Random Samplings

Funding Public Education

Written by: Lisa Blumerman, Chief, Governments Division, US Census Bureau

Most students in the United States depend on public schools for their education, so it’s not surprising that the public has a keen interest on how tax dollars are spent to support public education.

Children sitting in classrooms, riding buses, eating school lunches, participating in school programs are our nation’s future, so we want to provide them with a good start in life.

Today, the Census Bureau is releasing new statistics on the finances of elementary and secondary public school systems from our Public Education Finances: 2009.

Looking at details such as the source of revenue or spending categories gives us a better idea about how our tax dollars are being spent – i.e., how much of total spending goes toward instruction, how much toward children’s nutrition, how much for transportation, salaries, etc.

Funding public education in the United States is a joint effort between federal, state and local governments—and is the single largest category of state and local government spending. It’s vital for government leaders, school officials, policy makers and organizations that support education to understand how we are funding and operating our public school systems.

Of the money received by public school systems, 91 percent came from state and local sources; 9 percent came from the federal government. The $591 billion in total funding in 2009 works out to about $10,499 per pupil, a 2 percent increase from 2008.

Public schools in New York spent more than any other state or state equivalent, with $18,126 per pupil in 2009. The District of Columbia ($16,408), New Jersey ($16,271), Alaska ($15,552) and Vermont ($15,175) had the next-highest spending.

Public Education Finance: 2009 provides the most recent and complete picture of how taxpayer money is being spent on education.

For information on your state’s public school spending, click here.

Read the full report.

Read the press release.

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Moving up, moving on, moving out – What’s the story?

Written by: David Ihrke, Survey Statistician, US Census Bureau

Every year, millions of people pack up and move from one residence to another. This trend has long been an important aspect of American life, affecting both people and geographic areas. In 2010, more than one in 10 U.S. residents (1 year and older) moved within the previous year.

Among the interesting details that came out of the 2010 Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement — seven in 10 of those people moved within the same county, nearly two in 10 moved from a different county within the same state, and about one in 10 moved to a different state.

This information is from Geographical Mobility: 2010, the latest in a series of tables that describe the movement of people in the United States. The tables show the mover rate is different for people who are married versus people who are single. Another factor we can examine is how the mover rate varies by whether the housing unit is owned or rented.

Moving can create economic opportunity or residential satisfaction. In fact, housing reasons topped the list of reasons why people moved at nearly 44 percent. Among people who said that housing-related reasons motivated them to move, the most common reason cited was the desire to live in a new or better home or apartment. For those who said they moved for employment-related reasons, a new job or job transfer was the most common reason.

On a broader level, geographic mobility data are used by federal, state and local governments to understand population growth and decline in order to plan for needed services and facilities, such as schools and hospitals. These same figures are also important to private industry, which can use these figures to determine where to expand and locate businesses and services.

Year-to-year, these population shifts tell us important things about how our nation is changing in important ways. This year, as we roll out population figures from the 2010 Census*, we see the impact of mobility on housing markets, economic growth, demand for services and even congressional representation.

One thing certainly remains constant; millions of Americans will be on the move over the course of the next year.

*Geographic mobility/migration was not asked in the 2010 Census.

Read the press release

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The Fruit of the Sea

By: Terri

The 1994 classic "Forrest Gump" taught you all the different ways to cook shrimp. USA Trade Online, on the other hand can provide detailed U.S. shrimp trade statistics. For example, did you know that from 2005 through 2009, Louisiana had consistently ranked in the top 5 states exporting frozen shrimp by dollar value, averaging $5.5 million each year?

Or that over that same period, Florida moved from #3 to #1 in value of frozen shrimp exports with a 95% growth rate and an annual average of $9.6 million each year?

You can also use USA Trade Online to demonstrate the impact of current events on the trade of a geographic region. In the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill, exports of frozen shrimp from the gulf sharply decreased. Louisiana frozen shrimp exports dropped 75% from April to June 2010, while Florida exports dropped 16%.

Download Data Shrimp Exports

Despite those losses, both markets have rebounded and shrimp exports are back to pre-oil spill levels. You can continue to track the recovery progress at USA Trade Online.

In the meantime ..."there's shrimp Creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried..." and many more delicious choices for the proclaimed "Fruit of the Sea"!

This blog was re-posted from the Census Bureau's Global Reach blog.

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How Many Trips Do We Take Down the Aisle?

Written by: Rose Kreider, Family Demographer, US Census Bureau Fertility & Family Statistics Branch

Most of us take only one trip down the aisle. Among all currently married couples in 2009, 72 percent were made up of a man and woman who were each in their first marriage. Looking only at recently married couples, which gives us an idea of current patterns, 65 percent of couples who married during 2008 were in their first marriage.

At the other end of the spectrum, a small percentage, just 1 percent, of currently married couples consisted of a husband and wife who had both been married three or more times. Another 6 percent of currently married couples included one spouse who was in at least their third marriage. Between these extremes, 22 percent of currently married couples included at least one spouse who was in their second marriage.

