Asians Fastest-Growing Race or Ethnic Group in 2012

The U.S. Census Bureau announced Asians were the nation’s fastest-growing race or ethnic group in 2012. Their population rose by 530,000, or 2.9 percent, in the preceding year, to 18.9 million, according to Census Bureau annual population estimates. More than 60 percent of this growth in the Asian population came from international migration.

By comparison, the Hispanic population grew by 2.2 percent, or more than 1.1 million, to just over 53 million in 2012. The Hispanic population growth was fueled primarily by natural increase (births minus deaths), which accounted for 76 percent of Hispanic population change. Hispanics remain our nation’s second largest race or ethnic group (behind non-Hispanic whites), representing about 17 percent of the total population.

These statistics are part of a set of annual population estimates released by race, Hispanic origin, age and sex. They examine population change for these groups nationally, as well as within all states and counties, between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012.

Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (climbing 2.2 percent to about 1.4 million), American Indians and Alaska Natives (rising 1.5 percent to a little over 6.3 million), and blacks or African-Americans (increasing 1.3 percent to 44.5 million) followed Asians and Hispanics in percentage growth rates.

Six More Counties Become Majority-Minority

The nation’s total minority population increased by 1.9 percent and was 116 million, or 37 percent, of the total population in July 2012. (The minority population includes people in any category other than non-Hispanic white alone.) More than 11 percent (353) of the nation’s 3,143 counties were majority-minority as of July 1, 2012. Six of these counties became majority-minority populations since July 1, 2011: Mecklenburg, N.C. (Charlotte); Cherokee, Okla.; Texas, Okla.; Bell, Texas; Hockley, Texas; and Terrell, Texas.

The population of children younger than 5 is close to becoming majority-minority nationally, standing at 49.9 percent minority in 2012.

“The proportion of young children that is minority has been increasing since the 2010 Census and if this proportional growth continues, we expect that the crossover to majority-minority for this group will occur within the next couple of years,” Mesenbourg said.
Nation Ages, But Some Parts Become Younger

The nation’s median age climbed to 37.4 years in 2012, up from 37.3 one year earlier. There were some areas of the country, however, that became younger over the period. Six states experienced a decline in median age, led by North Dakota, where it fell by 0.5 years, from 36.6 to 36.1. The other states or equivalents with a drop in median age were Hawaii, Alaska, the District of Columbia, Kansas and Oklahoma. Likewise, median age declined for 382 counties, with Williams, N.D., experiencing the largest decrease, 1.7 years, from 36.6 to 34.9.

In 2012, there was a greater than 13-year difference between the states with the highest median age (Maine at 43.5) and lowest (Utah at 30.0). Among counties, the contrast is far more stark: about two generations. Sumter, Fla., with a median age of 64.8, stood at one extreme, and Madison, Idaho, at 23.0, was at the other. There were 53 counties where the median age was greater than 50, and 68 counties where it was less than 30.

Highlights for each race group and Hispanics, as well as minorities as a whole, age groups, and both sexes, at the national, state and county levels follow:

Hispanics
--California had the largest Hispanic population of any state on July 1, 2012 (14.5 million), as well as the largest numeric increase within the Hispanic population since July 1, 2011 (232,000). New Mexico had the highest percentage of Hispanics at 47.0 percent.
--Los Angeles County had the largest Hispanic population of any county (4.8 million) in 2012 and the largest numeric increase since 2011 (55,000). Starr County — on the Mexican border in Texas — had the highest share of Hispanics (95.6 percent).

Blacks
--New York had the largest black or African-American population of any state or equivalent as of July 1, 2012 (3.7 million); Texas had the largest numeric increase since 2011 (87,000). The District of Columbia had the highest percentage of blacks (51.6 percent), followed by Mississippi (38.0 percent).
--Cook, Ill. (Chicago) had the largest black or African-American population of any county in 2012 (1.3 million), and Harris, Texas (Houston) had the largest numeric increase since 2011 (20,000). Holmes, Miss., was the county with the highest percentage of blacks or African-Americans in the nation (83.1 percent).

Asians
--California had both the largest Asian population of any state (6.0 million) in July 2012 and the largest numeric increase of Asians since July 1, 2011 (136,000). Hawaii is our nation’s only majority-Asian state, with people of this group comprising 56.9 percent of the total population.
--Los Angeles had the largest Asian population of any county (1.6 million) in 2012 and the largest numeric increase (25,000) since 2011. At 60.9 percent, Honolulu County had the highest percentage of Asians in the nation.
American Indians and Alaska Natives
--California had the largest American Indian and Alaska Native population of any state in 2012 (1,057,000) and the largest numeric increase since 2011 (13,000). Alaska had the highest percentage (19.5 percent).
--Los Angeles County had the largest American Indian and Alaska Native population of any county in 2012 (232,000), and Maricopa, Ariz., the largest numeric increase (4,000) since 2011. Shannon County, S.D. — on the Nebraska border and located entirely within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation — had the highest percentage (93.5 percent).

Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders
--Hawaii had the largest population of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders of any state (364,000) in 2012. California had the largest numeric increase since 2011 (6,000). Hawaii had the highest percentage (26.2 percent).
--Honolulu had the largest population of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders of any county (238,000) in 2012. Los Angeles County had the largest numeric increase since 2011 (1,100). Hawaii County had the highest percentage (34.3 percent).

Non-Hispanic White Alone
--California had the largest non-Hispanic white alone population of any state in 2012 (15.0 million). Texas had the largest numeric increase in this population group since 2011 (78,000). Maine had the highest percentage of the non-Hispanic white population (94.1 percent).
--Los Angeles had the largest non-Hispanic white alone population of any county (2.7 million) in 2012. Maricopa County, Ariz., had the largest numeric increase in this population since 2011 (24,000). Leslie County, Ky., comprised the highest percentage (98.4 percent) of non-Hispanic whites.

Minorities
--Five states or equivalents were “majority-minority” in 2012: Hawaii (77.2 percent minority), the District of Columbia (64.5 percent), California (60.6 percent), New Mexico (60.2 percent) and Texas (55.5 percent).
--Maverick, Texas, had the largest share (96.8 percent) of its population in minority groups of any county, followed by Webb, Texas (96.4 percent) and Starr, Texas (96.1 percent).

Age Groups
--Two groups of children saw their population decline between 2011 and 2012: those under age 5 (from 20.1 million to just under 20 million) and high school-age children (age 14 to 17) — from 16.9 million to 16.7 million. In contrast, the number of elementary school-age children — age 5 to 13 — rose from 36.9 million to just over 37 million.
--Nationally, the 65-and-older population grew 4.3 percent between 2011 and 2012, to 43.1 million, or 13.7 percent of the total population.
--Florida had the highest percentage of its total population age 65 and older in 2012 (18.2 percent), followed by Maine (17.0 percent) and West Virginia (16.8 percent). Alaska had the lowest percentage (8.5 percent), followed by Utah (9.5 percent) and Texas (10.9 percent).
--Among the nation’s counties, Sumter, Fla., had the highest proportion of its population age 65 and older (49.3 percent), followed by Charlotte, Fla. (36.0 percent) and La Paz, Ariz. (34.9 percent). Chattahoochee, Ga. (3.6 percent) was at the other extreme.
--The 85-and-older population grew by about 3 percent from 2011 to 2012, to almost 5.9 million. The number of centenarians grew to almost 62,000.
--Utah had the highest percentage of its total population under age 5 at 9.0 percent, and Vermont (4.9 percent) the lowest. Among counties, the respective extremes were claimed by Shannon, S.D. (11.6 percent) and Sumter, Fla. (2.2 percent).
--In 2012, there were 197 million working-age adults (age 18-64), representing 61.6 percent of the total population, an increase of about 736,000 people from 2011.
--New Hampshire experienced the largest increase in median age among states from 2011 to 2012, from 41.6 to 42.0. Among counties, the honor belonged to Lake, S.D., whose median age rose 1.4 years to 42.8.

Gender
--There were only 10 states where males made up the majority of the population on July 1, 2012. Alaska had the highest percentage of men at 52.1 percent, followed by Wyoming (51.1 percent), North Dakota (50.8 percent), Nevada (50.4 percent) and Hawaii (50.4 percent).
--The District of Columbia had the highest percentage of females of any state or equivalent at 52.3 percent, followed by Rhode Island (51.6 percent), Maryland (51.6 percent), Delaware (51.5 percent) and Massachusetts (51.5 percent).

Year-To-Date U.S. Travel and Tourism Exports Contribute $57.9 Billion to the U.S. Economy

From the International Trade Administration:

New data show spending by international visitors to the United States in April 2013 totaled nearly $14.5 billion, an increase of more than 5 percent when compared to April 2012. International visitors have spent an estimated $57.9 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related services year to date in 2013 (January through April), an increase of 8 percent when compared to the same period last year...

