Race and Hispanic Origin and the 2010 Census
"During the 2010 Census, questions on race and Hispanic origin were asked of every individual living in the United States. These data provide a snapshot of race and Hispanic origin in the United States.

According to the 2010 Census, 308.7 million people resided in the United States on April 1, 2010, an increase of 27.3 million people, or 9.7 percent, between 2000 and 2010. The vast majority of the growth in the total population came from increases in those who reported their race(s) as something other than White alone and those who reported their ethnicity as Hispanic or Latino.

More than half of the growth in the total population of the United States between 2000 and 2010 was due to the increase in the Hispanic population.

Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population grew by 43 percent. The Hispanic population increased by 15.2 million between 2000 and 2010, accounting for over half of the 27.3 million increase in the total population of the United States..."

Women in the United States Congress:1917-201
"Ninety-one women currently serve in the 112th Congress: 74 in the House (50 Democrats and 24
Republicans) and 17 in the Senate (12 Democrats and 5 Republicans). Ninety-two women were
initially sworn in to the 112th Congress, but one Democratic House Member has since resigned.
This number (92) is lower than the record number of 95 women who were initially elected to the
111th Congress.

The first woman elected to Congress was Representative Jeannette Rankin (R-MT, 1917-1919,
1941-1943). The first woman to serve in the Senate was Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-GA). She
was appointed in 1922 and served for only one day...

This report identifies the names, committee assignments, dates of service, and (for
Representatives) congressional districts of the 274 women who have served in Congress. It will
be updated when there are relevant changes in the makeup of Congress."

EPA Updates Web Tool Providing Clean Water Violation Trends and State Enforcement Response
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released updated data and a mapping tool designed to help the public compare water quality trends over the last two years. The web-based, interactive map includes “state dashboards” that provide detailed information for each state, including information on facilities that are violating the Clean Water Act and the actions states are taking to enforce the law and protect people’s health.....

The state dashboards incorporate data for both large and small sources of water pollution, along with the latest information from EPA’s 2009 Annual Noncompliance Report. The public can examine and compare information on the inspections conducted by both EPA and the state in their region, violations and enforcement actions in their communities over the past two years and the penalties levied in response to violations..."
Access the database.

2011 Significant Earthquake and News Headlines Archiv
Major earthquakes in 2011 as reported by the Earthquake Hazard Program of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

STATE PERSONAL INCOME 2010
"State personal income rose an average 3.0 percent in 2010 after falling 1.7 percent in
2009, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. State
personal income growth ranged from 0.3 percent in Nevada to 4.2 percent in New Mexico.
Inflation, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures,
increased to 1.7 percent in 2010 from 0.2 percent in 2009."

What We pay for in a Gallon of Regular Gasoline
A breakdown of costs that go toward a gallon of gasoline: crude oil, refining, distribution, and taxes.

NEW DATA ANALYSIS TOOL ALLOWS USERS TO EXPLORE RECIDIVISM PATTERNS OF RELEASED PRISONERS
"Today the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics released the first in a series of data analysis tools that will enable the public to explore the recidivism patterns of persons involved with the criminal justice system. The new Prisoner Recidivism Analysis Tool allows users to conduct customized analyses of a large database describing the recidivism of prisoners released in 1994 and followed for a three-year period after release. In 2012, BJS plans to update the tool with new recidivism data on prisoners released in 2005.

The public can use this online tool to analyze a large research database and verify statistics found in government publications, media reports or other sources that use these data. The tool allows users to move beyond the published statistics to explore in more detail the recidivism patterns of released prisoners. Users may examine the recidivism patterns of released prisoners based on one or more attributes, such as gender, age at release, race, Hispanic origin, commitment offense, sentence length, prior arrests and prior commitments. For example, while published reports document the recidivism patterns of women leaving prison, the new tool will allow users to determine the recidivism patterns of younger and older women, women committed for a specific offense or women with different criminal histories.

The Prisoner Recidivism Analysis Tool was developed by Howard N. Snyder, statistician, and Joseph Mulako-Wangota, information technology specialist, at BJS.."

Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects
"When federal agencies and programs lack appropriated funding, they experience a funding gap.
Under the Antideficiency Act, they must cease operations, except in emergency situations. Failure
of the President and Congress to reach agreement on interim or full-year funding measures
occasionally has caused government shutdowns, the longest of which lasted 21 days, from
December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996. Government shutdowns have necessitated furloughs of
several hundred thousand federal employees, required cessation or reduction of many government
activities, and affected numerous sectors of the economy. This report discusses the causes,
processes, and effects of federal government shutdowns, including potential issues for Congress."

