Preserving the American Dream in the face of change

In 2015, too many American families struggle with stagnant wages, precarious work, insecure retirement, crushing college debt, and more. We look at the yawning income gap and we know it is wrong and it is unsustainable. Our shared values tell us so—no matter where we fall on the political spectrum. But this next truth is less clear to many: the economy is not like the weather; it doesn’t just happen to us and it is not out of our control. Elected leaders make deliberate decisions about what this economy will be like. Elected leaders determine who wins and who loses.

The most important way we can raise wages is restoring workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain collectively.

Politics can play a valuable role in American life as a tool for justice and the common good. But so much money is flooding into the political system from the very rich that our democracy is in danger. We risk becoming a nation whose leaders areselected rather than elected. Meanwhile, the politics of division has spurred suspicion and anger among America’s working people. As a result, too often we engage in culture wars instead of uniting to put all our strength into harnessing change to benefit us all.

In other words, we face a classic American dilemma. As Benjamin Franklin put it, we must all hang together or we will surely hang separately. That’s the crossroads.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Multiple jobholding in states in 2014

In 2014, the multiple-jobholding rate (the percentage of individuals who hold more than one job) in individual states varied considerably from the national average of 4.9 percent, a rate that has been unchanged since 2010.  In all, 22 states had multiple-jobholding rates significantly higher than the national average, 11 states had significantly lower rates, and 17 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not significantly different from the U.S. average.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Labor Day 2015: Sept. 7

The first observance of Labor Day was likely on Sept. 5, 1882, when some 10,000 workers assembled in New York City for a parade. That celebration inspired similar events across the country, and by 1894 more than half the states were observing a “working men’s holiday” on one day or another. Later that year, with Congress passing legislation and President Grover Cleveland signing the bill on June 29, the first Monday in September was designated “Labor Day.” This national holiday is a creation of the labor movement in the late 19th century — and pays tribute to the social and economic achievements of American workers. 

Who Are We Celebrating?

157 million

Number of people 16 and over in the nation’s labor force in June 2015. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table A-1 <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf>

Our Jobs

Largest Occupations May 2014                                                       Number of employees

Retail salespeople                                                                                                4,562,160

World Population Clock Updated with New Features

The U.S. Census Bureau recently updated its popular World Population Clock Web tool with features and information for 228 countries. In addition to featuring the 10 most populous countries, already available in the clock, it now includes country profiles with trade and population statistics, such as total population, population per square kilometer, and goods exported from and imported to the United States. Additional features include graphics on population projections and top exported goods by U.S. state or territory. Along with the updated clock, another new tool, the International Map Viewer, is now available. This tool shows the four most commonly requested demographic measures for foreign countries using statistics from the International Data Base — total population, growth rate percent, life expectancy at birth and infant mortality rate — by clicking on a world map. Graphic | JPG | PDF |                              Blog Public Information Office                           census.gov 301-763-3030 / pio@census.gov   Connect on Social media

Back to School: 2015-2016

Summertime is winding down and vacations are coming to an end, signaling that back-to-school time is here. It’s a time that many children eagerly anticipate — catching up with old friends and making new ones, and settling into a new daily routine. Parents and children alike scan newspapers and websites looking for sales on a multitude of school supplies and the latest clothing fads and essentials. This edition of Facts for Features highlights the many statistics associated with the return to classrooms by our nation’s students and teachers.

Back-to-School Shopping

$8.2 billion  

The estimated amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2014. Sales at bookstores in August 2014 were estimated at $1.6 billion. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services <http://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/excel/mrtssales92-present.xls>

For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2013, there were 27,340 family clothing stores, 7,047 children and infants clothing stores, 25,100 shoe stores 6,998 office supply and stationery stores, 7,064 bookstores and 8,102 department stores. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 County Business Patterns, NAICS: 448140, 448130, 448210, 453210, 451211, 45211<http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2013/00A1//naics~44813|44814|448210|451211|4521|453210>

Students

78 million

The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2013 — from nursery school to college. They comprised 25.9 percent of the entire population age 3 and older.

Fastest growing occupations

When looking for labor projections, look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here are Fastest growing occupations, 2012 and projected 2022 and Occupations with the most job growth for the same time frame.

For state data, check ProjectionsCentral.com for Short Term Occupational Projections (to 2016) and Long Term Occupational Projections (to 2022).

When Do Parents Give into Kids' Pleas for Devices?