Purchases of travel and tourism-related goods and services by international visitors traveling in the United States totaled $11.2 billion during April. These goods and services include food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, local transportation in the United States, and other items incidental to foreign travel. Fares received by U.S. carriers (and U.S. vessel operators) from international visitors totaled nearly $3.3 billion for the month. The United States enjoyed a favorable balance of trade for the month of April in the travel and tourism sector, with a surplus of nearly $4.2 billion.

Caribbean-American Heritage Month: June 2013

In June 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution recognizing the significance of Caribbean immigrants and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. In February 2006, the resolution passed the Senate. Since that time, the White House has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as National Caribbean-American Heritage Month. This month’s commemoration marks the eighth Caribbean-American Heritage Month. In celebration of this observance, the Census Bureau presents a variety of data it publishes related to people of Caribbean heritage.

How Many of Caribbean Ancestry in the United States?
2.7 million
The estimated U.S. population of West Indian ancestry. Some of the largest West Indian ancestry groups in the United States include:
--Jamaican (1.0 million)
--Haitian (908,000)
--Trinidadian and Tobagonian (196,000)
--Barbadian (62,000)
--Bahamian (53,000)
--U.S. Virgin Islander (17,000)
Note: The estimates for Barbadian and Bahamian are not significantly different from each other.

In addition, there are Hispanic or Latino origin groups in the Untied States who can trace their heritage to this part of the world:
--Puerto Rican (4.9 million)
--Cuban (1.9 million)
--Dominican (1.6 million)

Note that these populations are not mutually exclusive, as people may be of more than one ancestry or ethnic group.
Source: 1-year 2011 American Community Survey, Tables B04006 and B03001
A wide range of data on the social, economic and housing characteristics for a number of West Indian and Hispanic or Latino groups is available via the 2006-2010 American Community Survey Selected Population Tables.
--Jamaican (social) (economic) (housing)
--Haitian (social) (economic) (housing)
--Trinidadian and Tobagonian (social) (economic) (housing)
--Barbadian (social) (economic) (housing)
--Bahamian (social) (economic) (housing)
--Puerto Rican (social) (economic) (housing)
--Cuban (social) (economic) (housing)
--Dominican (social) (economic) (housing)

Circular Area Profiles (CAPS) from Missouri Census Data Center

They keep doing interesting stuff at the Missouri Census Data Center.

Both the population estimates reports and the new CAPS version are worth checking out. CAPS stands for Circular Area Profiles System (CAPS).

Link to population estimates reports.

Link to ACS CAPS.
This application will aggregate 2007-2011 American Community Survey data to approximate circular areas as specified by the user using a point location and 1 or more radius values. Data used are from the latest tract level 5-year period estimates,

A good source to get overall Nielsen ratings numbers for cable networks

Thanks to a contributor from BUSLIB:

The Cable TV Advertising Bureau gives total number of subscribers for a cable network and other info from Nielsen--though often the data may be a year or so old. After you find the channel on the site, look for a PDF icon for the network profile--that document has the numbers.

One of the most useful free sites for advertising students.

Mathwords

Terms and Formulas from Beginning Algebra to Calculus

An interactive math dictionary with enough math words, math terms,math formulas, pictures, diagrams, tables, and examples to satisfy your inner math geek.

See also IXL.com - a Web-based educational tool that makes practicing math fun. Students can take on challenges that help them master the skills necessary to perform up to their state's standards. With unlimited practice problems and over 2,000 topics, students never get bored!

In addition to the unparalleled practice opportunities, IXL also offers a powerful reports component that teachers and parents can use to monitor student progress closely.

Tornado Tracks: 56 years of tornado tracks by F-scale

Got this data from NOAA via the spectacular Data.gov. It tracks 56 years of tornado paths along with a host of attribute information. Here, the tracks are categorized by their F-Scale (which isn't the latest and greatest means but good enough for a hack like me), where brighter strokes represent more violent storms.

Also: earthquakes since 1898, major fires since 2001, and hurricanes since 1851.

Rising Internet Use; Impact of Smartphones on Digital Divide

While disparities in Internet use persist among racial and ethnic groups, smartphones appear to be helping to bridge the digital divide, according to a report issued by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The findings are part of the latest Census Bureau report, Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2011, which provides analysis of computer and Internet use for households and individuals. The information comes from data collected as part of the Current Population Survey’s 2011 Computer and Internet Use Supplement, which was sponsored and funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The report also features a table that places users along a “connectivity continuum” and shows that a sizeable percentage of Internet users now make their online connections both inside and outside the home and from multiple devices.

“Going online is no longer a simple yes or no proposition,” said Thom File, the report’s author and a sociologist with the Census Bureau. “Different groups of people are accessing the Internet in very different ways, and these statistics give us a better understanding of how and where those connections are taking place.”

According to the report, a gap of 27.1 percentage points exists between groups with the highest and lowest reported rates of home Internet use. Asians reported the highest use at 78.3 percent and Hispanics the lowest at 51.2 percent. However, the gap narrows to 17.5 percentage points when smartphone use is factored into overall rates of Internet use. With smartphones factored in, 83.0 percent of Asians and 65.5 percent of Hispanics reported going online.

In terms of smartphone usage on its own, 51.6 percent of Asian respondents reported using a smartphone. About 48.0 percent of both white non-Hispanics and blacks reported smartphone use, and 45.4 percent of Hispanics said they used smartphones. The reported usage rates for blacks and Hispanics were not statistically different from each other. Overall, 48.2 percent of individuals 15 and older reported using a smartphone.

Household and Individual Internet Usage

Although disparities in Internet use for households persisted across race and Hispanic origin groups in 2011, they appear to be shrinking. In 2000, white non-Hispanic households were about twice as likely as black households to report Internet access (46.1 percent vs. 23.6 percent). By 2011, white non-Hispanic households were only about 1.3 times as likely as black households to report the same (76.2 percent vs. 56.9 percent).

Divides also existed for individual Internet use. About 75.0 percent of both non-Hispanic whites and Asians reported accessing the Internet from some location, compared with 60.3 percent of blacks and 54.4 percent of Hispanics. The estimates for non-Hispanic whites and Asians accessing the Internet are not significantly different.

In 2011, 71.7 percent of all households used the Internet, including 82.7 percent of Asian households, 76.2 percent of white non-Hispanic households, 58.3 percent of Hispanic households and 56.9 percent of black households.

Connectivity Continuum

As technology has changed and evolved over the years, people have seen an increase in the variety and number of ways they use computers and access the Internet. To explore this phenomenon further, the Census Bureau designed a scale to place individuals along a “connectivity continuum.”

The connectivity continuum shows variations in adoption of these technologies, ranging from people with no Internet connection or computer, to those connecting from multiple locations and devices.
In 2011, 27.0 percent of Americans connected to the Internet from multiple locations and multiple devices. These individuals were considered “high connectivity” users. On the other end of the connectivity continuum, individuals with no computer or Internet (15.9 percent) made up the second largest group. The remaining 57.1 percent of Americans were located somewhere between these two extremes.

Current Population Survey

The information was collected as part of a July 2011 supplement to the Current Population Survey, which asked a sample of approximately 54,000 households various questions about computer ownership, Internet use and mobile device usage.

How Men and Women Use Social Media Differently

When it comes to social media, male and female behavior is very different.

For instance, women do the bulk of Facebook sharing (62 percent), while more men are on LinkedIn than women (54 percent). Men also spend more time on YouTube each week than women, as guys clock an hour compared to 35 minutes for women.

Twitter appears to be dominated by women (62 percent) and, not surprisingly, Pinterest (70 percent).

Overall, though, a higher percentage of women (71 percent) use social media than men (62 percent).


Read more from Entrepreneur magazine.

Briefing Paper on Bullying

While discourse on bullying is predominantly focused on developed countries or those that are high or very high on the Human Development Index, the fact is it occurs everywhere, in every country on the globe. As increasing numbers of young people have begun socializing through the internet, using social networking websites, cyber bulling too has become a significant vehicle for abuse and violence. Children and young people around the world suffer from bullying, both in the real world as well as the virtual world. Children and young people subjected to bullying can feel depressed, anxious, dejected and may suffer from personality disorders, suicidal and self-harm tendencies.

With growing awareness amongst children and young people about bullying, contacts with child helplines on this issue are rising. In this briefing paper, Child Helpline International (CHI) has compiled statistics and information on contacts about bullying that child helplines have received since 2003. Based on 126 million contacts made with member child helplines, Child Helpline International has analysed the different aspects of bullying disaggregated at different levels – global and regional— taking into account the gender of the victim and the perpetrators.

