Median Household Income Stable in November 2016

Median household income in November 2016 stood at $58,221, according to Sentier Research. This was greater, but not significantly so, than the October 2016 median, after adjusting for inflation. The November 2016 median was 0.7 percent higher than the November 2015 median and 10.1 percent above the $52,870 median of August 2011, which was the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"Median annual household income in 2016 has not been able to maintain the momentum that it achieved during 2015," says Sentier's Gordon Green. But he notes, "real median income has increased by 1.2 percent from May 2016." Sentier's median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey.

Median household income in November 2016 was 2.7 percent higher than the median of June 2009, which marked the end of the Great Recession. It was 0.9 percent higher than the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. The November 2016 median was still 0.3 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for November was 99.7 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: November 2016

The Housing Stock is Aging

The nation's housing stock is aging. In 2015, the average household occupied a housing unit with a median age of 39 (built in 1976), according to the American Housing Survey. This is more than twice the median age of housing in 1975 (median age of 18, built in 1957).

The youth of the housing stock in 1975 was a consequence of the postwar baby boom, which was also a building boom providing a fresh supply of housing for a rapidly expanding and increasingly affluent population. In the following four decades, new housing has been a shrinking share of the total housing stock. Because of the aging of the housing stock, it will be many more years before new building technologies are a part of the average American home. But there's a silver lining—growing opportunities for renovation and building upgrades.

Occupied housing units: median year built (and age of average structure)

2015: 1976 (39 years)

2005: 1973 (32 years)

1995: 1967 (28 years)

1985: 1962 (23 years)

1975: 1957 (18 years)

Source: Census Bureau, American Housing Survey

Medicare Is the Best Health Insurance

Americans with Medicare coverage, the government's single-payer health insurance program for people aged 65 or older, rate their health care much more highly than everyone else. Among adults of all ages who have been to a health care provider in the past year, just over half (53 percent) give the quality of the care they received the highest rating—a 9 or 10 on a scale of 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest). Among people aged 65 or older, a much larger two-thirds give their health care the highest rating...

Percent rating their health care a 9 or 10 by age
Aged 18 to 44: 45.8%
Aged 45 to 64: 53.4%
Aged 65-plus: 64.6%

By type of health insurance, the results are the same. Those on Medicare are by far the ones most satisfied with the health care they receive...

Percent rating their health care a 9 or 10 by type of health insurance
Under age 65, uninsured: 40.4%
Under age 65, public only: 41.4%
Under age 65, any private: 52.1%
Aged 65-plus, Medicare only: 65.9%
Aged 65-plus, Medicare and private: 66.1%

Source: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2014 Quality of Care Tables

States with Minority Majority Births

Nearly half (46 percent) of American babies are born to Asian, Black, Hispanic, or American Indian mothers. In 11 states and DC, minorities account for the majority of births...

Percent of births to Asians, Blacks, Hispanics or other minorities
Arizona: 55.6%
California: 71.3%
District of Columbia: 68.8%
Florida: 54.2%
Georgia: 54.1%
Hawaii: 73.7%
Maryland: 55.1%
Nevada: 57.8%
New Jersey: 53.3%
New Mexico: 72.3%
New York: 51.4%
Texas: 64.7%

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Birth Data, Births: Final Data for 2014

Population Growth by Region, 2010 to 2016

Long-term regional growth patterns continue, according to the Census Bureau's latest population estimates. The South and West are growing faster than the Northeast and Midwest and account for an expanding majority of the population—61.6 percent of the 323 million U.S. residents lived in the South and West on July 1, 2016, up from 60.4 percent in 2010.

US population by region (and percent change 2010–16)
Northeast: 56 million, 17.4 percent of the total (1.5%)
Midwest: 68 million, 21.0 percent of the total (1.4%)
South: 122 million, 37.9 percent of the total (6.5%)
West: 77 million, 23.7 percent of the total (6.3%)

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates

Shopping with a Cellphone

Most Americans, regardless of age, are online shoppers. Overall, 79 percent of adults have ever bought something online, according to a Pew survey. The figure ranges from a high of 90 percent among 18-to-29-year-olds to a low of 59 percent among those aged 65-plus.

Less common is using a cellphone to shop online. Nevertheless, the 51 percent majority of Americans have shopped with a cellphone, reports Pew. Adults under age 50 are far more likely than those aged 50 or older to use their cellphone to shop online.

Percent who have ever used their cellphone to buy something online
Aged 18 to 29: 77%
Aged 30 to 49: 64%
Aged 50 to 64: 36%
Aged 65-plus: 17%

Source: Pew Research Center, Online Shopping and E-Commerce

Death Certificates Reveal Drugs Involved in Overdoses

The experts are alarmed. The rapid rise in drug overdose deaths has revealed a shortcoming in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. The ICD–10, as it is dubbed, is the system used to classify causes of death. But for overdose deaths, the ICD-10 lumps a variety of drugs into just a few categories, making it nearly impossible to single out the troublemakers.

To solve this problem, the National Center for Health Statistics and the Food and Drug administration developed a method to analyze the "literal text" (literally, the text) on death certificates to tease out specific drug mentions. It worked, and here are some of the findings...

• Between 2010 and 2014, drug deaths grew 23 percent—from 38,329 to 47,055. 
• The percentage of overdose deaths that specified at least one drug on the death certificate climbed from 67 to 78 percent between 2010 and 2014.
• Heroin was the top drug mentioned in overdose deaths in 2014, accounting for 23 percent of the total. Cocaine was second and oxycodone third. 
• The number of heroin overdose deaths more than tripled between 2010 and 2014, rising from 3,020 to 10,863.
• Among overdose deaths with a drug mention, 52 percent mentioned only one drug and 48 percent mentioned two or more. The average was 1.9.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Drugs Most Frequently Involved in Drug Overdose Deaths: United States, 2010–2014

North Dakota's Reversal of Fortune

North Dakota is experiencing a reversal of fortune. It had been the nation's fastest growing state thanks to the oil boom. Between 2010 and 2015, its population grew 12.2 percent, far outpacing other fast-growing states such as Texas (8.7 percent), Nevada (6.7 percent), and Utah (7.8 percent). But between 2015 and 2016, North Dakota's population came to a screeching halt. Well, almost. The state registered a minuscule 0.1 percent population gain as falling oil prices turned its net domestic migration from a plus to a minus—North Dakota lost 6,259 residents to other states.

North Dakota is not alone in losing the domestic migration sweepstakes. Most (31) states lost more domestic migrants than they gained between 2015 and 2016. The five biggest losers were New York, Illinois, Connecticut, North Dakota, and New Jersey. At the other extreme, the five biggest winners were Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Florida, and South Carolina.

Utah had the 10th highest rate of net domestic migration, but that's not the only reason it became the fastest-growing state in 2015-16. Another reason is Utah's high rate of natural increase (births minus deaths), triple the national average.

Fastest growing states, July 2015 to July 2016 (percent increase)
Utah: 2.03
Nevada: 1.95
Idaho: 1.83
Florida: 1.82
Washington: 1.78
Oregon: 1.71
Colorado: 1.68
Arizona: 1.66
District of Columbia: 1.61
Texas: 1.58

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates

Generation Gap in Attitudes toward Environment

The 59 percent majority of Americans think "stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost," according to a Pew Research Center survey. Only 34 percent say laws and regulations "cost too many jobs and hurt economy." Young adults are most likely to support environmental regulation...

Environmental regulations are worth the cost
Aged 18 to 29: 70%
Aged 30 to 49: 63%
Aged 50 to 64: 53%
Aged 65-plus: 47%

Source: Pew Research Center, Most Americans Favor Stricter Environmental Laws and Regulations

Trends in Surnames

By now you've probably heard the news: Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, and Jones are the five most common last names in the United States, according to a Census Bureau analysis of 2010 census data. The same five surnames were at the top in 2000 as well. The Census Bureau surname project also found...

• Americans reported 6.3 million surnames on the 2010 census
• Eleven surnames were reported by more than 1 million people—the five listed above, followed by Garcia, Miller, Davis, Rodriguez, Martinez, and Hernandez. 
• The 62 percent majority of surnames were reported only once.
• A quarter of Hispanics share just 26 surnames.
• 87 percent of those with the surname Washington are Black. 
• 98 percent of those with the surname Yoder are non-Hispanic White.

