Demographics

Grip strength is one of the factors measured in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Grip strength, which is formally tested by gripping a dynamometer, is also a proxy measurement for upper body and total strength. The median summed (right plus left hand) female grip strength is 64% of …

The U.S. Census Bureau post U.S. Population Estimated at 332,403,650 on Jan 1, 2022 by Derick Moore (12/30/2021) is a nice summary of the U.S. population.  At the bottom there is an interesting graph with, maybe, some surprises. The first is that India is expected to overtake China around 2025. …

The U.S. Census Bureau article U.S. Births Declined During the Pandemic by Anne Morse (9/21/2021) has the data. However, comparing one month during the pandemic to the same month before the pandemic shows a substantial drop that can’t be explained by seasonality. There were 285,138 births in December 2020 — 23,664 (7.66%) fewer …

The US Census Bureau page State-by-State Visualizations of Key Demographic Trends from the 2020 Census. The page has tiles for each state that brings you to a page with numerous tables and graphics. For example, copied here is the map of NYS with change in the age of the population. …

As a follow up to the Tuesday post, the Our World in Data article Why is life expectancy in the U.S. lower than other rich countries by Max Roser provides data on categories that contribute to the lower U.S. life expectancy. The article explores eight  categories: Smoking, Obesity, Homicides (graph …

The Pew article Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021 by Andrew Perrin (6/3/2021) summarizes the results of their smartphone and home broadband survey. Smartphone ownership (85%) and home broadband subscriptions (77%) have increased among American adults since 2019 – from 81% and 73% respectively. Though modest, both increases are statistically significant and …

Pew answers the question in their article Ideological divisions over cultural issues are far wider in the U.S. than in the UK, France and Germany by Laura Silver (5/5/2021). In summary (bold added by me): Across 11 questions on cultural subjects ranging from nationalism to political correctness, the gap between …

The Census Bureau provides an overview of who voted in 2020 and how that has changed in their article Record High Turnout in the 2020 General Election by Jacob Fabina (4/29/2021). Turnout rates in 2020 were higher than in the 2016 election for non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, and …

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics posts the chart (partially) copied here and last updated Sept 2020. An initial look at the graph and we see that the top 5 each have a median pay higher than the median pay in the U.S. (about $35k), but this is based on …

The Pew article, A record number of women are serving in the 117th Congress by Carrie Elizabeth Blanzina and Drew Desilver (1/15/2021) reports: Counting both the House of Representatives and the Senate, 144 of 539 seats – or 27% – are held by women. That represents a 50% increase from …