Populations Increasing in Many Downtowns, Census Bureau Reports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What 100 years of voting looks like

From Salon.com:

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

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

Protected Planet Report 2012

From the Foreword:

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

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

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

2012 ECONOMIC CENSUS WEBINAR

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 AT 1:00 PM EST

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

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

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

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

Congress.gov to replace Thomas.gov

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

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

Restrictions on Religion Are Tightening

From the New York Times:

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

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

Never the poverty data twain shall meet

What is the difference between:

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

and

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

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

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

Nifty intellectual property links

In addition to the US Copyright Office and the US Patent and Trademark Office, check out:

Intellectual Property Infringement and Other Unfair Acts. Section 337 investigations conducted by the U.S. International Trade Commission most often involve claims regarding intellectual property rights, including allegations of patent infringement and trademark infringement by imported goods

A list of Who’s Who in the U.S. Gov’t involved in IP

Copyright:
Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright (for students and teachers)
The Copyright Society of the USA
The Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center
Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States [Chart]
Crash Course in Copyright from the University of Texas
Copyright Navigator by Lionel S. Sobel

Liquor licenses in New York State

When looking to discover what liquor license, if any, a business has, one would check with the State Liquor Authority. But the search mechanism isn't entirely obvious. One goes to Public, then pick the specific choice of search; I often use the Advanced Search.

But what do those codes mean? Here are Definition of License Classes, and License Type Code Classifications.

Protecting Your Finances if a Disaster Strikes: Are You Prepared?

If you had only a few moments to evacuate your home and could not return for several days or even weeks, would you have access to cash, banking services and the personal identification you need to conduct your day-to-day financial life? Download and order your free copies of Protecting Your Finances if a Disaster Strikes: Are You Prepared?

Census Bureau to Host Webinar on Your Free Tools of the Trade — AESDirect and AESPcLink

The U.S. Census Bureau is the official source for U.S. export and import statistics and is responsible for issuing regulations governing the reporting of all export shipments from the United States. In this sixth webinar in the eight-part series, you will learn what AESDirect and AESPcLink are and how to use them to transmit export shipments.

See complete series.

Please dial in by phone to listen to a simultaneous audio conference while viewing the online presentation. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Please log in early, as some setup is required.
When: Wednesday, Sept. 19, 1 p.m. (EDT)
Who: Rosanna Torres, AES Client Marketing and Services, Foreign Trade Division, U.S. Census Bureau
RSVP today: Sign up for the webinar.
To register for this event:
1. Go to the link above.
2. Provide your information for the event leader and then click submit.
3. Registration closes one hour prior to the event.

Updated address to the the Fair Credit Reporting page

Some time ago, I wrote about Fair Credit reports; the link is no longer valid.

Here is the updated address to the Fair Credit Reporting page.

Another useful page on the topic that may be of interest.

Report: Birds, Bees and Bias (2012)

NYCLU Study Exposes Gaps, Inaccuracies and Bias in NYS Sex Ed

* A school district in the North Country defined the vagina as a "sperm deposit."
* A district in western New York used a handout portraying women as "hazardous material."
* A district in the Capital Region mentioned same-sex attraction as a cause to seek "counseling."

These are just a few of many startling findings in Birds, Bees and Bias: How Absent Sex Ed Standards Fail New York's Students -- a report the NYCLU recently released that examines sex-ed instruction in 82 New York public school districts. They found that school districts statewide have used sex-ed materials that are inaccurate, incomplete or biased.

Center for an Urban Future

Center for an Urban Future is a New York City-based think tank that fuses journalistic reporting techniques with traditional policy analysis to produce in-depth reports and workable policy solutions on the critical issues facing our cities.

Register to Vote - Find Registration Deadlines, Locations, and More

On November 6, 2012, citizens across the U.S. will vote for the next president, as well as other state and local offices.

Almost every state has a voter registration deadline, but it's not too late to register. This can help you find your state's voter registration deadline, information about how and where to register, and voter eligibility.

Mobile Wireless Competition Report (15th Annual)

Mobile wireless competition reports contain data and information that the FCC uses to analyze competition in the mobile wireless industry. This is the 15th Annual Report, which was released on June 27, 2011.

Interesting that the the 16th annual report is a bit late.

A whole lot of health-related data

From the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality

2010 Hospital Inpatient Stays File
2010 Prescribed Medicines File
Health Care Expenditures for the Five Most Common Conditions of Adults Ages 40 to 64, 2009
Preventive Health Care Utilization by Adult Residents of MSAs & Non-MSAs: Differences by Race/Ethnicity, 2009
Use & Expenses for Office-Based Physician Visits by Specialty, 2009: Estimates for the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population


From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2011 Imputed Family Income/Personal Earnings Files


From the National Center for Health Statistics

Wait Time for Treatment in Hospital Emergency Departments: 2009

Frequently Asked Questions about Small Business

Advocacy’s most requested publication, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business, gathers dozens of the latest statistics about America’s small business in one place. The FAQ is updated annually, and it’s a convenient place to confirm facts like the total number of small businesses, their share of employment and net new jobs, plus starts, closures, and overall contribution to the U.S. economy.

State Integrity

Open records laws with hundreds of exemptions. Budget decisions made behind closed doors. Ethics panels that haven’t met in years.

Those are among the examples of corruption risk found in the State Integrity Investigation, an unprecedented examination of America’s state capitols. The bottom line? Not a single state earned an A grade in the year-long investigation.

New York received a D.

Do You Know Your Cholesterol Levels?

Approximately 1 in 7 American adults and 1 in 10 American children have high cholesterol. Do you know your cholesterol levels?

September is National Cholesterol Education Month--a good time to get your blood cholesterol checked and learn more about the importance of keeping your cholesterol at healthy levels.

Risk Factors for High Cholesterol
The Difference Between "Bad" and "Good" Cholesterol
Cholesterol Medicines -- Types, Side Effects, and Warnings
What You Can Do to Lower Your Cholesterol

Interesting infographic on worker safety

From Fast Company:

Fishing, logging, farming, and working as an aircraft pilot / flight engineer count among the most dangerous jobs in America. But in raw numbers, they are not the deadliest. That grim distinction goes to driving...

The chart was developed by the online workplace safety education company eTraining, and it goes beyond simply ticking off America’s most hazardous occupations; it conveys a whole of truckload of stats about on-the-job fatalities, such as where employees die most frequently (the same states, for the most part, with the biggest populations); which gender is most at risk (men, overwhelmingly); and the commonest way workers fall to their death (off a ladder, FTW). “Hopefully, this helps put into perspective the importance of safety at the workplace,” eTraining writes on its blog.

(Lots of) Transportation Statistics

State Transportation Statistics 2011

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), presents State Transportation Statistics 2011, a statistical profile of transportation in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is the ninth annual edition of the State Transportation Statistics, and a companion document to the National Transportation Statistics (NTS), which is updated quarterly on the BTS website.
Like the previous editions, this document presents transportation information from RITA/BTS, other federal government agencies, and other national sources. A picture of the states’ transportation infrastructure, freight movement and passenger travel, system safety, vehicles, transportation related economy and finance, energy usage and the environment is presented in tables covering the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Tables have been updated with the most recently available data.