2012 Characteristics of New Housing

This report provides annual statistics on the characteristics of new privately owned residential structures — such as the type of wall material, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, type of financing, heating and square footage — for the U.S. and the four national regions. The data are gathered from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction, which is partially funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Arab Households in the United States: 2006-2010

This American Community Survey brief provides a national-level portrait of U.S. households with a particular focus on Arab households; people of specific Arab ancestries, such as Lebanese and Egyptian, are also discussed. This brief examines several characteristics for all households and those with an Arab householder: average household size, household type, homeownership and median household income.

Breadwinner Moms

A record 40% of all households with children under the age of 18 include mothers who are either the sole or primary source of income for the family, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The share was just 11% in 1960.

These “breadwinner moms” are made up of two very different groups: 5.1 million (37%) are married mothers who have a higher income than their husbands, and 8.6 million(63%) are single mothers.

The income gap between the two groups is quite large.

Read MORE.

College majors, unemployment and earnings 2013

From the press release (georgetown.edu)

In the past, a college degree all but assured job seekers employment and high earnings, but today, what you make depends on what you take. In Hard Times 2013, we show differences in unemployment and earnings based on major for BA and graduate degree holders. We show that STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics — majors typically offer the best opportunities for employment and earnings, while unemployment is higher for graduates with non-technical degrees.

Here are some of our major findings:

1. Even as the housing bubble seems to be dissipating, unemployment rates for recent architecture graduates have remained high (12.8%)...

2. Unemployment is generally higher for non-technical majors, such as the arts (9.8%) or law and public policy (9.2%).

3. People who make technology are still better off than people who use technology...

4. Unemployment rates are relatively low for recent graduates in education (5.0%), engineering (7.0%), health and the sciences (4.8%)...

Census Bureau Challenge to App Developers: National Days of Civic Hacking

What:
The U.S. Census Bureau has joined other federal agencies and nonprofit organizations to issue a challenge to participants in the National Day of Civic Hacking. The event brings together citizens, software developers and entrepreneurs from across the nation to use publicly released data, code and technology to solve challenges facing neighborhoods, cities, states and the nation.
The Census Bureau has created “The Census American Community Challenge,” which asks developers to use publicly available American Community Survey statistics in the agency’s open API. Participants are asked to develop an application that helps communities either with economic development or with disaster planning. Note: Protecting your privacy and confidentiality is a core Census Bureau commitment. No confidential or personally identifiable information is available.
The Census Bureau’s API and participation in this national event open up Census Bureau statistics beyond traditional uses, giving developers in research, business and government the means to customize the statistics into applications that their audiences and customers need.
With the release of this API and other upcoming forward-looking online communications improvements, the Census Bureau is meeting the goals of the Digital Government Strategy to make information more transparent and customer-centered.

When: Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2

Who: 5,000 expected participants, including software developers and entrepreneurs; 20 local, state and federal agencies

Where: More than 80 cities nationwide. Follow the conversation on Twitter using #hackforchange and #census. Developers can access the API online and share ideas through the Census Bureau’s Developers Forum.

Response to attacks on Census Bureau surveys

Two bills currently in Congress would do great harm to the data-gathering capacity of the country:

H.R.1638 Latest Title: Census Reform Act of 2013
Latest Major Action: 5/3/2013 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Nutrition.
This bill would terminate the ACS and other surveys conducted by the Census Bureau, except the decennial counting.

H.R.1078 Latest Title: To make participation in the American Community Survey voluntary, except with respect to certain basic questions, and for other purposes.
Latest Major Action: 3/12/2013 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The New York Times thinks the first bill won't pass but the second might. Here's a little more on what the first bill would do, e.g. end unemployment data, poverty data,

Jonathan Lupton, a planner from Little Rock on the Census Transportation Planning Package list, had a very good summary of why this data needs to be collected by a public entity.

The loss of Census sampling (today the ACS), the Census of Agriculture, the Economic Census, etc., would be disastrous in so many ways I find it hard to believe anyone – even deeply partisan politicians – would advocate their demise. The small gain to the Federal government’s bottom line would be undercut by huge (albeit hidden) losses to the private and public sectors. The loss would be especially acute for small businesses.

1. There can be no serious doubt that Federal sample products leverage their cost many times over in benefits to the economy. The benefits are so widespread, and so implicit, that the burden of proof must lie on anyone attempting to undo Federal data-gathering. And they will find no such proof.

2. The U.S. government has, in the past, set the world standard for data-gathering. The widespread availability of free, accurate data runs hand-in-hand with upholding the standard as the world’s foremost democratic society. To surrender the ACS and related products is not just a bad idea, it is a retreat from leadership.

3. Answering ACS forms, or any other Federal questionnaire, is a matter of personal responsibility. To survive, democracy depends not just on the protection of personal rights; it also demands a sense of responsibility by its citizens.

4. I have never heard of anyone going to prison, or even being fined, for failing to provide data to Census takers. Everyone knows that there are people and businesses which refuse to cooperate; the practice of non-compliance is already tolerated. But compliance is the law, and this sets a tone of legality which allows the ACS and other projects to gather the necessary data.

5. If the data business becomes mostly private in nature, the cost of obtaining data will largely limit its availability to large corporations that could afford to purchase it, creating another disadvantage to small businesses and business start-ups.

6. Here in Little Rock we host one of the country’s largest data-gathering agencies, the Acxiom Corporation. It’s an open secret that Acxiom, and other companies like it, hold vast amounts of data about just about everybody. While Census data is protected by confidentiality laws, disturbingly intimate corporate data can be sold to the highest bidder.

7. While the anti-census anti-government lobby argues unconvincingly about government as “Big Brother,” there is therefore another, less accountable version of “Big Brother,” existing in secret corporate data-gathering. Such data could become the only basis for information about our society. Without Federal laws, and Executive and Congressional oversight, who could prevent this private data from being falsified? Without the credibility of ACS and related programs as a “cross-check,” false information could be fed into the system, and could be manipulated by private power brokers.

8. Here in Little Rock we have a small spinoff company which has used Acxiom data to attempt census-like products. Around 2009, they privately gave me a total for the state’s largest county (Pulaski) that disagreed with my careful estimates. They ended up being high by about 7 percent, compared with the Census 2010 count that appeared a few months later. My own estimate, based on housing records, was within 1 or 2 percent. A corporate representative thought their figures were inarguably correct; I thought their methods for counting people were flawed. Guess who was right.

9. Data-gathering by the Census Bureau and related agencies isn’t perfect, but it has oversight through the democratic process. I’ll trust a process that’s been around since 1790 before I trust a private company that answers first to shareholders.

It is my earnest hope that the effort to kill the ACS is so blatantly foolish that it will never make it to a vote by the U.S. Congress or Senate. I ask those who keep their ear to Congress to please keep the data community well-informed about this disturbing development.


As Warren A. Brown, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research; President, Association of Public Data Users; and Research Director, Cornell Census Research Data Center, puts it succinctly:

Unfortunately the Census Bureau and its American Community Survey are caught in the cross-hairs of partisan squabbling. Data collection, processing and dissemination is not a liberal or conservative cause, but rather information to be used in policy making—be it at the federal, state or local level. The ACS is “our ACS” because it yields information that is vital to state and local governments as well as private and non-profit organizations. A number of professional associations—some examples are Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS); Association of Public Data Users (APDU); Population Association of American (PAA); and American Statistical Association (ASA)—have sent letters of support on behalf the Census Bureau and the ACS to members of Congress. I encourage you all to let your member of Congress know how useful the Census Bureau’s data are for local decision making. Whatever your political philosophy regarding the appropriate role of the federal government, we can’t afford to be flying blind without benefit of statistical information.

Obama nominates John H. Thompson to head Census Bureau

From the Washington Post:

President Obama has tapped John H. Thompson, the head of a private-sector research group with ties to the University of Chicago, to lead the U.S. Census Bureau, which has operated without a permanent director for about nine months.

Thompson, 61, who was nominated Thursday, has served as president and chief executive of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) since 2008. He also held positions with the Census Bureau between 1987 and 2002, according to a biography provided by the White House.

The Census Project, a group that represents census stakeholders, encouraged the Senate to quickly confirm the president’s nominee “so that the bureau can continue serious planning for Census 2020.”

Historic numbers of occupied units at the municipal levels

Census of Population and Housing

The census tells us who we are and where we are going as a nation. The census helps our communities determine where to build everything from schools to supermarkets, and from homes to hospitals. It helps the government decide how to distribute funds and assistance to states and localities. It is also used to draw the lines of legislative districts and reapportion the seats each State holds in Congress.

Texas Cities Lead Nation in Population Growth

Eight of the 15 fastest-growing large U.S. cities and towns for the year ending July 1, 2012 were in Texas, according to population estimates released this weeky by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Lone Star State also stood out in terms of the size of population growth, with five of the 10 cities and towns that added the most people over the year.