If you think these facts are fascinating, there's much more. Visit this Census Bureau site, and download the Excel table, "Surnames Occurring 100 or more Times." The table lists all 160,000-plus surnames reported on the 2010 census by at least 100 respondents, the number reporting each surname, its rank, and the race and Hispanic origin distribution of those with the name. Check out your own name, your friends' names, or names in the news. "Trump," for example, is the 8,484 most common surname, reported by 3,886 census respondents in 2010. Among those with the name Trump, 95.6 percent are non-Hispanic White. Clinton is the 2,242 most popular name, reported by 16,263 respondents, 65 percent of whom are non-Hispanic White and 27 percent of whom are Black. Hours of fun!

Source: Census Bureau, What's in a Name

Trajectory of the American Dream

Probability that children born into the average American household would make more money than their parents, by birth year...

Born in 1940: 92%
Born in 1950: 79%
Born in 1960: 62%
Born in 1970: 61%
Born in 1980: 50%

To obtain the study, download The Fading American Dream: Trends in Absolute Income Mobility Since 1940, National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper #22910 ($5). For an analysis of the study's findings, see the New York Times op-ed, The American Dream, Quantified at Last.

Older Americans Are Adopting Wearable Devices

Overall, 11 percent of people aged 50 or older own a wearable device such as a Fitbit or Apple Watch, according to an AARP survey. "Adoption among all age groups is expected to grow," notes AARP in its technology report. Here is ownership among the 50-plus by age...

Own a wearable device
Aged 50 to 59: 19%
Aged 60 to 69: 10%
Aged 70-plus: 3%

Source: AARP, 2016 Technology Trends among Mid-Life and Older Americans

Whites without Degree Think They're Losing Ground

Non-Hispanic whites without a college degree feel like losers, according to the results of the General Social Survey. When asked the question, "Compared with American families in general, would you say your family income is below average, average, or above average?" here's what non-Hispanic whites without a bachelor's degree had to say in 2014 (the latest data available) and how that has changed since 2000...

• One-third (33%) of non-Hispanic whites without a bachelor's degree said their family income was below average relative to American families in general, up from 24% who felt that way in 2000. 
• Barely half (50.4%) said their family income was average relative to other families. A larger 54% felt that way in 2000.
• Only 17% of non-Hispanic whites without a bachelor's degree said their family income was above average, compared with a larger 22% who felt that way in 2000.

Non-Hispanic whites with a bachelor's degree do not share these anxieties. The 52 percent majority of college-educated non-Hispanic whites said their family income in 2014 was above average relative to others, up from 48 percent who felt that way in 2000.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the General Social Survey

The Male Employment Crisis

The male employment crisis—defined as relatively low rates of labor force participation among men of prime working age (25 to 54)—is occurring at both extremes of the rural-urban continuum, finds an analysis by the Brookings Institution. The labor force participation rate of men aged 25 to 54 is below average in the nation's largest cities at the one extreme and in small metros, towns, and rural areas at the other extreme.

The good news is the crisis seems to be diminishing in the nation's largest cities, where the labor force participation rate of prime age men grew 2 percentage points between 2000 and 2010–14. The bad news is the crisis is worsening in small towns and rural areas. The labor force participation rate of prime age men fell 4.8 percentage points in small towns and 5.4 percentage points in rural areas between 2000 and 2010–14. "This suggests that a community's level of urbanization was closely related to employment outcomes for prime-aged male workers," says Alan Berube of the Brookings Institution and the study's author.

"The past 10–15 years have strengthened the economic hand of many cities," he explains, "raising demand for workers in such places, even for those with lower levels of formal skills, drawing them into jobs at increased rates." But, he says, "those same dynamics have simultaneously disadvantaged many small towns and rural areas." Can small places succeed? The answer may be no: "Efforts to bring jobs back to small-town America seem likely to face an uphill battle against market forces that have put jobs further out of reach for many of their residents."

Source: Brookings Institution, America's Male Employment Crisis is both Urban and Rural

Life Expectancy Falls in 2015

Life expectancy at birth in the United States fell by 0.1 year in 2015—to 78.8 years. This seemingly small decline is a big deal and troubling for two reasons. One, a decline in life expectancy does not happen very often. The 2015 decline was the first since 1993, and the 1993 decline was the first since 1980. Two, unlike the 1993 decline in life expectancy—a consequence of HIV's rapid rise to become the 8th leading cause of death—the reason for the 2015 decline is not clear.

That's because there are many reasons. The age-adjusted death rate increased significantly in 2015 for fully 8 of the top 10 causes of death: heart disease, chronic lower respiratory disease, unintentional injuries, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and suicide. The death rate increased for non-Hispanic Whites (males and females) and non-Hispanic Black males. The death rate was unchanged for non-Hispanic Black females and for Hispanics (males and females).

While the National Center for Health Statistics' report does not shed much light on the significance of the life expectancy decline, a New York Times story does, quoting  professor of health policy and management at Columbia University, Dr. Peter Muennig, who tells the Times, "a 0.1 decrease is huge."

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Mortality in the United States, 2015

How Many Americans Are Foodies?

A Pew Research Center survey of the public's attitudes toward food may have revealed how many Americans are foodies. According to Wikipedia, "a foodie is a person who seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out of convenience or hunger."

Pew revealed the size of the foodie population by asking respondents how well a series of four statements described their eating habits. The statements are...

• I focus on the taste sensations of every meal.
• My main focus is on eating healthy and nutritious.
• I usually eat whatever is easy and most convenient.
• I eat when necessary but don't care very much about what I eat. 

Twenty-three percent of Americans say the statement "I focus on the taste sensations of every meal" describes them "very well." Those are the foodies.

Source: Pew Research Center, New Food Fights: U.S. Public Divides Over Food Science

Throwing A Wrench into the ACA

If Republicans partially repeal the Affordable Care Act early in 2017 through a reconciliation bill, then the following critical elements of the ACA would disappear: Medicaid expansion, financial assistance for Marketplace coverage, and individual and employer mandates. An Urban Institute study takes a look at the consequences of eliminating these provisions from the ACA with no alternative plan in place...

• The number of uninsured Americans will more than double: Partial repeal would raise the number of uninsured in 2019 to 58.7 million versus 28.9 million under the ACA.
• More than one in five Americans under age 65 will be uninsured: Partial repeal would raise the percentage of people under age 65 without health insurance to 21 percent in 2019 versus 11 percent under the ACA.
• The majority of those losing insurance will be the white working class: 56 percent of the newly uninsured will be non-Hispanic white, 80 percent will not have a college degree, and 82 percent will be in working families. 

"This scenario does not just move the country back to the situation before the ACA," warns the Urban Institute. "It moves the country to a situation with higher uninsurance rates than before the ACA reforms."

Source: Urban Institute, Implications of Partial Repeal of the ACA through Reconciliation

Neither Spouse Works: 19% of Couples

The percentage of couples in which neither husband nor wife is in the labor force grew to a record high of 18.9 percent in 2016, according to Census Bureau data. Behind the increase is the retirement of the baby-boom generation.

Labor force status of married couples in 2016
Husband and wife in labor force: 51.3%
Husband only in labor force: 22.2%
Neither spouse in labor force: 18.9%
Wife only in labor force: 7.6%

Source: Census Bureau, America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2016

One in Four Americans Is First or Second Generation

Nearly 25 percent of Americans are first or second generation, according to the Census Bureau. The bureau defines "first generation" as the foreign born, "second generation" as those with at least one foreign-born parent, and "third generation" as those with two native-born parents. Here's how the U.S. population splits by generation...

Generational status of U.S. population
12.9% first generation
11.7% second generation
75.4% third-or-higher generation

Among non-Hispanics, 84 percent are third-or-higher generation. In contrast, Hispanics are almost evenly split by generation...

Generational status of Hispanic population
34.9% first generation
31.5% second generation
33.6% third-or-higher generation

The report examines the demographics of the generations, including educational attainment, labor force status, income and earnings, homeownership, and voting.

Source: Census Bureau, Characteristics of the U.S. Population by Generational Status: 2013

New Survey of Occupational Requirements

There's a new survey in town: the Occupational Requirements Survey, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides information about the physical demands, environmental conditions, education, training, and mental requirements of occupations in the United States. Here are some of the survey's first findings for all workers (and workers in specific occupations)...

• Workers at the average job spend 4.4 hours standing or walking (construction workers spend an average of 7 hours standing or walking).
• Workers at the average job spend 3.0 hours sitting.
• 48 percent of jobs require prior work experience (78.5 percent of architecture and engineering jobs require work experience, with an average length of 4.5 years).
• 47 percent of jobs require outdoor work (all landscaping and groundskeeping jobs require outdoor work and 88 percent require working outdoors constantly—defined as at least 67 percent of the work day).
• 31 percent of jobs have no minimum education requirement (the 57 percent majority of transportation and material moving jobs have no minimum requirement).
• 17.5 percent of jobs require at least a bachelor's degree (60 percent of management jobs require at least a bachelor's degree).  

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirement in the United States—2016

Median Household Income Stable in October 2016

Median household income in October 2016 stood at $57,929. according to Sentier Research, not significantly different from the September 2016 median, after adjusting for inflation. The October 2016 median was 0.6 percent higher than the October 2015 median and 9.8 percent above the $52,764 median of August 2011, which was the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"Median annual household income in 2016 has not been able to maintain the momentum that it achieved during 2015," says Sentier's Gordon Green. Despite the flattening, however, Sentier notes that "there has been a general upward trend in median household income since the post-recession low point reached in August 2011." Sentier's median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey.

Median household income in October 2016 was 2.4 percent higher than the median of June 2009, which marked the end of the Great Recession. It was slightly higher than the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. The October 2016 median was still 0.6 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for October was 99.4 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: October 2016

CPS Redesign Still A Problem

The Employee Benefit Research Institute is still unhappy with the redesigned Current Population Survey. The changes to the CPS questionnaire, introduced to the full sample in 2014, were designed to better capture pension income. That they did, but the changes also resulted in sharp declines in estimated retirement plan participation among workers. The declines are larger than any in the past, notes EBRI, and they are inconsistent with the steady participation recorded by other government surveys.

Last year EBRI examined the problem with the CPS redesign in an analysis of 2014 data (see the Demo Memo post about it here). Now with 2015 data in hand, EBRI finds the problem not only continuing but worsening. Among full-time wage and salary workers aged 21 to 64, the percentage who work for an employer that sponsors a retirement plan fell by a whopping 12 percentage points between 2013 (traditional questions) and 2015 (redesigned questions). Something is wrong with this picture.

Although EBRI admits that pension income estimates are improved by the redesigned CPS, it believes something must be done to improve retirement plan participation estimates. "Currently the U.S. Census Bureau has no plans to revise the CPS," EBRI states. "Rather modest modifications could be made within the CPS questionnaire along the lines of other federal government surveys to improve the retirement plan participation estimates. Until that time, any person or organization using the data or those reading analyses from the data need to be aware of the issues with the data."

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute, Another Year After the Current Population Survey Redesign and More Questions about the Survey's Retirement Plan Participation Estimates

Most Homes Do Not Have Inside Stairs

Most homes in the United States do not have inside stairs (defined as three or more steps), according to the 2015 American Housing Survey. Overall, 49 percent of households have stairs inside the home and 51 percent do not. The figure varies greatly by region...

Percent of households with inside stairs
Northeast: 69%
Midwest: 68%
South: 36%
West: 37%

Source: Census Bureau, 2015 American Housing Survey

Everything You Wanted To Know about Uber Drivers

How many Uber drivers are there? A lot—460,000 as of the end of 2015 (defined as those who have provided four or more Uber trips in the past month). How much do they make? They earn an average of $19/hour. Why do they drive? They partner with Uber not only to earn extra money (91 percent) but also to have more flexibility in balancing work and family (85 percent). Those are just a few of the findings presented in a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper by Uber's Jonathan V. Hall and Princeton economist Alan B. Krueger.

Analyzing Uber's administrative records and two surveys of drivers, Hall and Krueger examine the characteristics of the rapidly growing ranks of Americans who have partnered with Uber. The authors offer this eyebrow-raising perspective on Uber's rapid growth: "The number of active Uber driver-partners approximately doubled every six months from the middle of 2012 to the end of 2015. At this growth rate, every American would be an Uber driver within five years."

Why are we so eager to drive for Uber? In a word, flexibility. The great majority of drivers say Uber has made their lives better by giving them more control over their schedule. Most drivers work only 1 to 15 hours a week (two-thirds of drivers have another full- or part-time job), and their hours vary greatly from week to week. Fully 65 percent of drivers report driving 25 percent more or 25 percent less in the current week than they drove in the previous week.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, An Analysis of the Labor Market for Uber's Driver-Partners in the United States, Working Paper #22843 ($5)

How Many Households Are Home to the Disabled?

A substantial 22 percent of American households include someone with a disability, according to the 2015 American Housing Survey. The percentage of households with a disabled member rises from just 8 percent of households headed by people under age 35 to the 55 percent majority of households headed by people aged 75 or older...

Percentage of households with a disabled member
Total households: 22.2%
Under age 35: 7.8%
Aged 35 to 44: 11.3%
Aged 45 to 54: 16.9%
Aged 55 to 64: 25.7%
Aged 65 to 74: 33.9%
Aged 75-plus: 55.2%

Source: Census Bureau, 2015 American Housing Survey

Importance of Living Near Arts and Culture

More than one-third of American households say it is important for them to live near arts and cultural events. The importance of proximity varies greatly by educational attainment of householder...

Percent saying it is important to live near arts and cultural events
Total households: 37%
Less than high school: 28%
High school graduate: 30%
Associate's degree: 36%
Bachelor's degree: 47%
Graduate degree: 55%

Source: Census Bureau, 2015 American Housing Survey

Time Use Is Different on Thanksgiving

The intrepid researchers at the USDA's Economic Research Service analyzed more than a decade of data from the American Time Use survey to zero in on a single day—Thanksgiving. Then they compared time use on Thanksgiving with time use on an average weekend day...

Food preparation and cleanup
Thanksgiving: 128 minutes
Average weekend day: 34 minutes

Eating and drinking
Thanksgiving: 89 minutes
Average weekend day: 71 minutes

Socializing
Thanksgiving: 148 minutes
Average weekend day: 64 minutes

Watching television/movies
Thanksgiving: 209
Average weekend day: 192

Shopping
Thanksgiving: 17 minutes
Average weekend day: 34 minutes

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Yes, Thanksgiving Really Is a Day of Cooking

123 Million Home Improvement Projects

American homeowners tackled 123 million home improvement projects in the past two years, according to the 2015 American Housing Survey. The 62 percent majority of projects were done by professionals (median expense $2,000) and 38 percent were do-it-yourselfers (median expense $600). These are the 10 most common projects and their median expense...

Number of professional home improvement projects (and median expense)
1. Water heater/dishwasher/disposal: 9.3 million ($700)
2. HVAC: 8.9 million ($3,400)
3. Flooring/carpeting: 7.2 million ($2,246)
4. Roofing: 6.6 million ($6,000)
5. Windows/doors: 5.6 million ($2,000)
6. Plumbing: 4.3 million ($525)
7. Bath remodel: 3.4 million ($5,000)
8. Electrical: 3.2 million ($900)
9. Security system: 2.9 million ($300)
10. Driveways/walkways: 2.7 million ($2,000)

Number of do-it-yourself home improvement projects (and median expense)
1. Water heater/dishwasher/disposal: 6.5 million ($400)
2. Flooring/carpeting: 4.8 million ($800)
3. Plumbing: 4.8 million ($250)
4. Landscaping/sprinkler systems: 3.6 million ($500)
5. Bath remodel: 3.1 million ($1,500)
6. Windows/doors: 3.1 million ($600)
7. Kitchen remodel: 2.1 million ($3,000)
8. Fencing/walls: 2.1 million($600)
9. Electrical: 1.8 million ($240)
10. Insulation: 1.7 million ($400)

Source: Census Bureau, 2015 American Housing Survey

Steep Decline in Households with Children

In 2016, only 27.6 percent of the nation's households included children under age 18, according to the Census Bureau. Not only is this a record low, but it is more than 21 percentage points (!) lower than the 48.7 percent of 1960.

Households with own children under age 18
2016: 27.6%
2010: 30.0%
2000: 33.0%
1990: 34.6%
1980: 38.4%
1970: 45.4%
1960: 48.7%

Source: Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements

Who Gets Hurt Playing Sports?

More than 8.5 million Americans aged 5 or older are injured each year while playing sports or participating in recreational activities, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. These are not minor bumps and bruises but medically attended injuries affecting a substantial 3.4 percent of the population.

• The 61% majority of the injured are male.
• Most of the injured are aged 5 to 14 (37%) or 15 to 24 (28%).
• Most injuries occur at school (23%) or sport facility/athletic field/playground (35%).
• Among males, the three most common activities causing injury are football (12%), basketball (12%), and aerobics/exercising/weight training (8%).
• Among females, the three most common activities causing injury are gymnastics/cheerleading (11%), aerobics/exercising/weight training (8%), and cycling (7%).
• Falling is the most common cause of injury (28%), followed by overexertion (17%).
• Sprains/strains are the most common injury (41%), followed by fractures (20%).

