Hate Crimes in 2014

There were 5,479 hate crime incidents in 2014, according to the FBI. Most (5,462) involved a single bias—meaning the perpetrator targeted only one characteristic (such as race, sexual orientation, etc.). Race is the single most frequently targeted characteristic, accounting for 47 percent of single-bias hate crimes in 2014. Sexual orientation and religion each accounted for 19 percent of the total, ethnicity for 12 percent, gender identity and disability for 2 percent each, and gender for the remaining 1 percent.

Top 10 hate crimes by targeted characteristic
Anti-Black: 1,621 (29.7%)
Anti-Jewish: 609 (11.1%)
Anti-gay: 599 (11.0%)
Anti-White: 593 (10.9%)
Anti-not Hispanic: 349 (6.4%)
Anti-Hispanic: 299 (5.5%)
Anti LGBT:  241 (4.4%)
Anti-Islamic: 154 (2.8%)
Anti-Asian: 140 (2.6%)
Anti-American Indian: 130 (2.4%)

There is some good news in the hate crime report. Most jurisdictions reported no hate crimes in 2014. Of the 15,494 law enforcement agencies participating in the Hate Crime Statistics Program, only 1,666 reported the occurrence of a hate crime.

Source: FBI, 2014 Hate Crime Statistics

Obesity by Age, 2011-14

When it comes to measuring obesity, the federal government doesn't fool around with self-reported heights and weights. That's because, given the chance, many people overestimate their height and underestimate their weight. Rather than ask people for their measurements, the federal government takes them—measuring the height and weight of a representative sample of Americans across the country. After collecting the numbers, Body Mass Index is calculated (weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared). In adults, obesity is defined as a BMI equal to or greater than 30. In children, obesity is defined as a BMI equal to or greater than the age- and sex-specific 95th percentile of the CDC's growth charts.

According to measurements taken in 2011-14, a substantial 36.3 percent of adults (aged 20 or older) were obese, up from 30.5 percent in 1999-2000. Among youth (under age 20), 17.0 percent were obese, up from 13.9% in 1999-2000. Here are the results by age...

Percent obese, 2011-14
Aged 2 to 5:       8.9%
Aged 6 to 11:    17.5%
Aged 12 to 19:  20.5%
Aged 20 to 39:  32.3%
Aged 40 to 59:  40.2%
Aged 60-plus:   37.0%

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Prevalence of Obesity among Adults and Youth: United States, 2011-2014

Still Stuck: Mobility Rate Near Record Low in 2014-15

Americans still aren't moving much. Only 11.6 percent of U.S. residents aged 1 or older as of March 2015 had moved in the previous 12 months, according to the Census Bureau. This mobility rate is just 0.1 percentage points above the all-time low of 11.5 percent recorded in 2013-14. The tiny increase was due to a bump up in movers from abroad.

Among homeowners, only 5.1 percent moved in the 2014-15 time period, higher than the all-time low of 4.7 percent in 2010-11. Among renters, the mobility rate fell to an all-time low of 24.0 percent in 2014-15. 

Source: Census Bureau, Migration/Geographic Mobility

Seismic Shift in Spending on Groceries

There has been "a seismic shift in how people eat," according to a New York Times headline. Per capita consumption of soda, orange juice, and cereal are all down as Americans more fresh food and less sugar, reports the Times. Consumer Expenditure Survey data confirm the Times story. Here are the trends in average household spending for selected groceries between 2006 (the year overall household spending peaked) and 2014....

Percent change in average household spending, 2006 to 2014 (in 2014 dollars)
23% decline in spending on ice cream
23% decline in spending on fresh fruit juice
22% decline in spending on cakes and cupcakes
16% decline in spending on carbonated drinks
16% decline in spending on canned and bottled fruit juice
10% decline in spending on cookies
9% decline in spending on cereal
5% decline in spending on candy and chewing gum

In contrast to these declines, the average household spent more on: bacon (31%), yogurt (31%), nuts (23%), fresh fruit (19%), and fresh vegetables (6%). Clearly, the New York Times is on to something.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Surveys

Who Is Multiracial?

