Race-Ethnicity

The New York Times had an article yesterday that explained that the United States has a disproportionate proportion of the world’s prison population. Further, African American men are a disproportionate percentage of the prison population in the United States.

This is the proportion age 18-64 in correctional facilities. It would be better to have this for age 18-24, or the proportion age 30 that have ever spent time in a correctional facility, but that's not what the census is giving me.

Come back Monday for a report on trends in earnings.

Social Trends

According to the General Social Survey, the proportion of Americans (United States Residents) that read the news paper daily is on the decline across all age groups.

Health and Mortality

The 15 leading causes of death in 2005 were:
1. Heart disease
2. Cancer
3. Stroke
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases
5. Accidents
6. Diabetes
7. Alzheimer’s disease
8. Influenza and pneumonia
9. Kidney disease
10. Septicemia
11. Suicide
12. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
13. Hypertension
14. Parkinson’s disease
15. Homicide

Poverty and Inequality

Many of the poor in the United States (33%) are employed. How do the poor get to work and how does their mode of transportation differ from the non poor?

Unemployment

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate last month was 5.1%,1 up from 4.4 a year ago.
States with highest and lowest unemployment rates:












Large metropolitan areas with highest and lowest unemployment rates:










1 Note that, to be unemployed, a person has to look for a job, so unemployment is not the same as non-employment.