The fastest-growing municipalities are spread across Texas, from the High Plains of West Texas to the Houston suburbs. San Marcos, along the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio, had the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people. Its population rose 4.9 percent between 2011 and 2012. Completing the top five nationwide were Midland and Cedar Park, both in Texas; South Jordan, Utah; and Clarksville, Tenn. No state other than Texas had more than one city on the list of the 15 fastest-growing large cities and towns. However, all but one were in the South or West.
1 San Marcos city, TX - 4.91; 50,001
2 South Jordan city, UT - 4.87; 55,934
3 Midland city, TX - 4.87; 119,385
4 Cedar Park city, TX - 4.67; 57,957
5 Clarksville city, TN - 4.43; 142,519
6 Alpharetta city, GA - 4.37; 61,981
7 Georgetown city, TX - 4.21; 52,303
8 Irvine city, CA - 4.21; 229,985
9 Buckeye town, AZ - 4.14; 54,542
10 Conroe city, TX - 4.01; 61,533
11 McKinney city, TX - 3.95; 143,223
12 Frisco city, TX - 3.92; 128,176
13 Odessa city, TX -3.83; 106,102
14 Auburn city, AL - 3.71; 56,908
15 Manhattan city, KS - 3.71; 56,069


The Texas cities that added the most people included Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth. New York, the nation’s largest city, topped the list and was the only city among the top 15 outside the South or West. It added 67,058 people over the year. Three cities were in California: Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose.
1 New York city, NY - 67,058; 8,336,697
2 Houston city, TX - 34,625; 2,160,821
3 Los Angeles city, CA - 34,483; 3,857,799
4 San Antonio city, TX - 25,400; 1,382,951
5 Austin city, TX - 25,395; 842,592
6 Phoenix city, AZ - 24,536; 1,488,750
7 Dallas city, TX - 23,341; 1,241,162
8 Charlotte city, NC - 18,989; 775,202
9 San Diego city, CA - 18,074; 1,338,348
10 Fort Worth city, TX - 16,328; 777,992
11 Denver city, CO - 14,980; 634,265
12 Washington city, DC - 13,303; 632,323
13 San Jose city, CA- 12,751; 982,765
14 Seattle city, WA - 12,638; 634,535
15 Nashville*, TN - 12,323; 624,496
*Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance)

New York continued to be the nation’s most populous city by a wide margin, with 8.3 million residents in 2012, followed by Los Angeles and Chicago. The composition of the list of the 15 most populous cities has remained unchanged since last year; however, the list’s order has changed slightly. Between 2011 and 2012, Austin moved up from 13th to 11th in total population, supplanting Jacksonville, Fla., while Indianapolis moved down from 12th to 13th. Texas and California each had four cities on the list in both years.
1 New York city, NY - 8,336,697
2 Los Angeles city, CA - 3,857,799
3 Chicago city, IL - 2,714,856
4 Houston city, TX - 2,160,821
5 Philadelphia city, PA - 1,547,607
6 Phoenix city AZ - 1,488,750
7 San Antonio city, TX - 1,382,951
8 San Diego city, CA - 1,338,348
9 Dallas city, TX - 1,241,162
10 San Jose city, CA - 982,765
11 Austin city, TX - 842,592
12 Jacksonville, city, FL - 836,507
13 Indianapolis city, IN - 834,852
14 San Francisco city, CA - 825,863
15 Columbus city, OH - 809,798

The estimates released cover all local governmental units, including incorporated places (like cities and towns), minor civil divisions (such as townships) and consolidated cities (government units for which the functions of an incorporated place and its parent county have merged).

Other highlights:
Of the 19,516 incorporated places in the United States, only 3.7 percent (726) had populations of 50,000 or more in 2012.

Nine areas surpassed the 50,000-population mark between 2011 and 2012, including four in the West, four in the South, and one in the Northeast. The Western areas were Lehi, Utah (51,173); Kirkland, Wash. (50,697); Gilroy, Calif. (50,660); and Palm Desert, Calif. (50,013). Those in the South included Harrisonburg, Va. (50,981); Bradenton, Fla. (50,672); Southaven, Miss. (50,374); and San Marcos, Texas (50,001). Plainfield, N.J. (50,244) in the Northeast also crossed the mark.

Two local governmental units dropped below the 50,000 threshold between 2011 and 2012. Troy, N.Y., declined from 50,072 in 2011 to 49,946 in 2012, with Joplin, Mo. falling from 50,475 to 49,526. Joplin was struck by a devastating tornado in May 2011.

See more information about the geographic areas for which the Census Bureau produces population estimates.

The population clock, one of the most widely visited features of the census.gov website, displays continuously updated projections of the total U.S. population, including the rate of births, deaths and net migration for the United States. The projections are based on a monthly time series of population estimates starting with the April 1, 2010, resident population count derived from the 2010 Census. Additionally, users can access tables displaying the most populous states, cities and counties in the United States.

Surviving the First Day : State of the World's Mothers 2013

From Save the Children:

More than 1 million babies die on the first day of life – making the birth day the most dangerous day for babies in nearly every country, rich and poor alike. This is one of the major findings of Save the Children’s 14th annual State of the World’s Mothers report. The findings indicate, as never before, that helping babies survive the first day – and the first week – of life represents the greatest remaining challenge in reducing child mortality and meeting the ambitious Millennium Development Goal of reducing 1990 child mortality rates by two- thirds by 2015.

The world has made unprecedented progress since 1990 in reducing maternal and child deaths. Working together, governments, communities, nongovernmental organizations and families have reduced the annual number of children under 5 who die each year by over 40 percent – from 12 million to 6.9 million. Progress for mothers has been even greater, with deaths declining almost 50 percent since 1990 – from 543,000 to 287,000 per year.

But we have made much less progress for the children who are the most vulnerable of all – newborns. In 2011, 3 million babies died in their first month of life. This is 43 percent of all deaths of children under age 5 worldwide. Three-quarters of those newborns died in the first week of their lives, and one-third did not survive their first day of life.

Per Student Public Education Spending Decreases in 2011 for First Time in Nearly Four Decades

Fiscal year 2011 marked the first decrease in per student public education spending since the U.S. Census Bureau began collecting data on an annual basis in 1977, according to new statistics released this week (dollars not adjusted for inflation). The 50 states and the District of Columbia spent $10,560 per student in 2011, down 0.4 percent from 2010. The top spenders were New York ($19,076), the District of Columbia ($18,475), Alaska ($16,674), New Jersey ($15,968) and Vermont ($15,925).

Total expenditures by public elementary and secondary school systems totaled $595.1 billion in 2011, down 1.1 percent from 2010. This is the second time total expenditures have shown a year-to-year decrease, the first time being 2010.

The findings come from Public Education Finances: 2011. These statistics provide figures on revenues, expenditures, debt and assets (cash and security holdings) of the nation's elementary and secondary public school systems for the 2011 fiscal year. The release includes detailed statistics on spending — such as instruction, student transportation, salaries and employee benefits — at the national, state and school district levels.

Of the $595.1 billion in total expenditures for public school systems, $522.1 billion is comprised of current spending (i.e. operational expenditures, not including long-term debt). Expenditure for instruction amounted to $316.3 billion (60.6 percent) of the total current spending, while costs for support services amounted to $178.7 billion (34.2 percent). Instructional salaries were the largest expenditure category for public elementary and secondary education, accounting for $208.8 billion in 2011.

On the revenue side, public schools received $599.1 billion in total revenue for 2011, an increase of 1.1 percent from 2010. The largest source of revenue is from state governments at $265.9 billion (44.4 percent of total revenue), followed by local governments at $259.5 billion (43.3 percent) and the federal government providing $73.7 billion (12.3 percent).

States that had the highest percentage of their total public school revenue coming from federal funding included Mississippi (22.3 percent of the statewide education revenue), South Dakota (20.3 percent), Louisiana (18.7 percent), Alaska (17.8 percent), Florida (17.8 percent) and New Mexico (17.7 percent).

Conversely, states that had the lowest percentage of their total school revenue coming from federal funding were New Jersey (5.1 percent), New Hampshire (6.5 percent), Vermont (7.1 percent), Massachusetts (7.8 percent), Minnesota (7.8 percent) and Connecticut (8.3 percent).

Other highlights:

--Property taxes accounted for 65.6 percent of revenue from local sources for public school systems.

--Of the 100 largest school systems by enrollment in the U.S., New York City School District ($19,770) in New York had the highest current spending per student in 2011, followed by Baltimore City Public Schools in Maryland ($15,483), Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland ($15,421), Milwaukee Public School in Wisconsin ($14,244) and Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland ($13,775).

--States spending the least per student were Mississippi ($7,928), Arizona ($7,666), Oklahoma ($7,587), Idaho ($6,824) and Utah ($6,212).