Foreign Aid: An Introduction to U.S. Programs and Policy
"...This report provides an overview of the U.S. foreign assistance program by answering frequently
asked questions on the subject. It is intended to provide a broad view of foreign assistance over
time, and will be updated periodically. For more current information on foreign aid funding
levels, see CRS reports on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs appropriations."

Cancer Survivors — United States, 2007
"As a result of advances in early detection and treatment, cancer has become a curable disease for some and a chronic illness for others; persons living with a history of cancer are now described as cancer survivors rather than cancer victims
(1). From 1971 to 2001, the number of cancer survivors in the United States increased from 3.0 million to 9.8 million (2). To update those data, published in 2004, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and CDC analyzed cancer incidence and follow-up information from nine Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) programs to estimate the number of persons in the United States ever diagnosed with cancer who
were alive on January 1, 2007. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that the number of cancer survivors increased from 9.8 million in 2001 to 11.7 million in 2007. Breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers were
the most common types of cancer among survivors, accounting for 51% of diagnoses. As of January 1, 2007, an estimated 64.8% of cancer survivors had lived ≥5 years after their diagnosis of cancer, and 59.5% of survivors were aged ≥65 years. Because many cancer survivors live long after diagnosis and the U.S. population is aging, the number of persons living with a history of cancer is expected to continue to increase..."

Daylight Time
"Starting in 2007, daylight time begins in the United States on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. On the second Sunday in March, clocks are set ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. local standard time, which becomes 3:00 a.m. local daylight time. On the first Sunday in November, clocks are set back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local daylight time, which becomes 1:00 a.m. local standard time. These dates were established by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. no. 109-58, 119 Stat 594 (2005).

Not all places in the U.S. observe daylight time. In particular, Hawaii and most of Arizona do not use it. Indiana adopted its use beginning in 2006."

Reducing the Deficit: Spending and Revenue Option
"The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) regularly issues a compendium of budget
options to help inform federal lawmakers about the implications of possible policy choices. This volume—one of several reports that CBO produces regularly for the House and Senate Committees on the Budget—presents more than 100 options for altering federal spending and revenues. Nearly all of the options would reduce federal budget deficits. From 1983 to 1997, the reports in this series were titled Reducing the Deficit: Spending and Revenue Options.In 2000, at a time of budget surpluses, the title was changed to Budget Options. This volume returns to the earlier title because the budgetary context has shifted dramatically since 2000.

The report begins with an introductory chapter that describes the current budgetary picture and the uses and limitations of this volume. Chapters 2 and 3 present options that would reduce mandatory and discretionary spending, respectively. Chapter 4 contains options that would increase revenues from various kinds of taxes and fees.."

2010 Census County-Level Data Tip Sheets
"2010 Census Local-Level Data -- Since February, we have begun to see the portrait of America take shape, as each state receives local-level 2010 Census data on race, Hispanic origin, the voting age population and housing units. As required by law, the Census Bureau provides these key demographic data to the states (on a state-by-state flow basis) so state governments can redraw the boundaries of their congressional and state legislative districts. The data began rolling out the first week of February, with announcements about which states will be included in the following week's data releases. States to be released the week of March 14: Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and
Tennessee.

For further details, see our press kit at: http://2010.census.gov/news/press-kits/redistricting.html.

Note: The Public Information Office Call Center is remaining open for media
calls until 5 p.m. (in your state’s time zone) as each P.L. 94-171 data are released.

2010 Census Interactive Maps -- As the 2010 Census redistricting files are
issued, the Census Bureau is also releasing interactive state maps showing
county-level population change from 1960 to 2010, as well as state-level
data on race and Hispanic or Latino origin for 2010. The widget can be
embedded on your website and will update as additional states are released.
It can be found at:http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/

FTC Releases List of Top Consumer Complaints in 2010
"The Federal Trade Commission today released the list of top consumer complaints received by the agency in 2010. The list showed that for the 11th year in a row, identity theft was the number one consumer complaint category. Of 1,339,265 complaints received in 2010, 250,854 – or 19 percent – were related to identity theft. Debt collection complaints were in second place, with 144,159 complaints.

The report breaks out complaint data on a state-by-state basis and also contains data about the 50 metropolitan areas reporting the highest per capita incidence of fraud and other complaints. In addition, the 50 metropolitan areas reporting the highest incidence of identity theft are noted.

For the first time, “imposter scams” – where imposters posed as friends, family, respected companies or government agencies to get consumers to send them money – made the top 10. The FTC also has issued a new consumer alert, “Spotting an Imposter"..."

