Find the Recreation Hot Spots

Where are the nation's recreation hot spots and retirement destinations? Which local economies are dependent on manufacturing, mining, farming, or federal and state government employment? The USDA's Economic Research Service has new maps and stats that reveal the economic and social characteristics of the nation's 3,000-plus counties.

"The 2015 County Typology Codes classify all U.S. counties according to six mutually exclusive categories of economic dependence and six overlapping categories of policy-relevant themes," explains the ERS. The results are downloadable as an Excel spreadsheet.

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, 2015 County Typology Codes

What Americans Think about "Medicare-for-All"

Half of Americans are in favor of guaranteed health insurance coverage in which all Americans would get their insurance through a single government health plan, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. But support varies greatly by age...

Percent somewhat or strongly in favor of universal coverage
Aged 18 to 29: 65%
Aged 30 to 49: 55%
Aged 50 to 64: 41%
Aged 65-plus: 36%

Interestingly, the level of public support depends on the term used to describe universal coverage. Fully 63 percent of Americans have a somewhat or very positive reaction to the term "Medicare-for-all," and 57 percent feel positive about the term "guaranteed universal health coverage." But support falls to 44 percent if the term "single-payer health insurance system" is used, and just 38 percent feel positive about "socialized medicine."

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: February 2016

Top 10 Occupations: Generation X

Among the hundreds of detailed occupations examined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 10 with the largest percentage of Gen Xers (aged 39 to 50 in 2015) ...

Generation X share of workers (average = 26%)
1. Supervisors of police and detectives: 44.7%
2. Brokerage clerks: 40.0%
3. Financial examiners: 40.0%
4. Locomotive engineers: 39.6%
5. Computer network architects: 38.4%
6. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers: 38.1%
7. Computer and information systems managers: 38.1%
8. Supervisors of correctional officers: 38.1%
9. Training and development mangers: 38.0%
10. Human resources managers: 37.0%

Click here for the top 10 occupations among Boomers.
Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment data from the Current Population Survey

Top 10 Occupations: Boomers

Among the hundreds of detailed occupations examined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 10 with the largest percentage of Boomers (aged 51 to 69 in 2015)...

Baby Boom share of workers (average = 31%)
1. Buyers and purchasing agents, farm products: 64.0%
2. Judges and magistrates: 62.4%
3. Crossing guards: 62.1%
4. Print binding and finishing workers: 61.0%
5. Farmers and ranchers: 59.7%
6. Tailors and dressmakers: 58.1%
7. Parking enforcement workers: 58.0%
8. Postmasters and mail superintendents: 57.5%
9. Furniture finishers: 56.0%
10. Tool and die makers: 55.3%

Stay tuned for the top 10 occupations among Gen Xers, Millennials, and the iGeneration.
Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment data from the Current Population Survey

Daily Consumption of Sugary Drinks

How many Americans aged 18 or older drink at least one sugar-sweetened beverage every day? According to the CDC, a substantial 29 percent. The CDC defines sugar-sweetened beverages as regular sodas, fruit drinks, sweet tea, and sports or energy drinks. Excluded from the measure are diet sodas and fruit juice...

• By state: daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is highest in Mississippi (47.5 percent of adults) and lowest in Vermont (18.0 percent). 
• By age: daily consumption is greatest among 18-to-24-year-olds (43.3 percent) and lowest among people aged 55 or older (19.1 percent). 
• By race and Hispanic origin: daily consumption is highest among Blacks (39.9 percent) and Hispanics (36.3 percent) and lowest among "other, non-Hispanics" (21.2 percent), a segment dominated by Asians. 
• By education: only 15.5 percent of college graduates drink sugar-sweetened beverages every day versus 28.5 percent of those with some college, 35.8 percent of high school graduates, and 42.4 percent of adults without a high school diploma.

Source: CDC, Prevalence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake among Adults—23 States and the District of Columbia, 2013

Financial Stability, Upward Mobility, Depend on Family Help

In a pinch, families come to the rescue. In the past year, 26 percent of American households provided financial assistance to family (or friends) who needed help with day-to-day expenses, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study. Analyzing data from its Survey of American Family Finances, Pew reports that the helping households provided a median of $1,000 in assistance.

Some families do much more, providing their adult children with what Pew call "mobility-enhancing" funds: money for higher education and homeownership. According to Pew's analysis of the 2013 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, 10 percent of adult children received financial help from their parents for home purchasing, and 31 percent received funds for higher education. Of course the wealthiest families are most likely to provide these funds. Among adults raised in the wealthiest one-third of families, 52 percent received money from their parents for higher education and 61 percent received money for home purchasing. Among those in the least wealthy one-third, the comparable figures are just 14 and 6 percent.

