News in Numbers
The median existing home price for all housing types in March, an increase of 15 percent from the year prior. The increase marks 121 consecutive months of year-over-year increases, the longest streak on record.
The proportion of students at both four-year and two-year universities who had experienced homelessness in the last year, according to an annual survey by The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice at Temple University. Across the U.S., students are struggling to find university housing, with 43 percent of students at four-year universities having experienced housing insecurity in 2020, an increase of 8 percent from the year prior.
The number of square miles that a wildfire in southwestern Nebraska had burned as of Sunday evening. The Road 702 Fire is spread over 78 square miles of Red Willow, Furnas and Frontier counties, and has killed one person, injured at least 15 firefighters and destroyed at least six homes.
The number of tons of carbon emissions that Gov. Tom Wolf predicts Pennsylvania will emit by 2030, a reduction of 97 million tons. The state will join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multistate consortium that sets a price and declining limits on power plant emissions. The cap-and-trade program requires owners of fossil-fuel power plants with a capacity of 25 or more megawatts must buy a credit for every ton of CO2 they emit.
The proportion of Americans, or more than 137 million people, who live in areas with poor air quality, according to a new report. Only one of the top 25 worst cities with particulate matter pollution was east of the Rocky Mountains and California had 11 of the top 25 polluted cities. Fresno, Calif., had the worst short-term particulate matter pollution and Los Angeles had the worst ozone levels. People of color were almost four times more likely to live in a county with poor air quality compared to white people.
The proportion of Americans who favor requiring people to wear masks on planes, trains and public transportation, while just 24 percent are opposed.
The estimated amount that Texas lost per day as a result of the week-long increased border security policy, which caused longer wait times and delayed shipments of products.
The number of K-12 mathematics textbooks that the Florida education department has rejected, making up 41 percent of the 132 total books submitted for review; 28 of the books were rejected because they “incorporate prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including [critical race theory].” Among the rejected titles were 70 percent of math materials for kindergarten through fifth grades, 20 percent of the materials for grades six through eight and 35 percent of materials for grades nine through 12.
The number of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, that were released on Justice Day, April 15, by Terrence Floyd, George Floyd’s brother and the founder of the nonprofit We Are Floyd Org. The proceeds of the NFTs will go to three charities: the Breonna Taylor Foundation, the John and Lilian Miles Lewis Foundation and the We Are Floyd Org.
The number of homes that the McBride Fire in Ruidoso, N.M., has burned, as of Thursday, since it started two days prior; it has burned 5,736 acres of land. More than 5,000 residents of Ruidoso have been forced to evacuate.
The rate of equity for Black people in America, as compared to white people, according to The National Urban League’s annual report on the State of Black America. The report also found that the median household income for Black people is 37 percent less than that of white households, Black people live an average of four years less than white people and Black Americans are three times more likely to be jailed if arrested.
The number of cents that the average U.S. price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline dropped over the last two weeks, down to $4.27 per gallon, which is still up $1.32 from what it was a year ago.
The number of titles that have been removed from book shelves in 86 school districts across the nation over the last nine months, most of which addressed racist or LGBTQ issues. More than two-thirds of the banned titles were fiction, but nonfiction titles, including child-appropriate biographies of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Duke Ellington and Nelson Mandela, and poetry collections have also been removed.
The annual revenue loss to the federal budget due to a climate change-related reduction in the country’s Gross Domestic Product, which would translate to a loss of about $2 trillion every year.
The number of times that the moratorium on federal student loan payments, interest and collections, has been extended, including the Biden administration’s most recent announcement that payments will be deferred until Aug. 31, 2022. Only about 500,000 federal student loan borrowers, out of more than 43 million, have been repaying their loans during the pause.
The increase in home births in the U.S. between 2019 and 2020, amounting to more than 40,000 births. Home births now amount for 1.3 percent of all births in the U.S.
The amount that the offshore wind industry could bring to New Jersey in private investments over the next 15 years, according to the Wind Institute Development at New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
The average miles per gallon that passenger cars and light trucks will be required to have by 2026, under new fuel economy standards. Currently, vehicle fleets are required to get an average of just over 28 miles per gallon.
The inflation increase in February as compared to a year ago, the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982. Not including volatile prices for food and energy, core inflation rose 5.4 percent in February from the year prior. Consumer spending only increased by 0.2 percent, a significant drop from the 2.7 percent spending gain in January.
The number of states that are suing the Biden administration to end the federal travel mask mandate, claiming it “harms the states” and interferes with local laws.
The proportion of Americans who are extremely/very concerned or somewhat concerned that Russia will use nuclear weapons against the United States.
The cost to purchase a vacant, city-owned home in Baltimore, according to a proposal by City Council President Nick Mosby. The idea is inspired by a well-remembered program from the 1970s. Mosby wants to devote about a third of Baltimore’s funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to his proposal, which would include a supporting program to fund home repairs, and a bill to help seniors struggling with reverse mortgages.
The amount that Maine Gov. Janet Mills has proposed sending to most residents in the state to help offset rising inflation costs. Other states, including California, Kansas and Minnesota, have also proposed similar rebate checks to residents. The average American family spent $3,500 more last year to buy the same amount of goods and services as previous years.
The proportion of American adults who believe that President Biden’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has not been tough enough, including 43 percent of Democrats and 68 percent of Republicans.
The number of Americans who signed up for Obamacare health insurance for 2022, an increase of 21 percent from last year and the highest enrollment since the Affordable Care Act was signed in 2010.
The bipartisan vote tally in Olympia in the final minutes of this year’s legislative session that all but clears the way for pickleball to become the state’s official sport. According to the USA Pickleball Association, the sport was created on Bainbridge Island in the summer of 1965 by then state Rep. Joel Pritchard, who would later go on to serve as Washington’s lieutenant governor and represent the state in Congress. The bill now awaits the governor’s signature.
The number of acres in Texas that had burned in four wildfires west of Dallas as of Saturday, March 19. The fires were only about 30 percent contained.
The proportion of Americans who felt that the experiences and viewpoints of white adults were considered when developing artificial intelligence technology, according to a recent survey. Only 44, 24 and 23 percent of respondents thought that the experiences of Asian, Black and Hispanic adults respectively were taken into development consideration. Forty-five percent of U.S. adults said they were equally concerned and excited about AI technology.
The approximate number of historically Black colleges and universities across the country that have been the target of bomb threats in the past three months.