From eMarketer Daily: Kids are most likely to receive a large majority of digital devices—from gaming consoles to digital music players to tablets—between ages 8 and 11. To get their hands on a PC or smartphone though, they have to wait until they hit the 12-to-14 age range. 

The Manufacturing and International Trade Report

On August 28, 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau released the 2013 Manufacturing and International Trade Report (MITR). This report contains manufacturing data on the value of product shipments. The data are published on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis from the 2013 Annual Survey of Manufactures and  the 2012 Economic Census Subject Series. The MITR also includes official U.S. export and import merchandise trade statistics.

The MITR will provide a comprehensive comparison between detailed manufacturing product class data and associated import and export data for 2013 and 2012.

Submit a Mutilated Currency Claim and Get Your Money's Worth

Currency can be damaged in many ways, whether it’s by fire, water, chemicals, animals or simple deterioration. Mutilated currency includes any type of damage that makes its value questionable.

Did you know that the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing examines and redeems mutilated currency at no cost to you?

If you have damaged currency that you inherited or found in your backyard, don’t throw it away - you could be losing money! Learn more about mutilated currency and how to submit a claim. Keep in mind that the standard wait time for processing is 6 to 36 months. 

Hurricane Katrina 10th Anniversary: Aug. 29, 2015

Hurricane Katrina is the costliest U.S. hurricane on record, and the deadliest to strike our nation since 1928. After initially making U.S. landfall on Aug. 25, 2005, in South Florida as a Category 1, it moved into the Gulf of Mexico, rapidly intensified into a Category 5 and made its second landfall early the morning of Aug. 29 in Plaquemines Parish in Southeast Louisiana as a strong Category 3 with sustained winds of 125 mph. After briefly moving over water, it made a third landfall later that morning near the Louisiana-Mississippi border. Katrina weakened as it moved north-northeastward over land but remained a hurricane as far inland as the vicinity of Meridian, Miss., a straight distance of more than 130 miles from the coast. 

Ultimately, Katrina was responsible for 1,833 deaths and damage estimated at $151 billion, including $75 billion in the New Orleans area and along the Mississippi coast. Federal disaster declarations issued in the hurricane’s wake covered not only all of the coastal counties of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, but extended well inland to include cities such as Baton Rouge, La.; Jackson, Miss.; and Tuscaloosa, Ala.

These are The Most Sexually Diseased Cities in the USA

Despite our puritan heritage, Americans really love to have sex. It turns out, a lot of us like to have sex without protection, too. Using publicly available data sources, we’ve mapped sexually transmitted diseases across most maj2or cities in the USA. The military helped cities rank strongly in the top 10, with Norfolk Naval Base, Ft. Hood, and Ft. Bragg all pushing their cities to the top.


This map about STD statistics was created and produced by RentApplication.com. "You may share and embed this map with proper attribution."

Americans Are on the Move — Again

Americans are picking up and moving again as the recession fades, personal finances improve and housing markets recover. Counties in Nevada, Arizona, eastern California and Tennessee also saw some of the nation’s biggest growth in movers last year.

“People are finally starting to move again after years of hunkering down,” said Dowell Myers, a demographer at the University of Southern California. “Young people have kept graduating from school and moving into large cities, like Los Angeles and New York. But the normal out-movers have been suppressed. They are finally starting to break out.”

Historically, about 17 percent of families move in a given year, but the recession knocked that number down as low as 11 percent, said Kimball Brace, president of Virginia-based Election Data Services. After two straight years of improvement, the number of moving families has partially recovered to about 15 percent.

“The recession kept people at home. They couldn’t sell their home, they couldn’t find a job,” Brace said. “We’re starting to see bigger numbers. We’re not all the way back.”

By next year it should be clearer how the moves will affect political power, Brace said. But some Sun Belt states already are expected to gain congressional seats at the expense of Northern states where outbound moves are picking up.

Based on current population growth and loss trends, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Virginia would gain congressional seats in 2020, Election Data Services estimated this year. Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia would lose seats.

More from Pew Trusts

Women's Equality Day

In 1971, Congress passed a resolution making August 26, Women’s Equality Day, to celebrate the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 giving women the right to vote. This law grew out of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention marking the start of the women’s rights movement. Leading the cause to get women equal voting rights were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Anthony was the first woman to have her likeness on any type of U.S. currency - the silver dollar coin. Later this year, the Treasury Department will announce which woman will appear on the ten dollar bill starting in 2020, the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. Learn more about women’s history and the Seneca Falls Convention.