Also:
Government Transportation Financial Statistics 2012

Top 10 datasets on data.gov

With agencies continually opening datasets and releasing APIs to app developers, Data.gov tracks its datasets according to a variety of criteria, from most accessed and highest rated, to oldest and newest. Here are the top 10 of the nearly 1,300 datasets currently listed under the “Most Relevant” category.
GCN (http://s.tt/1lEn3)

More HERE.

Health Insurance Coverage Estimates for Every County

The U.S. Census Bureau today released 2010 estimates of health insurance coverage for each of the nation’s roughly 3,140 counties. Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) are the only source for single-year 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. As in past years, the estimates pertain to those younger than 65 as a whole. However, for the first time, there are estimates of coverage at the county level for those in the 50 to 64 age group.

By 2014, changes to the law will extend certain Medicaid benefits to uninsured people falling into specific income groups, and SAHIE estimates will permit users to track the impact of the law on small counties. The estimates also enable local planners to determine, for instance, the counties in which low-income children are most likely to lack health insurance. The mapping tools available on the SAHIE website can also show regional trends in coverage, displaying for instance, that small counties with a high range of uninsured children are mostly in Texas, Nevada and Montana, and small counties with a low range of uninsured are mostly in the Northeast and Midwest.

The new inclusion of the 50 to 64 age category allows tracking of the insurance status of this population, which is more likely to consume health care compared with younger age groups. Knowing the number of uninsured at this older age group allows planners and health care officials to better prepare for the health care needs of this population.

SAHIE is partially funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others in the health care field. The 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.

“We use SAHIE data to more effectively gauge the level of need for breast and cervical cancer screening in various geographic jurisdictions across the country,” said Marcus Plescia, director of the CDC&8217;s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control in Atlanta. “The information provided by SAHIE data is important to us in program planning and management, targeting and resource allocation decisions and evaluation.”

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.

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 September, the Census Bureau will release health insurance coverage estimates for counties with a population of 65,000 or more from the 2011 ACS. The following month, similar estimates will be released for counties with a population of 20,000 or more from the 2009-2011 ACS. Starting next year, the five-year estimates from ACS will include statistics on health insurance coverage for all areas, regardless of size.

Country Reports on Terrorism 2011

Source: U.S. Department of State

The loss of bin Ladin and ... other key operatives puts the network on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse. These successes are attributable, in large part, to global counterterrorism cooperation, which has put considerable pressure on the al-Qa’ida core leadership in Pakistan. But despite blows in western Pakistan, al-Qa’ida, its affiliates, and its adherents remain adaptable. They have shown resilience; retain the capability to conduct regional and transnational attacks; and, thus, constitute an enduring and serious threat to our national security.

As al-Qa’ida’s core has gotten weaker, we have seen the rise of affiliated groups around the world. Among these al-Qa’ida affiliates, al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) represents a particularly serious threat. At year’s end, AQAP had taken control of territory in southern Yemen and was exploiting unrest in that country to advance plots against regional and Western interests.

2011-2012 Annual Statistical Report of NYS Tax Collections

This publication contains a series of statistical tabulations detailing taxes administered by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. The information presented includes revenues and selected tax structure information for the State's major taxes. It also presents data for some locally imposed taxes.

This edition presents information for New York State Fiscal Year 2011-2012 (SFY 2011-2012) and some historical statistics. New York State's fiscal year is April 1 - March 31.

Monthly tax collection information is also available.

State and Local Governments Employ 16.4 Million Full-Time Equivalent Employees in 2011

In March 2011, there were 16.4 million full-time equivalent employees working in state and local governments in the U.S., down 1.4 percent from 2010. According to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the majority of these employees (8.9 million) worked in education, followed by those working in hospitals (964,381), police protection (923,951) and corrections (717,940).

These estimates come from the 2011 Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. The survey shows totals for state and local government full-time and part-time employment and details employment by government function at the national and state level. To arrive at the full-time equivalent employee calculation, the number of full-time employees is added to the number of hours worked by part-time employees divided by the standard number of hours for a full-time employee.

Psychology of Intelligence Analysis, from the CIA

This volume pulls together and republishes, with some editing, updating, and additions, articles written during 1978-86 for internal use within the CIA Directorate of Intelligence. Four of the articles also appeared in the Intelligence Community journal Studies in Intelligence during that time frame. The information is relatively timeless and still relevant to the never-ending quest for better analysis.

The articles are based on reviewing cognitive psychology literature concerning how people process information to make judgments on incomplete and ambiguous information. I selected the experiments and findings that seem most relevant to intelligence analysis and most in need of communication to intelligence analysts. I then translated the technical reports into language that intelligence analysts can understand and interpreted the relevance of these findings to the problems intelligence analysts face.

The result is a compromise that may not be wholly satisfactory to either research psychologists or intelligence analysts. Cognitive psychologists and decision analysts may complain of oversimplification, while the non-psychologist reader may have to absorb some new terminology. Unfortunately, mental processes are so complex that discussion of them does require some specialized vocabulary. Intelligence analysts who have read and thought seriously about the nature of their craft should have no difficulty with this book. Those who are plowing virgin ground may require serious effort.

The Leisure Time Paradox

From the American Consumers Newsletter
by Cheryl Russell, Editorial Director, New Strategist Publications

You probably would scoff at the notion that you have more leisure time than your parents or grandparents did 40 years ago. But that's what time use studies show. Since 1965, men have gained 5.26 additional hours of leisure time per week. Women have an extra 3.56 hours compared to their counterparts in 1965. How come we don't feel more relaxed?

That question has been answered by an examination of trends in leisure time, published in Demography (August 2012). And the answer is: because the quality of our leisure time has declined. Simply put, we aren't having as much fun.

The analysis (by Almudena Sevilla, Jose I. Gimenez-Nadal, and Jonathan Gershuny) measures the quality of leisure time in three ways: pure leisure--or the amount of leisure time spent only in leisure activities with no accompanying non-leisure secondary activities (such as taking calls from your boss); co-present leisure (a better term might be social leisure)--or the amount of leisure time spent with a spouse or other adults but not children (who have a way of turning leisure into work); and leisure fragmentation--or the number of leisure intervals and their length.

The researchers discovered that our pure leisure time has declined, as has the time we spend in social leisure. "Despite general increases in leisure time, Americans report feeling increasingly harried now compared with 40 years ago," they note. "Our findings may help explain this paradox."

Connect NY-$25 Million High-Speed Internet Access Program

Governor Cuomo announced that today the state will begin accepting applications in the “Connect NY” program which provides $25 million in grant funding to promote broadband internet access across the state. The grants are made available through the Regional Councils and Empire State Development and will help expand high speed internet access in rural upstate and underserved urban areas of New York.

Expanding high-speed internet was identified last year as a priority by the Regional Councils in order to help local businesses expand their ability to reach customers and encourage broadband providers to improve internet access for local communities. Broadband internet grants, such as Connect NY, both spur investment by service providers in communities and help boost economic development in each region by expanding the ability of local businesses to reach consumers globally.

Applications will be reviewed and scored on the following metrics.

• Providing new service to areas with little or no Internet. Additional weight will be given for plans that provide more internet access to the local public through libraries, parks, and other community areas, help local health centers provide new online access to health records and services, and expand internet service in economically distressed areas.

