From consumer credit card habits to on-time U.S. airport arrival rates, the Statistical Abstract of the United States – published annually by the U.S. Census Bureau – is chock full of facts and figures that provide a snapshot of today’s population, economy, business and government.
The Statistical Abstract is a comprehensive resource for the most up-to-date population, housing, labor, and economic indicators. It also delivers an array of interesting trivia.
The 2007 edition of the Statistical Abstract, released earlier this month, reveals, for example, that:
- More than 500,000 of the nation’s 3.5 million millionaires reside in California, according to 2001 statistics.
- U.S. farmers harvested 11 billion bushels of corn in 2005.
- In 2005, 97 million adults went online for news, 92 million made an online purchase, and 91 million used the Internet for travel reservations.
- The U.S. Postal Service employed about 100,000 fewer employees in 2005 than it did in 2000, but handled doubled the amount of mail handled in 1980.
While the paperback version of the Abstract is available through the U.S. Government Bookstore for $35, data tables are also available for viewing and downloading directly through the web site at no charge.