Four Observations about the Federal Budget
Presentation by Office of Management and Budget's Director Douglas W. Elmendorf, March 7, 2011.
"1. The gap between spending and revenues is likely to remain to normal economic conditions. very large even after we return to normal economic conditions.
2. Fiscal policy cannot be put on a sustainable path just by eliminating waste and inefficiency;
the policy changes that are needed will significantly affect popular programs or people’s
tax payments or both.
3. Policymakers face difficult tradeoffs in deciding how quickly to implement policy changes that would reduce future budget deficits.
4. There is more focus in Washington on federal budget problems today than there has been since the late 1990s, and that focus has led to a range of proposals for tackling the problems..."

EPA Updates Database on Health and Environmental Impacts of Electricity Generation/ User friendly web tool allows Americans to search for power providers by zip code
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated its database that helps Americans understand the health and environmental impacts of electricity generation. EPA’s Emissions and Generation Integrated Resource Database (eGRID) and Power Profiler now include data from 2007, an update from 2005.

eGRID is a comprehensive database of emissions from almost all electric power generated in the United States. The data are widely used to show the impacts of electricity generation as well as the benefits from reduced electricity demand. eGRID contains emissions information for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) which contribute to unhealthy air quality and acid rain in many parts of the country. eGRID also contains emissions information for carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), which are greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change..."
View eGRID database

Women at Work
A March 2011 U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics report on women in the labor force.

Unhealthy Sleep-Related Behaviors --- 12 States, 2009
"An estimated 50--70 million adults in the United States have chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders (1). Sleep difficulties, some of which are preventable, are associated with chronic diseases, mental disorders, health-risk behaviors, limitations of daily functioning, injury, and mortality (1,2). The National Sleep Foundation suggests that most adults need 7--9 hours of sleep per night, although individual variations exist. To assess the prevalence and distribution of selected sleep difficulties and behaviors, CDC analyzed data from a new sleep module added to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in 2009. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which determined that, among 74,571 adult respondents in 12 states, 35.3% reported having <7 hours of sleep on average during a 24-hour period, 48.0% reported snoring, 37.9% reported unintentionally falling asleep during the day at least 1 day in the preceding 30 days, and 4.7% reported nodding off or falling asleep while driving in the preceding 30 days. Continued public health surveillance of sleep quality, duration, behaviors, and disorders is needed to understand and address sleep difficulties and their impact on health. As a first step, a multifaceted approach that includes increased public awareness and education and training in sleep medicine for appropriate health-care professionals is needed; however, broad societal factors, including technology use and work policies, also must be considered.."

FTC Report Recommends Improvements in Patent System to Promote Innovation and Benefit Consumers
"A new Federal Trade Commission report recommends improvements to two areas of patent law: policies affecting how well a patent gives notice to the public of what technology is protected and remedies for patent infringement. The report, The Evolving IP Marketplace: Aligning Patent Notice and Remedies with Competition, emphasizes that the patent system and competition policy share the goal of promoting innovation that benefits consumers.“When the patent system incorporates the principles of competition policy, the patent and antitrust laws work together to achieve their common goal. The recommended changes would benefit consumers by encouraging investments in innovation and promoting competition among patented technologies,” said FTC Commissioner Edith Ramirez.

The report continues the Commission’s policy engagement with the patent system that began with its 2003 report, To Promote Innovation: The Proper Balance of Competition and Patent Law and Policy by highlighting the role of courts and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in notice and remedies issues..

Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being
"...In support of the Council on Women and Girls, the Office of Management and Budget and the

Economics and Statistics Administration within the Department of Commerce worked together to

create this report, which for the first time pulls together information from across the Federal statistical

agencies to compile baseline information on how women are faring in the United States today and how

these trends have changed over time. We believe that the information in this report is vitally important

to inform the efforts of the Council on Women and Girls—and may be equally important in providing

facts to a broad range of others who are concerned with the well-being of women and girls, from

policymakers to journalists to researchers.

This report provides a statistical picture of women in America in five critical areas: demographic and

family changes, education, employment, health, and crime and violence. By presenting a quantitative

snapshot of the well-being of American women based on Federal data, the report greatly enhances our

understanding both of how far American women have come and the areas where there is still work

to be done..."

County Population Estimates , July 2010
Preliminary estimates of the total population for counties for April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2010 .

TC Steps Up Efforts Against Scams That Target Financially-Strapped Consumers
"The Federal Trade Commission today stepped up its ongoing campaign against scammers who falsely promise guaranteed jobs and opportunities to “be your own boss” to consumers who are struggling with unemployment and diminished incomes as a consequence of the economic downturn.

“Operation Empty Promises,” a multi-agency law enforcement initiative today announced more than 90 enforcement actions, including three new FTC cases and developments in seven other matters, 48 criminal actions by the Department of Justice (many of which involved the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service), seven additional civil actions by the Postal Inspection Service, and 28 actions by state law enforcement agencies in Alaska, California, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and the District of Columbia.."