• Creating a plan for educating local businesses and residents on how to use the internet.

• Building off existing internet networks to more efficiently expand high speed Internet service in communities that broadband in only some areas but not throughout the area.

• Receiving of the endorsement of the local Regional Council.

For more information and to read the full press release.

The application process will be open on August 22 and can be accessed by visiting the NYS Broadband website.

2,003 Deaths in Afghanistan

From the New York Times:

The chart shows deaths of identified United States service members directly involved in the war in Afghanistan. Rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire took the largest number of American lives earlier in the war. In 2008, deaths from improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.’s, began to make up a larger share of combat deaths.

JULY 20, 2008
Nearly seven years after the start of the war, the death toll reaches 500
MAY 18, 2010
Less than two years later, the war kills another 500, bringing the death toll to 1,000
AUGUST 23, 2012
Death toll reaches 2,003

Not all ZIP code lists by county are alike

I looked for a couple websites that would give out ZIP codes by county. The first two I found were GetZIPS.com and MelissaData.com.

I tend to trust Melissa more.

Looking for ZIP Code 12309, primarily a ZIP Code in Schenectady, I wanted to see if the small portion in Albany County in that ZIP would show up. Yes in Melissa;, no in GetZIPS.

Remember that ZIP Codes are no respecter of county boundaries.

How to Find Out If a Social Media Account is from the Government

Every day, the federalgovernment uses social media services like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to communicate with you and provide easy access to government benefits and services.

But unlike most government websites, which are hosted on a .mil or a .gov domain, social media sites are hosted on commercial domains. Without the .gov or the .mil, it can be difficult to determine which social media accounts are official government sources of information and which are impersonators.

To help solve that problem, the federal government recently launched a social media registry in English and Spanish, where you can confirm the validity of a variety of government social media accounts.

U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations and Membership Study

This study, designed and carried out by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB), compiled data on the number of congregations and adherents for 236 religious groups. Participants included 217 Christian denominations, associations, or communions (including Latter-day Saints, Messianic Jews, and Unitarian/Universalist groups); counts of Jain, Shinto, Sikh, Tao and National Spiritualist Association congregations, and counts of congregations and adherents from Bahá'ís, three Buddhist groupings, four Hindu groupings, four Jewish groupings, Muslims and Zoroastrians. The 236 groups reported a total of 344,894 congregations with 150,686,156 adherents, comprising 48.8 percent of the total U.S. population of 308,745,538 in 2010.

Here's further explanation. The easiest way to access the data is to go to the home page of The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) website.

For deeper analysis, which involves downloading, go to:
County File
Metro File
State File

Nonemployer Statistics: 2010

Annual report on businesses without paid employees in nearly 450 industries for the nation, states, counties and metropolitan areas. Most who own such businesses are self-employed and operate very small businesses (for example, real estate agents or beauticians) that may or may not be their primary source of income.
Total number of nonemployer firms in 2010 was 22,110,628.

National Transportation Atlas Database

The National Transportation Atlas Database is a set of nationwide geographic databases of transportation facilities, transportation networks, and associated infrastructure. These datasets include spatial information for transportation modal networks and intermodal terminals, as well as the related attribute information for these features. Metadata documentation, as prescribed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee, is also provided for each database. The data support research, analysis, and decision-making across all modes of transportation. They are most useful at the national level, but have major applications at regional, state, and local scales throughout the transportation community.

The Happy Planet Index : 2012 Report

Source: New Economics Foundation (UK)

The Happy Planet Index (HPI) measures what matters. It tells us how well nations are doing in terms of supporting their inhabitants to live good lives now, while ensuring that others can do the same in the future, i.e. sustainable well-being for all.

The third global HPI report reveals that this is largely still an unhappy planet – with both high- and low-income countries facing many challenges on their way to meeting this same overall goal. But it also demonstrates that good lives do not have to cost the Earth – that the countries where well-being is highest are not always the ones that have the biggest environmental impact.

The HPI is one of the first global measures of sustainable well-being. It uses global data on experienced well-being, life expectancy, and Ecological Footprint to generate an index revealing which countries are most efficient at producing long, happy lives for their inhabitants, whilst maintaining the conditions for future generations to do the same....

At heart, the HPI is a measure of efficiency. It calculates the number of Happy Life Years (life expectancy adjusted for experienced well-being) achieved per unit of resource use.

This year’s results:

Confirm that we are still not living on a happy planet, with no country achieving high and sustainable well-being and only nine close to doing so.

Highlight that eight of those nine countries are in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Show the highest ranking Western European nation to be Norway in 29th place,just behind New Zealand in 28th place.

Place the USA in 105th position out of 151 countries.

Demonstrate how the scores of high-income countries are brought down considerably by their large Ecological Footprints.

Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys and lots of other health stats

From the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality

2010 Emergency Room Visits
Office-Based Medical Provider Visits
2010 Outpatient Visits
Asthma Medication Use among Adults with Reported Treatment for Asthma, United States, 1998-1999 and 2008-2009
Trends in Use and Expenditures for Depression among U.S. Adults Age 18 and Older, Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 1999 and 2009
The Uninsured in America, 1996-2011: Estimates for the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population under Age 65


From the National Center for Health Statistics

Multiple Chronic Conditions Among Adults Aged 45 and Over: Trends Over the Past 10 Years



From the National Institute on Drug Abuse
Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2011 (Volume II): College Students & Adults Ages 19-50

Census Bureau Releases Its First Mobile App Providing Real-Time Statistics on U.S. Economy

The U.S. Census Bureau released its first-ever mobile application, “America’s Economy,” which will provide constantly updated statistics on the U.S. economy, including monthly economic indicators, trends, along with a schedule of upcoming announcements. The app, which is currently available for Android mobile device users, combines statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
America’s Economy is the first mobile app from the Census Bureau that provides smartphone and tablet users with the real-time government statistics that drive business hiring, sales and production decisions and assist economists, researchers, planners and policymakers. The economic indicators track monthly and quarterly trends in industries, such as employment, housing construction, international trade, personal income, retail sales and manufacturing.
The America’s Economy app has been developed as part of the Census Bureau’s Web Transformation Project and fulfills a key goal of President Obama’s recently announced Digital Strategy to provide federal employees and the general public with greater access to government information and services. The creation of this app is also consistent with the Census Bureau’s longtime mission of providing accurate statistics about the nation’s growth and changes using 21st century technology to make that information available more quickly and easily.
“The America’s Economy app will empower anyone needing information about the U.S. economy with timely statistics right on their mobile devices,” said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves. “The release of this app is an example of our commitment to giving taxpayers faster and easier access to the statistics we produce, including the Economic Census, that impact the lives of all Americans.”
The following 16 key economic indicators will be available as part of the initial release of the app:
Census Bureau
• Advance Monthly Retail Sales
• New Residential Construction
• New Residential Sales
• Construction Spending
• International Trade
• Advance Report Durable Goods
• Business Inventories
• Manufacturers’ Goods
• Monthly Wholesale
• Homeownership Rate
• Quarterly Services Survey
• QFR – Retail Trade
• QFR – Manufacturing
Bureau of Economic Analysis:
• Gross Domestic Product
• Personal Income and Outlays
Bureau of Labor Statistics:
• Unemployment Rate
Users will be able to set alerts to receive notifications when economic indicators are updated. They can also add statistical release schedules to their personal calendars. When each indicator is released, users can also share the news on both Facebook and Twitter.
America’s Economy is available now for Android users and is expected be available for Apple smartphone and tablet users in the Apple App Store in the coming weeks. America’s Economy is the first of three planned apps from the Census Bureau that will be made available over the next several months. Each app will be available for Apple and Android smartphones.
Learn more about the economic data produced by the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Bureau of Labor Statistics produces.