The size of the multiracial population depends on how questions about race are asked, reports Pew Research Center. In a test of how different questions produce different results, Pew surveyed a nationally representative sample of adults and found the following...

Standard two-questions: This is the methodology currently used in the decennial census, Current Population Survey, and American Community Survey. Respondents are first asked to select their race(s), then they are asked about Hispanic origin. Result: 3.7 percent of the population is multiracial.

Single question with Hispanic as an option: This single race-or-origin question is being considered for the 2020 census, replacing the above methodology. Respondents are asked to select their race or origin, with Hispanic as one of the choices. Result: 4.8 percent of the population is multiracial (not including Hispanic responses).

Family history questions: Respondents are asked not only about their own race but also the race of their parents and grandparents. Result: 6.9 percent of the population is multiracial. When respondents are asked about the race of great-grandparents and earlier ancestors, the multiracial share rises to 13.1 percent.

Source: Pew Research Center, Who Is Multiracial? Depends on How You Ask

Household Income Distribution in 2014

Income distribution of American households in 2014 (and % of households with two or more earners)...

Less than $25,000: 24 percent (5%)
$25,000 to $49,999: 23 percent (23%)
$50,000 to $74,999: 17 percent (45%)
$75,000 to $99,999: 12 percent (61%)
$100,000 to $124,999: 8 percent (68%)
$125,000 to $149,999: 5 percent (74%)
$150,000 to $174,999: 4 percent (73%)
$175,000 to $199,999: 2 percent (77%)
$200,000 or more: 6 percent (76%)

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2015 Current Population Survey

Television News Still Tops

Television still dominates the news. A 45 percent plurality of Americans say they get most of their information about events in the news from television. A smaller 35 percent get most of their news from the Internet, and 10 percent from newspapers. There are big differences by generation, however...

Percent who get most of their news from television
Millennials: 29%
Gen Xers: 49%
Boomers: 50%
Older: 65%

Percent who get most of their news from the Internet
Millennials: 57%
Gen Xers: 32%
Boomers: 27%
Older: 6%

Note: In 2014, Millennials were 20 to 37; Gen Xers were 38 to 49; Boomers were 50 to 68.
Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2014 General Social Survey

Demographic Story of the Week: Death Rate Rises

The death rate of middle-aged white Americans is rising, according to a study by Princeton economists Angus Deaton (winner of the 2015 Nobel prize) and Anne Case and reported in the New York Times. The rise in the death rate is occurring among whites aged 45 to 54 and is limited to those with  a high school diploma or less education. Behind the rise are more suicides and higher rates of drug and alcohol poisoning.

If you haven't already read this troubling story, you can read it here: Death Rates Rising for Middle-Aged White Americans, Study Finds

Men 65-Plus Who Work Full-Time

Overall, 15.1 percent of men aged 65 or older work full-time, but the figure varies greatly by educational attainment...

Men aged 65 or older who work full-time by highest level of education
  7.5%: no high school diploma
12.6%: high school graduate only
15.0%: some college
14.5%: Associate's degree
20.7%: Bachelor's degree
16.8%: Master's degree
28.5%: Doctoral degree
32.6%: Professional degree

The pattern is the same for women, although the percentages are less. Among women aged 65 or older, the percentage who work full-time ranges from 4 percent among those with less than a high school education to a high of 24 percent among those with a professional degree.

Source: Census Bureau, 2015 Current Population Survey

Epic Political Battle Is Religious Too

The political parties are divided by more than ideology. Religion also divides them...

• The single largest religious block among Democrats is the unaffiliated (28%), followed by Catholics (21%), Evangelical Protestants (16%), Mainline Protestants (13%), and historically Black Protestants (12%).
• The largest single religious block among Republicans is Evangelical Protestant (38%), followed by Catholics (21%), Mainline Protestants (17%), the unaffiliated (14%), and other Christian groups (4%).

Source: Pew Research Center, U.S. Public Becoming Less Religious

Do People Run Out of Money In Retirement?

What are the chances you will run out of money in retirement? An Employee Benefit Research Institute study determined that 12 percent of older American have no assets of any kind at the time of death. But did they run out money or never have it to begin with?

