SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE POST
Related Articles on SLJ
Statistical Abstract of the US
The 2011 Statistical Abstract of the United States was released yesterday by the Census Bureau. This 130th edition of our government’s best-selling reference book, first published in 1878,
is the standard summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. It is also designed to serve as a guide to other statistical publications and sources. . .
The Bureau’s press release explains that the 130th edition contains:
1,407 tables of social, political and economic facts that collectively describe the state of our nation and the world. Included this year are 65 new tables, covering topics such as insufficient rest or sleep, nursing home occupancy, homeschooling, earthquakes, U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions, organic farmland, honey bee colonies, crashes involving distracted drivers and cities with the highest transit savings.
Most of the statistic tables represent national-level data, with some presenting state and local information.
This year, the report highlights:
Carolina in My Mind
- Among the nation’s 50 largest metro areas in 2009, Raleigh-Cary, N.C., had the highest rate of population increase between 2000 and 2009, with its population climbing 41 percent. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., with a 38 percent increase, followed. (Table 21).
Heading to the Polls
- In the 2008 presidential election, 58 percent of the voting-age population nationwide reported casting a ballot. In a couple of states along our border with Canada — Minnesota and Maine — the rate topped 70 percent. (Table 417).
The Trek to Work
- Nationally, 76 percent of workers 16 and older drove alone to work in 2008, with 11 percent carpooling and 5 percent using public transportation. In New York, however, the distribution was far different: 54 percent drove solo, with 27 percent utilizing public transportation and 8 percent carpooling. (Table 1099).
Young and Old Countries
- Of all the countries with total populations of 13 million or more in 2010, Uganda and Niger had the highest percentage of population younger than 15 years old (about 50.0 percent), followed by Mali (47.5 percent) and Zambia (46.7 percent). Conversely, Japan had the highest percentage of population 65 and older (22.6 percent), followed by Germany with 20.4 percent, and Italy with 20.3 percent. In comparison, 20.1 percent of the U.S. population was younger than 15 and 13.0 percent was 65 or older. (Table 1333)
Our students have a wealth of cross-curricular content here from which to conduct thoughtful research.
Here’s a peek at the Table of Contents.
- Accommodation, Food, & Other Services
- Agriculture
- Arts, Recreation, & Travel
- Banking, Finance, & Insurance
- Banks, Savings Institutions, Credit Unions
- Finance and Insurance Industries
- Financial Assets and Liabilities
- Household Financial Assets and Liabilities
- Insurance
- Money Stock, Interest Rates, Bond Yields
- Mutual Funds, Securities Industry
- Payment Systems, Consumer Credit, Mortgage Debt
- Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing
- Stocks and Bonds, Equity Ownership
- Births, Deaths, Marriages, & Divorces
- Business Enterprise
- Construction & Housing
- Education
- All Levels of Education
- Educational Attainment
- Elementary and Secondary Education: Completions and Dropouts
- Elementary and Secondary Education: Schools and Enrollment
- Elementary and Secondary Education: Special Topics
- Elementary and Secondary Education: Staff and Finances
- Elementary and Secondary Education: Summary
- Elementary and Secondary Education: Technology, Courses, and Test Scores
- Higher Education: Degrees
- Higher Education: Finances, Fees and Staff
- Higher Education: Institutions and Enrollment
- Higher Education: Summary
- School Choice
- School Crime and Safety
- Elections
- Energy & Utilities
- Federal Gov’t Finances & Employment
- Foreign Commerce & Aid
- Forestry, Fishing, and Mining
- Geography & Environment
- Health & Nutrition
- Income, Expenditures, Poverty, & Wealth
- Information & Communications
- International Statistics
- Agricultural Production and Trade
- Climate, Environment
- Economy
- Finance and Expenditures
- Foreign Commerce and Aid and Military
- Government Receipts, Expenditures, Debt
- Labor Force
- Natural Resources and Energy
- Population, Households
- Prices
- Telecommunications, Computers
- Vital Statistics, Health, Elections, Education
- Labor Force, Employment, & Earnings
- Law Enforcement, Courts, & Prisons
- Manufactures
- National Security & Veterans Affairs
- Population
- Ancestry, Language Spoken At Home
- Elderly, Racial and Hispanic Origin Population Profiles
- Estimates and Projections by Age, Sex, Race/Ethnicity
- Estimates and Projections–States, Metropolitan Areas, Cities
- Households, Families, Group Quarters
- Marital Status and Living Arrangements
- Migration
- National Estimates and Projections
- Native and Foreign-born Populations
- Religion
- Prices
- Puerto Rico & the Island Areas
- Science & Technology
- Social Insurance & Human Services
- Child Support, Head Start, Child Care
- Employee Benefits, Government Transfer Payments, Social Assistance
- Food Programs
- Philanthropy, Nonprofit Organizations, Volunteering
- Social Security, Retirement Plans
- Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
- Unemployment, Disability, Workers’ Compensation
- State & Local Gov’t Finances & Employment
- Transportation
- Air Transportation Fatalities and Complaints
- Airline Operations and Traffic
- All Modes of Transportation
- Highway Financing
- Highway Infrastructure and Use
- Motor Vehicle Accidents and Fatalities
- Motor Vehicle Registrations, Alternative Fueled Vehicles
- Trucks, Railroads, Pipelines
- U.S. Postal Service
- Urban Transit
- Water Transportation
- Wholesale & Retail Trade
Of all the countries with total populations of 13 million or more in 2010, Uganda and Niger had the highest percentage of population younger than 15 years old (about 50.0 percent), followed by Mali (47.5 percent) and Zambia (46.7 percent). Conversely, Japan had the highest percentage of population 65 and older (22.6 percent), followed by Germany with 20.4 percent, and Italy with 20.3 percent. In comparison, 20.1 percent of the U.S. population was younger than 15 and 13.0 percent was 65 or older. (Table 1333).
Every edition of the Statistical Abstract, dating back to 1878, is available in PDF or zip files on the Census Bureau’s website. Share this link with all your teachers!
Filed under: primary sources
About Joyce Valenza
Joyce is an Assistant Professor of Teaching at Rutgers University School of Information and Communication, a technology writer, speaker, blogger and learner. Follow her on Twitter: @joycevalenza
ADVERTISEMENT
SLJ Blog Network
2025 Books from Stonewall Winners
Fuse 8 n’ Kate: It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler, ill. Robert Bollen
The Cartoonists Club | Review
30 Contenders? Our Updated Mock Newbery List
Book Mail: Mysteries, Graphic Novels, Romances, Adventures, and More!
The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT