2015 County and Economic Development Regions Population Estimates for New York State

On March 24th, 2016 the U.S. Census Bureau released the County total population estimates for July 1, 2015. The change in population is split in change due to natural increase and due to net-migration. Natural increase is the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths, net-migration the result of people moving in and out of a region.

Six economic regions gained population since April 1, 2010, New York City the most in number (375,443) and in percentage (4.6%). Four economic regions lost population since the latest Decennial Census; the Southern Tier lost the most in number (-9,228) and the Mohawk Valley most in percentage (-1.8%).

More from the Program on Applied Demographics

Finding an organization’s Form 990 or 990-PF

According to IRS disclosure regulations, exempt organizations must make its three most recently filed annual 990 or 990-PF returns and all related supporting documents available for public inspection. This public disclosure rule also applies to Form 1023, which is filed to obtain exempt status.

Please note that there can be a 12-18 month lag period between the end of an organization's fiscal year and the point when its IRS return is available to the public.

See more from Grantspace

Homeowners and Renters Insurance stats

In 2014, 5.3 percent of insured homes had a claim, according to ISO. Property damage, including theft, accounted for 97.3 percent of those claims. Changes in the percentage of each type of homeowners loss from one year to another are partially influenced by large fluctuations in the number and severity of weather-related events such as hurricanes and winter storms. There are two ways of looking at losses: by the average number of claims filed per 100 policies (frequency) and by the average amount paid for each claim (severity).

On average, over the past nine years about half of homeowners said they prepared an inventory of their possessions to help document losses for their insurers, according to polls conducted for the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.). Fifty-two percent of homeowners said they had an inventory in a June 2015 I.I.I. survey.

More from the Insurance Information Institute

Pittsburgh

March is Irish-American Heritage Month

Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991, and the President issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year. Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish. The world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving in the English military. This parade became an annual event, with President Truman attending in 1948. Where They Live 33.1 million, or 10.4% Number and percentage of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2014. This number was more than seven times the population of Ireland itself (4.6 million). Irish was the nation’s second-most frequently reported European ancestry, trailing German. Sources: 2014 American Community Survey, Table B04006 http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B04006&prodType=table and Ireland Central Statistics Officehttp://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/pme/populationandmigrationestimatesapril2014/#.VInESmNsgtM     21.5% Percentage of Massachusetts residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2014. New Hampshire, at 20.9 percent, is the only other state in which more than 20 percent claimed Irish ancestry.

Buffalo ranks No. 1 for anti-gay slurs used in tweets

People in Buffalo use words considered offensive and derogatory to gays in their tweets more often than people in any other city in the United States, according to a recent study.

Such terms showed up in Buffalonians’ tweets more than among tweets from any other city, the study found. Arlington, Texas, and Riverside, Calif., came in a relatively close second and third.

The study has been stirring conversation locally about the factors that might have pushed Buffalo to the top of the list – and what its dubious distinction as No. 1 on that list actually means, in a city that flies rainbow flags along Elmwood Avenue every June, marking a pride celebration that seems to grow bigger each year.

More from the Buffalo News.

The Measles Mystery

In the 1960s, children throughout the America began receiving a vaccination for measles. And the vaccine, by and large, made the disease history. But that's not all that happened. As NPR reported, after widespread use of the vaccine began, "childhood deaths from all infectious diseases plummeted. Even deaths from diseases like pneumonia and diarrhea were cut by half." Somehow, the measles vaccine was keeping other diseases at bay, too.

And until recently, no one knew why.

More from Now I Know.

Women’s Earnings by Occupation from the 2014 American Community Survey

The U.S. Census Bureau released today a new table showing median earnings by detailed occupation from the 2014 American Community Survey. The table shows ratios indicating the percentage of women in an occupation, as well as the male-to-female earnings ratio in the occupation for full-time, year-round workers in the past 12 months. Internet address: http://www.census.gov/people/io/publications/table_packages.html.

2014 Annual Capital Expenditures Survey

In 2014, U.S. businesses (nonfarm) invested $1.6 trillion in new and used buildings, structures, machinery and equipment (including computer software), up $110.8 billion (7.4 percent) from 2013. Investment spending in the mining sector totaled $228.7 billion in 2014, up $26.5 billion (13.1 percent) from 2013, with the oil and gas extraction industry accounting for $196.0 billion of the total spending, up $29.1 billion (17.5 percent) from 2013.

The Census Bureau’s Annual Capital Expenditures Survey provides estimates of all business expenditures during the year for new and used structures and equipment chargeable to asset accounts for which depreciation or amortization accounts are ordinarily maintained. Expenditures also include capitalized leasehold improvements and capitalized interest charges on loans used to finance capital projects.