It's likely they never had it, according to an NBER analysis of how the assets of older Americans change over time. "The level of assets of individuals approaching the end of life is determined primarily by the assets these individuals held many years earlier," the NBER researchers conclude after examining the assets of individuals in the Health and Retirement Study from first observation in 1992 or 1993 until their death. "Most of those with limited assets at death also had limited assets earlier in life. They did not run out of assets in retirement; they never had many assets to begin with."

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, What Determines End-of-Life Assets? A Retrospective View, Working Paper 21682

60% of Households Experience Financial Shocks

In a year's time, most households experience a financial shock, according to Pew Charitable Trusts Survey of American Family Finances. In the survey, Pew asked a nationally representative sample of Americans whether they had experienced any of the following unexpected financial shocks: income cut; hospitalization; separation, divorce, or widowhood; major vehicle repair; major housing repair; or some other large unexpected expense. The 60 percent majority of households had experienced one or more shocks in the past 12 months...

30% had a major car repair
24% had a major home repair
24% experienced a hospital trip
24% experienced a pay cut
3% experienced separation, divorce, or widowhood
10% experienced other large, unexpected expenses

How much do these shocks set people back? The median cost of the average household's most expensive shock was $2,000, says Pew. Such shocks have psychological consequences. Among households that did not experience a shock, 64 percent reported feeling financially secure. Among those who did, only 41 percent felt secure. In the coming weeks, Pew will examine the resources available to families to help them weather these all too common financial shocks.

Source: Pew Charitable Trusts, How Do Families Cope with Financial Shocks?

Smartphones: Portal to the Internet

When deciding how important mobile is to e-commerce efforts, companies might think it's about as important as desktop sites. After all, 68 percent of Americans own a smartphone and a larger 73 percent own a desktop or laptop computer, according to a survey by Pew Research Center. But this way of thinking ignores two important facts: 1) Mobile Internet usage exceeds PC Internet usage; and 2) Mobile devices (smartphones) are the primary portal to the Internet for many important segments of the population...

Blacks (percent owning)
Smartphone: 68%
Desktop/laptop: 45%

Aged 18 to 29 (percent owning)
Smartphone: 86%
Desktop/laptop: 78%

Urban residents (percent owning)
Smartphone: 72%
Desktop/laptop: 67%

Source: Pew Research Center, The Demographics of Device Ownership

Tech Has Gotten A Whole Lot Cheaper

If you're frustrated over the rising cost of necessities, these numbers should cheer you up. Some of the items we value most highly are a whole lot cheaper than they used to be. For every $100 you spent on these items in 1997, an item of similar quality today would cost...

Television: $5.50
Computer: $4.20
Computer software: $36.80
Internet service: $76.00
Audio equipment: $40.40
Photographic equipment: $41.50

Some tech is getting more expensive. For every $100 you devoted to cable service in 1997, you're now paying a larger $180.50.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Long-term Price Trends for Computers, TVs, and Related Items

How Many Renters Want to Buy?

The number of renter-occupied homes grew by more than 1.3 million in the past year, according to the Census Bureau's Housing Vacancy Survey, while the number of owner-occupied homes inched up by just 123,000. From the third quarter of 2014 to the third quarter of 2015, the nation's homeownership rate fell from 64.4 to 63.7 percent.

Clearly the number of renters is surging, which begs the question: how many of those renters are wannabe homeowners who could potentially energize the housing market? Shedding some light on that question is the Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, fielded in 2013 and 2014. The survey asked renters why they rent. In 2013, 10 percent of renters identified themselves as wannabe homeowners, looking to buy a house. When the Feds surveyed the same respondents in 2014, one-third of the renters who wanted to buy had become homeowners. Among renters who had not expressed a desire to buy, only 3 percent had bought a home.

Source: Federal Reserve Board, Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2014

First-Time Homebuyer Watch: 3rd Quarter 2015

Homeownership rate of householders aged 30 to 34, third quarter 2015: 46.8%

The homeownership rate of households headed by people aged 30 to 34 climbed in the third quarter of 2015 to 46.8 percent, up from 45.2 percent in the second quarter of 2015. While this is encouraging news for the housing industry, a similar uptick occurred in the last half of 2014, followed by a plunge to record lows in the first two quarters of 2015. The rise in homeownership could be nothing more than a bobble at the bottom, or it could signal emerging vitality in the housing market. 