Results From 2010 Census Race and Hispanic Origin Alternative Questionnaire Research

The U.S. Census Bureau released research from its 2010 Census Race and Hispanic Origin Alternative Questionnaire Experiment, which provides a comparison of different census questionnaire design strategies for collecting census data on race and Hispanic origin.

The Census Bureau follows federal standards for collecting and presenting data on race and Hispanic origin established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in October 1997. This research tested questionnaire strategies with the goal of increasing the reporting in the race and ethnic categories as defined by OMB, decreasing nonresponse, increasing the accuracy and reliability of the results and eliciting responses for detailed race and ethnic groups.

The results will guide further research on the collection of race and ethnicity throughout the decade, informing OMB and Congress.

“The U.S. Census Bureau is committed to improving the accuracy and the reliability of census results by expanding our understanding of how people identify their race and Hispanic origin,” Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said.

This research is the largest quantitative effort ever on how people identify their race and ethnicity to start off the planning cycle for the once-a-decade census. The study mailed experimental questionnaires to a sample of 488,604 households during the 2010 Census, reinterviewed respondents and conducted 67 focus groups across the United States and in Puerto Rico with nearly 800 people.

Findings

The study tested several versions of an experimental combined question on race and Hispanic origin. The current OMB classification treats race and Hispanic origin as two separate and distinct concepts. During the 2010 Census, most households received a census form with separate questions for Hispanic origin and race in accordance with these guidelines. A sample of households received questionnaires with an experimental, combined question.

The results showed that a higher number of individuals were more likely to respond to a combined race and Hispanic origin question than to separate questions. The experimental combined questions had an item nonresponse rate, meaning the percentage of respondents leaving that question blank, of roughly 1 percent, compared with 3.5 percent to 5.7 percent for the race question and 4.1 percent to 5.4 percent for the Hispanic origin question.

The research also aimed to increase reporting in the OMB race and ethnicity categories. The “Some Other Race” category was created to be a small residual category, but as shown in the 2010 Census, “Some Other Race” alone was the third largest race group, after “White” alone and “Black” alone, with respondents of Hispanic origin comprising the vast majority of all people classified as “Some Other Race” alone. The population reporting “Some Other Race” alone was as high as 7.1 percent on the separate race question and roughly 0.2 percent on the combined questions. However, the percent of the population who identified as Hispanic was not significantly different across questionnaires, indicating that the total proportion of Hispanics was not reduced in a combined question approach.

Additionally, another major finding was that removal of the term “Negro” from the “Black, African Am., or Negro” response category did not change the distribution of the black population across the experimental questionnaires. Although 2000 Census results indicated that this term was still relevant to some respondents, this relatively small portion of respondents continues to decrease and, thus, the removal of the term did not have a negative impact on black population estimates.

Other Findings:

--The population reporting two or more responses was significantly larger with a combined question, in general, than with a separate question. Reinterview findings suggest that respondents may have been able to more clearly understand the opportunity to report more than one response in the combined format, thus increasing multiple-response reporting. Alternatively, focus group research suggests that the combined question respondents may have been interpreting the question as asking for race and origin.

--The experimental combined questions included write-in lines for all race groups. For the first time, people who answered “white” and “black” could further specify their origin. As much as 50 percent of people who reported as white gave detail when provided with a write-in line compared with only 1 percent to 2 percent in all other questionnaires. Similarly, of black respondents, more than 76 percent reported detail on each of the experimental combined questionnaires, compared with only 3 percent to 6 percent of all other questionnaires.

There was a decrease in Asian and Hispanic respondents providing more detailed responses on the combined questions that did not have checkboxes for specific origin groups. Detailed Asian reporting was 96.6 percent or higher on all other questionnaires, but as low as 92.6 percent when no checkboxes were provided. Detailed Hispanic origin reporting was 86.4 percent to 88.9 percent when specific origin checkboxes were provided within the combined question, but was lower on combined questionnaires that did not contain the specific origin checkboxes (77.7 percent to 80 percent). Detailed Hispanic origin reporting on separate questions was 92 percent or higher.

--There was no change in how people reported within the Asian, Other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic origin examples when different examples were used.

“The findings from this research provide promising strategies to address the challenges and complexities of race and Hispanic origin measurement and reporting issues in our rapidly diversifying society,” Groves said. “This is another step in an ongoing discussion about how we can better understand the changing diversity of our nation. The results will guide upcoming research as the Census Bureau looks toward the 2020 Census.”

Next Steps

These findings will serve as the basis for further research and for a wider discussion among statistical agencies.

State Pension Systems Assets Rise Nearly $325 Billion in 2011

The nation’s state-administered defined benefit retirement systems totaled $2.5 trillion in cash and investment holdings in 2011, a 14.6 percent increase from $2.2 trillion in 2010, according to new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau. Earnings on investments were $410.6 billion, up from $291.1 billion in 2010.

These statistics come from the 2011 Annual Survey of Public Pensions: State-Administered Defined Benefit Data, which provides an annual look at the financial activity and membership information for the nation’s 222 state-administered public-employee retirement systems, including revenues, expenditures, investment holdings, membership and beneficiaries. Statistics are shown for the nation and individual states. This information includes actuarial liability statistics, which project the total obligation required to cover costs for providing pensions to former and present employees.

Labor Force: Urban to Rural

Workforce Skills across the Urban-Rural Hierarchy
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Report No0. 552
Jaison R. Abel, Todd M. Gabe, Kevin Stolarick
February 2012

Abstract
This paper examines differences in the skill content of work throughout the United
States, ranging from densely populated city centers to isolated and sparsely populated rural areas. To do so, we classify detailed geographic areas into categories along the entire urban-rural hierarchy. An occupation-based cluster analysis is then used to measure the types of skills available in the regional workforce, which allows for a broader measure of human capital than is captured by conventional measures. We fi nd that the occupation clusters most prevalent in urban areas—scientists, engineers, and executives—are characterized by high levels of social and resource-management skills, as well as the ability to generate ideas and solve complex problems. By contrast, the occupation clusters that are most prevalent in rural areas—machinists, makers, and laborers—are among the lowest in terms of required skills. These differences in the skill content of work shed light on the
pattern of earnings observed across the urban-rural hierarchy.

Key words: human capital, skills, occupations, urban-rural, earnings

This paper presents preliminary findings and is being distributed to economists
and other interested readers solely to stimulate discussion and elicit comments.
The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and are not necessarily
reflective of views at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal
Reserve System. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the authors.

