News in Numbers
Estimated minimum number of workers furloughed as a result of the government shutdown, out of a total 2.9 million civilian employees.
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.
The drop in Minnesota's cigarette sales in July, the month it raised tobacco taxes from $1.23 to $2.83.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The rate of American households who used food stamps last year, which is a slight increase from 2011 when 13 percent received SNAP benefits.
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.
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.
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.
The annual fee state and local government employers will have to pay for each person on their health coverage. AFL-CIO came out this week in opposition of Obamacare's transitional reinsurance fee, which would start being collected next year.
The number of states Texas is running ads in to tout its low taxes in an effort to get businesses and families to move there.
The price range for single-joint replacement surgery in California, always with the same outcome. The wide range led the state to conduct a competitive hospital-pricing experiment that's dropped the cost of health care without sacrificing quality.
The portion of Democratic voters that say they'll likely vote for Bill de Blasio to be New York City's next mayor in today's election, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. He needs 40 percent to avoid a runoff.
The cap on pot production in Washington state, one of two states where recreational use of the drug is legal.
The number of states that allow commercial casinos, compared to just six in the early 1990s. As more states open casinos, others are losing revenue.
The nation's drop in college enrollment from 2011 to 2012, which is the largest year-over-year decline since 1955.
The hourly wage that Walmart would be forced to pay its employees in Washington, D.C., if Mayor Vincent Gray signs a so-called "living wage" bill that's sitting on his desk. The district's minimum wage is only $8.25.
Number of questions removed from most civil service job applications in California three years ago that allowed an embezzler to return to state government work after she went to prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from another agency.
The amount that Los Angeles is paying per tablet in its controversial effort to supply every student with an iPad. When all is said and done, the initiative will cost the school district $1 billion.
A November ballot question will ask Denver voters to approve a 3.5 percent sales tax for recreational marijuana that can be raised by the City Council at any time up to 15 percent.
"North Colorado" has a chance of becoming the next state if a Weld County ballot question passes this November. Even if the measure passes, the secession would have to be approved by the legislature and Congress.
The average age of a postal service worker, which is the oldest of any other U.S. industry.
The cost of owning a car in Oregon, which is the lowest of any state. The national average is $3,201.
The number of times a New Yorker has been arrested for posing like a public transportation worker in attempts to drive a train. He's served 18 of his 49 years in jail.
The number of true city-city consolidations over the past 30 years -- almost all of which involved two rural municipalities with fewer than 2,500 residents.