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Statistics Reports, Sports- and Recreation-Related Injury Episodes in the United States, 2011-2014

New Record High Median Age at First Marriage

Young adults are waiting longer than ever to marry. The median age at first marriage climbed to yet another record high in 2016, according to the Census Bureau. Men and women are marrying at an older age than ever before based on data going back to 1890. Here is how the median age at first marriage has grown since 2000...

Women: median age at first marriage
2016: 27.4
2015: 27.1
2010: 26.1
2005: 25.3
2000: 25.1

Men: median age at first marriage
2016: 29.5
2015: 29.2
2010: 28.2
2005: 27.1
2000: 26.8

Source: Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements—Marital Status

24% Earn Money in Gig Economy

Nearly one in four American adults earned money in the digital commerce ("gig") economy in the past year, according to a Pew Research Center survey: 18 percent earned money by selling goods online (such as Ebay), 8 percent earned money by selling their labor through a digital platform (such as Uber), and 1 percent rented out their property on a home-sharing site (such as Airbnb).

Percent earning money in past year by selling goods online
Aged 18 to 29: 23%
Aged 30 to 49: 27%
Aged 50 to 64: 12%
Aged 65-plus: 7%

Percent earning money in past year by selling labor through digital platform
Aged 18 to 29: 16%
Aged 30 to 49: 10%
Aged 50 to 64: 4%
Aged 65-plus: 2%

Among those participating in digital commerce, the importance of gig earnings varies greatly. The 56 percent majority of those who earned money by selling their labor through a digital platform say their earnings are important or essential. Among those who earned money by selling goods online, the figure was only 20 percent.

Source: Pew Research Center, Gig Work, Online Selling and Home Sharing

Mobility Rate Hits New Low in 2015–16

The geographic mobility rate fell to a new all-time low in 2015–16, according to the Census Bureau. Only 11.2 percent of U.S. residents aged 1 or older as of March 2016 had moved in the previous 12 months. This rate is is well below the previous low of 11.5 percent recorded in 2013–14. Behind the decline is a fairly large drop in the percentage of renters who moved.

Among people living in owned homes, 5.1 percent moved from one house to another between 2015 and 2016, higher than the all-time low of 4.7 percent in 2010–11. Among people living in rented homes, the mobility rate fell to an all-time low of 22.9 percent in 2015–16.

Mobility rate of total U.S. residents
2015–16: 11.2% (all-time low)
2010–11: 11.6%
2000–01: 14.2%

Mobility rate of people in owner-occupied homes
2015–16: 5.1%
2010–11: 4.7% (all-time low)
2000–01: 7.4%

Mobility rate of people in renter-occupied homes
2015–16: 22.9% (all-time low)
2010–11: 26.1%
2000–01: 30.3%

Source: Census Bureau, CPS Historical Migration/Geographic Mobility Tables

Back to the 1950s: One Explanation for the Election

If there is any explanation for this year's election result, it may be this: the rising economic power of women and resistance by men (and women) who want to go back to the way things used to be. The nostalgic are legion. According to PRRI's 2016 American Values Survey, the 51 percent majority of the public thinks American culture and way of life have mostly changed for the worse since the 1950s—including 56 percent of whites, 57 percent of people aged 65 or older, and 68 percent of Republicans. One of the defining characteristics of the 1950s, of course, was women's economic dependence on men. Today, men are increasingly dependent on women, as documented in these income trends since 2000...

• Even before the Great Recession, men's incomes were on the decline: Men's median income fell 2.7 percent between 2000 and 2007, after adjusting for inflation. Women's median income climbed 8.2 percent during those years. 
• The Great Recession hurt both men and women: The median income of men and women fell 6 percent between 2007 and 2013.
• But women are recovering much faster: Women's median income grew three times faster than men's between 2014 and 2015—a 6.8 percent increase for women versus a 2.2 percent increase for men. 
• Women are gaining relative to men: In 2015, the median income of women was 64 percent as high as the median income of men, up from 57 percent in 2000 and a record high. Among full-time workers, women's median earnings were 80 percent as high as men's in 2015, up from 73 percent in 2000 and a record high. Among dual-income couples, the percentage of wives who earn more than their husbands climbed from 23 percent in 2000 to 29 percent in 2015, just 0.1 percentage point shy of 2013's record high.

According to PRRI's survey, a substantial 47 percent of all men and 32 percent of all women disagree that the country would be better off if we had more women in political office. Among Republicans, fully 62 percent disagree—including the majority of Republican women. A vote against the female presidential candidate was a vote against men's growing economic dependence on women.

Source: PRRI, 2016 American Values Survey, and Census Bureau, Income Data Tables

When Did You Move Into Your House?

This is when, according to the 2015 American Community Survey...

Year householder moved into current house
2000 or later: 71.4%
   2015 or later: 7.4%
   2010–2014: 35.8%
   2000–2009: 28.2%
Before 2000: 28.6%
   1990–1999: 14.0%
   1980–1989: 6.8%
   Before 1980: 7.8%

Source: Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey

Trends in Median Earnings of Men by Education

The Great Recession was devastating to men's earnings. But their earnings were in decline well before the Great Recession, regardless of educational attainment. They hit bottom in 2012.

Percent change in median earnings of men, 2000 to 2012 (in 2015 dollars)
High school graduate only: –14.2%
Some college, no degree: –14.1%
Associate's degree: –11.5%
Bachelor's degree or more: –7.7%

Since 2012, the median earnings of men have grown. Men with no more than a high school diploma are among those who have made the biggest gains.

Percent change in median earnings of men, 2012 to 2015 (in 2015 dollars)
High school graduate only: 2.5%
Some college, no degree: 1.0%
Associate's degree: 0.1%
Bachelor's degree or more: 3.9%

Among non-Hispanic white men, those without a college degree have seen their earnings grow much faster than men with a college degree.

Percent change in median earnings of non-Hispanic white men, 2012 to 2015 (in 2015 dollars)
High school graduate only: 6.6%
Some college, no degree: 6.2%
Associate's degree: 2.5%
Bachelor's degree or more: 3.8%

Source: Census Bureau, Current Population Survey

Average Household Spending on Marijuana

For years, the Consumer Expenditure Survey has listed marijuana among its hundreds of detailed spending categories. And for years, Americans have reported virtually no spending on marijuana—until now.

In 2015, the average household spent $3.57 on marijuana. That doesn't sound like much, but it's an average and includes both marijuana buyers and those who would never in their wildest dreams purchase marijuana. The $3.57 spent by the average household on marijuana is about what the average household spends on everyday products and services such as artificial sweeteners, towing charges, and decorative pillows.

Households headed by young adults—people under age 30—spent an average of $20.04 on marijuana in 2015, more than five times the average. Households headed by people aged 30 or older spent much less—an average of 75 cents. Young adults spent more on marijuana than they spent on books or newspapers. Their spending on marijuana was almost equal to their spending on video game software.

These estimates are based on the tiny fraction of households that reported spending on marijuana during an average week of 2015. Consequently, the numbers should be taken with a big grain of salt. But as a growing number of states legalize the recreational use of marijuana, we could see marijuana spending become as common as spending on tobacco or alcohol.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2015 Consumer Expenditure Survey

Gen Xers Spend the Most

Who are the biggest spenders—Millennials, Gen Xers, or Boomers? The answer: Gen Xers, of course, because they're in their peak earning years and have the highest incomes. In 2015, Gen X households spent $66,981, Boomer households $59,646, and Millennials $47,113, according to the Consumer Expenditure Survey. But Millennial and Boomer households spend more than Gen X households on a number of categories, including these...

Millennials spend more than Gen Xers on rent, household personal services (mostly day care), and clothes for children under age 2.

Boomers spend more than Gen Xers on property tax, other lodging (mostly hotels and motels), landline phone service, reading material, new cars and trucks, and pets.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, CE Experimental Research Tables, Generational Tables

The Rise of the 55-Plus Homeowner

A lot has happened to the nation's homeowners in the past few years. There are fewer of them, for one thing. The total number of homeowners fell by more than 1 million between 2006 (the peak year) and 2015. But the loss occurred only because of the steep decline in homeowners under age 55, the number falling by 7.8 million (down 18 percent) as younger adults became increasingly unwilling or unable to buy a home.

In contrast, the number of homeowners aged 55 or older expanded by 6.4 million (up 20 percent) between 2006 and 2015, thanks to the aging of the baby-boom generation. The 52 percent majority of homeowners are aged 55 or older, up from just 43 percent in 2006.

Source: Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership, Historical Tables

Self-Reported Inactivity Among Older Americans

"During the past month, other than your regular job, did you participate in any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening, or walking for exercise?"

That was the question posed by the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. More than one in four (27.5 percent) of Americans aged 50-plus were admittedly inactive, with inactivity highest among the least educated...