--Eight out of nine states in the Northeast region of the U.S. were ranked among the top 15 in current spending per student in 2011. The remaining state in the northeast, Maine, was ranked 17th. Out of the 16 states with the lowest per student spending, 15 were in the South and West regions. The remaining state, South Dakota, was in the Midwest.

The new geography of poverty: the suburbs

From Salon.com:


A new report released on Monday by the Metropolitan Policy Program of the Brookings Institution found that poverty is down in urban areas like New York City but is on the rise in surrounding suburbs and has been for the last decade.

According to the analysis of census data, urban poverty in the New York metropolitan area is down by 7 percent, but the number of people living below the federal poverty line in nearby suburbs rose by 14 percent over the past 10 years. As reported by the New York Times:

While New York and Newark’s combined share of poor people in the region dipped from 71 percent to 67 percent, the cities were home to twice the 800,000 or so people who officially qualified as poor in the suburbs in 2010.

Public Information about Government Data Will Improve With New Obama Policy

From APDU:

The Obama Administration released an Executive Order and a Policy Directive that move the federal government forward in a significant direction -- officially requiring that, going forward, data generated by the government be made available in open, machine-readable formats (with appropriate protections). Most notably, it requires that agencies create and maintain an “enterprise data inventory, if it does not already exist, that accounts for datasets used in the agency's information systems" -- with the ultimate goal of including all agency datasets, and with indications whether the agency has determined that the individual datasets may be made publicly available and whether these are currently available to the public. Here's what you need to know:
• The Executive Order declares that information is a valuable resource and strategic asset for the nation.
• Newly generated government data will be required to be made available in open, machine-readable format by default -- enhancing their accessibility and usefulness, and ensuring privacy and security.
• These executive actions will allow entrepreneurs and companies to take advantage of this information -- fueling economic growth in communities across the Nation.

Watch a short video and find out more about the announcement HERE. Also, read more HERE.

In conjunction with those steps to unleash troves of useful data from the vaults of government, the interagency US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) launched a new online tool that promises to accelerate research relating to climate change and human health—the Metadata Access Tool for Climate and Health, or “MATCH.” MATCH is a tool, driven by open data, which could open the door for new scientific insights in the public health and climate science communities. It is a publicly accessible digital platform for searching and integrating metadata—standardized contextual information—extracted from more than 9,000 health, environment, and climate-science datasets held by six Federal agencies. Read more HERE.

2012 National Population Projections

From the Census Bureau:

The Population Projections Program produces projections of the United States resident population by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin. The 2012 National Projections are based on the July 1, 2011 population estimates, which are based on the 2010 Census, and provide projections of the population for July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2060. The projections were produced using a cohort-component method and are based on assumptions about future births, deaths, and net international migration. The Census Bureau releases new national projections periodically.

The 2012 National Projections include a main series and three alternative series. These four projections series provide results for differing assumptions of net international migration. The main series, referred to as the Middle series, was released in December 2012. The alternative series, released in May 2013, were based on assumptions of low, high, and constant levels of net international migration. All other methodology and assumptions, including fertility and mortality, are the same as those used in the Middle series. The three alternative series are useful for analyzing potential outcomes of different levels of net international migration.

International Migration to Become Primary Driver of U.S. Population Growth?

International migration is projected to surpass natural increase (births minus deaths) as the principal driver of U.S. population growth by the middle of this century, according to three new series of population projections released by the U.S. Census Bureau. This scenario would mark the first time that natural increase was not the leading cause of population increase since at least 1850, when the census began collecting information about residents’ country of birth. The shift in what drives U.S. population growth is projected to occur between 2027 and 2038, depending on the future level of international migration.

“Our nation has had higher immigration rates in the past, particularly during the great waves of the late 19th and early 20th centuries,” said Thomas Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau’s senior adviser. “This projected milestone reflects the mix of our nation’s declining fertility rates, the aging of the baby boomer population and continued immigration.”

The three new projections cover the period from 2012 to 2060. These alternative series complete the official set of 2012 National Population Projections, which began with the middle series projections released in December 2012. All four series maintain the same methodology and fertility and mortality assumptions, and differ only in the levels of net international migration they assume. They are broken out by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin.

“Projections of international migration are challenging to produce, because it is difficult to anticipate future social, political, and economic conditions and how they may influence migration into or out of the United States,” notes Census Bureau demographer Jennifer Ortman. “Developing this range of alternative projections shows how differing levels of net international migration alter the pace at which the U.S. population grows, ages, and diversifies.”

Higher international migration would mean a faster growing, more diverse, and younger U.S. population. The December 2012 series projected net international migration to increase from 725,000 in 2012 to 1.2 million in 2060. In contrast, the alternative measures are considerably different:
--The low series would increase annual levels of net international migration slightly from 702,000 in 2012, to 824,000 in 2060.
--The high series would increase net international migration from 747,000 in 2012 to 1.6 million by 2060.
--The final series projects a constant level of net international migration of 725,000 throughout the 2012-2060 period.

The high series projects that the U.S. population will hit 400 million by 2044, earlier than the 2051 date the December series projected. The high series also projects that the U.S. resident population will become majority-minority by 2041, two years earlier than the December projection of 2043. In other words, less than 50 percent of the population will be non-Hispanic single-race white.

The share of the population that is working age (18 to 64 years old) is projected to decrease in all four series by 2060. The high series projects the smallest decrease in the share of the population in working ages (from 62.7 percent in 2012 to 57.3 percent in 2060). The share of the working-age population would drop in the December 2012 middle series from 62.7 percent in 2012 to 56.9 percent of the total in 2060. In each of the four series (including the December 2012 projections), the population 65 and older would rise from 13.7 percent in 2012 to more than 20 percent in 2060.

The high series also projects that the minority population ─ all people except for those that are non-Hispanic, single-race white ─ would climb from 37 percent of the total in 2012 to 58.8 percent in 2060. In contrast, the U.S. minority population would reach 55.9 percent in the low series. The Asian population, 5.1 percent of the total in 2012, would reach 7.3 percent in 2060 in the low series and 9 percent in the high series. Similarly, the Hispanic population was 17 percent of the total in 2012 and is projected to reach 29.9 percent in 2060 in the low series and 31.3 percent in the high series.

Other highlights:
--Total U.S. population in 2060 ranges from 392.7 million in the constant series to 442.4 million in the high series.
--The 65 and older population would outnumber the population younger than 18 as of 2038 in the constant series, 2046 in the low series, and 2056 in the December 2012 projections. In the high series, the under-18 population would remain greater than the 65 and older population throughout the period.
--The population younger than 18, 23.5 percent of the total in 2012, would drop to 20.8 percent in 2060 in the constant series. In the high series, it would decrease to 21.4 percent in 2060.
--The series with the latest projected date for when the U.S. population would become majority-minority (2046) is the constant series.
--The population under 18 years is projected to become majority-minority in either 2018 or 2019 in all four series.
--The working-age population is projected to become majority-minority between 2036 (high series) and 2042 (constant series).
--The percentage of the population 65 and older that is minority would increase in each series, but not become majority-minority by 2060 in any of them.

Access and Experiences Regarding Health Care

Access to and the quality of the health care received by Americans is an issue of public policy concern because the level of quality of health care impacts the capacity to deliver timely, accessible, and efficient medical care to the population in need of services. Estimates of quality are important in evaluating the costs and outcomes of health care delivery and to help identify potential areas where improvements can be made. A self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) is distributed to all adults age 18 and older within the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to collect information on health care utilization, access, health status, and the quality of health care received.

Access and Experiences Regarding Health Care

Also from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality:
National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2013
National Healthcare Quality Report, 2012

Demographic Yearbook 2011

The Demographic Yearbook is an international compendium of national demographic statistics provided by national statistical authorities to the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The Demographic Yearbook is part of the set of coordinated and interrelated publications issued by the United Nations and its specialized agencies, designed to supply statistical data for such users as demographers, economists, public-health workers and sociologists. Through the co-operation of national statistical services, available official demographic statistics are compiled in the Demographic Yearbook for more than 230 countries or areas throughout the world.

The Demographic Yearbook 2011 is the sixty-second issue in a series published by the United Nations since 1948. It contains tables on a wide range of demographic statistics, including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, statistics on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, fertility, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Data are shown by urban/rural residence,
as available. In addition, the volume provides Technical Notes, a synoptic table, a historic al index and a listing of the issues of the Demographic Yearbook published to date. This issue of Demographic Yearbook contains data as available including reference year 2011.

Deer Harvest Reports & Information By State

Deer harvest reports are useful because deer hunters use them to identify the densest deer populations. Some states even break down their reports by county, game type and hunter type, or show them over time so that you can identify trends. Most deer harvest reports are funded in part by the purchase of hunting licenses and tags.

The real interest of this topic, for me as an information specialist, is this:

Other funding that has come from the government has been cut drastically or eliminated altogether. You will notice that some of the states have not updated their deer harvest statistics for a couple of years due to lack of funds.