New York: Statewide Foreclosure Activity Still Well Above Prerecession levels

New York state continues to have high levels of foreclosure activity with new foreclosure filings remaining significantly higher than prerecession levels, according to a report released this week by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“The foreclosure crisis is far from resolved, and there are still too many people losing their homes,” DiNapoli said. “In many places the situation has continued to get worse. Foreclosed properties displace families and weigh heavily on local communities, reducing property values and eroding tax bases. We must continue efforts to help homeowners and stem the spread of foreclosure-induced blight.”

Foreclosure filings rose rapidly after the housing bubble burst and the recession of 2008-2009 took hold. Between 2006 and 2009, the number of new foreclosure cases filed jumped from 26,706 to 47,664, an increase of 78 percent. In 2011 and 2012, new filings declined as new court rules were issued requiring lenders to affirm their claim to the property.

Since reaching a low of 16,655 in 2011, new filings climbed to 46,696 by 2013 before falling to 43,868 in 2014, still well above prerecession levels.

Percent change in Consumer Price Index by expenditure category, July 2014 to July 2015

Over the 12 months ended July 2015, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent. The index for food rose 1.6 percent over the past year, while the energy index fell 14.8 percent. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.8 percent over the year.

From July 2014 to July 2015, the index for food at home rose 0.9 percent and the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 3.1 percent. The index for fruits and vegetables declined 1.9 percent over the past year, while the index for cereals and bakery products rose 1.3 percent. The index for food away from home increased 2.7 percent.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Census Bureau Releases Commuting Report

The U.S. Census Bureau released a report, Who Drives to Work? Commuting by Automobile in the United States, 2013, which looks at commuting by private vehicle. The report highlights differences in rates of automobile commuting by population characteristics such as age, race, ethnicity, place of birth and the types of communities in which workers live, based on data collected during the 2013 American Community Survey.

Also released is a county-to-county commuting flows table package that looks at traveling to work between counties and the primary travel mode people use, based on American Community Survey data collected from 2006 to 2013.

Highlights from the Report

• About 86 percent of U.S. workers commuted to work by automobile in 2013; three out of four commuters drove alone.

A Guide to Community Solar: utlity, private, and non-profit project development

From the Department of Energy:

In communities across the United States, people are seeking alternatives to conventional energy sources. Whether they aim to increase energy independence, hedge against rising fuel costs, cut carbon emissions, or provide local jobs, they are looking to community-scale renewable energy projects for solutions. Advances in solar technology, an increase in federal and state tax incentives, and creative new financing models have made solar projects including community solar projects, more financially feasible.

This guide is designed as a resource for those who want to develop community solar projects, from community organizers or solar energy advocates to government officials or utility managers. By exploring the range of incentives and policies while providing examples of operational community solar projects, this guide will help communities to plan and implement successful local energy projects. In addition, by highlighting some of the policy best practices, this guide suggests changes in the regulatory landscape that could significantly boost community solar installations across the country.

Map of Obamacare enrollment by New York State county

POLITICO New York created an interactive map showing how every county in New York performed and what percentage of a county's total population has signed up for health insurance through the state exchange created by the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act became a more popular option for Western New Yorkers and those in the Southern Tier during the second year of open enrollment. More than 15,000 Erie County residents signed up for a private health insurance plan, about 2,000 more than during the first year of open enrollment, according to state data. That's a 16-percent increase compared with the state average of 12 percent.

The reasons why there was greater growth in certain parts of the state are not entirely clear.

More from Capital New York.

Subject and Summary Series tables for the Manufacturing Sector Have Been Released

The following Subject/Summary series tables, data from the 2012 Economic Census, were released today on American FactFinder:

•  Manufacturing: Subject Series, 2012: Location of Manufacturing Plants
•  Manufacturing: Subject Series, 2012: General Summary
• Manufacturing: Subject Series, 2012: Materials Summary
•  Manufacturing: Subject Series, 2012: Product Summary
•  Manufacturing: Subject Series, 2012: Concentration Ratios

The Subject/Summary series includes summary data by industry and other special topics. Data is available at the national level and, for selected tables, at the state, county, or place level. For more information, see the Economic Census Subject/Summary page.

Data will be released on a flow basis by sector by topic. To view a release schedule, see what has been released, or take a sneak peek at what’s projected to be released in the next 30 days, see the Economic Census website.