Percent of people aged 50-plus who reported no physical activity in past month
44.1% of those without a high school diploma
34.7% of high school graduates only
24.6% of those with some college
14.2% of college graduates

Source: CDC, Physical Inactivity among Adults Aged 50 Years and Older—United States, 2014

Only 43% of the Obese Know It

More than two-thirds of American adults are overweight and more than one-third are obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Not surprisingly, the public is concerned about these numbers. Fully 81 percent consider overweight/obesity to be a very or extremely serious health problem, according to a recent survey. But here's the catch that might prevent those affected from taking action: most of the obese (those with a body mass index of 30kg/m^2 or higher) do not know it...

What the obese think about their weight
9% say their weight is about right
47% say they are overweight, but not obese
43% say they are obese

Source: American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the National Opinion Research Center, Obesity Rises to Top Health Concern for Americans, But Misperceptions Persist

College Freshmen Lack Confidence in Computer Skills

The American Freshman survey has long recorded the supersized confidence of college freshmen. Compared to the average person their age, the great majority of freshmen rate themselves above average in academic ability, intellectual self-confidence, competitiveness, drive to achieve, and leadership ability, to name just a few. But they admit to having some shortcomings. Fewer than half of college freshmen say they are above average in these abilities...

Percent rating self above average

Artistic ability: 28.2%

Computer skills: 32.6%

Spirituality: 37.2%

Public speaking: 40.5%

Risk-taking: 43.4%

Self confidence (social): 46.6%

Writing ability: 47.9%

Mathematical ability: 49.0%

Source: Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2015

Houses vs. Cars: The Urban-Rural Divide

Millions of Americans live in far-flung suburbs and rural areas, thanks to the automobile, but that freedom comes at a cost. Rural households must devote a substantial 22.8 percent of their household budget to transportation. For urban households, the figure is a mere 16.5 percent.

Percent of household spending devoted to transportation
Urban households: 16.5%
Rural households: 22.8%

But there's a flip side to that equation. By living in remote locations, rural residents spend less on housing. In 2015, rural households devoted 26.8 percent of their spending to housing compared with a larger 33.4 percent for urban households.

Percent of household spending devoted to housing
Urban households: 33.4%
Rural households: 26.8%

Combined, rural households devote 49.6 percent of their average annual expenditures to housing and transportation. For urban residents, the figure is an almost identical 49.9 percent.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban and Rural Household Spending in 2015

The Cost of Employer-Provided Health Insurance

With so much attention being paid to the rising cost of Obamacare premiums, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that most Americans (56 percent) are covered by employment-based health insurance. If you want to understand trends in the cost of health insurance for the majority of Americans, you won't find a better source than the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component Chartbook 2015. The Chartbook details the cost of health insurance benefits provided by private- and public-sector (state and local government) employers. The Chartbook examines trends in costs for single coverage, employee-plus-one, and families. These are the trends in single coverage costs over the past decade...

Total premium for single coverage
2015: $5,963
2005: $3,991
Change: +49%

Employee contribution for single coverage
2015: $1,255
2005:    $723
Change: +74%

Annual individual deductible
2015: $1,541
2005:    $652
Change: +136%

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component Chartbook 2015

Median Household Income Stable in September 2016

Median household income in September 2016 stood at $57,616, according to Sentier Research—not significantly different from the August 2016 median, after adjusting for inflation. The September 2016 median was 0.8 percent higher than the September 2015 median and 9.6 percent above the $52,576 median of August 2011, which was the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"Median annual household income in 2016 has not been able to maintain the momentum that it achieved during 2015," says Sentier's Gordon Green. Despite the flattening, however, Sentier notes that "there has been a general upward trend in median household income since the post-recession low point reached in August 2011." Sentier's median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey.

Median household income in September 2016 was 2.2 percent higher than the median of June 2009, which marked the end of the Great Recession. It was not significantly different from the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. The September 2016 median was 0.8 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for September was 99.2 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: September 2016

One In Four Children Has Immigrant Parent

Twenty-four percent of American children under age 18 have at least one parent who is an immigrant, according to an Urban Institute report, up from 21 percent in 2006. Most children with an immigrant parent were born in the United States, making them U.S. citizens.

The children of immigrants "account for all growth in the child population between 2006 and 2014," notes the report. Between 2006 and 2014, the number of children with an immigrant parent grew 12 percent, while the number with two native-born parents fell 3 percent.

Source, Urban Institute, Demographic Trends of Children of Immigrants

First-Time Homebuyer Watch: 3rd Quarter 2016

Homeownership rate of householders aged 30 to 34, third quarter 2016: 45.6%

The homeownership rate of households headed by people aged 30 to 34 increased in the third quarter of 2016. Unfortunately, the increase was not much to write home about. The 45.6 percent third-quarter homeownership rate was above the all-time low of 44.8 percent in the second quarter of 2016, but still 1.2 percentage points below the 46.8 percent of a year ago. Is this uptick the beginning of a rise in homeownership for the age group or just another bobble? The age group's homeownership rate has been falling fairly steadily for almost a decade.  

Historically, homeownership became the norm in the 30-to-34 age group—rising above 50 percent. But beginning in 2007, the homeownership rate of 30-to-34-year-olds went into a tailspin. In the second quarter of 2011, the rate fell below 50 percent for the first time. It's been stuck there ever since. The new age of first-time home buying is 35 to 39, but even this age group has been slipping toward the 50-percent threshold. In the third quarter of 2016 the homeownership rate of 35-to-39-year-olds was 55.6 percent, not far above the all-time low of 55.1 percent recorded in the second quarter of 2015. The homeownership rate of 35-to-39-year-olds peaked in the first quarter of 2007 at 65.7 percent.

Nationally, the homeownership rate was 63.5 percent in the third quarter of 2016, not much different from the 63.7 percent of a year earlier.

Source: Census Bureau, Housing Vacancy Survey

Death by Injury: The Storyboard

If you ever wondered how many Americans are killed by firearms each year, then the new Injury Mortality Data Visualization is for you. With a few clicks of the mouse, you too can be an expert on death by injury "mechanism" (poisoning, motor vehicle, firearm, drowning, falling, burning, etc.) and "intent" (accident, suicide, homicide, or legal intervention), by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin.

Although the number of firearm deaths in the United States climbed from 28,874 in 1999 to 33,599 in 2014, the rate of death was the same in both years—10.31 deaths per 100,000 population. Firearms ranked third as a mechanism of injury death in 2014, after poisoning (51,966) and motor vehicles (33,736). In 1999, motor vehicle deaths were in first place, firearms second, and poisoning third. Poisoning claimed the number-two position in 2004 and rose to number one in 2008 as deaths by poisoning (i.e. drug overdoses) more than doubled in the 1999 to 2014 time period. The death rate from poisoning climbed from 7.07 to 16.19 per 100,000 population during those years.

The firearm death rate is greatest among Black men aged 15 to 24, at 73.06 deaths per 100,000 population—more than seven times higher than the overall rate. The poisoning death rate is greatest among non-Hispanic White men aged 25 to 44, at 46.35 deaths per 100,000 population—almost three times higher than the rate for the population as a whole.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Injury Mortality: United States, 1999–2014

Why Ohio Is Not a Bellwether

Once upon a time, the preferences of Ohio's voters might have been predictive of election results. Not this time. Ohio's demographics differ from the nation's demographics in three important ways, disqualifying the state from being a predictor of the 2016 election outcome...

1. Less diverse: 79 percent of Ohio's population is non-Hispanic White, much greater than the 61 percent for the nation as a whole. Ohio is as diverse as the United States was way back in 1980, when Ronald Reagan was elected president. Only 3 percent of Ohio residents are Hispanic versus 18 percent nationally.

2. Less urban: 76 percent of Ohio's population lives in a metropolitan area, well below the 86 percent share nationally. Ohio is as metropolitan as the United States was in 1980, when the rural renaissance was in full swing and inner cities were actually struggling. Now nonmetro areas are losing population and cities are resurgent.

3. Less educated: Only 26 percent of Ohio residents aged 25 or older have a bachelor's degree, substantially lower than the 33 percent for the nation as a whole. Ohio is as educated as the U.S. population was in 2000, when George Bush was elected president. With education dividing voters more than ever, Ohio's lower level of education is yet another reason the state is not a bellwether this election year.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of Census Bureau data

Most Believe in (at least one) Conspiracy Theory

Most Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory, according to Chapman University's 2016 Survey of American Fears. When respondents were asked whether they believe the government is concealing what it knows about the 9/11 attacks, the JFK assassination, the existence of extraterrestrials, global warming, plans for a one world government, Obama's birth certificate, the origins of the AIDs virus, the death of Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, or the moon landing, a stunning 74 percent of the public believes there's a government cover up of at least one of them. Only 26 percent do not believe in any of the nine proffered theories.

