News in Numbers
The number of jobs that were lost by mothers with children 12 years old and younger between February and August, approximately three times the amount of lost jobs for fathers of small children. A different study also found that mothers of young children were likely to have lost four to five times the number of work hours than fathers have during the pandemic.
The positive test rate in North Dakota over the past week, compared to 6 percent for the prior week. South Dakota’s positive test rate has also spiked up to 26 percent, a nine percent increase from the previous week.
The combined settlement amount that Verizon and AT&T Mobile will pay for allegedly overcharging 300 government customers for wireless services over the past decade.
The year by which all new passenger cars and trucks sold within California must be zero-emission vehicles, a first in the nation for this kind of legislation. The executive order signed by Gov. Newsom this week gave extra time to heavy-duty vehicles: they must switch away from internal combustion engines by 2045.
The approximate number of times that the Los Angeles Police Department has used facial recognition technology since 2009, even as the department claims to not use the technology at all.
The proportion of global coronavirus deaths that have occurred within the United States, which contains less than 5 percent of the world’s population. There have been more than 200,000 deaths in the U.S. due to the coronavirus, which amounts to six out of every 10,000 Americans.
The proportion of fraudulent unemployment benefits claims that could have been stopped by Washington state’s Employment Security Department fraud detection software. However, the software had a flaw that caused it to scan for fraud after the claims had already been processed and paid, resulting in the state’s loss of $576 million in fraudulent unemployment claims. The state has recovered $346 million of the loss.
The amount that thousands of people with disabilities earn per hour for doing jobs like bagging newspapers or wrapping silverware in napkins. A 1938 labor law has made it possible for people with disabilities to earn less than minimum wage, but now many are trying to change that.
The number of COVID-19 tests that U.S. manufacturers are hoping to produce each month by the end of this year. However, some worry that increased production of these cheap tests will impact the accuracy of the results.
The number of people this year that have registered to vote on Snapchat, a video-based social media app. The “Register to Vote” feature was announced by the company last month.
The number of Mecklenburg County, N.C., residents incorrectly notified that they had tested positive for COVID-19. Officials said that the messages went out due to a software glitch.
The year by which Uber will use solely all-electric vehicles for its ride-hailing trips in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The company plans to be entirely emission-free by 2040.
The proportion of Americans ages 18 through 34 that say they have felt isolated sometime within the past month, according to a recent survey. As the coronavirus takes a toll on young Americans’ mental health, 25 percent of young adults believe that their mental health is fair or poor.
The proportion of households in America that reported serious financial pain during the pandemic. This financial struggle is also more pronounced in Latino and Black households.
The positive test rate of South Dakota last week, currently one of the highest coronavirus infection rates in the country. Iowa and North Dakota have also revealed themselves as hot spots in recent weeks, with positive test rates of 15 and 18 percent, respectively.
The rate at which Alaskans are self-responding to the 2020 Census by computer, phone or mail as of Sept. 1, the lowest of all 50 states. The national self-response rate is 63 percent.
The number of consecutive days that Portland, Ore., has had protests over racial injustice.
The number of states with a higher proportion of workers receiving unemployment benefits last week than the July unemployment rate, which could signify an increase in unemployment.
The amount that the Environmental Protection Agency claims will be saved under new regulations that cut back on coal plant pollution regulation. If these savings are passed onto American customers, those consumers will save an estimated 49 cents per year.
The amount of Paycheck Protection Program business loans that have since been flagged as problematic due to fraud, waste or abuse. A U.S. Small Business Administration watchdog claims there are “strong indicators” of PPP fraud.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases within the United States, as of Aug. 31. Even as the number of daily coronavirus cases and deaths are beginning to decrease, health officials continue to urge the importance of masks and social distancing.
The number of states that allow election officials to begin processing absentee ballots before Election Day, in hopes of speeding up the determination of a winner as millions more Americans are predicted to vote by mail this year. But “processing” means different things to different states.
The net worth of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, which is equivalent to 1 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. Even when adjusting for inflation, nobody has ever reached this milestone before.
The amount that the Trump administration has promised for research in artificial intelligence and quantum computing. The money will be distributed to seven institutes for artificial intelligence and five for quantum computing across the next five years.
The value of Customs and Border Patrol’s newly signed contract with Venntel, a company that collects and sells people’s phone location data. The contract states that the agency purchased Venntel software, but there is no explanation as to how the software is planned to be used.
The number of laptops that the three biggest computer companies are short and are therefore unable to provide schools for distance learning.
The amount that the state of Michigan will pay to more than 25,000 victims of the Flint water crisis. The settlement stipulates that nearly 80 percent of the funds would go to children exposed to the contaminated water, amounting to $45,000 per child.
The percentage of people who said they have not taken a ride-hailing trip since March, according to a new poll. The survey also found that 54 percent of respondents felt uncomfortable using a ride-hailing service during the coronavirus pandemic.
The proportion of Americans that agree that “a well-functioning United States Postal Service is important to having a smooth and successful election during the coronavirus pandemic,” according to a new poll. The support was bipartisan, with 92 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of Republicans in favor of spending more money on helping the country’s mail system.
The proportion of students in Louisiana that do not have the Internet access necessary for remote learning. Overall, 42 percent of Louisiana households lack high-speed Internet access that would allow multiple users in a home to simultaneously participate in virtual learning.