The 11 Ways That Consumers Are Hopeless at Math

You walk into a Starbucks and see two deals for a cup of coffee. The first deal offers 33% extra coffee. The second takes 33% off the regular price. What's the better deal?

"They're about equal!" you'd say, if you're like the students who participated in a new study published in the Journal of Marketing. And you'd be wrong. The deals appear to be equivalent, but in fact, a 33% discount is the same as a 50 percent increase in quantity. Math time: Let's say the standard coffee is $1 for 3 quarts ($0.33 per quart). The first deal gets you 4 quarts for $1 ($0.25 per quart) and the second gets you 3 quarts for 66 cents ($.22 per quart).

The upshot: Getting something extra "for free" feels better than getting the same for less. The applications of this simple fact are huge. Selling cereal? Don't talk up the discount. Talk how much bigger the box is! Selling a car? Skip the MPG conversion. Talk about all the extra miles.

More from The Atlantic.

Hey, sports fan! - PointAfter

PointAfter is a sports analysis site that provides breaking stats, charts, scores and articles. It covers golf, major league baseball, NBA, NCAA football and men's basketball, NFL, Olympics, soccer, and a reference section about /stadiums and college programs.

Is College Worth the Expense?

The cost of attending a four-year college in the United States has increased sharply of late, from around $3,500 in the early 1980’s to around $24,000 for this upcoming academic year.

Since 1980, nothing has increased in price more than college. Not health care. Not gasoline. Not housing.

If college costs had increased with inflation since the early 1980’s, tuition this year would be a little more than $9,000 per year. What accounts for the extra $15,000 in annual expenses?

More from AIER

What We Don’t Know About Canada Might Hurt Us

When Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced plans in 2010 to make the government’s primary source of household data into a voluntary survey, researchers across Canada warned of dire consequences for the survey’s reliability. Those predictions have largely come true: In 2006, nearly 94 percent of Canadian households that received the survey responded to it. In 2011, the response rate fell below 70 percent. As a result, Statistics Canada, the country’s statistical agency, decided not to release detailed data on Snow Lake, Manitoba and more than 1,000 other communities, and researchers have called into question the validity of the data on other areas that was released.

Canada’s experience with a voluntary household survey is now drawing attention in the United States. Republican lawmakers led by Texas Congressman Ted Poe are pushing to make a similar change to the American Community Survey — a similar, annual questionnaire that aims to measure national trends in dozens of areas such as education, housing, fertility and employment by surveying more than 3 million Americans each year. Both Poe and his Canadian counterparts consider the surveys an invasion of privacy, but researchers on both sides of the border say the Canadian experiment is a harsh lesson in what can happen when a country loses its commitment to collecting accurate information about its residents.

More from fivethirtyeight.com

Understanding dairy markets

This is the homepage of the University of Wisconsin Dairy Marketing and Risk Management Program and is maintained by Prof. Brian W. Gould of the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics. Most useful: pricing info.

2015 KIDS COUNT Data Book

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual report on child well-being — the 2015 KIDS COUNT Data Book — focuses on the state of America’s children in the midst of the country's economic recovery. While data show improvements in child health and education, more families are struggling to make ends meet, and a growing number of kids live in high-poverty neighborhoods. In addition to ranking states in several areas of child well-being, the Data Book also examines the influence of parents’ education, health and other life circumstances on their children.

You can access the Data Book and related materials HERE.

Have a Problem with a Product or Service?

To resolve problems with a product or service you purchased, write a letter to the seller. It’s really helpful because it provides a record of your communication with the company.

This sample complaint letter can help you get an idea of what to include in your own letter.

The new New York City Census FactFinder

The NYC Planning Department's American Community Survey (ACS) update to the NYC Census Factfinder (NYC CFF) application has just been released. It is now possible to get 2009-2013 ACS profiles for Neighborhood Tabulation Areas and user defined census tract aggregations, in addition to demographic profiles from the 2000 and 2010 censuses. The ACS profiles include basic count estimates, but also percentages, means, and median estimates for custom geographies. Another key benefit of this update is that detailed statistical reliability information, including Margins of Error and Coefficients of Variation, are available for user-defined geographies. Additionally, data with poor statistical reliability are shown in gray as an alert to users.

Please see the full press release.

The Evolving Role of News on Twitter and Facebook

The share of Americans for whom Twitter and Facebook serve as a source of news is continuing to rise. This rise comes primarily from more current users encountering news there rather than large increases in the user base overall, according to findings from a new survey. The report also finds that users turn to each of these prominent social networks to fulfill different types of information needs....