Couples who got married during 2008 looked similar, with 25 percent including at least one spouse who was in their second marriage and a slightly higher 9 percent including one spouse in their third or higher order marriage.

More detail about how many times adults have married and other information on the marital history of Americans is available in a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau titled Number, Timing and Duration of Marriages and Divorces: 2009.

Read the press release.

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Serving Their Country, Then Serving Their Customers

Written by: Tom Mesenbourg, Deputy Director, US Census Bureau

In about two weeks, the nation will observe Memorial Day, in which we commemorate U.S. soldiers who perished while in military service. Today, we recognize our military veterans who, following their service to their country, transitioned into civilian lives of serving customers as business owners.

Their immense contributions to our U.S. economy can be seen in the data on veteran-owned businesses from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners (SBO). This survey provides the first-ever estimates of all veteran-owned firms in the United States.

In 2007, businesses in which veterans owned 51 percent or more of the equity, interest, or stock in the business numbered 2.4 million businesses and generated $1.2 trillion in receipts. These businesses employed 5.8 million people and their payrolls totaled $210.0 billion. Separate estimates are also available for businesses that are owned equally by veterans and nonveterans. When you add in businesses where veterans were half-owners, the respective totals are even more impressive: 3.7 million businesses and $1.6 trillion.

In 2007, nearly one-in-three veteran-owned businesses operated in the professional, scientific, and technical services and the construction sectors. The former category includes businesses as varied as offices of lawyers, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services, veterinary services, portrait studios, and management consulting services.

The SBO also provides us with a detailed look at businesses by veteran ownership status for smaller geographic areas, including states, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.

To learn more, visit the Census Bureau's website.

Read the press release.

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Data Visualization: US Center of Population

Each decade, after it tabulates the decennial census, the Census Bureau calculates the center of population. The center is determined as the place where an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all residents were of identical weight.

You can watch the Center of Population move across the country and learn more about what historical factors contributed to this movement, on the Census Bureau's interactive map. The map is easy to share by embedding it on your own website.

On Wednesday, Census Bureau geographer Theodore Sickley will discuss how the center of population is determined and what we can learn about the population growth and distribution of our country through the center's travels westward since the 1790 Census. Join us at 11 AM EDT for this live Ustream video event. Theodore will answer questions posed from the public on Facebook and Twitter during the live broadcast.

Historically, the center of population has followed a trail that reflects the sweep of the nation's brush stroke across America's population canvas. The sweep reflects the settling of the frontier, waves of immigration and the migration west and south. Since 1790, the location has moved in a westerly, then a more southerly pattern. In 2000, the new center of population in Edgar Springs, Mo., was more than 1,000 miles from the first center in 1790, which was near Chestertown, Md.

In 2010, the center moved in a more southerly direction than in previous decades, to near Plato, Mo., an incorporated village in Texas County. The distance moved—23.4 miles—is the shortest distance since 1970. This southerly drift and shorter distance can be attributed to a strong pull on the center by population growth in the Southeast—Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas—as well as growth in Texas.

Learn the mean center of population for your state.

View the interactive map.

View the live Ustream event on Wednesday, May 11 at 11 AM EDT.

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“DELAYER BOOM” NOT “BABY BOOM”

Written by: Kristy Krivickas, Census Bureau Demographer, HHES

Ever notice those college-educated 30–something women with infant strollers and believe that a new baby boom is under way? The Census Bureau today reported that what you have been seeing over the past decade is not a new baby boom, but rather a “delayer boom.”

Findings from the 2000 and 2010 Current Population Survey show that highly educated women initially delay childbearing, have higher fertility levels in their 30s, but do not fully catch up to childbearing levels of women with fewer years of schooling.

However, in the last 10 years, the gap in fertility had decreased between college-educated women and women with less than a high school education. In 2000, women age 25 to 34 with at least a bachelor’s degree had fewer births and were more likely to be childless compared with women who had less than a high school education.

By 2010, the differences in fertility between more and less educated women were smaller.

• In 2000, women with at least a bachelor’s degree had 1.5 fewer children than women with less than a high school degree. By 2010, when the age of 35-44, the gap decreased to 0.9 fewer children. 

• Looking at childlessness among 25- to 34-year olds, there was a 42 percent difference in 2000. By 2010, among 35- to 44-year olds, there was a much smaller disparity — 12 percent.

College-educated women — as they have aged into their 30s — have increased their childbearing to a greater extent than other women, but they still are having fewer children by the end of their childbearing years.

Read the press release.

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Census Bureau Releases Most Detailed Data Yet From the 2010 Census

The U.S. Census Bureau has begun releasing the Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics for the first set of states. These demographic profiles provide the most detailed data yet from the 2010 Census, including information on age and sex distributions, race, ethnicity, housing and relationships. The profiles are being released throughout May for all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

The Census Bureau has created this interactive map to enable users to explore the data down to the city level. By clicking the tabs at the top of the map, users can reveal the demographic data for their selected locations. Interactive options also allow users to make population comparisons between communities across the country.

Read the press release

Learn more about the demographic profiles and which states are next

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