The most popular conspiracy theory—believed by the 54 percent majority of the public—is a government cover up of what really happened in the 9/11 attacks. Least popular among the nine is a cover up of what really happened in the moon landing, believed by "only" 24 percent. Those most likely to believe in conspiracy theories, say the researchers, are Republicans who are employed and have relatively low incomes and levels of education.

"The tendency to believe in conspiracies is related to a host of beliefs and behavior," the researchers report. "Conspiracy theorists tend to be more pessimistic about the near future, more fearful of government, less trusting of other people in their lives and more likely to engage in actions due to their fears, such as purchasing a gun."

Source: Chapman University, Chapman University Survey of American Fears, What Aren't They Telling Us?

College Enrollment Declined in 2015

College enrollment fell again in 2015, according to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. Only 19.1 million students were enrolled in college in 2015—74,000 fewer than in 2014 and 1.2 million fewer than in 2010. College enrollment has been declining since 2011.

Almost all of the enrollment decline is occurring at two-year schools. Behind the decline is the improving economy, luring two-year students back into the job market.

College enrollment in 2015 (and change since 2010)
Total enrollment: 19.1 million (–1,174,000, a 5.8% decline)
Two-year schools: 4.7 million (–1,187,000, a 20.1% decline)
Four-year schools: 10.7 million (+266,000, a 2.5% increase)
Graduate schools: 3.7 million (–253,000, a 6.5% decline)

Source: Census Bureau, School Enrollment

Who's Afraid of Clowns?

Not many of us are afraid of clowns, according to the Chapman University Survey of American Fears. Only 7.8 percent of adults report being "afraid" or "very afraid" of clowns, which places this fear close to the bottom of the 79 things that frighten Americans—ahead of only "others talking about you behind your back" (6.8%). Of course, Chapman University fielded its survey last April, months before the first clown sightings and subsequent mass hysteria.

According to the Chapman survey, the number-one fear is of corrupt government officials. Fully 60.6 percent of Americans are "afraid" or "very afraid" of public corruption. Also ranking among the top 10 fears...

41.0% are afraid of a terrorist attack
39.9% are afraid of not having enough money for the future
38.5% are afraid of terrorism
38.5% are afraid of government restrictions on firearms and ammunition
38.1% are afraid of people they love dying
37.5% are afraid of economic/financial collapse
37.1% are afraid of identity theft
35.9% are afraid of people they love becoming seriously ill
35.5% are afraid of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare

Interestingly, more people are afraid of Obamacare (35.5%) than of high medical bills (33.1%). More are afraid of public speaking (25.9%) than of dying (19.0%). And more are afraid of whites no longer being the majority in the U.S. (17.9%) than of 17 other items including computers replacing people in the work force, germs, zombies, strangers, ghosts, and clowns.

Source: Chapman University Survey of American Fears, America's Top Fears 2016

Measuring Rides and Rooms

Another day, another study of the gig economy—whose presence can be felt, but whose size and shape remain a mystery. That's because the Bureau of Labor Statistics has not measured what it calls "alternative work arrangements" since 2005 (it will do so again in 2017). To fill the gap, a number of economists have attempted to measure the gig economy by adding questions about alternative work to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Survey of Consumer Expectations and to RAND's American Life Panel.

Now researchers at the Brookings Institution have mined the Census Bureau's data on nonemployer firms (the majority are self-employed, unincorporated sole proprietors), and they find a rapid rise in these small businesses over the past few years—particularly in the transportation (rides, such as Uber and Lyft) and accommodation (rooms, such as Airbnb) industries. Most of the gig growth in these industries has taken place in the 25 largest metro areas, with 92 percent of rides growth and 70 percent of rooms growth taking place in the top 50 metro areas. But—and surprisingly—the analysis also shows that rides and rooms gigging has not yet cut into payroll (traditional) employment.

"These data lend credence to the contention that Uber and Airbnb are meeting unmet consumer demand or stimulating new demand through innovative service offerings," the researchers conclude. "Yet it is still early," they caution.

Source: Brookings Institution, Tracking the Gig Economy: New Numbers

Occupations Dominated by Men

Men accounted for 53 percent of employed workers in 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the male share of workers by occupation ranges from a low of just 1.4 percent (see this post) to a high of 100 percent (after rounding). Here are the 10 occupations in which men account for the largest share of employed workers...

Occupations with the largest share of male workers
100.0% of heavy vehicle service technicians
99.9% of bus and truck mechanics
99.8% of cement masons
99.4% of automotive body repair workers
99.3% of pipe layers and plumbers
99.3% of brickmasons
98.8% of electrical power-line installers and repairers
98.7% of construction helpers
98.5% of automotive service technicians
98.4% of drywall installers

Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey

Occupations Dominated by Women

Women accounted for 47 percent of employed workers in 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the female share of workers by occupation ranges from a low of less than 0.5 percent to a high of nearly 99 percent. Here are the 10 occupations in which women account for the largest share of employed workers...

Occupations with the largest share of female workers
98.6% of speech-language pathologists
96.8% of preschool and kindergarten teachers
96.4% of dental hygienists
94.9% of childcare workers
94.6% of dietitians
94.5% of secretaries
94.2% of hairdressers
94.1% of dental assistants
92.1% of word processors and typists
91.4% of teacher assistants

Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey

Most Support Legalizing Marijuana Use

The 57 percent majority of Americans think the use of marijuana should be legal, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Only the oldest continue to oppose it...

Marijuana use should be legal
71% of Millennials
57% of Gen Xers
56% of Boomers
33% of older Americans

Source: Pew Research Center, Support for Marijuana Legalization Continues to Rise

Fewer Births Expected

One of these days the baby bust will end, but it might not be anytime soon. Women aged 15 to 44 in 2013-15 expect to have an average of 2.2 children in their lifetime—down from 2.4 children expected by their counterparts in 2006-10—according to the National Survey of Family Growth. Among childless women aged 15 to 24, fully 86 percent expect to have children someday. Among childless women aged 25 to 34, the figure is 77 percent.

But when will they have children? Will it be in the next year or two, causing a baby boom? Or will their childbearing stretch out over years, lengthening the baby bust. It looks like it will be a stretch. When childless women are asked when they expect to have their first child, only 12 percent say it will be within two years, 29 percent say in two to five years, and the largest share—36 percent—say more than five years from now.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Birth Expectations of U.S. Women Aged 15-44

Non-Hispanic Whites Are a Minority of Public School Students

The non-Hispanic White share of students in the nation's public elementary and secondary schools slipped below the 50 percent mark in 2014, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By 2024, non-Hispanic Whites will account for only 45.6 percent of public school students...

Non-Hispanic White share of public elementary and secondary students
2024: 45.6%
2016: 48.7%
2010: 52.4%
2000: 61.2%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics to 2024

The Disgruntled White Working Class

When asked whether America's best days are ahead of us or behind us, a substantial 47 percent of working-class whites (defined as those without a college degree) say our best days are behind us. A much smaller 28 percent of college-educated whites feel the same, according to a Kaiser/CNN poll. But working-class whites are no monolith, the survey finds. The percentage of working-class whites who think America's best days are behind us varies greatly by demographic characteristic...

Working-class whites who think America's best days are behind us
61% of Evangelical Christians
59% of Republicans
58% of rural residents
47% of suburban residents
42% of those with no religion
41% of urban residents
25% of Democrats

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation/CNN Working-Class Whites Poll

News Delivery Preferences of Young and Old

The 42 percent plurality of young adults prefer reading rather than watching the news. Most young adult readers prefer to read news online (81%) rather than in print (10%), according to a Pew survey. In contrast, the 58 percent majority of people aged 65 or older prefer watching rather than reading the news, and among older watchers television is by far the preferred medium (89%).

News delivery preferences of 18-to-29
Reading: 42%
Watching: 38%
Listening: 19%

News delivery preferences of 65-plus
Reading: 27%
Watching: 58%
Listening: 10%

Interestingly, among the 10 percent of older Americans who prefer listening to the news, 48 percent prefer listening to television while a smaller 43 percent prefer listening to radio.

Source: Pew Research Center, Younger Adults More Likely Than Their Elders to Prefer Reading News

Number of Times Married

Percent distribution of Americans aged 15 or older by number of times they have married...

34% never married
50% married once
13% married twice
  4% married three or more times

Source: Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2015 American Community Survey

New Analysis Reveals Working Class Decline

Everyone knows the working class has been falling behind. A new Sentier Research analysis of trends in wage and salary income by age over time shows how far behind the working class has fallen. For the purposes of the study, Sentier defined the working class as white men with a high school diploma and no further education.