"The safety net provided to households by friends and relatives," says Pew, "is a hidden dimension of the financial system and one that may reinforce existing advantages and disadvantages in family finances."

Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts, Extended Family Support and Household Balance Sheets 

2016 Voters by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin

Older non-Hispanic Whites (aged 45 or older) will account for only 47 percent of voters in the 2016 presidential election, according to a Demo Memo analysis of Census Bureau data. This is well below their 55 percent share of voters in the 2014 mid-term election and slightly below their 48 percent share of voters in the 2012 presidential election.

The 47 percent figure is based on the Census Bureau's 2016 population projections by age, race, and Hispanic origin. The citizenship and voting rates of 2012 were applied to each racial and ethnic group, and those rates were applied to non-Hispanic Whites by age. The result is the projected demographics of voters in 2016...

Projected voters in 2016 election by race and Hispanic origin
Total voters: 141 million
Non-Hispanic Whites: 101 million (72% of voters)
Blacks: 19 million (14% of voters)
Hispanics: 13 million (9% of voters)
Asians: 5 million (3% of voters)
Other races: 3 million (2% of voters)

Projected voters in 2016 election by age, race, and Hispanic origin
Total voters: 141 million
Minorities: 40 million (28% of voters)
Non-Hispanic Whites under age 45: 35 million (25% of voters)
Non-Hispanic Whites aged 45 or older: 67 million (47% of voters)

Non-Hispanic Whites under age 45 and Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and other minorities are likely to account for the 53 percent majority of voters in the 2016 presidential election.

Source: Demo Memo analysis based on the Census Bureau's Population Projections and Voting and Registration

Time Spent in Health-Related Self Care

Many Americans have health needs that require daily attention. The American Time Use Survey measures this time, calling it "health-related self care," and documents its growing importance in daily life as people age. Health-related self care includes activities such as taking medicine or vitamins; resting because of an illness or injury; giving oneself a shot; testing blood sugar levels; taking insulin; applying ointment; putting ice on an injury; changing oxygen; doing childbirth, stress management, or therapeutic exercises; and even meditating (not religious).

On an average day, 7 percent of people aged 15 or older engage in health-related self care as a primary activity. Among people aged 75 or older, the proportion is one in five...

Percent participating in health-related self care on an average day
Aged 15 to 19: 1%
Aged 20 to 24: 2%
Aged 25 to 34: 2%
Aged 35 to 44: 3%
Aged 45 to 54: 8%
Aged 55 to 64: 9%
Aged 65 to 74: 12%
Aged 75-plus: 21%

The time devoted to health-related self care is not trivial. Those who engage in health-related self care on an average day spend more than an hour attending to their health needs.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of unpublished tables from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2014 American Time Use Survey

Household Income Grows in December

Median household income in December 2015 stood at $57,153, according to Sentier Research—0.7 percent higher than the November median, after adjusting for inflation. The December 2015 median was 4.3 percent higher than the December 2014 median and 10.2 percent above the $51,859 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 December 2015 was 2.7 percent higher than the median of June 2009, the end of the Great Recession. It was 0.8 percent higher than the median of December 2007, the start of the Great Recession. It is still 0.4 percent lower than the median of January 2000. The Household Income Index for December 2015 was 99.6 (January 2000 = 100.0).

Source: Sentier Research, Household Income Trends: December 2015

Why Working-Age Adults Go to the Emergency Room

Among Americans aged 18 to 64, a substantial 18 percent visited an emergency room one or more times in 2014, according to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics. These are the reasons people visit an emergency room rather than go to a doctor's office...

Reasons for emergency room visit
Seriousness of the problem: 77.1%
Doctor's office not open: 11.8%
Lack of access: 7.0%

Note: Lack of access includes didn't have another place to go, emergency room is the closest provider, or get most of care at the emergency room.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Reasons for Emergency Room Use among U.S. Adults Aged 18-64: National Health Interview Survey, 2013 and 2014

Top 10 Occupations: Average Diversity

Among the hundreds of detailed occupations examined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 10 in which the race and Hispanic origin distribution of workers is most similar to the national average (6% Asian; 11% Black; 16% Hispanic; 64% non-Hispanic White)...