More here.

Is Your State's Highest-Paid Employee A Coach? (Probably) -Infographic

You may have heard that the highest-paid employee in each state is usually the football coach at the largest state school. This is actually a gross mischaracterization: Sometimes it is the basketball coach.

Based on data drawn from media reports and state salary databases, the ranks of the highest-paid active public employees include 27 football coaches, 13 basketball coaches, one hockey coach...

More HERE.

Jacob and Sophia Repeat atop Social Security’s Most Popular Baby Names List

Jacob and Sophia are repeat champions as America’s most popular baby names for 2012. This is the fourteenth year in a row Jacob tops the list for boys and the second year for Sophia. There is a new couple in the top 10 this year--Elizabeth and Liam replace Chloe and Daniel. Elizabeth has been here before, but this is the first time Liam breaks into the top 10. Perhaps Liam’s new found success can be attributed to Liam Neeson’s recent major roles in “Battleship” and the popular “Taken,” “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and “Clash of the Titans” franchises.

Fastest-rising baby names for girls in 2012

1. Arya
2. Perla
3. Catalina
4. Elisa
5. Raelynn
6. Rosalie
7. Haven
8. Raelyn
9. Briella
10. Marilyn

Fastest-rising names for boys

1. Major
2. Gael
3. Jase
4. Messiah
5. Brantley
6. Iker
7. King
8. Rory
9. Ari
10. Maverick

For all the top baby names of 2012, go to Social Security’s website www.socialsecurity.gov.

Blacks Voted at a Higher Rate than Whites in 2012 Election

About two in three eligible blacks (66.2 percent) voted in the 2012 presidential election, higher than the 64.1 percent of non-Hispanic whites who did so, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. This marks the first time that blacks have voted at a higher rate than whites since the Census Bureau started publishing statistics on voting by the eligible citizen population in 1996.

These findings come from The Diversifying Electorate — Voting Rates by Race and Hispanic Origin in 2012 (and Other Recent Elections), which provides analysis of the likelihood of voting by demographic factors, such as race, Hispanic origin, sex, age and geography (specifically, census divisions). The report draws upon data from the November 2012 Current Population Survey Voting and Registration Supplement and looks at presidential elections back to 1996. Using the race definitions from 1968 and the total voting-age population, whites voted at higher rates than blacks in every presidential election between 1968, when the Census Bureau began publishing voting data by race, and 1992.

Blacks were the only race or ethnic group to show a significant increase between the 2008 and 2012 elections in the likelihood of voting (from 64.7 percent to 66.2 percent). The 2012 increase in voting among blacks continues what has been a long-term trend: since 1996, turnout rates have risen 13 percentage points to the highest levels of any recent presidential election. In contrast, after reaching a high in 2004, non-Hispanic white voting rates have dropped in two consecutive elections. Between 2008 and 2012, rates for non-Hispanic whites dropped from 66.1 percent to 64.1 percent. As recently as 1996, blacks had turnout rates 8 percentage points lower than non-Hispanic whites.

Overall, the percentage of eligible citizens who voted declined from 63.6 percent in 2008 to 61.8 percent in 2012.

Both blacks and non-Hispanic whites had voting rates higher than Hispanics and Asians in the 2012 election (about 48 percent each).

“Blacks have been voting at higher rates, and the Hispanic and Asian populations are growing rapidly, yielding a more diverse electorate,” said Thom File, a sociologist in the Census Bureau’s Education and Social Stratification Branch and the report’s author. “Over the last five presidential elections, the share of voters who were racial or ethnic minorities rose from just over one in six in 1996 to more than one in four in 2012.”

Between 1996 and 2012, blacks, Asians and Hispanics all had an increase in their shares of the voting population, with the Hispanic share increasing by about 4 percentage points and the black share by about 3 points.

The number of blacks who voted rose by about 1.7 million between the 2008 and 2012 elections. Likewise, the number of Hispanics who voted increased by 1.4 million and the number of Asians by 550,000. At the same time, the number of non-Hispanic white voters declined by about 2 million ─ the only such drop for any single-race group between elections since 1996. The figures for blacks and Hispanics are not significantly different from each other.

Gender and Age Differences

The report also shows that the “gender gap” in voting persists. In every presidential election since 1996, women have voted at higher rates than men. In 2012, the spread was about 4 percentage points. The gap was especially wide among black voters, among whom it reached 9 percentage points in 2012. Asians are the only race or Hispanic-origin group that showed no significant gender gap.

There were large declines in youth voting among all race groups and Hispanics in 2012. Non-Hispanic whites age 18 to 24 and 25 to 44 showed statistically significant voting rate decreases, as did young Hispanics 18 to 24 years of age. The only race/Hispanic-origin/age combinations showing voting rate increases in 2012 were blacks ages 45 to 64 and 65 and older.

Other highlights:
--Voting rates increase with age: in 2012, the percentage of eligible adults who voted ranged from 41.2 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds, to a high of 71.9 percent for those 65 and older.

--Although blacks voted at higher rates than non-Hispanic whites nationally in 2012, this result was not uniform across the country. In the East North Central, East South Central, Middle Atlantic, and South Atlantic divisions, blacks voted at higher rates than non-Hispanic whites. In the Mountain and Pacific divisions, non-Hispanic whites voted at higher rates than blacks. In the New England, West North Central and West South Central divisions, voting rates for the two groups were not significantly different from each other.

North American English Dialects, Based on Pronunciation Patterns

There are 8 major English dialect areas in North America... The first 6 of these begin at the eastern seaboard and proceed west, reflecting western settlement patterns.

For many of the cities or towns on the map, you can listen to an audio or video sample of speech of a native (more specifically, someone who was raised there, though not necessarily born there, and whose dialect clearly represents that place).

A VERY extensive hobby!

ZIP Code Definitions of New York City Neighborhoods

Knowing well that ZIP Codes are NOT geographic markers, nevertheless, here's a list of NYC neighborhoods by ZIP Code, from the NYS Department of Health.

Social and Economic Characteristics of Currently Unmarried Women with a Recent Birth: 2011

The U.S. Census Bureau announced the release of Social and Economic Characteristics of Currently Unmarried Women with a Recent Birth: 2011. This report incorporates American Community Survey (ACS) estimates. As of 2011, 62 percent of women age 20 to 24 who gave birth in the previous 12 months were unmarried, this compares with 17 percent among women age 35 to 39.

The ACS asks the question on fertility for a variety of reasons, including to help project the future size of the population and to carry out various programs required by law, such as researching matters on child welfare. The analysis is based on separate survey questions on whether women have given birth to any children in the past 12 months and what their marital status is. The statistics in the report are presented at the national and state levels, with a separate table and map containing metropolitan area data.

"This is the first report from the Census Bureau showing geographic variation in recent births to unmarried women, as well as characteristics of the women such as educational attainment," said Rose Kreider, a family demographer with the Census Bureau and one of the report's authors. "The American Community Survey is the nation's exclusive source of data on the demographic characteristics of mothers with this level of geographic detail."

The ACS provides reliable statistics that are indispensable to anyone who has to make informed decisions about the future. These statistics are required by all levels of government to manage or evaluate a wide range of programs, but are also useful for research, education, journalism, business and advocacy. If you have questions about this survey, please call our Customer Services Center on 1 (800) 923-8282.

America's Health Care Cost Crisis and What to Do About It

The passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, after much deliberation and debate, has set the framework for how health care coverage is discussed in the United States. According to Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow Richard Nathan, the real challenge, however, lies ahead as lawmakers attempt to implement the law in the face of many uncertainties. Nathan argues that, in the politicized and frenetic current budget process, expert opinion and deliberation are often lost.

Nathan advocates the creation of a new institutional mechanism to "monitor and react to changing conditions" and to provide valuable feedback to the president and Congress on what legislative changes are necessary to adapt the health care law to the unclear political and economic landscape. He proposes the creation of an entity ---- similar to the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction commission ---- to recommend gradual reform that is informed by expertise and research. The commission will not completely remove politics from the process, but will provide the government with valuable input on what course corrections are needed to meet the goals of the new law.

Nathan also examines five major players in the health care economy and the evolving role that intermediary organizations can play for consumers in counterbalancing the power of providers.

For a full copy of the report, visit www.rockinst.org.

Research & Development Data

Someone on a listserv was looking for the life sciences R&D spend of specific countries. The suggestions:

World Economic Forum - Global Information Technology Report 2010–2011

National Science Foundation - Science and Engineering Indicators 2012

Open Book New York

Where do your tax dollars go?

New Yorkers should know where their tax dollars are going. Open Book New York is part of State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s effort to promote more openness in government and give taxpayers better access to the financial workings of government.

Track how the State is spending federal stimulus money. Data last updated March 30, 2012.

Find out what State agencies spend on salaries, travel and more. Data last updated March 30, 2012.