Although both social networks have the same portion of users getting news on these sites, there are significant differences in their potential news distribution strengths. The proportion of users who say they follow breaking news on Twitter, for example, is nearly twice as high as those who say they do so on Facebook (59% vs. 31%) – lending support, perhaps, to the view that Twitter’s great strength is providing as-it-happens coverage and commentary on live events.

These findings come at a time when the two social media platforms are increasing their emphasis on news.

See the press release and report from the Pew Research Center.

A Friend of a Friend Might Be a Scammer

Social media has become a great way to communicate with friends. Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of this in order to steal your identity. Known as “farcing,” these scams start when you get a friend request from someone who supposedly shares mutual friends with you. And that's just the beginning.

Learn how to recognize and avoid this common social media scam and other online scams.

How Many People Are Mobile Addicts?

Some 280 million people worldwide are "mobile addicts" who launch applications on their devices 60 times or more per day on average, according to a recent report by Flurry from Yahoo.

The report was based on 2Q14 - 2Q15 Flurry analytics data measuring app usage on 1.8 billion smart devices around the world. The researchers viewed each device as a single "user," so a caveat to the report is that it does not account for the impact of owners of multiple devices.

Regular Users, defined in the report as consumers who use mobile apps between 1 and 16 times per day, on average, increased from 784 million to 985 million in time period period measured, a 25% year-over-year increase.



Read more from MarketingProfs

Working poor reaches 10.5 million in 2013

The number of "working poor" in the United States was 10.5 million in 2013. The working poor are people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force during the year—either working or looking for work—but whose incomes were below the official poverty level. The working-poor rate, or the ratio of the working poor to all those in the labor force for at least 27 weeks, was 7.0 percent in 2013.

In 2013, the number of women classified as working poor (5.4 million) was higher than that of men (5.0 million). Similarly, the working-poor rate continued to be higher for women (7.8 percent) than for men (6.3 percent).

Blacks and Hispanics were more than twice as likely as Whites and Asians to be among the working poor. In 2013, the working-poor rate was 13.3 percent for Blacks, 12.8 percent for Hispanics, 6.1 percent for Whites, and 4.5 percent for Asians.

More, including charts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A Profile of the Working Poor.

Advance Report on U.S. International Trade

Now available, the “Advance Report: U.S. International Trade in Goods,” presents advance statistics for June 2015 from “U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services.” This new monthly report provides more timely statistics on exports and imports of goods and enables decision makers to improve their measurements of the U.S. economy. For more information, see the Director’s Blog post.

America’s changing perception towards people with intellectual disabilites

The release of the Shriver Report Snapshot: Insight into Intellectual Disabilities coincides with the start of the World Games and the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The report reveals the nation’s changing perception of many of the issues associated with intellectual disabilities, and some of the results are surprising.

The poll from Shriver Media and Special Olympics International, with the support of the Richard and Cecilia Attias Foundation, surveyed 2,021 adults over the course of three days. Participants were asked about whether they knew someone, would hire someone, or marry someone with intellectual disabilities, as well as their thoughts on when using the “R-word” (retard) was appropriate.

“[The poll] does tell us who we are as a nation, what we think, feel, and believe about people with intellectual disabilities, and that directly, I think, affects the health -mental, emotional, physical health- of people with intellectual disabilities and their families,” Maria Shriver said.

More from the Los Angeles Times

Social Security Act Amendments of 1965

July 30 marks the 50th anniversary of the Social Security Act Amendments of 1965. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill into law during a ceremony held at the Truman Presidential Library with Harry S. Truman at his side. Johnson requested Truman to accompany him at the ceremony in recognition of the former president's earlier, but failed attempts to pass similar legislation in the 1950s.

The amendments, Public Law 89-87, established government health insurance programs for people 65 and older (Medicare) and the poor (Medicaid). Funded by a tax on employee earnings with matching employer contributions, the new programs proved so popular that within a year, 20 million Americans were receiving Medicare- or Medicaid-funded health care. Today, the programs assist more than 130 million poor, disabled, and senior Americans meet their health care needs.

