News in Numbers
The portion of high school students in Memphis, Tenn., who watch at least three hours of TV a day -- the highest rate in the nation. Check GOVERNING Data for individual state trends in computer and television use among students.
The number of motorcycle deaths in 2010 -- more than twice the number of such fatalities in 1997. Many states have repealed their motorcycle helmet laws. Nineteen states currently require motorcyclists to wear helmets -- down from 47 in the 1970s.
The portion of young adults in the South who stayed on or enrolled in their parents’ health insurance in the last year, compared to 49 percent in the West, 51 percent in the Northeast, and 60 percent in the Midwest.
The number of years that have passed since the passage of the federal REAL ID Act, which requires states to overhaul their driver's license systems, yet it still hasn't been fully implemented.
The number of states that chose to order ground beef that may contain "pink slime" for their school lunch programs. The 2012-2013 school year marks the first time states have a choice in the matter.
The increase, on average, in Americans' public transportation use from the first quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2012. During that time, many transit agencies cut service and increased fares.
The number of local government job losses nationwide last month as a result of education cuts.
The percent, on average, of state aid that's given to college students based on need rather than merit. The issue of financial aid garnered national attention last week when UCLA awarded the son of Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs a full athletic scholarship.
The percentage of Wisconsin residents who plan to vote for Gov. Scott Walker in Tuesday's historic recall election. The same percentage of people are also planning to vote for his challenger, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, according to a poll conducted by the liberal Greater Wisconsin Committee, which supports Barrett.
The age of Mayor Alex Morse who has been leading Holyoke, Mass., which has one of the nation's worst unemployment rates, since January. He is a Brown University graduate with a degree in urban studies.
The number of tax collectors and auditors that Idaho hired in fiscal year 2011 to narrow the "tax gap" between the amount of taxes due and the amount that go unpaid. The added staff brought in more than $26.3 million and helped the state have its first budget surplus since 2008.
The portion of registered Florida voters who support the state's controversial Stand Your Ground law, according to a recent poll.
The portion of the nation's top 10 most congested corridors that are in New York City and Los Angeles. See what they are null.
The age -- up from 16 -- that Maryland high school students will be allowed to dropout as of 2017. President Barack Obama urged states to raise the dropout age to 18 earlier this year.
The grade level, equivalent to a sophomore in high school, that conversations in Congress are had at, according to a new study from the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation.
The number of states with some kind of pension forfeiture provision related to public employees who commit crimes. View our map to see which states have them and what they say.
The amount of money that footwear company Skechers USA Inc. has to pay the states for wrongfully claiming that its Shape-ups shoes would help people lose weight and strengthen their butt, leg and stomach muscles.
The fine for careless walking in Fort Lee, N.J. A growing number of communities are trying various ways to stop people from texting and walking.
The number of houses that Detroit has sold to its police and firefighters more than a year after the start of a program to offer cheap, refurbished homes to first responders to convince them to live in the city they're protecting. About half of Detroit's 2,700 officers now live outside the city.
The amount of money that the co-founder of Facebook and editor-in-chief of the liberal magazine The New Republic offered to match the campaign to pass same-sex marriage in Maine. The issue will be on the state's November ballot.
The number of wildfires that broke out in Arizona on Sunday, kicking off the start of the fire season. Nearly 6,000 acres have been charred, as four of the fires are still raging.
The number of Pennsylvania homes included in an Environmental Protection Agency sample that had their well water tested for contaminants.
The minimum distance new payday lenders in Ames, Iowa, must be from schools, child care centers, other payday lenders, residential land or any arterial street under a new city ordinance that is likely the most restrictive in the state.
The approximate number of whooping cough cases reported in Wisconsin in 2012. This time last year, there were only 158 confirmed and probable cases of the highly contagious bacterial disease, which causes uncontrollable, violent coughing and is dangerous for infants and those with serious underlying health conditions.
The number of historic city halls in Minnesota -- the most of any state. View our null of more than 300 historic city halls across the country.
Connecticut will become the 17th state to legalize medical marijuana when Gov. Dannel Malloy, as expected, signs H.B. 5389 into law. The District of Columbia also allows the use of pot for medicinal purposes.
The number of state governments that expect to end their fiscal year with budget surpluses, according to a survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures. It marks the first time since the 2007 recession that so many states will have unspent funds.
The amount of economic activity that Colorado's craft beer industry generated in 2011. The local breweries employ 5,800 people and paid the state $9 million in beer excise taxes.
The increase from last year in the number of undocumented children without parents in the U.S. who were turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the first six months of this fiscal year. As a result, hundreds of children have been sleeping on cots in gyms and in an Air Force dorm in Texas.
The amount of back rent that the Republican Party of Minnesota owes its headquarters' landlord. The GOP completely stopped paying rent in August and was served an eviction notice but struck a deal to keep the building.