Look at active State contracts and see who is doing business with the State. Data is updated daily.

See how your county, city, town, village, fire or school district gets and spends your money. Data is updated annually.

Order Your Free 2013 Consumer Action Handbook

The Consumer Action Handbook is your go-to guide for practical information to help you plan a purchase, know your consumer rights, and file a consumer complaint. The Handbook features new content in areas that matter to you, such as banking, housing, and protecting your privacy, as well as tips to alert you of the latest frauds and scams.

Use the updated Consumer Assistance Directory to contact corporate consumer affairs departments, national consumer organizations, and local, state, and federal government offices. The Handbook also includes a sample complaint letter for when you need to file a complaint about a product you purchased.

Order your free copies of the Handbook or the Spanish language version, Guía del Consumidor.

Prefer an electronic version? You can download the PDF or try the new interactive version, with links to related videos and downloadable resources

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: May 2013

From the Census Bureau:

In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/Pacific American history: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a monthlong celebration. Per a 1997 Office of Management and Budget directive, the Asian or Pacific Islander racial category was separated into two categories: one being Asian and the other Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Thus, this Facts for Features contains a section for each.

Asians
18.2 million
The estimated number of U.S. residents in 2011 who were Asian, either alone or in combination with one or more additional races.

5.8 million
The Asian alone or in combination population in California in 2011. The state had the largest Asian population, followed by New York (1.7 million). The Asian alone-or-in-combination population represented 57 percent of the total population in Hawaii.

46%
Percentage growth of the Asian alone or in combination population between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, which was more than any other major race group.

Older Americans Month: May 2013

From the Census Bureau:

A meeting with the National Council of Senior Citizens resulted in President John F. Kennedy designating May 1963 as Senior Citizens Month, encouraging the nation to pay tribute to older people across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter's proclamation changed the name to Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate those 65 and older through ceremonies, events and public recognition.

41.4 million
The number of people who were 65 and older in the United States on July 1, 2011, up from 40.3 million on April 1, 2010 (Census Day). In 2011, this group accounted for 13.3 percent of the total population.

Predicting National Suicide Numbers with Social Media Data

From the Public Library of Science:

Suicide is not only an individual phenomenon, but it is also influenced by social and environmental factors. With the high suicide rate and the abundance of social media data in South Korea, we have studied the potential of this new medium for predicting completed suicide at the population level. We tested two social media variables (suicide-related and dysphoria-related weblog entries) along with classical social, economic and meteorological variables as predictors of suicide over 3 years (2008 through 2010). Both social media variables were powerfully associated with suicide frequency. The suicide variable displayed high variability and was reactive to celebrity suicide events, while the dysphoria variable showed longer secular trends, with lower variability. We interpret these as reflections of social affect and social mood, respectively. In the final multivariate model, the two social media variables, especially the dysphoria variable, displaced two classical economic predictors – consumer price index and unemployment rate. The prediction model developed with the 2-year training data set (2008 through 2009) was validated in the data for 2010 and was robust in a sensitivity analysis controlling for celebrity suicide effects. These results indicate that social media data may be of value in national suicide forecasting and prevention.

New Congressional Bill Could Ax American Community Survey

On April 18, 2013, Congressman Jeffrey Duncan (R-South Carolina) introduced a bill, H.R. 1638, in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill, also known as the "Census Reform Act of 2013," would repeal the authority to conduct certain censuses, including the American Community Survey (ACS).
To view the bill in its entirety, please click here and search for bill number H.R. 1638.

The ACS provides reliable statistics that are indispensable to anyone who has to make informed decisions about the future. These statistics are required by all levels of government to manage or evaluate a wide range of programs, but are also useful for research, education, journalism, business and advocacy

If you have questions about this survey, please call the ACS Customer Services Center on 1 (800) 923-8282.

Death Sentences and Executions 2012

Top five executing countries were China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and USA...

Despite some disappointing setbacks the global trend towards ending the death penalty continued last year, said Amnesty International, as it released new global figures on executions and death sentences.

The figures...show that there were at least 682 confirmed executions around the world last year, two more than in 2011. Meanwhile, there were at least 1,722 newly-imposed death sentences in 58 countries, compared to 1,923 in 63 countries in 2011. This meant that at least 23,386 people were under sentence of death worldwide at the end of 2012.

Twenty-one countries are confirmed as having carried out executions in 2012 - the same number as in 2011 - but Amnesty pointed out that this is significantly down from levels a decade ago (28 countries carried out executions in 2003). Last year Latvia became the 97th country in the world to remove the death penalty for all crimes, and Amnesty’s figures show that more than two-thirds of the world’s countries (140) are now “abolitionist in law or practice”. Last year also saw a major academic study in the USA which rejected arguments that the death penalty is a deterrent against crime, a finding that Amnesty welcomed as it called on the one in ten countries still conducting executions to abandon the practice.

However, there were reverses in 2012 and Amnesty expressed strong concern at a resumption of executions in several countries - India, Japan, Pakistan and Gambia - that had not used the death penalty for some time.

From Amnesty International: press release and report [PDF].

The huge geothermal power potential of the U.S.

Geothermal is a stable & plentiful source of clean energy available all around the world, including in the United States (especially in the West). But that industry is still in its infancy and very little of that resource's potential is being tapped (a bit over 10 gigawatts worldwide, with about 3 of those in the U.S. and 2 in the Philippines).

More HERE.

Statistical agencies in other countries

In doing research, you may want to check with each country's statistical agency. The Census site has a list of links for many countries.
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College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2012 High School Graduates

In October 2012, 66.2 percent of 2012 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Recent high school graduates not enrolled in college in October 2012 were more likely than enrolled graduates to be working or looking for work (69.6 percent compared with 38.2 percent)

More HERE.

Multinational Companies: Employment, Sales, and Capital Expenditures for 2011

Worldwide employment by U.S. multinational companies (MNCs) increased 1.5 percent in 2011 to 34.5 million workers, with the increase primarily reflecting increases abroad. In the United States, employment by U.S. parent companies increased 0.1 percent to 22.9 million workers, compared with a 1.8 percent increase in total private-industry employment in the United States.2 The total employment by U.S. parents accounted for roughly one-fifth of total U.S. employment in private industries. Abroad, employment by majority-owned foreign affiliates of U.S. MNCs increased 4.4 percent to 11.7 million workers.

Worldwide capital expenditures by U.S. MNCs increased 16.7 percent in 2011 to $706 billion. Capital expenditures in the United States by U.S. parent companies increased 17.1 percent to $514 billion. Capital expenditures abroad by their majority-owned foreign affiliates increased 15.4 percent to $192 billion. As shown in table 1, capital expenditures have varied widely in recent years.

Sales by U.S. parent companies increased 9.4 percent in 2011 to $10,696 billion. Sales by their majority-owned foreign affiliates increased 15.8 percent to $5,985 billion.3


More from BEA here.

New Website with Six Decades of Age-Specific Net Migration Estimates

A new database, developed with funding from NIH-NICHD and USDA-ERS, was just released. Richelle Winkler and Kenneth M. Johnson were Co-PI’s on the project. They did the 2000-2010 age specific net migration estimates for all U.S. counties by age-race and sex. The technical documentation for this is available from the website. Here is a link to the first overview of the findings, which was just released as a Carsey Brief.

The coolest part of the new release is a new website at the Applied Population Lab at the Univ of Wisconsin-Madison. It combines their new estimates with similar estimates done by five teams of demographers for the last five decades. So, users have access to six decades of age-specific net migration data for every U.S. county. In addition to being able to download any or all of the data, users can also use simple on-line tools to chart data for up to three counties over six decades or to map the data. Jim Beaudoin at APL UW-M did all the web design for the new site.

This may be invaluable to researchers, planners and policy-makers. Kenneth Johnson suggests you try it— "but be forewarned, it is addictive to data junkies like us."

Which States Accepted the Most Refugees in 2012?

The states play a key role in the U.S. government’s promise of protection to people...escaping repressive and war-torn countries.

Millions of federal dollars flow every year through the states and a network of relief organizations to help refugees find housing, health care and jobs.

During this fiscal year, for example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement will spend $372 million on transitional and medical services and another $153 million on social services.

In the refugee assistance program, two other war-torn countries follow Bhutan with the most refugees settled in the United States last year, according to state-by-state figures from the Office of Refugee Resettlement:

More than 14,000 refugees came from Burma, also known as Myanmar, which until 2011 had been ruled by a military junta accused of widespread human rights violations, with the most arriving in Texas and New York.

After 10 years of war, some 12,000 refugees came from Iraq, most going to California and Michigan.

Fewer than 450 refugees came from Afghanistan, again most of them heading to California.

Texas accepted the most refugees last year, more than 5,900. On the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii and Montana each accepted just one. A refugee from Burma arrived in Hawaii and an Iraqi went to Montana, according to HHS.

