 2010. The percentage who drove to work alone increased from 76.1 percent in 2009 to 76.6 percent in 2010. Conversely, the percentage who carpooled declined from 10.0 percent to 9.7 percent and the percentage taking public transportation slipped from 5.0 percent to 4.9 percent. Another 4.3 percent worked at home and 2.8 percent walked to work. About 1.7 percent commuted to work in other ways, including commuting by bicycle (731,286), motorcycle (266,777) and taxicab (151,247).
Average travel time to work was highest in Maryland (31.8 minutes), followed by New York (31.3 minutes). North Dakota and South Dakota had the shortest travel times, at 16.1 minutes and 16.8 minutes, respectively. Not coincidentally, Maryland also had the second-highest percentage of workers with jobs outside their county of residence (47.0 percent), behind only Virginia (51.3 percent). New Jersey (45.7 percent) and Georgia (41.6 percent) followed Maryland.
Detailed Report on Commuting
Also released was Commuting in the United States: 2009[PDF], a report that provides additional layers of analysis about commuting patterns for the nation and metro areas. Based on the 2009 ACS, the analysis gives a historical perspective of the nation’s commuting patterns. It also looks at how our commutes differ based on how we get to work, when we leave for work and how long it takes us. It further analyzes commutes based on a host of demographic characteristics, including race and Hispanic origin, occupation, gender, place of birth and other variables.
According to the report:
The recent rise in mean travel time to work is nothing new. In 1980, the first time the Census collected such information, average travel time was just under 22 minutes, then increased to about 25 minutes in 2000, where it remained in 2009.
In 2009, workers who carpooled took longer to get to work than those who drove alone; the difference was largest for those who departed in the midnight to 4:59 a.m. period, where average travel time for carpool commuters was 45.1 minutes, compared with 30.8 minutes for workers who drove alone.
Those who worked in production, transportation and material moving occupations were more likely to depart for work between midnight and 4:59 a.m. than any other occupational category (10.5 percent). At 1.9 percent, those in managerial, professional and related occupations had the lowest percentage of departures during this time period.
Mean travel time to work varied by nativity status: 28.1 minutes for foreign-born workers compared with 24.9 minutes for those who were native-born. Hispanic workers had the longest mean travel time when carpooling (29.0 minutes) and the shortest time for public transportation usage (46.0 minutes).
American Community Survey Brief Series
In addition, the Census Bureau released today a set of four separate briefs based on the 2010 ACS. These short reports supplement detailed tables with additional analysis on four key topics. These include:
Health insurance coverage
Employment ratios
Household income
Foreign-born from Latin America and the Caribbean
More than a dozen additional briefs will be released in monthly waves through the end of the year.
More about the American Community Survey (ACS)
As a complete count of the population, the 2010 Census results are critical for people who need to know how many people live in the United States and where they live. The ACS statistics, on the other hand, are based on a sample survey of the nation conducted over the course of the 2010 calendar year and describe how we live by providing estimates of key social, economic and housing characteristics.
In October, the Census Bureau will release a set of ACS statistics covering all areas with populations of 20,000 or more, based on data collected between 2008 and 2010. A third set of ACS statistics, available for all geographic areas regardless of population size, down to the block group level, will be released in December; these estimates will cover 2006-2010.
Methodology
As is the case with all surveys, statistics from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. All comparisons made in the reports have been tested and found to be statistically significant at the 90 percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted. Please consult the tables for specific margins of error. For more information, go here.
Changes in survey design from year to year can affect results. See http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/2010_release/ this for more information on changes affecting the 2010 statistics. See http://www.census.gov/acs/www/guidance_for_data_users/comparing_2010/ this for guidance on comparing 2010 ACS statistics with previous years and the 2000 Census.
Special Note
The Census Bureau released all of the 2010 ACS 1-year estimates on Thursday, September 22. Due to a technical issue, a limited number of products for smaller geographic areas are not available through American FactFinder at this time. However, all Detailed Tables are accessible in the ACS Summary File, through the Census Bureau’s FTP site.