Study Finds Caregiving Takes Physical, Emotional & Financial Toll

Family members of older adults with disabilities provide help with many tasks, including making doctor's appointments, keeping track of medicines and providing transportation.

A new report has found that these unpaid caregivers experience emotional, physical and financial difficulties, as well as lower work productivity. Researchers estimate that 14.7 million caregivers assisted 7.7 million older adults in 2011. Caregivers who provided "substantial" help were more likely to report emotional, physical or financial difficulties.

More from the NIH

Demographic and Economic Profiles of States Holding March 1 Primaries and Caucuses

In advance of the March 1 primaries and caucuses, the U.S. Census Bureau presents a variety of statistics that give an overall profile of each participating state’s voting-age population and industries. Statistics include:

·        Voting-age population and estimate of eligible voters (i.e., citizens age 18 and older).

·        Breakdown of voting-age population by race and Hispanic origin

·        Selected economic characteristics, including median household income and poverty.

·        Selected social characteristics, including educational attainment.

·        County Business Patterns (providing information on employment by specific industries).

·        Statistics on voting and registration.

CDC Report: Lifetime Risk of HIV Diagnosis in the United States

A CDC study released in February 2016 provides the first-ever comprehensive national estimates of the lifetime risk of
an HIV diagnosis for several key populations at risk and in every state. Overall, the likelihood that an American will be
diagnosed with HIV at any point during his or her life is now 1 in 99, an improvement from a previous study using 2004-
2005 data that reported lifetime risk at 1 in 78. Despite overall progress, this study reveals stark disparities by race, risk
group and geography.

Lifetime Risk of an HIV Diagnosis Varies by Mode of Transmission


More from the CDC.

Five Ways to Ease the Burden of Your Passing

Nobody likes to plan for when bad things happen. But not doing so can put more stress on your nearest and dearest at a time of grief or worry.

Taking a few simple steps now to plan ahead, while you’re of sound mind and body, can ease the burden on your loved ones – and failure to do so usually compounds their pain. This month, the latest edition of If Something Should Happen: How to Organize Your Financial and Legal Affairs was published by the American Institute for Economic Research.

These tips will help individuals pull all their information together into one easy-to-understand workbook. Here are a few of the more important steps to take, sooner rather than later.

See more at AIER.

2013 NYS HIV/AIDS County Surveillance Report

The County HIV/AIDS Surveillance Reports for 2013, including and excluding State Prison Inmates, are now available on the DOH public web site..

Please note that if you use Internet Explorer to open the documents, you need to right click on the document to access the navigation buttons, which will allow you to open the bookmarks to navigate the documents.

This Year, More Than Half of Americans Will Use Facebook

This year, for the first time, more than half of the US population will use Facebook, according to eMarketer’s latest social network usage forecast. In 2016, 50.3% of Americans of all ages will be on Facebook at least once a month, up from 49.3% in 2015.

Facebook will remain the dominant social network by a wide margin through at least 2020, the end of eMarketer’s forecast period.

This year, 162.9 million US internet users will log on to the site at least once a month. Facebook-owned Instagram, the second-most-used social network, will have 89.4 million US users this year, or 27.6% of the population. Twitter is a distant third, with 56.8 million users this year, representing 17.5% of the US population.

- See more at: eMarketer.com

February 2016 Author Earnings Report: Amazon’s Ebook, Print, and Audio Sales

Two years ago, the first Author Earnings report revealed the growing market share of self-published ebooks. With data on hundreds of thousands of titles, it was suddenly possible to measure the relative sales and earnings power of ebooks according to publishing path. By sharing this data, we hoped to help authors understand the changing market in order to make sound decisions with their manuscripts. In the two years since, our quarterly snapshots have revealed emerging trends in the digital publishing world.

In two short years, the market share of paid unit sales between indie and Big 5 ebooks has more than inverted. The Big 5 now account for less than a quarter of ebook purchases on Amazon, while indies are closing in on 45%.

More from Author Earnings.com

"When does my passport expire?"

This is a question we ask ourselves before any big trip. If you haven't checked your passport's expiration date in a while and are planning a trip overseas, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise. Passports expiring in 2016 must be renewed as soon as possible.

Some countries are also now requiring that you have a passport that has been valid for at least 6 months. As spring and summer travel plans come up, passport agencies become even busier.

So don't put it off and renew your passport today! For more information on overseas travel, visit USA.gov. 