Occupations with the most average diversity
1. Bank tellers
2. Hosts and hostesses, restaurants and coffee shops
3. Retail salespersons
4. Office clerks
5. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
6. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
7. Order clerks
8. Receptionists and information clerks
9. Food service managers
10. Health practitioner support technicians

Click here for the top 10 occupations by race and Hispanic origin: Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Whites.
Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment data from the Current Population Survey

Older Americans Are Deeper in Debt

Today's older Americans have more debt than their predecessors, according to a Liberty Street Economics analysis. Among borrowers aged 50 to 80, aggregate debt grew 60 percent between 2003 and 2015, while the debt of younger borrowers fell slightly during those years.

Tapping into the New York Fed's Consumer Credit Panel, which is based on Equifax credit data, the researchers examined five types of debt (mortgages, auto loans, credit cards, student loans, and home equity lines of credit) to see how balances have changed. Among borrowers aged 50 or older, the per capita balance of each type of debt except credit cards increased between 2003 and 2015. Among younger borrowers, the per capita balance of each type of debt except student loans fell during those years.

This is good news, say the researchers, because older borrowers are more likely to pay back their loans. So far there is no evidence of greater delinquency among older borrowers as their debt level has grown. The aging of the nation's borrowers is likely to mean "greater balance sheet stability" and less "credit-fueled consumption growth."

Source: Liberty Street Economics, The Graying of American Debt

Homeownership Rate Falls (Again) in 2015

The nation's homeownership rate fell to 63.7 percent in 2015, down from the peak of 69.0 percent in 2004—a 5.3 percentage point decline. Among householders aged 30 to 44, the rate fell by more than 10 percentage points during those years...

Homeownership rate in 2015 (and percentage point decline since peak year of 2004)
Total households: 63.7% (-5.3)
Under 25: 21.8% (-3.4)
25 to 29: 31.7% (-8.5)
30 to 34: 45.9% (-11.5)
35 to 39: 55.3% (-10.9)
40 to 44: 61.6% (-10.3)
45 to 54: 70.0% (-7.2)
55 to 64: 75.4% (-6.3)
65-plus: 78.9% (-2.2)

The long-term decline in homeownership, now in its second decade, shows no sign of stopping. Between 2014 and 2015, every age group with the sole exception of householders under age 25 (whose homeownership rate climbed by a minuscule 0.1 percentage points) experienced a decline in  homeownership. The overall homeownership rate fell by 0.8 percentage points between 2014 and 2015, greater than the 0.6 percentage point decline in the previous year. 

Source: Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership

24% of Nation's Children Have Immigrant Parent(s)

Nearly one in four children under age 18 in the United States has at least one immigrant parent, according to an Urban Institute study. The number of children with at least one immigrant parent grew by 1.9 million between 2006 and 2013. At the same time, the number of children with native-born parents fell by 1.3 million.

Nine out of 10 children of immigrants are U.S. citizens. Nearly half (48 percent) live in just 10 metropolitan areas: New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Houston; Miami; Dallas; Washington, DC; Riverside, CA; San Francisco; and Atlanta.

Source: Urban Institute, Children of Immigrants: 2013 State Trends Update

Who Gets Enough Sleep?

Percentage of Americans who report getting an average of 7 or more hours of sleep in a 24-hour period, according to the CDC's Behavorial Risk Factor Surveillance System...

Age
18 to 24: 67.8%
25 to 34: 62.1%
35 to 44: 61.7%
45 to 64: 62.7%
65-plus: 73.7%

Race and Hispanic origin
Asians: 62.5%
Blacks: 54.2%
Hispanics: 65.5%
Non-Hispanic Whites: 66.8%

Education
Less than college: 62.4%
College graduate: 71.5%

Marital Status
Never married: 62.3%
Married: 67.4%
Separated, divorced, widowed: 55.7%

Source: CDC, Prevalence of Healthy Sleep Duration among Adults—United States, 2014

The Life of American Workers in 1915

Canned goods were sophisticated, overweight was a sign of good health, there was no such thing as standard time, and phonographs were the must-have tech. These are just a few of the fascinating facts revealed by a Monthly Labor Review article about the lives of workers in 1915. By examining the demographics, occupations, working conditions, and home life of workers in 1915, Bureau of Labor Statistics' economist Carol Boyd Leon reveals how much has changed...

• In 1915, nearly 1 in 3 workers was a farm laborer versus fewer than 1 in 100 today. 
• In 1915, 56% of men aged 65 or older were in the labor force versus 23% today.
• In 1915, the average man earned $687 per year ($16,063 in 2015 dollars) compared with median earnings of $40,638 for male workers today. 