Working with the ACS Summary File requires computer expertise. Technical documentation is available here [PDF]. Data users who are not able to access the Summary File can contact the American Community Survey Office (301-763-1405, acso.users.support@census.gov).
Data Dissemination Specialist jobs (closing date 10/5/2011) were posted
You can check the USAjobs website to see all listings for the Census Bureau by typing "Census" in the first box under "What".
Six Census Bureau offices will close in December 2012. The Boston Regional Office is one of those six. The New York Regional Office boundaries will now include New Jersey (21 counties), New York (62 counties), Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Six Census Bureau offices will close in December 2012. The Boston Regional Office is one of those six. The New York Regional Office boundaries will now include New Jersey (21 counties), New York (62 counties), Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The Economy's Latest Casualty: America's Baby Bottoms
From AdAge:
Sales of diaper-rash cream are up, rising for the third straight year on a unit basis, even though the number of babies has kept declining over that period. Data suggest that babies are getting diaper rash more often because parents are changing their diapers less.
The number of babies ages 2 and under in the U.S. fell about 3% to 8.1 million last year, based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which tracks the number of live births. Yet SymphonyIRI data show unit sales of disposable diapers fell 9% in the 52 weeks ended Aug. 7, three times as fast as the population of infants. At the same time, unit sales of baby ointments and creams rose 2.8%, despite fewer babies.
Sales of diaper-rash cream are up, rising for the third straight year on a unit basis, even though the number of babies has kept declining over that period. Data suggest that babies are getting diaper rash more often because parents are changing their diapers less.
The number of babies ages 2 and under in the U.S. fell about 3% to 8.1 million last year, based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which tracks the number of live births. Yet SymphonyIRI data show unit sales of disposable diapers fell 9% in the 52 weeks ended Aug. 7, three times as fast as the population of infants. At the same time, unit sales of baby ointments and creams rose 2.8%, despite fewer babies.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Future of Producing Social, Economic Statistical Info, Part 2
From the Director's Blog for U.S. Census Bureau
In my last post, I reviewed five observations. Because of changes in American society, 1) the Census Bureau’s methods of data collection are costing more money to produce the same statistical information, but 2) the demands are increasing for more statistical information from businesses, governments, and the public, and 3) there are new data collection technologies that are being invented constantly, 4) there are new sources of digital data from Federal program agencies, the internet, and economic transactions, but 5) in the medium run the Census Bureau is not likely to have more fiscal resources to take advantage of these
In my last post, I reviewed five observations. Because of changes in American society, 1) the Census Bureau’s methods of data collection are costing more money to produce the same statistical information, but 2) the demands are increasing for more statistical information from businesses, governments, and the public, and 3) there are new data collection technologies that are being invented constantly, 4) there are new sources of digital data from Federal program agencies, the internet, and economic transactions, but 5) in the medium run the Census Bureau is not likely to have more fiscal resources to take advantage of these
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
What Happens After Foreclosure?
From American Consumers:
This link will take you to an informative study by the Federal Reserve Board that examines what happens to people after a foreclosure. Based on credit report data from the FRBNY/Equifax Consumer Credit Panel--a nationally representative 5 percent random sample of Americans with credit files--the study tracked individuals who had experienced the start of a foreclosure. Surprisingly, most who experience the start of a foreclosure are still in the same house two years later. Most of the foreclosed who moved ended up in equivalent housing--a single family home in a similar neighborhood.
This link will take you to an informative study by the Federal Reserve Board that examines what happens to people after a foreclosure. Based on credit report data from the FRBNY/Equifax Consumer Credit Panel--a nationally representative 5 percent random sample of Americans with credit files--the study tracked individuals who had experienced the start of a foreclosure. Surprisingly, most who experience the start of a foreclosure are still in the same house two years later. Most of the foreclosed who moved ended up in equivalent housing--a single family home in a similar neighborhood.
Monday, September 19, 2011
'No major issues' with 2011 census, Statscan declares
Interesting article on how our neighbors up north are doing with their census:
The agency says it received the mandatory short form from 98.1 per cent of Canadian households, up a full percentage point from the last census in 2006.