2012 Kids Count Data Book

From the Annie E. Casey Foundation

Each year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation publishes the KIDS COUNT Data Book, which tracks the well-being of our nation’s children, state by state. As we release this year’s Data Book, our 23rd, America’s children and families face a crossroad. After the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, our economy has begun to slowly recover. Unemployment has declined and state revenues are trending upward. But the recovery is fragile. Many families are still coping with hardship caused by a long and deep recession, and states and localities still face serious fiscal challenges.

Forbes' List Of America's Coolest Cities

From HERE:

Houston is known for many things: Oil, NASA, urban sprawl and business-friendly policies. But the Texas city deserves to be known for something else: coolness.

The Bayou City may not be the first place you associate with being hip or trendy. But Houston has something many other major cities don’t: jobs. With the local economy humming through the recession, Houston enjoyed 2.6% job growth last year and nearly 50,000 Americans flocked there in response — particularly young professionals. In fact, the median age of a Houston resident is a youthful 33.


A dissenting opinion.

HIV/AIDS Surveillance Data Base

The concept of the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Data Base was developed by the U.S. Census Bureau in consultation with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1987. The Data Base was created to provide easy access to published results from the multitude of seroprevalence surveys and other studies that were being undertaken at the time. The Data Base continues to be updated annually by the Census Bureau with the support of USAID to meet the needs of policy makers and program planners around the world.

The HIV/AIDS Surveillance Data Base is a compilation of information from widely scattered small-scale surveys on the AIDS pandemic and HIV seroprevalence (infection) in population groups in developing countries. The Data Base hosts information from medical and scientific literature, presentations at international conferences, and the press. Through the Data Base interface, available information for population groups in a selected country can be easily retrieved and displayed on the computer screen, and printed or saved to a .pdf or .csv file.

The current status of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and trends in the spread of HIV infection are critical issues for policy makers and program planners in developing countries and the international development community. Identifying "hot spots" in the spread of infection assists decision makers in effectively allocating scarce program funds. Programs of ongoing data collection from specific sites, known as sentinel surveillance systems, have provided much data on prevalence among specific population groups in many countries – pregnant women attending antenatal clinics, patients seeking healthcare from clinics, sex workers, intravenous drug users, and others. Beginning in 2001, HIV testing from population-based surveys, such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), has provided important data from the general population.

The HIV/AIDS Surveillance Data Base is maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau with funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development, and it is updated annually. The Census Bureau welcomes comments and suggestions from users and copies of articles or references to information that may have been overlooked.

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage in the Private Sector

Health insurance provided by employers is a key source of coverage for both employees and their families. In 2011, half of private-sector employees enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance took single, self-only coverage and the remainder took non-single coverage (a plan covering the employee and at least one other family member). According to the Insurance Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-IC), those employees with non-single coverage contributed both a larger dollar amount and a larger percentage of the total premium for their coverage than did employees with single coverage.
Non-single health insurance plans encompass two types of coverage: family coverage and
employee-plus-one coverage. When available for the same level of benefits, employee-plus-one plan premiums are less expensive than family plans. This Statistical Brief presents information on the selection and cost of single, employee-plus-one, and family health insurance coverage for current employees in the private sector in 2011.

First-Time Kindergartners in 2010-11

This brief report from the US Department of Education provides a demographic profile of the students who attended kindergarten in the United States in the 2010-11 school year using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). The ECLS-K:2011 cohort includes students in public and private schools across the United States, students who attended part-day and full-day kindergarten programs, and students who were attending their first year of kindergarten as well as those who were repeating kindergarten. The analyses presented in this report focus on the 3.5 million students who were attending kindergarten for the first time in the 2010-11 school year. Approximately 5 percent of the students in the ECLS-K:2011 cohort were repeating kindergarten and are not represented in the findings in this report.

The ECLS-K:2011 is a longitudinal study that will follow a nationally representative sample of students from their kindergarten year to the spring of 2016, when most of them are expected to be in fifth grade. During the first year of data collection, when all children were in kindergarten, data were collected in both the fall and the spring. Approximately 18,200 children enrolled in 970 schools during the 2010-11 school year participated during the kindergarten year.

The study will provide information on students’ status at entry to school, their transition into school, and their progression through the elementary grades. The longitudinal nature of the ECLS-K:2011 data will enable researchers to study how a wide range of family, school, community, and individual factors are associated with educational, socioemotional, and physical development over time. Information is being collected from the students, their parents/guardians, their teachers, their school administrators, and their before- and after-school care providers.

Americans With Disabilities: 2010

From the Census Bureau

The population of people with disabilities inhabit a distinct position in the U.S. economy, both for their contributions to the marketplace and roles in government policies and programs. People with disabilities bring unique sets of skills to the workplace, enhancing the strength and diversity of the U.S. labor market.1 In addition, they make up a significant market of consumers, representing more than $200 billion in discretionary spending and spurring technological innovation and entrepreneurship.2 People with disabilities also often rely on various government interventions to maintain their participation in the community. Federal programs like Social Security and Medicare and more than 60 smaller federal and state programs provide a wide array of income, health care, and other support services to individuals with disabilities across the United States. In 2008, the federal government spent an estimated $357 billion dollars on programs for working-age people with disabilities, representing 12 percent of total federal outlays.3 While there is little doubt about the large economic impact of people with disabilities, estimates of the size and characteristics of this population depend much on the definitions used to classify what it means to be disabled.

2010 Modified Race Summary File

This downloadable file, summary table and documentation show the results of modifying the 2010 Census population from census race categories (which include “some other race”) into those consistent with the Office of Management and Budget standard categories (white, black or African-American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander). Release includes information for counties by Hispanic origin, 31 race groups and five-year age groups.

How New York State Doles Out Its Education Dollar

From the Citizens Budget Commission

In school year 2012-13, school districts in New York are expecting to receive $20.4 billion in aid from New York State, an amount that comprises just over 40 percent of their total budgets on average. However, aid per student varies among districts. Some of the variation stems from the needs of the students within district boundaries and from resident taxpayers’ capacity to raise revenue locally. Still, historical patterns established decades ago, kept in place by “hold harmless” provisions built into aid formulas, also drive the distribution.
The CBC's new interactive map documents school aid variation by district. Click on or search for a school district to see state aid per student by major category, as well as measures of district need and ability to pay.

Negative home equity INCREASE in Q4 2011

CoreLogic..., a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, released negative equity data showing that 11.1 million, or 22.8 percent, of all residential properties with a mortgage were in negative equity at the end of the fourth quarter of 2011. This is up from 10.7 million properties, 22.1 percent, in the third quarter of 2011. An additional 2.5 million borrowers had less than five
percent equity, referred to as near-negative equity, in the fourth quarter. Together, negative equity and near-negative equity mortgages accounted for 27.8 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage nationwide in the fourth quarter, up from 27.1 in the previous quarter. Nationally, the total mortgage debt outstanding on properties in negative equity increased from $2.7 trillion in the third quarter to $2.8 trillion in the fourth quarter.
Negative equity, often referred to as “underwater” or “upside down,” means that borrowers owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Negative equity can occur because of a decline in value, an increase in mortgage debt or a combination of both.

More http://www.corelogic.com/about-us/news/asset_upload_file909_14436.pdf HERE.

Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011

From HERE:

UJA-Federation of New York presents the findings from the Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011, a comprehensive study of the world’s largest and most diverse Jewish community outside Israel. With 5,993 interviews — more than any other local or national Jewish community study — the findings and implications are vast. Users can download the whole report or select chapters.

The New York Jewish community in 2011 is large, growing, and incredibly diverse. Children, boomers, and seniors. Poor and affluent Jews. Lifelong New Yorkers, and immigrants from such diverse national origins as Russia and Israel. LGBT Jews. Hispanic and biracial households. Chasidic, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Reform, and Yeshivish Jews. Jews who are nondenominational, have no religion or another religion, or who consider themselves partially Jewish. All these and more are strong threads in the fabric of the New York Jewish community.

[The report covers the five NYC counties, the two Long Island counties, and Westchester County.]

See also:
Study: Orthodox community boosts New York City's Jewish population

Leading Demographer Questioning N.Y. Population Survey; Orthodox overreported, non-Orthodox underreported, according to Brandeis’ Len Saxe.

How to Get Disaster and Drought Assistance

A number of counties are currently being affected by drought. The USDA has crop updates for farmers, as well as information about crop insurance, assistance for livestock losses, and emergency farm loans.

Find drought assistance from the USDA.

Nearly 1 in 5 People Have a Disability in the U.S.

About 56.7 million people ─ 19 percent of the population ─ had a disability in 2010, according to a broad definition of disability, with more than half of them reporting the disability was severe, according to a comprehensive report on this population released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report, Americans with Disabilities: 2010, presents estimates of disability status and type and is the first such report with analysis since the Census Bureau published statistics in a similar report about the 2005 population of people with disabilities. According to the report, the total number of people with a disability increased by 2.2 million over the period, but the percentage remained statistically unchanged. Both the number and percentage with a severe disability rose, however. Likewise, the number and percentage needing assistance also both increased.

“This week, we observe the 22nd anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a milestone law that guarantees equal opportunity for people with disabilities,” said Census Bureau demographer Matthew Brault. “On this important anniversary, this report presents a barometer of the well-being of this population in areas such as employment, income and poverty status.”

The statistics come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, which contains supplemental questions on whether respondents had difficulty performing a specific set of functional and participatory activities. For many activities, if a respondent reported difficulty, a follow-up question was asked to determine the severity of the limitation, hence, the distinction between a “severe” and “nonsevere” disability. The data were collected from May through August 2010. Disability statistics from this survey are used by agencies — such as the Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Administration on Aging — to assist with program planning and management.

The report shows that 41 percent of those age 21 to 64 with any disability were employed, compared with 79 percent of those with no disability. Along with the lower likelihood of having a job came the higher likelihood of experiencing persistent poverty; that is, continuous poverty over a 24-month period. Among people age 15 to 64 with severe disabilities, 10.8 percent experienced persistent poverty; the same was true for 4.9 percent of those with a nonsevere disability and 3.8 percent of those with no disability.

Other highlights:
-- People in the oldest age group ─ 80 and older ─ were about eight times more likely to have a disability as those in the youngest group ─ younger than 15 (71 percent compared with 8 percent). The probability of having a severe disability is only one in 20 for those 15 to 24 while it is one in four for those 65 to 69.
-- About 8.1 million people had difficulty seeing, including 2.0 million who were blind or unable to see.
-- About 7.6 million people experienced difficulty hearing, including 1.1 million whose difficulty was severe. About 5.6 million used a hearing aid.
-- Roughly 30.6 million had difficulty walking or climbing stairs, or used a wheelchair, cane, crutches or walker.
-- About 19.9 million people had difficulty lifting and grasping. This includes, for instance, trouble lifting an object like a bag of groceries, or grasping a glass or a pencil.
-- Difficulty with at least one activity of daily living was cited by 9.4 million
non-institutionalized adults. These activities included getting around inside the home, bathing, dressing and eating. Of these people, 5 million needed the assistance of others to perform such an activity.
-- About 15.5 million adults had difficulties with one or more instrumental activities of daily living. These activities included doing housework, using the phone and preparing meals. Of these, nearly 12 million required assistance.
-- Approximately 2.4 million had Alzheimer’s disease, senility or dementia.
-- Being frequently depressed or anxious such that it interfered with ordinary activities was reported by 7.0 million adults.
-- Adults age 21 to 64 with disabilities had median monthly earnings of $1,961 compared with $2,724 for those with no disability.
-- Overall, the uninsured rates for adults 15 to 64 were not statistically different by disability status: 21.0 percent for people with severe disabilities, 21.3 percent for those with non-severe disabilities and 21.9 percent for those with no disability.

In addition to the statistics from this report, the Census Bureau also produces annual disability estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS). While the ACS uses a different definition of disability than in this report, it is capable of producing estimates of the population with disabilities at sub-national geographies like states, counties, places and metropolitan areas. The Census Bureau has been collecting data about certain disabilities since 1830, when Congress added questions to the census on difficulty hearing, seeing and speaking.

Newly developed 2010 PUMA reference files for NYS

The Program on Applied Demographics has just completed mapping the recently released 2010 PUMA reference files for New York. These are available for viewing and/or downloading via the http://pad.human.cornell.edu/maps2010/maps/NYS_PUMAs.pdf PAD website. The entire set are in PDF format. As an aid to those of you that might want to make comparisons to their work on 2000 PUMAs, reference maps showing the relationship between the delineations for 2000 and for 2010 are also provided. Recall that in the process of building the 2010 PUMA boundaries, the NY SDC strove to get sets of PUMAs to coincide with the ten economic development regions developed by the NY DED in collaboration with NY DOL. Accordingly the PAD maps reflect this. That is, all the 2010 PUMAS in the Capital region are presented on one map. All those contained in the Central region are in another map and so forth. Note #1: these are boundary maps only; the PUMS data corresponding to these have not been released yet. Note #2: these are packaged into a large PDF file (approximately 18 Mbyes) so be patient for the download. As always, let PAD know of problems with the file or individual maps.

Data Visualization Weekly Feature

The Census Bureau has launched Visualization of the Week, a new feature on census.gov. Each week, visualizations will explore a variety of statistical topics. The first posted visualizations pertain largely to historical population statistics and show changes in the growth and redistribution of the U.S. population. For later visualizations, the topics will expand beyond 10-year census statistics to include the full breadth of Census Bureau data sets and subject areas, from household and family dynamics, to migration and geographic mobility, to economic indicators. Each week, new visualizations will be posted, many of which will be interactive. All of the visualizations can be shared on social media sites. Internet address: <>.

Mass Shootings in the United States Since 2005

From Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. 62 PDF pages

Census Bureau to Host Webinar on Discovering New Markets — Utilizing USA Trade Online

The U.S. Census Bureau is the official source for U.S. export and import statistics and is responsible for issuing regulations governing the reporting of all export shipments from the United States. This second webinar in the eight-part series demonstrates how to stay competitive in new and existing markets. Learn how to use the dynamic interactive Census Bureau tool, USA Trade Online, to identify top export destinations for products and measure the impact of foreign competition by analyzing import statistics.

See complete series.