Sentier analyzed trends in wage and salary income for cohorts of white men as they aged from 1996 to 2014. The researchers examined trends for the working class (men with a high school diploma and no further education) and for college-educated men (with a bachelor's degree or more education). Among men with a bachelor's degree, wage and salary income per capita grew 23 percent between 1996 (when they were aged 25 to 44) and 2014 (when they were aged 43 to 62), after adjusting for inflation. Among men with no more than a high school education, wage and salary income fell 9 percent as they aged over the time period.

Wage and salary income per capita for college-educated men (2014$)
Aged 43 to 62 in 2014: $94,601
Aged 25 to 44 in 1996: $77,209
Difference: +23%

Wage and salary income per capita for men with a high school diploma (2014$)
Aged 43 to 62 in 2014: $36,787
Aged 25 to 44 in 1996: $40,362
Difference: –9%

Source: Sentier Research, Comparing Earnings of White Males by Education for Selected Age Cohorts

Climate Change: "What, me worry?"

The results are in: On average, Americans just shrug their shoulders about global climate change, according to a Pew Research Center Survey. Only about a third of adults care a great deal about climate change, and fewer than half believe global warming is mostly due to human activity. The Pew survey also reveals the origin of this "What, me worry?" attitude—the country is of two minds when it comes to climate change. Republicans are highly skeptical and Democrats are deeply worried. Average those extremes, and it looks like Americans don't care much about the issue...

Attitudes of Americans toward global climate change
36 percent say they care a great deal about the issue of climate change
38 percent think people reducing their carbon footprint will make a big difference
41 percent think climate change is very likely to cause sea levels to rise and erode shore lines
42 percent think climate change is very likely to make storms more severe
48 percent think Earth is warming mostly due to human activity
49 percent think international agreements to limit carbon emissions will make a big difference

Source: Pew Research Center, The Politics of Climate

Pet Health Care Spending Looks Very Human

Americans love their pets. They love them so much that spending on pet health care mirrors spending on human health care. "Many features of the American pet health care sector are, qualitatively, remarkably similar to those of the American human health care sector," reports a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper. Here are the similarities...

• Spending on pet and human health care surged between 1996 and 2012. Human spending grew 50 percent and pet spending grew 60 percent during those years, after adjusting for inflation. 
• For both types of health care, spending rises with household income. 
• The number of human health care providers (physicians) and pet health care providers (veterinarians) soared between 1996 and 2013—a 40 percent increase in physicians and a near doubling in veterinarians.
• At the end of life, spending spikes for both pets and humans.

These similarities suggest, say the researchers, that the rapidly rising cost of human health care may have less to do with health insurance and government involvement (as some theorize) and more to do with "deeper primitives"—such as our desire to keep alive those we love, regardless of the cost.

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, Is American Pet Health Care (Also) Uniquely Inefficient?, Working Paper 22669 ($5)

Who Prepares Meals?

When asked whether they are the person in their household who usually prepares meals, here's what men and women aged 18 or older said...

Women
74.0% said yes
15.9% said no
10.1% said meal preparation is split equally

Men
33.7% said yes
51.5% said no
14.7% said meal preparation is split equally

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Americans' Eating Patterns and Time Spent on Food: The 2014 Eating and Health Module Data

Median Household Income Stable in August 2016

Median household income in August 2016 stood at $57,380, according to Sentier Research, which was not significantly different from the July 2016 median, after adjusting for inflation. The August 2016 median was 0.6 percent higher than the August 2015 median and 9.5 percent above the $52,424 median of August 2011, which was the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"There has been a general upward trend in median household income since the post-recession low point reached in August 2011," reports Sentier. Its median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey.

Median household income in August 2016 was 2.1 percent higher than the median of June 2009, which marked the end of the Great Recession. It was not significantly different from the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. The August 2016 median was 0.9 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for August was 99.1 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: August 2016

Long-Term Job Decline

In 2016, one-third (33.8 percent) of employed men aged 25 or older had been with their current employer for 10 or more years, almost the same percentage as two decades earlier in 1996 (33.1 percent). By age group, however, things have changed. Long-term employment has declined for men of prime working age and increased among men aged 60-plus as older workers postpone retirement.

Percentage of men with current employer 10-plus years, 2016 
(and percentage point change 1996-2016)
Aged 25 to 29: 3.4% (+0.1)
Aged 30 to 34: 13.2% (–2.4)
Aged 35 to 39: 25.1%  (–5.4)
Aged 40 to 44: 34.8% (–6.9)
Aged 45 to 49: 44.4% (–6.4)
Aged 50 to 54: 50.4% (–4.5)
Aged 55 to 59: 53.4% (–2.3)
Aged 60 to 64: 55.5% (+5.1)
Aged 65-plus: 54.6% (+7.0)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Tenure in 2016

New Survey of Alternative Workers

Every year the Bureau of Labor Statistics plumbs Current Population Survey data to estimate the number of self-employed American workers, and every year for many years that number has been declining. In 2015, only 6.4 percent of workers aged 16 or older were self-employed, down from 7.4 percent a decade earlier. Now two economists are calling that number—and the downward trend—into question. That's just one of the eyebrow-raising findings in a new survey of alternative work arrangements.

Apparently economists have been frustrated with the lack of an update for the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Contingent Worker Survey (CWS), last fielded in 2005. (Here is the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's attempt to update the numbers earlier this year.) That's because so much has happened in the 10-plus years since the BLS last asked Americans about "gig" work, or what the BLS calls alternative work arrangements. So economists Lawrence F. Katz and Alan B. Krueger decided to do something about it. They fielded a version of the CWS as part of the RAND American Life Panel in 2015. Their goal was to determine the number of Americans aged 18 or older whose main job was independent contractor or freelancer (the self-employed), contract worker, on-call worker, or temporary help agency worker.

They found the motherlode—millions of workers and a rapidly growing workforce that may account for most of the nation's labor force growth over the decade. Fully 15.8 percent of workers in 2015 had an alternative work arrangement, up from 10.7 percent in 2005. The number of alternative workers grew from 15.0 million to 23.6 million during those years—a 57 percent increase. A comparison of alternative and traditional work force growth shows alternative workers increasing by 8.6 million between 2005 and 2015 and traditional workers increasing by just 0.5 million. Wow.

Which brings us back to that 6.4 percent (and falling) self-employment rate in Current Population Survey data. Katz and Krueger find a significantly larger 8.4 percent self-employment rate. IRS data backs up their claim of growing rather than shrinking numbers of self-employed. "Understanding the reasons underlying the divergent trends between the IRS and CPS data on self-employment should be a priority for future research," state the authors.

Much more information about alternative workers in 2015 is available in the NBER working paper, The Rise and Nature of Alternative Work Arrangements in the United States, 1995-2015, Working Paper 22667 ($5)

Who Shops for Groceries?

When asked whether they are the person in their household who usually does the grocery shopping, here's what men and women aged 18 or older reported...

Women
71.3% said yes
17.2% said no
11.5% said grocery shopping was split equally

Men
35.2% said yes
46.1% said no
18.7% said grocery shopping was split equally

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Americans' Eating Patterns and Time Spent on Food: The 2014 Eating and Health Module Data

Fast Food Purchases in Past 7 Days

Among Americans aged 15 or older, the 58 percent majority purchased prepared food from a deli, carry-out, fast-food restaurant, or food delivery service in the past seven days. Here are the percentages by age...

Purchased fast food in past 7 days
Aged 15 to 17: 52.1%
Aged 18 to 24: 67.4%
Aged 25 to 64: 60.9%
Aged 65-plus: 42.3%

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Americans' Eating Patterns and Time Spent on Food: The 2014 Eating and Health Module Data

11.1 Million Undocumented Immigrants

The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has been stable for the past few years, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of American Community Survey data. In 2014, there were an estimated 11.1 million undocumented immigrants in the country, down from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007. Here are a few of the findings from Pew's comprehensive examination of the unauthorized immigrant population in 2014...

• Unauthorized immigrants have been in the U.S. a median of 13.6 years.
• Just over half are from Mexico (5.8 million). 
• The number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico has fallen since peaking at 6.9 million in 2007, while the number from other countries has grown. 
• Unauthorized immigrants account for 26% of the nation's 43.6 million foreign-born.
• Most unauthorized immigrants live in six states: California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.

Source: Pew Research Center, Overall Number of U.S. Unauthorized Immigrants Holds Steady Since 2009

How Many Have Dementia?

