What's driving your state's growth? Babies or suitcases?
At 2.1 percent, Nevada and Idaho led all states in population growth during 2017-2018. The other swiftly growing states were Utah (1.9%), Arizona (1.7%), and Florida and Washington (1.5% apiece). While these states grew the fastest, Texas (+379,100) and Florida (+322,500) added the most people. But why are many states adding population while some now have more elbow room? The story varies quite a bit by state. The mix of births, deaths, and net migration from other states and abroad results in a state’s growing or shrinking population.
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Happy, factful, new year!
In the last 20 years, has the proportion of the world population that is living in extreme poverty (a) almost doubled, (b) remained more or less the same, or (c) almost halved? This is one of the questions in a brief quiz that opens Factfulness, a best-selling book authored by perhaps the most enthusiastic and engaging apostle of data to ever grace a TED talk stage. I have long been a fan of Hans Rosling’s presentations, so I thought a review the book he left us prior to recently passing away would be a good way to start the year.
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The power of demographics in the 2018 vote
Democrats took the U.S. House in this fall’s elections, and women made historic gains. But who sent them there? Now that the election results are finally in, here is what the data from our Representing US project are telling us.
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Testing the waters: How Americans relate to water
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about the role of water in your life? This is one of the questions respondents answered in the qualitative study “How Americans Relate to Water” we recently completed with Wilder Research on behalf of the Water Main. The Water Main aims to “connect people to the value of water” as it “builds public will in support of clean, abundant, accessible water.”
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A caring crisis
As the demand for labor intensifies, workers can choose among jobs that help them capitalize on the economy’s gifts. For workers, this economy is a boon. But for those on the receiving end of some occupations, it is nothing short of painful. Many of society’s employed caregivers—assisting children, the disabled, and older adults—perform physically and emotionally demanding work for little pay. With roughly 1 in 10 of these caring jobs now vacant, community members needing care face the consequences.
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Women are running in more than half of all U.S. House races this November
U.S. House is currently governed by four-fifths men. The odds of reducing that fraction are bolstered by the unprecedented number of women appearing on the midterm ballot this fall. In sum, 284 women are vying to represent a congressional district in the 116th Congress. While these are exciting statistics for anyone who believes that more gender parity would serve our country better, the lopsidedness among Democratic and Republican women candidates is dramatic. Among Republicans, the tally is just 52 women, while Democrats have 185 women seeking to become U.S. Representatives this fall.
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Senator Amy Klobuchar is Minnesota's most beloved politician
Minnesota’s senior U.S. Senator, Amy Klobuchar, is occasionally mentioned as a possible presidential contender. How well-liked is she in her home state? In two recent surveys, Klobuchar received higher ratings than any other politician on the list.
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The Whiter the congressional district, the more likely it is to be represented by a Republican
How might our nation’s continually changing demographics play into the 2018 midterms and beyond? Here are some insights from an analysis of the data: Democrats dominate among “majority minority” districts; Republicans dominate among congressional districts with White majorities. Republicans do well in older districts; Democrats do well in younger districts.
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The United States will soon be bigger, older, and more diverse
The United States population is projected to be bigger, older, and more diverse by 2060, according to the latest Census Bureau projections. How might this country’s composition change between now and then, its 284th birthday? The share of the population who is at least age 65 will increase from about 1 in 7 today to 1 in 4 by 2060. That same year, just over 1 in 3 children are projected be non-Hispanic White. Meanwhile the U.S. population is projected to grow to 404 million, nearly one-quarter larger than today’s 326 million residents.
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