More HERE.

2012 Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections

The Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections (STC) provides a summary of taxes collected by state for 5 broad tax categories and up to 25 tax subcategories. These tables and data files present the details on tax collections by type of tax imposed and collected by state governments.

U.S. ranks near bottom of UNICEF report on child well-being

The United States ranked in the bottom four of a United Nations report on child well-being. Among 29 countries, America landed second from the bottom in child poverty and held a similarly dismal position when it came to “child life satisfaction.”

Keeping the U.S. company at the bottom of the report, which gauged material well-being, overall health, access to housing and education, were Lithuania, Latvia and Romania, three of the poorest countries in the survey.

UNICEF said in a statement on the survey that child poverty in countries like the U.S. “is not inevitable but is policy-susceptible” and that there isn’t necessarily a strong relationship between per capita GDP and overall child well-being,

More HERE or HERE>

Census Bureau’s Popular Population Clock Can Now be Shared, Downloaded and Embedded

The U.S. Census Bureau has released an updated version of the population clock, one of the most widely visited features on the census.gov website. The enhanced clock provides the public with a quick and interactive overview of the population in the United States and the world, and now it also can be shared, downloaded and embedded on other websites. This release coincides with the beginning of the Population Association of America’s annual meeting in New Orleans.

“As part of the celebration of 2013 as the International Year of Statistics, the Census Bureau is celebrating the role of statistics in everyday life through new, interactive and easily accessible data tools such as the population clock,” said Victoria Velkoff, the assistant division chief in charge of estimates and projections in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “The introduction of the updated ‘pop clock’ will further broaden the public’s appreciation for and grasp of population statistics.”

About the Population Clock and Population Estimates

The population clock displays continuously updated projections of the total U.S. population, including the rate of births, deaths and net migration for the United States. For the first time, the clock also provides an age and sex population pyramid and a graph showing the population of U.S. regions. Both new features allow users to see how these measures have changed over time. Additionally, users can interact with tables displaying the most populous states, cities and counties in the United States. The clock provides not only a continuously updated world population total but also a list of the 10 most populous countries, with easy access to more world population statistics.

An important enhancement allows users to embed the population clock on their own website for quick reference. Using the “Download and Share” buttons, users can download the clock or copy code to embed the clock directly on their own website. Visitors can also share the clock via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

The clock is based on a series of short-term projections for the resident population of the United States. This includes people whose usual residence is in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. These projections do not include members of the armed forces stationed overseas, their dependents, or other U.S. citizens residing outside the United States.
The projections are based on a monthly time series of population estimates starting with the April 1, 2010, resident population count derived from the 2010 Census.

The “Country Ranking” tool provides a quick and easy method to view the most populous countries in the world for any given year. The data for this tool are drawn from the Census Bureau’s International Data Base, which offers a variety of demographic indicators for countries and areas of the world with a population of 5,000 or more.

UN Documentation Research Guide: updated and expanded

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the appointment of Dag Hammarskjöld as Secretary-General, the United Nations Library has prepared several new research guides, including a research guide about Hammarskjöld.

In addition, a new UN Documentation Research Guide has been launched with expanded and updated information.

Map of America’s female mortality rates

From the Washington Post:

The map, via health researcher Bill Gardner, shows the change in mortality rate for females in each county in the United States between 1992 and 2006. In 43 percent of counties... mortality rates are rising...

Kindig and Cheng looked at a number of factors that might give some context for why female morality went up in some counties but down in others. A somewhat surprising finding was that the availability of medical care — measured by the number of primary care providers or percentage of uninsured — didn’t really make a difference.

Asian-American population in New York State growing fastest outside of NYC

The newly released report, Asian Americans of the Empire State: Growing Diversity and Common Needs, from the Asian American Federation finds that the Asian population in New York State grew fastest outside of New York City. The number of Asian residents in the suburban counties surrounding New York City grew by 47 percent and those in counties outside of the New York City metro area grew by 56 percent. With the population growth upstate came increased diversity. Burmese Americans went from being too small to be reported to the sixth largest Asian group in upstate counties in 2010.

Unemployment rates in the Asian community were mostly at or below the general population, indicating Asians were active participants in our economy. Additionally, without the growth in the Asian population, New York's total population would have declined in the last decade.

How Secure Is Your DNA?

From BackgroundChecks.org:

DNA is so tiny, only a few microns across, that we often don’t spend much time thinking about how much of our most personal and private information it contains. Yet each individual’s DNA also offers an intimate look into family history, risk for illness, behavior, internal clock, propensity for thrill seeking, and countless other aspects of a person’s life, personality, behavior, and place in the world. Accessing this treasure trove of genetic information has some amazing benefits, but it also comes with some serious concerns.

While DNA may be small, it’s packed with information that has the potential to cause some pretty big problems. Uncontrolled access to this information, whether in a medical or law enforcement setting, could set individuals up for violations of privacy and discrimination, and as genetic testing becomes more common and inexpensive, the issues surrounding the protection of genetic information will become ever more pressing concerns in the larger public discourse.

Attitudes toward Gay Marriage

From the American Consumers Newsletter:

Support for gay marriage hovers just below the 50 percent mark, according to the 2012 General Social Survey. Forty-nine percent of American aged 18 or older now agree that gays and lesbians should have the right to marry. Support for gay marriage has climbed rapidly over the past few decades. In 1988, only 12 percent of the public supported the right of gays and lesbians to marry.

One factor behind the rising support for gay marriage is generational replacement.... Changing attitudes also play an important role in the growing support for gay marriage...
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A Pew Center poll shows similar tracking.

Child Care Costs on the Upswing

Child care costs have nearly doubled in the last quarter century while the percentage of families who pay for child care has declined, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011. The percent of family income spent on child care has stayed constant between 1986 (the first time these data were collected) and 2011, at around 7 percent, for families who paid for child care even though the cost of child care has increased over time...

Families with an employed mother and children younger than 15 paid an average of $143 per week for child care in 2011, up from $84 in 1985 (in constant 2011 dollars).

The median wage for a full-time child care worker did not increase over the last 20 years. The median wage for a child care worker in 2011 was $19,098, not different from $19,680 in 1990 (in constant 2011 dollars).

More from the Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/children/cb13-62.html HERE>

Tax Refund Thefts On The Rise

You're not the only one waiting for your tax refund. Scammers are looking for it too. In fact, every year there are more and more scams designed to steal tax refunds.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says these kinds of thefts have increased substantially in the last few years. Between 2010 and 2012, the number of investigations opened by the IRS grew from 224 to 898, according to the latest figures.

Find out more about tax refund scams, how to protect yourself from identity theft and what to do if you are a victim.

NYS Labor Department new lead agency for NYSDC

In the recent slew of budget bills enacted was the authorization to officially transfer the Lead Agency of the New York State Data Center to the NYS Department of Labor. This has been passed by the Senate and by the Assembly. It is believed that as of April 1, Labor will officially be the new Lead Agency, succeeding the NYS Department of Economic Development. This is universally seen as a good outcome by the current state data affiliates.

The Department of Labor has had vast experience and active participation in the NYSDC program from the very beginning, over 30 years ago.

Here's the wording in State Senate bill S02607/State Assembly bill A03007, signed by Governor Cuomo on March 29:

PART N

Section 1. Section 21 of the labor law is amended by adding a new subdivision 14 to read as follows:
14. SHALL DO ALL THINGS NECESSARY FOR THE OPERATION OF THE NEW YORK STATE DATA CENTER ESTABLISHED IN THE DEPARTMENT IN COOPERATION WITH THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF THE CENSUS; TO COOPERATE WITH OTHER STATE AGENCIES, UNIVERSITIES, REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND OTHER ENTITIES IN THE DISSEMINATION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFORMATION AND DATA THROUGH THE NEW YORK STATE DATA CENTER PROGRAM; IN RELATION TO SUCH INFORMATION AND DATA, TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO OTHER STATE AGENCIES, UNIVERSITIES, REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND OTHER ENTITIES; AND TO PREPARE ESTIMATES AND THE OFFICIAL PROJECTIONS OF POPULATION, HOUSEHOLDS AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STATE FOR USE BY ALL STATE AGENCIES. ALL EMPLOYEES TRANSFERRED TO THE DEPARTMENT SHALL BE TRANSFERRED WITHOUT FURTHER EXAMINATION OR QUALIFICATION TO THE SAME OR SIMILAR TITLES AND SHALL REMAIN IN THE SAME COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UNITS AND SHALL RETAIN THEIR RESPECTIVE CIVIL SERVICE CLASSIFICATIONS, STATUS AND RIGHTS PURSUANT TO THEIR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UNITS AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS.

Section 2. Subdivision 17 of section 100 of the economic development law is REPEALED.

Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.