• When President Harry S. Truman proposed adding health insurance for the elderly and poor to Social Security in the 1950s, the U.S. population was 151,325,798 and the population 65 and older was 12,239,537. When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments Act of 1965 into law, the U.S. population was estimated to have been 193,818,000 and the population 65 and older had grown to 18,156,000. In 2013, 14.1 percent of the nation's population (approximately 44.6 million) was 65 or older.
• One year after President Johnson signed the Social Security Act Amendments of 1965, 19,082,454 people, 65 or older, had enrolled in Medicare. In 1973, the program expanded to include disabled beneficiaries. By 2013, 42,471,527 people, 65 and older, and 9,783,635 people with disabilities were enrolled in Medicare.
• In 1966, approximately 4 million people were enrolled in Medicaid. In May 2015, the Department for Health and Human Services reported that as of February, 70,515,716 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
• In 1965, there were 7,123 hospitals, 305,115 physicians, 1,200,000 nurses, and 109,301 dentists in the United States. Although the number of hospitals decreased to 5,795 by 2009, the number of medical professionals had grown to included 838,453 physicians, 2,583,770 nurses, and 164,000 dentists.
• In 2009, 15.6 percent of the U.S. population (approximately 47,469,000 people) received Medicaid benefits. Of these, 45.7 percent had household incomes below the poverty level. Nearly 73 percent of Medicaid recipients living below the poverty level were children younger than 18 years of age.
• In 1940, health-related federal spending totaled $48 million. One year after the passage of the Social Security Act Amendments of 1965, health spending grew to $2.5 billion. As of March 2015, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the federal government will spend approximately $870 billion on Medicare and Medicaid.

Access to retirement and medical benefits by occupation, March 2015

Retirement benefits were available to 66 percent of private industry workers in the United States in March 2015. Access to benefits differed among some occupational groups. Among workers in management, professional, and related occupations in private industry, 80 percent had access to retirement benefits—compared with 39 percent in service occupations.

Medical care benefits were available to 69 percent of private industry workers in March 2015. Within private industry, 87 percent of workers in management, professional, and related occupations had access to medical care, compared with 41 percent in service occupations.

More, including charts, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

They blinded me with SCIENCE

Nanotechnology. Physics. Earth. Astronomy & Space. Technology. Chemistry. Biology. These are just some of the subjects covered in website phys.org, fun and useful science.

"Phys.org™ is a leading web-based science, research and technology news service which covers a full range of topics... Launched in 2004, Phys.org’s readership has grown steadily to include 1.75 million scientists, researchers, and engineers every month. Phys.org publishes approximately 100 quality articles every day, offering some of the most comprehensive coverage of sci-tech developments world-wide. Quancast 2009 includes Phys.org in its list of the Global Top 2,000 Websites.

"Publishing around 100 articles every business day, Phys.org offers the most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web."

Use These Tools to Track or Reach Your Weight Goals

Create personalized meal plans and track your progress

Do you have healthy eating or weight-loss goals? The USDA SuperTracker and NIH’s Body Weight Tracker(BWT) can help you set, reach, and maintain them.

Use the BWT to determine how many calories you need to eat each day to reach and maintain your goal weight. Then go to the SuperTracker and enter your results to get a plan. You can track what you eat, your exercise and weight from your desktop, phone, or tablet.

Set your goals and a timeframe that makes sense to you. Then use these tools to create personalized meal plans and track your progress.

The top money and scam alerts this summer

For Americans taking a vacation, attending a concert, or working on their home or garden this summer, this season comes with its own unique consumer challenges. Learn the top five money and scam alerts for this time of year:

1. Don’t buy gas additives that claim to increase fuel mileage. Even though gas prices go up in the summer, the Environmental Protection Agency has not found any product that significantly improves gas mileage, and some could damage a car’s engine or increase exhaust emissions.

The Deep Web you don't know about

From CNN:

What we commonly call the Web is really just the surface. Beneath that is a vast, mostly uncharted ocean called the Deep Web. By its very nature, the size of the Deep Web is difficult to calculate. But top university researchers say the Web you know -- Facebook (FB), Wikipedia, news -- makes up less than 1% of the entire World Wide Web.

When you surf the Web, you really are just floating at the surface. Dive below and there are tens of trillions of pages -- an unfathomable number -- that most people have never seen. They include everything from boring statistics to human body parts for sale (illegally).

Though the Deep Web is little understood, the concept is quite simple. Think about it in terms of search engines. To give you results, Google (GOOG), Yahoo (YHOO) and Microsoft's (MSFT) Bing constantly index pages. They do that by following the links between sites, crawling the Web's threads like a spider. But that only lets them gather static pages, like the one you're on right now.