Earned Income Tax Credit available for Noncustodial Parent

Earned income tax credits can add up to $8,427 for a family with three children. As many as 430,000 eligible New Yorkers may be missing out on this benefit. The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance (OTDA) remind New York taxpayers to check their eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC can reduce the amount of taxes owed or provide a substantial tax refund. However, based on IRS estimates, each year more than 430,000 eligible New Yorkers—including nearly 250,000 in New York City alone—may fail to claim the credit. (See chart below for county-by-county estimates.) EITCs are refundable federal, New York State, and New York City credits for working taxpayers earning up to the $53,267 maximum.

What New York State looks like, when you're not from New York State

Internet Publishing Industry Revenue Reached $110 Billion in 2014

Service Annual Survey Provides Comprehensive Statistics on Service Industries in U.S. Economy Jan. 28, 2016 — Revenue for Internet publishing and broadcasting and Web search portal (NAICS 519130) employer firms increased 13.1 percent to $109.6 billion between 2013 and 2014. These information sector firms are primarily engaged in publishing and/or broadcasting content on the Internet exclusively or in operating websites that use a search engine to generate and maintain extensive databases of Internet addresses and content in an easily searchable format. Revenue among wireless telecommunications carriers (NAICS 517210) – another industry in the information sector – grew 8.0 percent between 2013 and 2014 to $251.8 billion. All in all, information sector (NAICS 51) revenue increased 5.3 percent to $1.4 trillion for employer and nonemployer firms. This sector is primarily comprised of publishing industries, including software and Internet publishing, motion picture and sound recording, broadcasting and telecommunications.   These revenue data come from the Service Annual Survey, which provides the most comprehensive national statistics available each year on service industry activity in the United States.

Census Bureau Releases First 2012 Economic Census Product Lines Reports

The Census Bureau today released the first product lines reports from its 2012 Economic Census Subject Series. These reports present national and state-level data at the two through six- or seven-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) level. They provide statistics on number of establishments and sales/receipts/revenue by products and contributing industry. Reports were released for the following four sectors:

·        Retail Trade — This is the first report in the subject series for this sector. Presents data down to the six-digit NAICS level. The retail trade subject and summary series reports will be released on a flow basis through March 2016 on topics ranging from product lines to class of customer.

·        Utilities — This is the first report in the subject series for this sector. Presents data down to the six-digit NAICS level. The utilities sector subject and summary series reports will be released on a flow basis through June 2016 on topics ranging from product lines to construction activity.

·        Transportation and Warehousing — This is the first report in the subject series for this sector. Presents data down to the seven-digit NAICS level. The transportation and warehousing subject and summary series reports will be released on a flow basis through June 2016 on topics ranging from product lines to end of year inventories.

·        Accommodations and Food Services — Presents data down to the seven-digit NAICS level. The accommodations and food services subject and summary series reports will be released on a flow basis through June 2016 on topics ranging from product lines to average cost per meal.

Reasons people give for not being in the labor force, 2004 and 2014

People who are neither working nor looking for work are counted as “not in the labor force.” The proportion of the civilian working-age population who were in this group increased from 31.3 percent in 2004 to 35.0 percent in 2014. Over that 10-year period, the proportion of people who reported retirement as the main reason they were not working increased from 13.9 percent to 15.4 percent.

The proportion of the working-age population reporting school attendance as the main reason for being out of the labor force rose from 5.0 percent in 2004 to 6.4 percent in 2014. The percentage who cited illness or disability as the main reason increased from 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent over that same period. The proportion citing home responsibilities declined from 6.0 percent in 2004 to 5.4 percent in 2014.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Travel Warning: Protect Yourself from Zika Virus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health travel alert for people traveling to or from countries and regions where Zika virus is spreading. The list includes:

Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname, and Venezuela. 

There have been no reports of locally-transmitted cases within the United States, but infected travelers have returned to the U.S. from these regions.

Zika virus is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes. The resulting disease is usually mild and does not require hospitalization, but may cause birth defects in babies whose mothers were infected while pregnant. There is no vaccine to prevent or drugs to treat it, but if you have to travel to the affected regions, you can follow these recommendations to avoid mosquito bites that transmit Zika virus and other diseases.

Find more information on the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of Zika virus.

Old music is outselling new music for the first time in history

Despite the massive success of Adele's album 25, which sold a whopping 7.4 million copies in only six weeks, 2015 marked the first time in U.S. history that new releases were outsold by catalogue albums. Seems like everyone's been feeling extra nostalgic lately.

The term "catalogue" refers to albums released more than 18 months ago. According to Nielsen's annual year end music report, catalogue albums outsold current releases by 4.3 million copies, something never before seen in the industry. Just 10 years ago, current music sales outpaced catalogue music by over 150 million albums. Keep in mind that these stats don't include album streams, but regardless, it's a significant turning point.