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. The homeownership rate of 35-to-39-year-olds stood at 54.6 percent in the third quarter of 2015—a new record low for the age group. Since peaking in the first quarter of 2007, the homeownership rate of 35-to-39-year-olds has fallen by more than 10 percentage points.

Nationally, the homeownership rate was 63.7 percent in the third quarter of 2015, down from 64.4 percent a year earlier.

Source: Census Bureau, Housing Vacancy Survey

Individually Purchased Health Insurance, 2014

A substantial 13 percent of Americans under age 65 now have health insurance purchased directly from private health insurance companies, thanks in large part to the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. The Employee Benefit Research Institute has produced a detailed analysis of 2014 health insurance stats, and this is who has insurance through their own individual plan by age and family income...

Percent with individually purchased health insurance by age
Under age 18: 9.9%
Aged 18 to 25: 13.3%
Aged 26 to 34: 11.8%
Aged 35 to 44: 11.3%
Aged 45 to 54: 14.8%
Aged 55 to 64: 16.1%

Percent with individually purchased health insurance by family income
Under $10,000: 12.4%
$10,000 to $19,999: 11.8%
$20,000 to $29,999: 13.1%
$30,000 to $39,999: 13.4%
$40,000 to $49,999: 13.5%
$50,000 to $74,999: 13.6%
$75,000 or more: 11.9%

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute, Sources of Health Insurance Coverage: A Look at Changes Between 2013 and 2014 from the March 2014 and 2015 Current Population Survey

Household Income Stable in September 2015

Median household income in September 2015 stood at $56,279, according to Sentier Research—not significantly different from the August median, after adjusting for inflation. The September 2015 median was 4.3 percent higher than the September 2014 median and 8.7 percent above the $51,756 median of August 2011, the low point in Sentier's household income series. 

"Even though median annual household income did not increase in September 2015, we continue to see an upward trend in income that has been evident since the low point in August 2011," says Sentier's Gordon Green. "We have now recaptured all of the income losses that have occurred since June 2009." Sentier's median household income estimates are derived from the Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey. 

Median household income in September 2015 was 1.3 percent higher than the median of June 2009, the end of the Great Recession. It was only 0.5 percent below the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. It was 1.7 percent below the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for September 2015 was 98.3 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: September 2015

Changes in Attitudes Toward Marijuana by Birth Year

Fully 58 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, according to a Gallup survey. This is up from just 33 percent who favored it in 2000-01. Although younger adults are most supportive, the majority in every age group except the oldest are now in favor...

Support legalizing the use of marijuana
Aged 18 to 29: 71%
Aged 35 to 49: 64%
Aged 50 to 64: 58%
Aged 65-plus: 35%

Attitudes toward the legalization of marijuana are changing because older Americans are being replaced by younger, more tolerant (and experienced) generations. Support is growing also because people are changing their minds about marijuana. Gallup analyzes the ongoing attitude shift by year of birth, finding growing support for legalization over the past 15 years in all but the oldest birth cohort...

                                 Support legalization
                                  2000-01         2015
Born 1966 to 1980:       43%            64%
Born 1951 to 1965:       35%            58%
Born 1936 to 1950:       29%            40%
Born 1935 or before:     18%            19%

Source: Gallup, In U.S., 58% Back Legal Marijuana Use

Where Did All the Construction Workers Go?

That's the question asked by Census Bureau researchers in a Research Matters blog post. With the economy picking up steam, builders and contractors are reporting (anecdotally) some difficulty in finding construction workers, according to the researchers. What happened to all those housing bubble workers after the bubble burst?

Unfortunately, this story does not have a happy ending. After analyzing Job-to-Job Flows public-use data and zeroing in on those workers who stopped working for more than three months between 2006 and 2009, the researchers found that most of those workers had either abandoned the industry entirely or were still jobless long after the end of the Great Recession...

• about 40% eventually found another construction job
• about 33% eventually found work in another industry, but typically after more than a year without a job
• about 25% were still not employed as of the end of 2013

Source: Census Bureau, Research Matters Blog, Where Did All The Construction Workers Go?