What they don't capture are dynamic pages, like the ones that get generated when you ask an online database a question. Google and others also don't capture pages behind private networks or standalone pages that connect to nothing at all. These are all part of the Deep Web.

So, what's down there? It depends on where you look.

SEE Deep Web Search – A How-To Site.

Percent changes in average hourly earnings by state, May 2014 to May 2015

From May 2014 to May 2015, average hourly earnings increased in 45 states and decreased in five states and the District of Columbia. Vermont had the highest percent increase in hourly earnings (5.8 percent). Wyoming had the largest percent decrease (−1.4 percent).

Uptick in Births in 2014

The annual number of births in the United States increased in 2014, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The 3,985,924 babies born in 2014 exceeded 2013 births by 53,743—a statistically significant 1 percent increase. The increase was the first since 2007, when births reached an all time high of 4,316,233.

Drilling down into the numbers reveals a dramatically changed pattern of childbearing in the United States... For women aged 20 to 24, the birth rate fell to a new historic low. For women aged 25 to 29, the birth rate was essentially unchanged from the record low reached in 2013.

The action is occurring among women aged 30 or older.

More from the Demo Memo.

Congressional Voting Turnout is at Lowest Mark Since 1978

The 2014 congressional election turnout rate of 41.9 percent was the lowest since the U.S. Census Bureau first began asking Americans about voting and citizenship status in 1978. The 2014 voting rate was 7.0 percentage points lower than in 1978 and down from the 45.5 percent that reported voting in the 2010 congressional election. These statistics come from Who Votes? Congressional Elections and the American Electorate: 1978-2014, which uses data collected by the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. This report provides a detailed historical portrait of voters in congressional elections, and it examines voting patterns by age, race and Hispanic origin and includes a look at early and absentee voting. The voting rates of every age group between 18 and 64 also dropped between 1978 and 2014, while the voting rate in 2014 for those over 65 was not statistically different from 1978.

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Historical Components, 1884-2013

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, comprised of 12 ‘smokestack’ companies, made its debut May 26, 1896. Twelve years earlier, Mr. Dow’s initial stock average, containing 11 stocks (nine of which were railroad issues) appeared in Customer’s Afternoon Letter, a daily two-page financial news bulletin that was the precursor of The Wall Street Journal.

May 26, 1896: The Average consisted entirely of industrial stocks published for the first time. (The first average computed from this list of stocks was 40.94. It declined gradually during June and July and on August 8, 1896 stood at 28.48 which is the lowest point on record for the industrial average.)

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The 37 Best Websites To Learn Something New

Forget overpriced schools, long days in a crowded classroom, and pitifully poor results. These websites and apps cover myriads of science, art, and technology topics. They will teach you practically anything, from making hummus to building apps in node.js, most of them for free. There is absolutely no excuse for you not to master a new skill, expand your knowledge, or eventually boost your career. You can learn interactively at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home. It’s hard to imagine how much easier it can possibly be. Honestly, what are you waiting for?

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ZIP Codes.com

With its FREE zip code finder, ZipCodes.com has many ways of finding information.

Use it to: look up ZIP+4 of any address in the U.S.; find all the Zip Codes in a given radius; find the distance between any two Zip Codes (line of sight + driving distance/directions).

Compare your State’s Economy Against the Rest of the World

The US economy is so big, that the economies of all 50 states are comparable in size to those of entire countries. To illustrate this, howmuch.net used national GDP data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and state data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to put together a map that displays a country of comparable size (in terms of GDP) for each US state. All of the countries shown have 2014 GDPs that are roughly equivalent (+/- 10%) to the GDP of the state on which it is shown.

See the methodology and more info at HowMuch.net

2015 International Population Estimates and Projections

In time for World Population Day (July 11), the Census Bureau has released an update of population estimates and projections for 24 countries, including China, Jordan, Malawi, Syria and Ukraine through its International Data Base. 

The International Data Base contains population estimates and projections to 2050 for 228 countries and areas. Along with total population, characteristics for countries include age structure, fertility and mortality rates, and migration numbers.Additional analyses for some countries have been conducted to include the estimated effects of HIV/AIDS. As of July 1, 2015, the world population reached 7.256 billion.

2013 Capital Spending Report

This report provides a historical look at the industry investment shares and capital spending patterns for structures and equipment by all U.S. businesses with and without employees at the national and industry sector level. Sector level data are available only for businesses with employees. Data from this report comes from the Annual Capital Expenditures Survey and covers 2004-2013. 