Another victory for Statistics Canada is how many Canadians filled out their census form online – 54.4 per cent. The agency was aiming for 40 per cent. Mr. Hamel said that puts Canada at the international forefront of digital census collection.
The agency says it received the mandatory short form from 98.1 per cent of Canadian households, up a full percentage point from the last census in 2006.
Another victory for Statistics Canada is how many Canadians filled out their census form online – 54.4 per cent. The agency was aiming for 40 per cent. Mr. Hamel said that puts Canada at the international forefront of digital census collection.
Friday, September 16, 2011
WorldRiskReport 2011
The WorldRiskReport 2011 helps to evaluate the vulnerability of societies to natural hazards. Using world maps to visualize, it shows on the one hand where the probability of a natural hazard to occur is particularly high; on the other hand it is shown in which countries the population can cope with these events especially good or bad. The central element of the WorldRiskReport, the concept of the WorldRiskIndex, was developed by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) in Bonn/Germany, in cooperation with the Alliance Development Works and its partners. Alliance Development Works also is editor of the report.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
FBI Releases Bank Crime Statistics for Second Quarter of 2011
During the second quarter of 2011, there were 1,023 reported violations of the Federal Bank Robbery and Incidental Crimes Statue, a decrease from the 1,146 reported violations in the same quarter of 2010. According to statistics released by the FBI, there were 1,007 robberies, 15 burglaries, one larceny, and two extortions of financial institutions reported between April 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011.
Highlights of the report include:
•Loot was taken in 91 percent of the incidents, totaling more than $7.8 million.
•Of the loot taken, 23 percent of it was recovered. More than $1.8 million was recovered and returned to financial institutions.
•Bank crimes most frequently occurred on Friday. Regardless of the day, the time frame when bank crimes occurred most frequently was between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Highlights of the report include:
•Loot was taken in 91 percent of the incidents, totaling more than $7.8 million.
•Of the loot taken, 23 percent of it was recovered. More than $1.8 million was recovered and returned to financial institutions.
•Bank crimes most frequently occurred on Friday. Regardless of the day, the time frame when bank crimes occurred most frequently was between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012
From the World Economic Forum:
Switzerland tops the overall rankings in The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 [PDF, 544 pp]. Singapore overtakes Sweden for second position. Northern and Western European countries dominate the top 10 with Sweden (3rd), Finland (4th), Germany (6th), the Netherlands (7th), Denmark (8th) and the United Kingdom (10th). Japan remains the second-ranked Asian economy at 9th place, despite falling three places since last year.
The United States continues its decline for the third year in a row, falling one more place to fifth position. In addition to the macroeconomic vulnerabilities that continue to build, some aspects of the United States’ institutional environment continue to raise concern among business leaders, particularly related to low public trust in politicians and concerns about government inefficiency.
Switzerland tops the overall rankings in The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 [PDF, 544 pp]. Singapore overtakes Sweden for second position. Northern and Western European countries dominate the top 10 with Sweden (3rd), Finland (4th), Germany (6th), the Netherlands (7th), Denmark (8th) and the United Kingdom (10th). Japan remains the second-ranked Asian economy at 9th place, despite falling three places since last year.
The United States continues its decline for the third year in a row, falling one more place to fifth position. In addition to the macroeconomic vulnerabilities that continue to build, some aspects of the United States’ institutional environment continue to raise concern among business leaders, particularly related to low public trust in politicians and concerns about government inefficiency.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Monday, September 12, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Flags of Every Country
Well, almost every country. No South Sudan, the newly-independent nation. And no, there's no separate flag of Scotland.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, September 9, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
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).
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].
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].
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
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."
"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."
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
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.
Monday, September 5, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
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…”
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…”
Friday, September 2, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
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.
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
Chapter 1 - The Transportation System
Chapter 2 - Transportation Safety
Chapter 3 - Transportation and the Economy
Chapter 4 - Transportation, Energy, and the Environment
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