More from Chart Attack

The sky is falling on print newspapers faster than you think

Last October, a McKinsey report declared, “We believe that many of the people likely to abandon print newspapers and print consumer magazines have already done so…. We believe most of this core audience — households that have retained their print subscriptions despite having access to broadband — will continue to do so for now, effectively putting a floor on the print markets.”

Is the only medium-term threat to print the fact that most of its current audience will gradually die over the next 30 years? That would be great news, especially because nearly all newspapers still get most of their revenue from print advertising.

But it doesn’t feel right in a world in which even mature adults’ media consumption habits seem to be quickly evolving.

More from Medium.com

2015 Was Hottest Year in Recorded History

From the New York Times:

Scientists reported Wednesday that 2015 was the hottest year in recorded history by far, breaking a record set only the year before — a burst of heat that has continued into the new year and is roiling weather patterns all over the world.

In the continental United States, the year was the second-warmest on record, punctuated by a December that was both the hottest and the wettest since record-keeping began. One result has been a wave of unusual winter floods coursing down the Mississippi River watershed.

Scientists started predicting a global temperature record months ago, in part because an El Niño weather pattern, one of the largest in a century, is dumping an immense amount of heat from the Pacific Ocean into the atmosphere. But the bulk of the record-setting heat, they say, is a consequence of the long-term planetary warming caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases.

For Better Relationships, Know Your Deal Breakers

What’s your relationship deal breaker? Bad manners? Selfishness? Someone who refers to herself using the “royal we”?

Most folks will admit to having a list of specific negative qualities that make them reconsider a relationship with a potential mate. But now new research shows that people give more weight to these deal breakers than they do to the deal makers, or positive qualities, they hope to find in a person.

Think of it as the relationship version of the economic loss-aversion theory, which holds that people prioritize avoiding risk over acquiring gains. In mating, people pay more attention to what’s wrong with a would-be partner than what is right.

In a series of six studies published together online in October in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, researchers... discovered that women have more deal breakers than men.

More from the Wall Street Journal.

Auckland, New Zealand is more diverse than London and New York

From the New Zealand Herald:

Auckland is one of the world's most culturally diverse cities with the fourth most foreign-born population, an international study has found.

With 39 per cent of its population born overseas, the city is revealed to be more diverse than Sydney, Los Angeles, London and even New York.

The 2015 World Migration Report from the International Organisation for Migration looks at how international migrants and migration were shaping cities.

Only Dubai, Brussels, where foreign born residents outnumber local born, and Toronto are ranked as cities with more overseas-born people than Auckland.

Spatial Distribution of Net International Migration

This map shows the states' share of the estimated U.S. net international migration for the period 2010-15, which may be of some use in your accumulated knowledge about migrants. Note this is from the cumulative total table 4 of the Population Estimates Vintage 2015.

Note that the four states with the largest population are also the four states with the largest share of immigrants.

The map was designed by Joe Douglas Francis at Cornell University.

First 2012 Economic Census Subject Series Reports for Three Sectors

The Census Bureau today released the first three reports from its 2012 Economic Census Subject Series on establishment and firm size. These reports also represent the first Subject Series reports for three sectors. These reports present national data at the two through seven-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) level for both establishments and firms. They contain statistics on receipts/revenue/sales, payroll, and employment by various categories. 

For establishments, the categories are receipts/revenue/sales size, employment size, and legal form of organization. For firms, the categories are receipts/revenue/sales size, employment size, concentration by largest firms, and number of establishments operated (single units and multiunits).

A separate report was released for each of the following sectors:

—  Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services — Reports for this sector will be released on a flow basis through June 2016. The topics will range from product lines to class of customer.

— Information — Reports for this sector will be released on a flow basis through June 2016. The topics will range from product lines to exported services.

— Accommodation and Food Services — Reports for this sector will be released on a flow basis through March 2016. The topics will range from product lines to average cost per meal.

The 2012 Economic Census Manufacturing Summary and Subject Series concluded in August 2015,which represented the first reports in the Subject Series. These reports included data on materials, products, location of plants, and concentration ratios.

Tracking Income Equity: Use of the Gini Index 2006-2014

With the ACS, income inequity can now been seen longitudinally. The main measure of income inequality available through the census is the use of the Gini Index. The Gini Index is a summary measure of income inequality. As an index, it only has a value of between 0 and 1. A value of "0" would mean that every household had the same exact income; a value of "1" would mean that income was concentrated solely in a single household.

