Interesting new statistics have been released by the U.S. Census Bureau that are partly a reflection of the economic times we find ourselves in. First are stats on income inequality, as California is one of a few states that has some of the highest levels of inequality on all three indices that factor into rankings (the other states are New York, Connecticut, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama). The Bureau’s analysis basically shows that household income inequality is higher in the Golden State than the nation as a whole. That being said, the stats show that there are areas within California where there are low levels of income inequality, namely San Diego, San Jose, the Riverside-San Bernardino area, and the Sacramento-Roseville metropolitan area. You can find the full report on income inequality here.
In the picture below, states colored in blue have income inequality that is higher than the nation as a whole on three different measures:
In addition, the Census Bureau has updated a database that allows for multicounty comparisons or single county profiles. Topics such as agriculture, crime, education, health, retail trade and other vital statistics are a part of the profiles for each county. New in this update are additional statistics from the 2010 Census, the 2007 Survey of Business Owners, County Business Patterns and Non-employer Statistics. You can access the database here and find a ton of information for each county in California.
Finally, the Census Bureau has also released new stats that show more Americans are staying put, especially younger Americans who are typically more mobile. Older Americans have also been affected, meaning retirement plans may have changed for those who have been impacted by the poor economy. Many young adults simply cannot afford to move out of their parents’ homes and devalued homes have left many owners stuck. The AP reports:
Roughly 11.6 percent of the nation's population, or 35.1 million, moved to a new home in the past year, down from 12.5 percent in the previous year. The current level of low mobility comes after the recession technically ended in mid-2009, beating a previous low of 11.9 percent in 2008. […] The biggest drop-off occurred in local moves, down to 15.4 percent from 17.7 percent in 2010, a sign that young adults in the prolonged slump weren't even willing to venture outside their counties, continuing instead to live with relatives or on college campuses.”
For more, see here.
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