The Second Generation

Nearly one-fourth of the American population is first- or second-generation, according to the Census Bureau's latest detailed tables on the foreign born. Among all U.S. residents, 12 percent (38 million) are first-generation, meaning they were born in another country. Another 11 percent (34 million) are second-generation. They were born in the United States, but one or both of their parents is foreign-born.

Source: Census Bureau, Foreign Born

A Real Horror Story

Every year, many thousands of people are murdered in the United States--12,996 in 2010, according to the FBI. The murder weapons, ranked by frequency of use...

Firearm: 8,775
Knife: 1,704
Hands, feet: 745
Blunt object: 540

Strangulation: 122

Asphyxiation: 98

Fire: 74

Narcotics: 39
Poison: 11
Explosives: 4
Other: 884

Source: Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics

The Neighborhood

Percent of parents with children under age 18 who describe their neighborhood as a place where...

People help each other: 71%
People watch each other's children: 73%
There are people I can count on: 76%
Adults nearby would help children outside the house if needed: 78%
There are safe places for children to play: 81%
There are people who might be a bad influence: 45%
Children are kept inside the house because of danger: 20%

Source: Census Bureau, A Child's Day: 2009

Nation of Adjuncts

Percentage of instructional faculty in degree-granting post-secondary institutions (i.e. college professors) who are employed full-time...

2009: 51%
1971: 77%

Source: College Board, Trends in College Pricing 2011

The Story Unfolds

Slowly, very slowly, the story of the Great Recession is beginning to unfold. It is happening slowly because it takes years for demographic statistics to reflect economic trauma. Think about it. First there is the event, then the demographic reaction, which is followed by data collection, and finally the analysis. We have served our time now, and the stories are beginning to be told. Today's New York Times reports (see Economy Alters How Americans Are Moving) on an analysis of migration data by the Carsey Institute of the University of New Hampshire. The research shows "drastic" change in Americans' migration patterns since the Great Recession, with sharply fewer people moving to the Sunbelt. Many more stories about the profound changes wrought by the Great Recession will follow in the years ahead.

Will Spending Cuts Create Jobs?

Percent who think cutting government spending will significantly increase jobs in the United States, by generation...

Millennials (18-34): 37%
Gen X (35-46): 43%
Boomers (47-65): 46%
Matures (66-plus): 52%

Source: Harris Interactive, Two-thirds of Americans Rate Job Market in Their Region as Bad

Gun Ownership

Among all adults, 47 percent report having a gun in their home or on their property, up from 41 percent a year earlier. Here are the numbers by political party identification...

Republicans: 55%
Democrats: 40%

Source: Gallup, Self-Reported Gun Ownership in U.S. Is Highest Since 1993

Get County Data

The Census Bureau's USA Counties web site has been updated with information from the 2010 census, the 2007 Survey of Business Owners, and County Business Patterns. For county-level data, this is as good as it gets. Select a state, select a county, choose your table--anything from a general population profile to building permits (for many counties, by single year from 1980 through 2010) to adjusted gross income, dividends, and interest on tax returns. This is an amazing resource for those who need local area economic and demographic statistics.

Report on Income Inequality

For an analysis of household income inequality in the United States, see the Census Bureau's new report U.S. Neighborhood Income Inequality in the 2005-2009 Period. Based on American Community Survey data, the analysis drills down from the national and state level to metropolitan areas, places, and even census tracts (essentially, neighborhoods) to determine the location and characteristics of areas where household incomes are least and most equal.

By state, income inequality is greatest in the District of Columbia, New York, and Connecticut. By large metropolitan area, it is greatest in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. For large places (i.e. cities), it is greatest in Atlanta, New Orleans, and the city of Washington in the District of Columbia. By census tract, it is greatest in tract 17, Hamilton County, Ohio--which is downtown Cincinnati.

Long-Term Care: How Much Does It Cost?

Many baby boomers are deciding now whether to buy long-term care insurance. For those trying to make a decision, it might help to know the cost of different types of long-term care. To that end, the MetLife Mature Market Institute collects information on the cost of long-term care and updates the information annually for the nation, states, and large metropolitan areas. In 2011, the annual average cost of long-term care nationally looks like this...

Nursing home, private room: $87,235
Nursing home, semi-private room: $78,110
Assisted living community: $41,724
Home care, home health aide: $21,840
Home care, homemaker: $19,760
Adult day services: $18,200

Source: MetLife Mature Market Institute, 2011 Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs

Trick or Treat?