The event will consist of a simultaneous audio conference and online presentation. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Please login early, as some setup is required.
When:
Wednesday, July 25, 1 p.m. (EDT)
Who:
Fay Johnson, supervisory survey statistician, Data Dissemination Branch,
Foreign Trade Division, U.S. Census Bureau
RSVP:
Sign up for webinar.
Conference number: 8309564
Passcode: 1354409

To register for this event:
1. Go to the URL listed above and choose Web RSVP under Join Events.
2. Enter the conference number and passcode.
3. Provide your information for the event leader and then click submit.
4. Registration closes 30 minutes prior to event.

Analysis of 2009 Personal Income Tax Returns

From the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance

This report describes the prominent features of New York's personal income tax, with particular emphasis on the 2009 tax year. It also includes taxpayer profiles consisting of number of taxable returns, sources of income, federal adjustments, New York modifications, deductions, dependent exemptions, tax liability and credits by NYAGI class, filing status and return type. In addition, it includes separate sections on income, itemized deduction amounts, exemptions, available credits and information on refundable credits. Finally, it compares statistics for 2009 with those from the prior year for most of these items.

Accompanying this report are statistical tables that cover resident, part-year resident, and nonresident returns. The report also includes a description and statistical information from returns filed by fiduciaries of estates and trusts.

2011 Congressional District County Components

From Daily Kos

CDs-by-County: I think you're all going to love this. Thanks to yet more hard work by jeffmd, we now have a new chart for you: congressional districts by county. Click the link and you'll find a tab for each state laying out which counties are in which congressional district. But there's a lot more. Jeff has also figured out how many people in each county (or part thereof) are in a given district (that's column C), what percentage of each CD is made up by each county or county-part (column D), and finally, what percentage of each county is in a given CD (column E). Since counties are an easily understood and frequently used layer of political organization (for example, party endorsements are often made at the county level), this kind of information is very useful, since it lets you see how much sway a particular county has in a particular congressional district.

(I've changed the example from Arizona to New York)
For instance, if you open the New York tab, you'll see that 198,289 residents of Broome County live in NY-22, and those folks in Broome make up almost 28% of the congressional district's total population. But if you look at column E, you'll see that only 98.85% of Broome is place inside the 22nd—that means it's split among more than one district. Scrolling down (or searching on the word "Broome"), you'll see that there's also a teeny-tiny fraction of the county in NY-19 (just 2,311 people).

Computer and Internet Use at Home: 2010

These tables provide information about computer and Internet use from the Current Population Survey (CPS) School Enrollment and Internet Use Supplement. The tables display national and state level data and examine householder and individual characteristics by school enrollment, age, race, sex and Hispanic origin. Additional tables use data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to examine how and why people connect to the Internet. The CPS has been collecting data on computers and Internet use periodically since 1984. SIPP data on this subject have been collected since 1998.

Census Bureau Infographic on U.S. Veteran Population

This month as we celebrate our nation's Independence, we reflect on the original veterans who helped found this country. How do we know about today's heroes? This new infographic provides a statistical snapshot of our veterans from the American Community Survey (conducted annually) and the Survey of Business Owners (from the five-year economic census).

Population Shifts and Implications for Walking in the United States

Article by Peter Tuckel, Hunter College Department of Sociology, and William Milczarski, Hunter College Department of Urban Affairs & Planning, from America Walks

Major population shifts in the United States point to changes in American attitudes and behaviors regarding walking. These shifts are likely to result in a substantial increase in both recreational and utilitarian walking. Three demographic changes, in particular, are likely to promote this “walking revolution:” (1) the aging of the baby boomers, (2) the different transportation priorities of young people, and (3) the decline of the suburbs.

Young adult employment during the recent recession

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The recent recession lasted from December 2007 to June 2009 and had different consequences for various demographic groups, with higher job losses affecting African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, workers with lower levels of education, and younger workers.

All About the Super Greenies

From JJ Hill:

Lots of folks are spending lots of money on Green products and services these days. Maybe you or someone you know also has a great idea for the next big Green product. But who exactly are these environmentally conscious consumers that are willing to pay big bucks to “Go Green”?

Scarborough Research, a market research firm, has put together a detailed report entitled All About the Super Greenies. The consumers they profile in this report are “those adults who engage in 10 or more green activities, such as recycling, using rechargeable batteries or re-using grocery store bags”, a number Scarborough estimates as 5% of the adult population in the U.S. The report covers income, media preferences, political affiliations, activities, online habits, and more.

If you need to get a better grasp on just who the Green consumer is, this report is a great start. You may also want to start hanging out at local gardening centers; Scarborough says that 68% of Super Greenies participate in gardening. Time to get your hands dirty!

What’s better than sex?

From Salon.com:

It often seems that there is no more desired act on earth than sex. But in recent months I’ve started to notice a contrarian phenomenon: surveys that innumerate all the things — Facebook, sleep, bacon – that people prefer over sex. This week brought the latest of just such polls: a joint effort between Match.com and Today.com, which found that one in three singles would give up nookie for their favorite food.

I had to wonder: Why have these sex-devaluing surveys become so popular?

Green Technologies & Practices - August 2011

About three-quarters of business establishments reported the use of at least one green technology or practice during August 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Green technologies and practices (GTP) are those that lessen the environmental impact of an establishment’s operations. About 854,700 jobs, representing approximately 0.7 percent of total U.S. employment, were held by workers
who spent more than half of their time involved in green technologies and practices in August 2011. Over one-quarter of these GTP jobs were in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations or in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.

These data are from the Green Technologies and Practices survey, a survey of business establishments designed to collect data on establishments’ use of green technologies and practices and the occupations of workers who spend more than half of their time involved in green technologies and practices.

International Data Base

The International Data Base (IDB) offers a variety of demographic indicators for countries and areas of the world with a population of 5,000 or more. The IDB has provided access to demographic data for over 25 years to governments, academics, other organizations, and the public. It is funded by organizations that sponsor the research of the Census Bureau"s International Programs Center for Demographic and Economic Studies.

World Drug Report 2012

Chapter I of this year’s World Drug Report provides an overview of recent trends and the drug situation in terms of production, trafficking and consumption and the consequences of illicit drug use in terms of treatment, drug-related diseases and drug-related deaths.

Chapter II presents a long-term perspective on the characteristics and evolution of the drug problem and the main factors that shaped it. It starts with a discussion of the main characteristics of the contemporary drug problem, followed by an overview of the shifts observed over the last few decades, before concluding with an analysis of the driving factors that shaped the evolution of the drug problem, including a brief outlook for its likely future direction.

Population and Housing Unit Counts for New York state

The CPH-2, Population and Housing Unit Counts, report series provides 2010 Census and historical comparisons of the population and housing unit counts. It also provides area measurements and density. The user notes section documents geographic changes over the past decade.

This report includes a table finding guide to assist the user in locating those statistical tables that contain the desired data. The table finding guide lists alphabetically, by geographic area, the subjects shown in this report. To determine which tables in this report show data for a particular topic, find the subject in the
left-hand column of the table finding guide and then look across the columns using the headings at the top for the desired type of geographic area.

See all printed reports for the CPH-2 that have been released to the public.

The presentations that were given at the June Steering Committee Meeting of State Data Center Program for the Census Bureau are now available at this website.