The index does NOT speak about the absolute levels of income - in other words, it doesn't measure how much income exists in a household. It measures the relative distribution of income across all households in an area. So when one area has a higher Gini index than another, nothing can be said about the income levels between the areas. Rather, it would tell you about the distribution of incomes within both areas.

That being understood, what are the regional, state and nation Gini levels over the last decade or so?


More from Herkimer and Oneida Counties Census Data Affiliate

New Area Code — 332 — for Manhattan Announced

The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) announced on December 1, 2015 that a new area code has been assigned to Manhattan. The new area code — 332 — is needed to meet the increasing demand for residential and business phone numbers in Manhattan. The telephone companies are required to file an implementation plan by mid-January. It is expected that the new area code will be assigned to new telephone customers starting in the second quarter of 2017.

“The need for a new area code points to a thriving telecommunications market and growing population overall in New York City,” said Commission Chair Audrey Zibelman. “Creating a new area
code will allow telephone companies to accommodate consumer demand and expand the use of wireless technologies.”

Orthodox Union Certifies Medical Marijuana Products, Deem Their Use a ‘Mitzvah’

In July 2014, five companies were awarded licenses by the New York State Health Department to grow and sell marijuana in the state, and in New York City. One of them, a Minneapolis-based company called Vireo Health, which produces “pharmaceutical-grade cannabis-derived medicine,” announced Wednesday that all of its products had received kosher certification from the Orthodox Union. Vireo’s pot products—intended by law for use by patients who suffer from a variety of serious illnesses, including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and HIV/AIDS, among many others—are apparently the first to have the “OU” trademark attached to it.

That kief, intended to alleviate pain and suffering? It’s kosher. Apparently it’s a mitzvah, too.

More from Tablet magazazine.

Health care and social assistance to have largest share of total employment by 2024

The health care and social assistance industry is projected to increase its share of total wage and salary employment to 14.5 percent by 2024, up from 12.8 percent in 2014 and 10.8 percent in 2004. The share of employment represented by professional and business services is also projected to increase, rising from 12.3 percent in 2004 and 13.5 percent in 2014 to 13.9 percent in 2024.

The share of total wage and salary employment represented by manufacturing is projected to decline in the coming period, falling from 10.7 percent in 2004 and 8.6 percent in 2014 to 7.6 percent in 2024. The decline in manufacturing’s employment share is the largest of any industry sector for the 2014–24 period.

More from the the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

People who are not in the labor force: why aren't they working?

People who are neither working nor looking for work are counted as “not in the labor force,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since 2000, the percentage of people in this group has increased. Data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and its Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) provide some insight into why people are not in the labor force. The ASEC is conducted in the months of February through April and includes questions about work and other activities in the previous calendar year.

For example, data collected in 2015 are for the 2014 calendar year, and data collected in 2005 are for the 2004 calendar year.1 In the ASEC, people who did not work at all in the previous year are asked to give the main reason they did not work. Interviewers categorize survey participants’ verbatim responses into the following categories: ill health or disabled; retired;2 home responsibilities; going to school; could not find work;3 and other reasons.

This Beyond the Numbers article examines data on those who were not in the labor force during 2004 and 2014 and the reasons they gave for not working.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Annualized Population Growth 2010-15 map, US by state

The annualized estimates of pop growth for the period 2010-15. Thanks to Joe Francis at Cornell.

The Effects of Lawn Signs on Vote Outcomes

Lawn signs are one of the few campaign tactics deployed by candidates for every level of government in the United States. Inexpensive and relatively easy to deploy, lawn signs are a tactic available to even the most obscure and underfunded candidate for a down-ballot office. Indeed, the efflorescence of roadside lawn signs is often one of the few outward manifestations of a low-salience election.

Although campaign tactics ranging from door-to-door canvassing to robotic phone calls have been evaluated by a vast array of field experiments conducted during the past fifteen years, lawn signs have largely escaped scholarly attention.

Working in collaboration with a congressional candidate, a mayoral candidate, an independent expenditure campaign directed against a gubernatorial candidate, and a candidate for county commissioner, we tested the effects of lawn signs by planting them in randomly selected voting precincts.


More from Science Direct

Women in the labor force: a databook

Over the past 70 years, women’s participation in labor force activities has greatly expanded. Immediately following World War II, less than one-third of women were in the labor force. However, women soon began to participate in greater numbers, and their labor force participation rose rapidly from the 1960s through the 1980s before slowing in the 1990s.

Women reached the peak of their labor force participation in 1999, with a rate of 60.0 percent. Since then, labor force participation among women has declined, to 57.0 percent in 2014, which is still relatively high by historical standards.

More from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Sesame Street for Military Families: A New Site

Young children are not immune to the stresses of military family life. If you have a preschooler, you know that relocations and deployments can be hard on the little ones.