Rank of Halloween among Americans' favorite holidays: 3.

Source: Harris Interactive

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Percent of Americans who participated in the 10 most popular leisure activities in the past 12 months...

Dining out: 49%
Entertaining at home: 38%
Reading books: 38%
Barbecuing: 35%
Going to the beach: 26%
Baking: 25%
Cooking for fun: 22%
Playing cards: 20%
Going to bars/nightclubs: 19%
Playing board games: 17%

Source: Census Bureau, (the now discontinued) Statistical Abstract, 2010 data from GfK MediaMark Research

The Great Restructuring

In 2010, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond published a report entitled, "The Rise in Long-Term Unemployment: Potential Causes and Implications." Nowhere in the report did the words computer, hardware, software, or technology appear, say Eric Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee in their new ebook, The Race Against the Machine: How the Digital Revolution is Accelerating Innovation, Driving Productivity, and Irreversibly Transforming Employment and the Economy.

The authors, MIT researchers, find this omission shocking because they argue that computers, hardware, software, and technology are the explanation for our current economic woes. The pace of technological change, they say, is "so rapid and so surprising that many present-day organizations, institutions, policies, and mindsets are not keeping up."

This book is a must read for anyone attempting to decipher socioeconomic trends. "We wrote this book because we believe that digital technologies are one of the most important driving forces in the economy today...The root of our problems is not that we're in a Great Recession, or a Great Stagnation, but rather that we are in the early throes of a Great Restructuring."

Alienating Hispanic Voters

"Comments on Immigration Alienate Some Hispanics," was the headline of a recent New York Times article. The story examined whether Republican presidential candidates were hurting their chances with Hispanic voters by talking tough about illegal immigration. Ya think?

"Some party officials see a yellow light signaling danger in battleground states with large Hispanic populations," the article noted. More like a red light, and one that has been flashing for a long time. The 56 percent majority of Hispanics identify themselves as Democrats. Only 17 percent are Republican, according to the General Social Survey. The best Republican presidential candidates can hope for is that Hispanics won't vote at all--and they might get their wish. In 2008, only 49.9 percent of Hispanic citizens voted.

Football Fans

Percentage of Americans who watch NFL football...

All: 64%
Male: 73%
Female: 55%

Source: Harris Interactive, America's Sport--A Majority of Americans Watch NFL Football

RIP Statistical Abstract

You probably heard that the Statistical Abstract was threatened by budget cuts. Now those threats have become reality. An announcement has appeared (in bold, red typeface) on the Statistical Abstract's web page reporting its demise--the termination of data collection for the Statistical Compendia Program, which includes the Statistical Abstract (published since 1878), the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, and the County and City Data Book. The announcement reads, in part...

"The U.S. Census Bureau is terminating the collection of data for the Statistical Compendia program effective October 1, 2011...The decision to propose the elimination of this program was not made lightly." 

For those who want access to the most current data presented in the Statistical Abstract's more than 1,400 tables, the Census Bureau refers users to the organizations cited in the source notes for each table.

Earnings Slip

In the third quarter of 2011, median weekly earnings of the nation's full-time wage and salary workers climbed to $753, up 1.8 percent from a year earlier. But the Consumer Price Index rose by a larger 3.8 percent during the same time period. Full-time workers are losing ground to inflation.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Usual Weekly Earnings Summary, Third Quarter 2011

A Generational Rant

Hilarious, and too true: Generation X Doesn't Want To Hear It.

Public Assistance Paradox

Most of the states in which households are least likely to receive public assistance are also the states that rank among the poorest in the nation, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and South Carolina. In these states, the percentage of households receiving public assistance ranges from 1.6 to 1.9 percent--well below the 2.9 percent for the nation as a whole.

Note: Public assistance is defined as cash payments to the poor and does not include Food Stamps, Medicaid, subsidized housing, or other in-kind benefits.
Source: Census Bureau, Public Assistance Receipt in the Past 12 Months for Households: 2009 and 2010

One in Ten On Antidepressants

More than one in ten Americans aged 12 or older (10.8 percent) take an antidepressant medication, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. In the 2005-08 time period, antidepressants were the third most commonly prescribed drug. The middle-aged are most likely to be on antidepressants, with 16 percent of people aged 40 to 59 prescribed the drugs. The figure peaks at 23 percent among women in the age group.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Antidepressant Use in Persons Aged 12 and Over: United States, 2005-2008