This look at the life of American workers in 1915 also reveals some things that haven't changed. Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Shredded Wheat were popular breakfast foods in 1915, for example, and there was a debate about whether cereal was a healthier breakfast food than meat or eggs.

Source: Monthly Labor Review, The Life of American Workers in 1915

Top 10 Occupations: Hispanics

Among the hundreds of detailed occupations examined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 10 with the largest percentage of Hispanics...

Hispanic share of workers (average = 16%)
1. Drywall installers: 61.5%
2. Roofers: 58.1%
3. Graders and sorters, agricultural products: 54.0%
4. Misc. agricultural workers: 49.2%
5. Cement masons, concrete finishers, and terrazzo workers: 48.7%
6. Painters, construction and maintenance: 48.2%
7. Helpers, construction trades: 45.6%
8. Carpet, floor, and tile installers and finishers: 44.2%
9. Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons: 43.9%
10. Maids and housekeeping cleaners: 43.8%

See also: Top 10 Occupations: Non-Hispanic Whites, Asians, and Blacks
Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment data from the Current Population Survey

College Freshmen More Liberal

One in three college freshmen identifies him or herself as "far left" or "liberal," according to The American Freshmen: National Norms Fall 2015—the highest share since 1973. The figure peaked in 1971 at 41 percent and hit a low of 21 percent in 1981.

Percent of college freshmen identifying themselves as "far left" or "liberal"
2015: 33.5%
2010: 30.2%
2005: 30.5%
2000: 27.7%
1995: 25.2%
1990: 26.5%
1985: 24.1%
1981: 21.0% (low)
1980: 22.7%
1975: 32.6%
1971: 40.9% (high)

Only 22 percent of today's college students identify themselves as "conservative" or "far right," and 45 percent describe themselves as "middle of the road."

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

Top 10 Occupations: Blacks

Among the hundreds of detailed occupations examined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 10 with the largest percentage of Blacks (alone)...

Black (alone) share of workers (average = 11%)
1. Barbers: 36.3%
2. Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides: 35.9%
3. Postal service clerks: 30.8%
4. Security guards and gaming surveillance officers: 30.3%
5. Taxi drivers and chauffeurs: 28.8%
6. Licensed practical nurses: 27.9%
7. Postal service mail sorters and processors: 27.5%
8. Misc. healthcare support occupations: 26.9%
9. Parking lot attendants: 26.3%
10. Eligibility interviewers, government programs: 26.3%

See also: Top 10 Occupations: Non-Hispanic Whites and Asians
Source: Demo Memo analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' employment data from the Current Population Survey

Growing Gap in Life Expectancy

You might have seen this headline: "Disparity in Life Spans of the Rich and the Poor Is Growing" in the New York Times. Once again researchers are documenting an expanding gap in life expectancy by socioeconomic status. The latest analysis, by the Brookings Institution, looks at the widening gap and examines its potential to increase income inequality in old age.

The Brookings study measures the life expectancy of two cohorts of men and women by earnings and educational attainment—those born in 1920 and those born in 1940, using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Among men in the HRS and SIPP samples, the researchers find life expectancy rising between the 1920 and 1940 cohorts regardless of socioeconomic status, but the rise is much larger for those at the upper end. In the lowest earnings decile of the SIPP sample, for example, the life expectancy of men born in 1920 was 74.3 years and climbed to 76.0 years in the 1940 cohort—a rise of 1.7 years. In the highest earnings decile, life expectancy climbed from 79.3 to 88.0 years—a rise of 8.7 years. The gap in life expectancy between the two deciles grew from 5.0 to 12.0 years between the 1920 and 1940 cohorts.

The pattern is the same for women, except life expectancy fell for those in the lowest earnings decile of the HRS sample between the 1920 and 1940 cohorts (from 79.0 to 76.7 years—a drop of 2.3 years). Those in the top decile saw the biggest gain, their life expectancy climbing from 83.7 to 87.0 years—a gain of 3.3 years. The gap in life expectancy between the two deciles climbed from 4.7 to 10.3 years between the 1920 and 1940 cohorts. The growing gap also emerges when the data are examined by educational attainment.

Does the growing gap in life expectancy by socioeconomic status (SES) mean Social Security benefits will disproportionately accrue to the rich rather than the poor? While this is a potential problem, it is "damped by the fact that low SES individuals tend to claim Social Security at younger ages while high SES workers are more likely to postpone retirement and benefit claiming," conclude the researchers.

Source: The Brookings Institution, Later Retirement, Inequality in Old Age, and the Growing Gap in Longevity Between Rich and Poor