The new Sesame Street for Military Families site can help youngsters through these times. With videos and activities for the kids and tips for the parents, the site and mobile apps take on the challenges—including injury and even death of a parent—with the special comfort that Elmo and Friends provide.

North Carolina Becomes 9th State With 10 Million or More People

By adding an average of 281 people per day during the last year, North Carolina’s population crossed the 10 million mark, making the state the ninth in that category, according to U.S. Census Bureau state population estimates released today.

North Carolina’s population gain over the July 1, 2014, to July 1, 2015, period ranked it behind only Texas, Florida, California, Georgia and Washington.

Notably, Florida added more people than California for the first time in nearly a decade. Florida’s gain of 365,703 people also pushed it past 20 million, becoming the third state to reach that milestone. California continued to be the most populous state on July 1, 2015, with 39.1 million, followed by Texas with 27.5 million.

North Dakota was the nation’s fastest-growing state or equivalent over the last year, for the fourth year in a row. Its population increased 2.3 percent, followed by 1.9 percent growth in Colorado, the District of Columbia and Nevada. Each of the 10 fastest-growing states was in the South or West with the exception of North Dakota.

Seven states lost population between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015: Illinois

“Whatever” Most Annoying Word for Seventh Year

For the seventh consecutive year, “whatever” tops the list as the word or phrase Americans, 43%, consider to be the most annoying. “No offense, but” is a distant second with 22% followed closely by “like” with 20%. Seven percent are irked by “no worries” while 3% consider “huge” to be most irritating.

In last year’s survey, the same proportion, 43%, called “whatever” the most annoying word followed by “like” with 23%. “Literally” received 13% while 10% mentioned “awesome.” Eight percent chose “with all due respect” as the most irritating word or phrase in 2014.

Regardless of age, race, gender, region of residence, income, or level of education, “whatever” is thought to be the most bothersome word in casual conversation today. Of note, Americans in the South, 48%, and Midwest, 46%, are more likely than those in the Northeast, 38%, and in the West, 36%, to dislike the word, “whatever.” African Americans, 54%, are more likely to be annoyed by “whatever, than whites, 41%, or Latinos, 42%.

More from Marist poll. per here.

Follow Santa's Journey!

Are your kids talking non-stop about the big day? Why not turn up the anticipation just a notch with our Tracking Santa on Christmas page? 

We have a Santa Tracking trailer and we link to the official NORAD Santa Tracker website where your kids can view the countdown, listen to some holiday tunes, play games, and so much more!

And remember on December 24th, make sure the kids visit the NORAD site to track Santa as he flies around the world delivering gifts!

Census Bureau Releases 2014 Annual Survey of Manufactures Data

The U.S. Census Bureau today released statistics from three 2014 Annual Survey of Manufactures files: General Statistics for Industry Groups and Industries, Value of Products Shipments and Geographic Area Statistics.

The files show that the U.S. manufacturing sector’s $5.9 trillion in shipments in 2014 were up 1.2 percent, from $5.8 trillion in 2013. Shipments for Kansas climbed 7.1 percent, from $89.2 billion in 2013 to $95.5 billion in 2014.

State highlights include: 

·         Among states and equivalents, manufacturing shipments in 2014 ranged from $0.3 billion in the District of Columbia to $698.7 billion in Texas.

Infographic: A Look at the Mining Sector in the US

A collection of three visualizations presenting data from the 2012 Economic Census Geographic Area Series on the leading mining states. 

The graphs illustrate the states with more than 10,000 mining sector employees, show how mining jobs in these states are distributed by subsector, and compare the value of mining shipments in them before and after the last recession. Among the mining subsectors are oil and gas extraction and support activities. 

Internet address: <http://www.census.gov/library/infographics.html>.

Los Angeles County a Microcosm of Nation’s Diverse Collection of Business Owners

Los Angeles County, Calif., led the nation in the number of Hispanic-, Asian-, and American Indian and Alaska Native-owned firms in 2012, according to estimates released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. It also ranked second in the number of black or African American- and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms (after Cook County, Ill., and Honolulu County, Hawaii, respectively).

Collectively, Los Angeles County was home to 631,218 minority-owned firms: 332,967 Hispanic, 213,203 Asian, 81,563 black or African American, 11,081 American Indian and Alaska Native, and 3,798 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Consequently, with 3.2 percent of the nation’s total population (according to the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2012, population estimates), the county was home to 7.9 percent of its minority-owned businesses in 2012.

The majority of firms in Los Angeles County (55.0 percent) were minority-owned. This includes 29.0 percent Hispanic-owned, 18.6 percent Asian-owned, 7.1 percent black or African American-owned, 1.0 percent owned by American Indians and Alaska Natives, and 0.3 percent Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned.