Annual Energy Outlook 2012

The projections in the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA's) Annual Energy Outlook 2012 (AEO2012) focus on the factors that shape the U.S. energy system over the long term. Under the assumption that current laws and regulations remain unchanged throughout the projections, the AEO2012 Reference case provides the basis for examination and discussion of energy production, consumption, technology, and market trends and the direction they may take in the future. It also serves as a starting point for analysis of potential changes in energy policies. But AEO2012 is not limited to the Reference case. It also includes 29 alternative cases (see Appendix E, Table E1), which explore important areas of uncertainty for markets, technologies, and policies in the U.S. energy economy. Many of the implications of the alternative cases are discussed in the "Issues in focus" section of this report.

American Time Use Survey - 2011 Results

In 2011, 16 percent of the U.S. civilian noninstitutional population age 15 and over were eldercare providers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This and other information about eldercare providers and the time they spent providing care were collected for the first time in the 2011 American Time Use Survey (ATUS). This release also includes the average amount of time per day in 2011 that individuals spent in various activities, such as working, household activities, childcare, and leisure and sports activities.

Federal Law Enforcement Officers, 2008

From the Bureau of Justice Statistics

In September 2008, federal agencies employed approximately 120,000 full-time law enforcement officers who were authorized to make arrests and carry firearms in the United States. This was the equivalent of 40 officers per 100,000 residents. The number of federal officers in the United States increased by about 15,000, or 14%, between 2004 and 2008. Federal agencies also employed nearly 1,600 officers in the U.S. territories in 2008, primarily in Puerto Rico.

U.S. Net International Investment Position at Yearend 2011

From the Bureau of Economic Analysis

The U.S. net international investment position at yearend 2011 was -$4,030.3 billion (preliminary), as the value of foreign investment in the United States continued to exceed the value of U.S. investment abroad. At yearend 2010, the U.S. net international investment position was -$2,473.6 billion (revised). The -$1,556.7 billion change in the U.S. net investment position from yearend 2010 to yearend 2011 was mainly attributable to net price changes of -$802.1 billion and net financial flows of -$556.3 billion.

USA.gov Update: The Health Care Law and You

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act. Do you have questions about what the Affordable Care Act means for you and your family? Learn about key features of the law, what will change, and when it will change at HealthCare.gov.

Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions

From the Census Bureau:

This quarterly survey (formerly known as the Finances of Selected State and Local Government Employee Retirement Systems Survey) provides national summary statistics on the revenues, expenditures and composition of assets of the 100 largest state and local public employee retirement systems in the United States. These 100 systems comprise 89.4 percent of financial activity among such entities, based on the 2007 Census of Governments. This survey presents the most current statistics about investment decisions by state and local public employee retirement systems, which are among the largest types of institutional investors in the U.S. financial markets. These statistical tables are published three months after each calendar quarter and show national financial transactions and trends for the past five years.

U.S. Employer Businesses Show Declines in Establishments and Employees in 2010

In 2010, U.S. businesses with paid employees numbered 7.4 million, a decline of 36,800 establishments from 2009, marking the third consecutive year of decline, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In comparison, between 2008 and 2009 there was a decline of 168,000 establishments.

These findings are from County Business Patterns: 2010, which provides the only detailed annual information on the number of establishments, employees, and first-quarter and annual payroll for most of the 1,100 industries covered at the national, state and county levels. The statistics are broken down according to employment-size classes (for example, number of establishments with one to four employees) and legal form of organization (for example, corporations and partnerships).

In 2010, total employment from all sectors was 112.0 million, a decline of 2.5 million employees from 2009. In comparison, between 2008 and 2009 there was a decline of 6.4 million employees.

“This year’s release of the County Business Patterns shows the overall decline in employment is slowing,” said William G. Bostic Jr., associate director for economic programs at the Census Bureau. “In contrast, 2009 coincided with the height of the recession and showed higher declines in employment and establishments.”

Between 2009 and 2010, only Alaska showed a rise in employment from the previous year, having increased 0.7 percent. All other states showed declines in employment, led by Wyoming’s 4.5 percent decline from 2009.

Among the top 50 counties in the United States by number of establishments, the largest decline in total annual payroll was Los Angeles County, Calif., with a decrease of nearly $2 billion. This was a decrease of 1.1 percent from 2009. Only Kings County, N.Y., showed an increase in the number of employees with an additional 4,400 from the previous year.

The retail trade sector had the highest number of establishments (1.1 million). Next were professional, scientific and technical services (851,506); health care and social assistance (812,860); other services (except public administration) (725,488); construction (682,684); and accommodation and food services (643,960).

The construction sector showed the largest percentage decline in establishments, decreasing 4.2 percent from 2009 to 2010. The finance and insurance sector had the second largest decline, falling 3.2 percent from 2009 to 2010. The remaining top five sectors that showed the largest decline in establishments were manufacturing (2.9 percent), management of companies and enterprises (1.4 percent), and wholesale trade (1.2 percent).

Among industries that showed an increase in establishments, both utilities and health care and social assistance saw the largest increase, rising 1.7 percent from the previous year. The remaining top five industries that showed the largest increase in establishments were educational services (1.5 percent); accommodation and food services (1.4 percent); and professional, scientific, and technical services (1.1 percent).

Housing Unit Estimates and Net Worth

From the Census Bureau

2011 National, State, & County Housing Unit Estimates

Net Worth & Asset Ownership of Households: 2010

Justice Expenditure & Employment Extracts

From the Bureau of Justice Statistics

Presents data from the Census Bureau's Annual Government Finance Survey and Annual Survey of Public Employment. This series includes national, federal, and state-level estimates of government expenditures and employment for the following justice categories: police protection, all judicial functions (including prosecution, courts, and public defense), and corrections. Data for large local governments (counties with populations of 500,000 or more and cities with populations of 300,000 or more) are also included.

Justice Expenditure & Employment Extracts, 2007 - Revised
Justice Expenditure & Employment Extracts, 2008 - Final
Justice Expenditure & Employment Extracts, 2009 - Preliminary

11th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation - Released

DOD has released its newest study assessing the effectiveness of military pay and benefits. The Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC) is completed every four years and focuses on areas established by the President. Begun in 2010, the 11th QRMC focused specifically on:
special and incentive pays for critical career fields; combat compensation; wounded warriors, caregivers, and survivor compensation; and Reserve and National Guard compensation and benefits.
For the rest of the summary see the press release http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15392

The report can be viewed in several ways. The main link for the 11th report also includes links for the 9th and 10th as well.
11th QRMC Main report
11th QRMC supporting research papers
View individual supporting chapters, reference documents, and downloadable files

Census Bureau Report Shows Shared Households Increased 11.4 Percent from 2007 to 2010

The report, Sharing a Household: Household Composition and Economic Well-Being: 2007-2010 [PDF], analyzes data on household composition and income from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey. The report reveals that adults joined or combined their households in greater numbers and in higher proportions following the most recent recession than they did prior to the recession.

In spring 2007, there were 19.7 million shared households — defined as a household with at least one “additional” adult. An additional adult is a person 18 or older who is not enrolled in school and is neither the householder, the spouse nor the cohabiting partner of the householder. By spring 2010, the number of shared households had increased to 22.0 million while all households increased by only 1.3 percent.

More info HERE.