Internet address: <http://www.census.gov/econ/aces/>.

The Newest New Yorkers

The Newest New Yorkers report demonstrates that New York’s immigrants have played an integral role in maintaining the City’s record population growth and significantly boosting the City’s economic vitality. The City’s immigrant population has reached a new peak at more than 3 million; a number which would form the third largest city in the United States, bested only by New York City and Los Angeles.

The strength of immigrants is most evident in Queens, where the largest percentage of the newest New Yorkers has settled; nearly one-half of the borough’s residents are foreign-born. The largest numeric growth in immigration took place in the Bronx, while Staten Island saw the largest percentage increase.

The report is the product of expert demographic analysis of data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, as well as other federal and city administrative data. Complementing its new report, City Planning also launched an easy-to-use, interactive online map showing the largest immigrant groups in each of the City’s neighborhoods as well as where the City’s top ten largest immigrant populations live.

FTC Action Stops Massive Payday Loan Fraud Scheme

Defendants Agree to be Banned from Consumer Lending

The operators of a payday lending scheme that allegedly bilked millions of dollars from consumers by trapping them into loans they never authorized will be banned from the consumer lending business under settlements with the Federal Trade Commission.

The settlements stem from charges the FTC filed last year alleging that Timothy A. Coppinger, Frampton T. Rowland III, and their companies targeted online payday loan applicants and, using information from lead generators and data brokers, deposited money into those applicants’ bank accounts without their permission. The defendants then withdrew reoccurring “finance” charges without any of the payments going to pay down the principal owed. The court subsequently halted the operation and froze the defendants’ assets pending litigation.

According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants told consumers they had agreed to, and were obligated to pay for, the unauthorized “loans.” To support their claims, the defendants provided consumers with fake loan applications or other loan documents purportedly showing that consumers had authorized the loans. If consumers closed their bank accounts to stop the unauthorized debits, the defendants often sold the “loans” to debt buyers who then harassed consumers for payment.

Allergen-Free Peanuts Lead USDA Report Highlighting New Innovations in Ag

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new report on discoveries by USDA researchers that have led to new patents and inventions with the potential for commercial application and potential economic growth. USDA innovations included in this annual report range from USDA supported research that could offer solutions for millions who suffer allergies from peanuts and wheat to safe mosquito control that can help halt the transmission of diseases they spread, and others.

"USDA has a proven track record of performing research that has tangible benefits for the American public, and studies have found every dollar invested in agricultural research returns $20 to our economy,"  said Secretary Vilsack. "USDA is now accelerating the commercialization of federal research, and government researchers are working closely with the private sector to develop new technology and transfer it to the marketplace."

USDA received 83 patents in Fiscal Year 2014, up from 51 patents in 2013. USDA filed 119 patent applications and disclosed another 117 new inventions, which may lead to future patents and are detailed in the Department's 2014 Annual Report on Technology Transfer release. Helping drive these innovations, USDA has 267 active Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with outside partners, which includes Universities, and other organizations, and more than 100 small businesses. The USDA's technology transfer program is administered by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.

Part-time private industry workers less likely to have access to benefits in 2013

In March 2013, part-time private industry workers were less likely than full-time workers to have access to employer-provided benefits, such as retirement plans, health insurance, and paid sick leave.

In March 2013, nearly three-fourths (74 percent) of full-time private industry workers had access to retirement benefits, compared with just 37 percent of part-time workers. Similarly, 85 percent of full-time workers had access to health insurance through their employers, compared with only 24 percent of part-time workers. Full-time workers were also much more likely than part-time workers to have access to paid holidays, sick leave, and vacations.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Commuting Safety Tips for Bicycle Commuters

Bicycle commuting is on the rise, increasing by more than 62% nationwide from 2000 to 2013, according to the League of American Bicyclists. In bicycle-friendly communities, rates have increased more than 100% over that same period.

If your workers are going to give bicycle commuting a try this summer, encourage them to stay safe with these tips.

If you bike to work, good for you! Biking is good for your health and the environment. But bike riders can be at a disadvantage in traffic, so some caution is advised. Be sure to:

*Plan your route. You don’t want to just get on your bike on Monday morning and take your usual driving route to work. Instead, work out a bike-friendly route.

Your bike route to work will probably be along side streets, bike lanes, and bike paths rather than heavily traveled “main drags.” Practice your route on your day off, and make sure you work out any tricky spots along with your new commute time.

- See more at Safety Daily Advisor