These findings for Los Angeles County are an example of the local analysis possible using the final, revised statistics from the 2012 Survey of Business Owners released today.

Nationally, today’s findings show the number of minority-owned firms in the U.S. rose from 5.8 million in 2007 to 8.0 million in 2012. This includes a 46.3 percent increase in the number of Hispanic-owned firms over the period, from 2.3 million to 3.3 million, and a 34.5 percent rise in the number of black or African American-owned firms, from 1.9 million to 2.6 million. Additionally, the number of Asian-owned firms climbed from 1.5 million to 1.9 million, an increase of 23.8 percent. For added context, total U.S. firms increased 2.0 percent during the same period, from 27.1 million in 2007 to 27.6 million in 2012.

The 9.9 million women-owned firms in 2012 were up more than 2 million from five years earlier when there were 7.8 million women-owned businesses, a 26.8 percent increase. As a comparison, male-owned firms increased 6.8 percent from 13.9 million to 14.8 million during the same period.

Postal Employee Tipping and Gift-Receiving Policy

From here:

All postal employees, including carriers, must comply with the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. Under these federal regulations, carriers are permitted to accept a gift worth $20 or less from a customer per occasion, such as Christmas.

However, cash and cash equivalents, such as checks or gift cards that can be exchanged for cash, must never be accepted in any amount. Furthermore, no employee may accept more than $50 worth of gifts from any one customer in any one calendar year period.

The U.S. economy to 2024

The U.S. economy continues to heal in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Steadily recovering consumption, investment, and housing assist an improving economy, whereas structural factors, such as an aging population, limit the prospects for more rapid growth over the coming decade. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that growth will continue, but at a slower rate than that seen before the onset of the 2007–09 recession.

The United States is now more than 6 years into a recovery characterized by slow growth in gross domestic product (GDP), a declining labor force participation rate, low inflation, and disappointing productivity gains. From 2010 to 2014, GDP growth averaged just 2.1 percent annually, a much slower rate than the 3.0-percent or higher annual growth experienced in recent decades.

More from Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Reasons for unemployment in November 2015

In November 2015, about 3.9 million people were unemployed because they had lost their jobs involuntarily or had completed temporary jobs. There were 586,000 fewer unemployed job losers in November than a year earlier. There were 2,444,000 unemployed reentrants to the labor force in November 2015, about 317,000 fewer than a year earlier. Reentrants are people who previously worked but were out of the labor force before they began their job search.

There were 843,000 unemployed new entrants to the labor force in November 2015, down 202,000 from a year earlier. These are people who had never worked before they began their job search. There were 800,000 unemployed job leavers in November 2015, about the same as a year earlier. These are people who quit or voluntarily ended their jobs and began searching for a new job.

Bureau of Statistics

Consumer prices for alcoholic beverages since 2003

Whether you're celebrating the holidays at home or out on the town, you may be on tap to treat yourself or your friends to a beer or some other alcoholic beverage. From January 2003 to October 2015, the Consumer Price Index for alcoholic beverages increased 30 percent. Over that period, consumer prices for alcoholic beverages purchased for consumption away from home increased 46 percent, compared with 20 percent for those purchased for consumption at home. Prices for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials increased 20 percent.

Learn more at:BLSupdate

2014 Income and Poverty Estimates for All Counties released by Census Bureau

This week, the Census Bureau released the latest findings from its Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program. The program provides the only up-to-date, single-year income and poverty statistics for all counties and school districts — roughly 3,140 counties and nearly 14,000 school districts nationally.

Tables provide statistics on the number of people in poverty, the number of children younger than age 5 in poverty (for states only), the number of children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty, the number younger than age 18 in poverty, and median household income. At the school district level, estimates are available for the total population, the number of children ages 5 to 17 and the number of children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty.

Type of injury or illness and body parts affected by nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2014

Sprains, strains, or tears were the leading injury or illness in private industry and state and local government in 2014. There were 420,870 of these cases requiring days away from work to recuperate. The incidence rate was 38.9 cases per 10,000 full-time workers, down from 40.2 in 2013. Workers who suffered sprains, strains, or tears needed a median of 10 days away from work, compared to 9 days for all types of injuries or illnesses.

Learn more at:Bplans

The Threat to Representation for Children and Non-Citizens: the Potential Impact of Evenwel v. Abbott on Redistricting

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that could alter the way virtually all legislative districts in the United States are drawn. Set for hearing on December 8, 2015, the case of Evenwel vs. Abbott questions the use of the population equality standard to draw state legislative districts in Texas. The plaintiffs argued for the use of registered voters or potential voters (defined as voting age citizens) instead of the total population in a given district.