2011 Poverty Guidelines

"There are two slightly different versions of the federal poverty measure:

• The poverty thresholds, and
• The poverty guidelines.

The poverty thresholds are the original version of the federal poverty measure. They are updated each year by the Census Bureau (although they were originally developed by Mollie Orshansky of the Social Security Administration). The thresholds are used mainly for statistical purposes — for instance, preparing estimates of the number of Americans in poverty each year. (In other words, all official poverty population figures are calculated using the poverty thresholds, not the guidelines.) Poverty thresholds since 1973 (and for selected earlier years) and weighted average poverty thresholds since 1959 are available on the Census Bureau’s Web site. For an example of how the Census Bureau applies the thresholds to a family’s income to determine its poverty status, see “How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty” on the Census Bureau’s web site.

The poverty guidelines are the other version of the federal poverty measure. They are issued each year in the Federal Register by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The guidelines are a simplification of the poverty thresholds for use for administrative purposes — for instance, determining financial eligibility for certain federal programs. The Federal Register notice of the 2011 poverty guidelines is available.

EPA Report Underscores Clean Air Act’s Successful Public Health Protections/Landmark law saved 160,000 lives in 2010 alone
"A report released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the benefits of reducing fine particle and ground level ozone pollution under the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments will reach approximately $2 trillion in 2020 while saving 230,000 people from early death in that year alone. The report studied the effects of the Clean Air Act updates on the economy, public health and the environment between 1990 and 2020.

The EPA report received extensive review and input from the Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis, an independent panel of distinguished economists, scientists and public health experts established by Congress in 1991..."

Census Bureau to Release Local 2010 Census Data for Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
"What: Next week, the U.S. Census Bureau anticipates releasing local-level 2010 Census population counts for Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. For each state, the Census Bureau will provide summaries of population totals, as well as data on race, Hispanic origin and voting age
for multiple geographies within the state, such as census blocks, tracts, voting districts, cities, counties and school districts.

According to Public Law 94-171, the Census Bureau must provide redistricting data to the 50 states no later than April 1 of the year following the census. As a result, the Census Bureau is delivering the data state-by-state on a flow basis in February and March. All states will receive their data by April 1, 2011.

When: Each state’s geographic products and redistricting data are first delivered to the state’s leadership, such as the governor and majority and minority leaders in the state legislative body. Upon confirmation of delivery to the state leadership, we will release a news release with five custom tables of data. Within 24 hours, the full set of five detailed tables will be available to the public online at: Factfinder."
>.

Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2010
"This report provides estimates of the size of the unauthorized immigrant population residing
in the United States as of January 2010 by period of entry, region and country of origin, state
of residence, age, and gender. The estimates were obtained using the “residual” methodology
employed for estimates of the unauthorized population in 2009 (see Hoefer, Rytina, and Baker,
2010). The unauthorized resident population is the remainder or “residual” after estimates of the
legally resident foreign-born population—legal permanent residents (LPRs), naturalized citizens,
asylees, refugees, and nonimmigrants—are subtracted from estimates of the total foreign-born
population. Data to estimate the legally resident population were obtained primarily from the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) while the American Community Survey (ACS) of the U.S.
Census Bureau was the source for estimates of the total foreign-born population..."

EPA Establishes Clean Air Act Standards for Boilers and Incinerators
" In response to federal court orders requiring the issuance of final standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing final Clean Air Act standards for boilers and certain incinerators that achieve significant public health protections through reductions in toxic air emissions, including mercury and soot, but cut the cost of implementation by about 50 percent from an earlier proposal issued last year.

Mercury, soot, lead and other harmful pollutants released by boilers and incinerators can lead to developmental disabilities in children, as well as cancer, heart disease, aggravated asthma and premature death in Americans. These standards will avoid between 2,600-6,600 premature
deaths, prevent 4,100 heart attacks and avert 42,000 asthma attacks per year in 2014..."

CBO Estimate of H.R. 1, the Full‐Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
The Congressional Budget Office's has presented estimates of the cost of the Continuing Appropriation Act, H.R.1, as passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on February 19, 2011.

Regional and State Unemployment -2010 Annual Averages
Annual unemployment data for regions and states.

Economic Report of the President, 2011
"The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. It overviews the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices. The Economic Report of the President is transmitted to Congress no later than ten days after the submission of the Budget of the United States Government. Supplementary reports can be issued to the Congress which contain additional and/or revised recommendations. Documents are available in ASCII text and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), with many of the tables also available for separate viewing and downloading as spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel (XLS)..."