• 21
• Source: Governing   |   October 4, 2013
• Number of states with pension systems that aren't "fiscally sound," according to investment research firm Morningstar, Inc.
• 2 Comments

• 818,000
• Source: Governing   |   October 3, 2013
• Estimated minimum number of workers furloughed as a result of the government shutdown, out of a total 2.9 million civilian employees.

• 106,000
• Source: Washington Post   |   Maryland   |   October 2, 2013
• The number of guns Marylanders bought so far this year -- up from 70,099 for all of last year. A new law took effect Tuesday that institutes stricter purchasing requirements, bans some assault rifles, and makes it harder for mentally ill people to buy firearms.

• 1995
• Source: Governing   |   Nation   |   October 1, 2013
• The last time the federal government shutdown.

• 35%
• Source: AP/TwinCities.com   |   Minnesota   |   September 30, 2013
• The drop in Minnesota's cigarette sales in July, the month it raised tobacco taxes from $1.23 to $2.83.
• 1 Comments

• 23.4 years old
• Source: Governing   |   Nation   |   September 27, 2013
• The average age of people moving to Vermont last year, which is the youngest of any state. Overall, though, the state's population is older than much of the rest of the country's.

• $328
• Source: KHN/Governing   |   Nation   |   September 26, 2013
• The average monthly cost of health coverage (before subsidies are factored in) on Obamacare's online insurance marketplaces, which is lower than previous projections. The marketplaces open to the public Tuesday.

• 11.7 million
• Source: Reuters   |   Nation   |   September 25, 2013
• The estimated number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States as of 2012, according to preliminary government data. This represents an increase from the recession when the number of such immigrants declined for the first time in decades.

• 17 people
• Source: Reuters   |   Leith, N.D.   |   September 24, 2013
• The population of Leith, N.D. -- where a neo-Nazi group is seeking to move enough of its members so they can take over the local government -- yet hundreds protested the group's plans this past weekend.

• $39 billion
• Source: USA Today   |   Nation   |   September 23, 2013
• The amount the U.S. House voted last week to cut from the food stamp program over the next decade. The bill approved in the Senate would cut only $4.5 billion.

• 281
• Source: AP/Washington Post   |   Nation   |   September 20, 2013
• The number of people who have gotten citations this year for having marijuana on federal land in Washington and Colorado, where recreational use of the drug is legal. The misdemeanor is punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

• 13.6%
• Source: USA Today   |   Nation   |   September 19, 2013
• The rate of American households who used food stamps last year, which is a slight increase from 2011 when 13 percent received SNAP benefits.

• 49%
• Source: Bangor Daily News   |   Nation   |   September 18, 2013
• The portion of uninsured people who qualify for coverage under the Medicaid expansion that are smokers, while only 38 percent of current Medicaid recipients are smokers. Maine Gov. Paul LePage cites these statistics as a reason to not expand the low-income health insurance program.

• $500,000
• Source: Contra Costa Times   |   Oakland, Calif.   |   September 17, 2013
• How much the California city of Oakland pays each year to collect more than 5,000 mattresses that are illegally dumped on streets and sidewalks. A bill that seeks to remove the financial incentive to dump mattresses on the street is headed to the governor.

• $9.19
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   Washington state   |   September 16, 2013
• The highest minimum wage in the country, which is in Washington state. In 2016, California will raise its minimum wage to $10 under a bill approved last week.