On November 5, 2014, the three judge court upheld the population equality standard for use in Texas, but the Supreme Court set the case for argument instead of simply affirming the appellate court opinion. This means that they plan to review the use of the population equality standard to draw districts, and could rule that the appropriate standard counts voters or potential voters instead of total
population. Presented here is an analysis of the impact the case could have on how districts are drawn and constituents are represented.

The population equality standard has been used by most jurisdictions since at least the 1970 redistricting round, so shifting to a standard of voters or potential voters would be a radical change. It would force substantial shifts in many redistricting plans because while the case concerns state legislatures, it could impact how districts from congressional down to city and county are drawn. The change would also have the effect of diminishing the representation of children (those under 18) and non-citizens.

This report assesses the impact of using an eligible voter equality standard on the current congressional and state legislative districts using the same materials that would have been available at the time redistricting was done.

Go to Social Explorer.

Women's earnings compared to men's earnings in 2014

In 2014, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $719. Women’s median earnings were 83 percent of those of male full-time wage and salary workers ($871).
,br> Median weekly earnings for women were highest between the ages of 35 and 64. In 2014, there was little or no difference in the earnings of 35- to 44-year-olds ($781), 45- to 54-year-olds ($780), and 55- to 64-year-olds ($780).

For men, earnings peaked between the ages of 45 and 64, with 45- to 54-year-olds ($1,011) and 55- to 64-year-olds ($1,021) having similar earnings. Young women and men ages 16 to 24 had the lowest earnings ($451 and $493, respectively).

Read more at: BLSupdate

The Growth of "American" as an Ancestral Choice in the ACS

It is interesting to see how the Herkimer/Oneida County response to the question of ancestry has changed over time when looking at those that identified as having a single ancestry - "American". While the area used to be similar to the rest of the state and country, in the last five years it has seen a huge rise regionally in the percent of people who now say that they are simply "American" when asked about their ancestral past.

More from Herkimer and Oneida Counties Census Data Affiliate.

Here are counties with single year ACS data…ordered by % saying AMERICAN…


Madison County, New York 42,638 20,671 48.5%
Chemung County, New York 49,475 16,284 32.9%
Oneida County, New York 134,037 36,384 27.1%
Niagara County, New York 120,241 30,586 25.4%
Steuben County, New York 47,596 11,394 23.9%
Orange County, New York 226,108 48,854 21.6%
Tompkins County, New York 52,753 11,053 21.0%
Oswego County, New York 49,703 9,984 20.1%
Warren County, New York 28,849 4,475 15.5%
Ontario County, New York 50,787 6,216 12.2%
Cattaraugus County, New York 35,854 4,255 11.9%
St. Lawrence County, New York 52,168 5,754 11.0%
Sullivan County, New York 37,400 3,943 10.5%
Broome County, New York 83,176 7,833 9.4%
Albany County, New York 158,430 14,408 9.1%
Chautauqua County, New York 57,055 5,179 9.1%
Saratoga County, New York 93,120 8,007 8.6%
Schenectady County, New York 83,278 7,073 8.5%
Jefferson County, New York 52,942 4,481 8.5%
Cayuga County, New York 34,603 2,674 7.7%
Dutchess County, New York 142,205 9,916 7.0%
Onondaga County, New York 225,269 15,547 6.9%
Rensselaer County, New York 61,427 3,882 6.3%
Rockland County, New York 212,269 13,032 6.1%
Monroe County, New York 406,058 24,249 6.0%
Nassau County, New York 836,135 47,256 5.7%
Suffolk County, New York 850,838 47,395 5.6%
New York County, New York 1,070,770 53,578 5.0%
Kings County, New York 1,955,952 95,355 4.9%
Ulster County, New York 84,629 4,114 4.9%
Westchester County, New York 652,524 31,059 4.8%
Erie County, New York 484,137 19,753 4.1%
Queens County, New York 1,774,242 69,328 3.9%
Richmond County, New York 310,984 9,617 3.1%
Bronx County, New York 1,191,498 19,991 1.7%

Learn To Manage Emotional Distress

Television or Internet coverage of upsetting events like natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or mass shootings can affect our sense of order and safety. It may even impact those with no personal connection to the situation.

If you have kids, learning how to put the news in proper context and addressing their concerns can help them understand the situation and reduce distress.

Find out who is most at risk of emotional distress from incidents of mass violence and where to find help. If you are in emotional distress caused by recent events or know someone who is, seek help by calling the Disaster Distress Hotline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.