Half of nursing home residents have Alzheimer's or dementia, according to a government report on long-term care. But most people with dementia live in their community. Overall, 10 percent of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or older who are not living in a nursing home have dementia. Here are the percentages by age...

Percent with dementia*
Aged 65 to 69: 3.6%
Aged 70 to 74: 4.8%
Aged 75 to 79: 9.9%
Aged 80 to 84: 15.3%
Aged 85 to 89: 24.0%
Aged 90-plus: 36.2%

* Among non-nursing home population
Source: Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, Older Americans 2016: Key Indicators of Well-Being

Telephone Spending Trends, 2000 to 2015

The average household spent about as much on cell phone service in 2015 as it spent on landline service in 2000, after adjusting for inflation...

Cell phone service (in 2015 dollars)
$1,023 in 2015
   $164 in 2000

Landline service (in 2015 dollars)
   $324 in 2015
$1,043 in 2000

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Consumer Expenditure Surveys

Median Household Income by State, 2015

Median household income varies greatly by state. Maryland has the highest median household income—36 percent above the national median of $55,775, according to the 2015 American Community Survey. Mississippi has the lowest—27 percent below the national median.

States with the highest median household income, 2015
$75,847 in Maryland
$75,628 in Washington, DC
$73,486 in Hawaii
$73,355 in Alaska
$72,222 in New Jersey

States with the lowest median household income, 2015
$45,215 in Kentucky
$44,765 in Alabama
$42,019 in West Virginia
$41,995 in Arkansas
$40,593 in Mississippi

Source: Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey

1 Million Fewer Married Couples with Children

The number of married couples with children under age 18 fell by 1 million between 2010 and 2016, according to Census Bureau data, the only household type to decline during those years. Behind the decline is the postponement of marriage and childbearing by young adults.

Married couples with children under age 18
2016: 25.1 million (20% of households)
2010: 26.1 million (22% of households)

Source: Census Bureau, Current Population Survey

Trust in Mass Media Has Plummeted

Americans' trust in the mass media has fallen to a new low, reports Gallup. From a high of 72 percent in 1976, the percentage of Americans who say they have a fair amount/great deal of trust in the mass media fell to just 32 percent in 2016. A major reason for the all-time low, says Gallup, is plummeting trust among Republicans...

Fair amount/great deal of trust in mass media in 2016 (and 2015)
Democrats: 51% (55%)
Independents: 30% (33%)
Republicans: 14% (32%)

Source: Gallup, Americans' Trust in Mass Media Sinks to New Low

Median Home Value Rises in 2015

Home values are rising, according to America's homeowners. The median value of owned homes climbed by a substantial 7.2 percent between 2014 and 2015, after adjusting for inflation. The nation's homeowners estimated their home's value to be a median of $194,500 in 2015, according to the American Community Survey. This is 10 percent more than the post-Great Recession low of $176,931 in 2013, but still 12 percent below the all-time high of $222,108 in 2007.

Median housing value, 2007 to 2015 (in 2015 dollars)
2015: $194,500
2014: $181,415
2013: $176,931
2012: $177,458
2011: $182,921
2010: $195,543
2009: $204,606
2008: $217,529
2007: $222,108

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey

Median Earnings of Women Hit All-Time High in 2015

The median earnings of women who work full-time reached an all-time high of $40,742 in 2015. In contrast, men's earnings peaked in 1973. Among full-time workers, women earned 80 percent as much as men in 2015, up from 57 percent in 1973.

Median earnings of men who work full-time (in 2015 dollars)
2015: $51,212
2014: $50,441
2007: $51,570
2000: $51,269
1973: $53,356 (peak year)

Median earnings of women who work full-time (in 2015 dollars)
2015: $40,742 (peak year)
2014: $39,667
2007: $40,126
2000: $37,796
1973: $30,217

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Income Tables: People

5.2% Increase in Median Household Income in 2015

After seven long years of decline and stagnation, median household income finally registered a statistically significant gain in 2015, and it was a big one. The $56,516 median household income of 2015 was a substantial 5.2 percent higher than the 2014 median, after adjusting for inflation. The gains were enjoyed by both young and old...

Median household income in 2015 (and % change 2014-15; in 2015 dollars)
Under age 25: $36,108 (4.2%)
Aged 25 to 34: $57,366 (5.6%)
Aged 35 to 44: $71,417 (7.0%)
Aged 45 to 54: $73,857 (4.2%)
Aged 55 to 64: $62,802 (3.5%)
Aged 65-plus: $38,515 (4.3%)

Source: Census Bureau, Income and Poverty in the United States: 2015

Decline in Nursing Home Residents

The number of nursing home residents has fallen steadily since 1997 as home health care and residential care options have expanded. Between 1997 and 2014, the number of nursing home residents fell 9 percent—despite a 26 percent increase in the 65-plus population and a 57 percent increase in the number of people aged 85-plus.

Fewer nursing home residents
2014: 1,369,000
2010: 1,396,000
2005: 1,436,000
2000: 1,480,000
1997: 1,503,000

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Long-Term Care Providers and Services Users in the United States: Data from the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers, 2013-2014, and Health United States, 2015

Health Insurance by Region, 2016

Only 11.9 percent of adults aged 18 to 64 were without health insurance when interviewed by the National Health Interview Survey in January-March 2016. This is down from 20.4 percent in 2013, the year before implementation of the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchanges. Health insurance coverage of working-age adults varies greatly by region...

Percent of 18-to-64-year-olds without health insurance, January-March 2016
  5.9% in New England states
  7.8% in East North Central states
  8.0% in Middle Atlantic states
  9.1% in West North Central states
10.7% in Pacific states
11.7% in East South Central states
12.2% in Mountain states
14.9% in South Atlantic states
24.2% in West South Central states

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January-March 2016

The Food Dollar: 50% Devoted to Restaurants

When Americans buy food, they devote most of their budget to convenience, according to the USDA's Economic Research Service. Half of the average household's food budget is devoted to the most convenient food of all—restaurant meals. Another 26 percent is spent on ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook foods. Only 5 percent of the food dollar is spent on basic ingredients. Here's how the average American household allocates its food spending...

Distribution of household spending on food by food convenience type
Fast-food restaurants: 27 percent. Defined as meals and snacks at establishments where customers order and pay for food at a counter.
Sit-down restaurants: 23 percent. Defined as meals and snacks at establishments where customers order and pay for food from waitstaff.
Ready-to-eat food: 18 percent. Defined as meals and snacks intended to be consumed as is, requiring no preparation beyond opening a container such as yogurt, candy, flavored milk, etc.
Complex ingredients: 18 percent. Defined as processed food usually composed of multiple ingredients such as bread, pasta, lunch meat, cereal, etc.
Ready to cook food: 8 percent. Defined as meals and snacks that require minimal preparation involving heating, cooking, or adding hot water such as frozen pizza, pudding mixes, soup, etc.
Basic ingredients: 5 percent. Defined as raw or minimally processed food usually composed of a single ingredient such as milk, rice, butter, fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, U.S. Households' Demand for Convenience Foods

Spending by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2015

Regardless of race or Hispanic origin, households spent more in 2015 than in 2014 after adjusting for inflation. The 2014–15 rise in average household spending was almost identical for Blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Whites (4.5 to 4.6 percent), while the increase for Asians was more muted (1.3 percent).

Average household spending is still below the 2006 peak, but Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites have almost closed the gap...

Average household spending in 2015 (and % change 2006–15; in 2015 dollars)
Average household: $55,978 (–1.6%)
Asian households: $63,672 (–5.9%)
Black households: $40,372 (–0.7%)
Hispanic households: $47,663 (–5.8%)
Non-Hispanic White households: $60,072 (–0.5%)

Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey

Median Household Income Stable in July 2016

Last month Sentier Research played a leading role in a New York Times story about a potential rise in median household income after years of stagnation following the Great Recession. Sentier's monthly estimates have shown median household income to be significantly higher in 2015 than in 2014, after adjusting for inflation. Next week we will find out whether Sentier and the Times are right about this, when the Census Bureau releases the official 2015 income estimates.

Meanwhile, Sentier is halfway through 2016 with its median household income estimates, and the story is still positive. Median household income in July 2016 stood at $57,190. This was not significantly different from the June 2016 median, after adjusting for inflation, but it was 1.7 percent higher than the July 2015 median and 9.3 percent above the $52,320 median of August 2011—the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"There has been a general upward trend in median household income since the post-recession low point reached in August 2011," reports Sentier. Its median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey.

Median household income in July 2016 was 2.0 percent higher than the median of June 2009, which marked the end of the Great Recession. It was not significantly different from the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. The July 2016 median was 1.1 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for July was 98.9 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: July 2016