Thank you to all of the census takers that for a brief moment, created the illusion that unemployment was lower and for giving us all of this substantial data on changes in the United States population. Now that the numbers are compiled and analyzed, we have been given some data to digest.
Nationwide, 28.2% of the populations 25 and above have a college degree or higher with a median household income of $50,046. Across the board, median household incomes have dropped in almost all major metro areas. In the highest earning 10 cities, incomes fell an average of 6.5% from $75,100 to $70,201 while the bottom ten saw a 10.8% drop from $46,380 to $41,378.
The decade saw an increase of 27 million people with the highest gains in the metro cities while the rural populations saw declines. Other key elements released included a 6% decline in births from women 20 to 34 and a rise in immigrants entering the US from 556,000 in 2009 to 1.4 million in 2010. In 15 metro areas, poverty has risen over 10% on average with 80 of the top 100 cities over 10% currently.
Now for the part you have all been waiting for, how much smarter are we getting?
As a collective whole San Francisco, Madison and Boston are proud to say that 43%+ of their 25 and over population have a college education.
The ten metro areas that showed the highest percentage gain in the last decade in adults that have a college education or higher are:
10. Odgen, UT – 5.5% (30.1% Total)
9. New York City, NY – 5.6% (36.0% Total)
8. Pittsburgh, PA – 5.7% (29.1% Total)
7. Worcester, MA – 5.8% (32.7% Total)
6. Omaha, NE – 5.9% (33.0% Total)
5. Baltimore, MD – 5.9% (35.1% Total)
4. Poughkeepsie, NY – 6.0% (30.9% Total)
3. Boston, MA – 6.1% (43.0% Total)
2. Madison, WI – 6.4% (43.3% Total)
Drum Roll Please!!!!
1. Charleston, SC – 6.9% (31.9% Total)
The percentage winner of the 2010 Census Bureau Gain in Brain Power Competition is Charleston, SC….
For all of the statistics lovers and math fanatics, now you know the rest of the story
*Sources provided by Brookings Institution, Census Bureau and Wall Street Journal Complete findings found in the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey
A new study of the census data shows that median net worth of Whites is 20 times that of Blacks and 18 times that of Latinos. You heard that correct. Between 2005 and 2009 median wealth fell by 66 percent in Latino households and 53 percent in Blacks. Yet among White households, that number fell only 16 percent creating the biggest net wealth differentiation in over a quarter of a century ( http://bit.ly/rodebN ).
If that was disturbing enough, it would make sense to add fuel to the fire. Ferrari announced today that global sales are up 11.8 percent from 2010 and 23.9 percent in the United States alone.
For the period ending July 31, 2011, Tiffany and Company saw net profit rise 19 percent (67.7 Million vs. 56.8 Million at this point last year).
Ok, show of hands, who is a little upset with the way things are going right now? Don’t be shy.
Today, we voted to raise the debt ceiling…Everything solved, yet the Dow Jones fell 2.3% and fell under 12,000. Hmmmm, that is unusual. Could it be because consumer spending is falling and manufacturing is at its lowest production rate in over two years. Oh yes, let us not forget that the unemployment rate is still at a staggering 9.4 percent.
Wait, there is more. Christie Auction House reported taking in 3.2 Billion Dollars for the first half of 2011 helped by a single Warhol piece that fetched 38.4 Million ( http://bit.ly/rot9II ).
New Home sales are down, durable goods production/sales are down, foreclosures continue to be steady or on the rise, food prices and gas prices are on the rise and every day middle to low income families are looking for answers.
Any thoughts or suggestions to ease the minds of those that are struggling to just stay above water?
At least Apple has as much operating cash to play with as the US Government as of Friday. No reason to fret about that since that money is offshore right now.
This is not meant to make you mad or even want to seek revenge. It is a reality, not one much different than realities of the past, but the life we are born into. We are a part of the circle of life that is continuously evolving. Is there a resolution? Is there even a problem? The beauty of debate is that there is justification for both sides.
Fair and equal treatment for all or survival of the fittest…Makes you wonder.
I can sit back and tell you things will get better. With patience and perseverance you will overcome this adversity and be stronger for it. You and I know that words won’t correct this hole that seems to be getting deeper and deeper. We are in unprecedented times. US population growth was 9.7 percent in the last decade and with increased population, increasing inflation and reduction in jobs, you don’t have to be a PhD economist to see where this is going.
There is a chance we will come out of this stronger. It is a long term investment in our future, but one that could help future generations to come. We need to see passed the greed and the gluttony and look to a time when brotherhood was the only world we knew. We struggled for hundreds of years to create a country that has now become the most powerful nation in the world. Yet, 250 years later, we are on the verge of destroying everything we worked so hard to achieve.
It is an individual choice. The answer isn’t war, hatred or jealously. The answer is compassion. Compassion for the poor, for the rich, for the content and for the struggling. Some of the biggest fears many of us face right now is life adjustment. We have grown accustomed to a way of life and now that has changed. Change is good. It isn’t about money, luxury or comfort. It is about the truly meaningful things in your life.
If you house burned down today, you will move on. All the material items would be gone, but in time a new life will be set for yourself and your family. Look at life that way. Each day should be viewed as a day of new potential.
Challenge yourself to accept change and do your part to make this a better place.
The solution will never be one single group event but a series of individual encounters that will collectively show signs of improvement….
Now that I have your full attention, it is time we bring attention to a very delicate matter that hits many of us close to home: the decaying of humanity!
You heard me. Many are quick to blame everyone and everything except ourselves.
It must be corporate greed
No, blame Facebook for providing an isolated window from human interaction
Better yet, blame smartphones for allow us to break up via text
We need to include GPS systems to reinforce that Big Brother is watching
Who can leave out reality TV. If every occupation and household is a reality show, what exactly is reality…More importantly, what are we?
I know, everything is a phase or a trend, like Rubik’s Cube, Myspace and Boy Bands…Rubik’s Cube became Tetris, Myspace became Facebook and Boy Bands, well we can’t get rid of them (Thank you Marky Mark). So if history is deemed to repeat itself with each generation, we are safe; but if technology is slowly skewing us in the wrong direction of moral humanity and we keep repeating the same mistakes…BOOM! What then?
For centuries, territorialism and religion have been blamed for thousands of senseless deaths.
The media, let’s talk about the media. They glamorize looks and money and provide millions of innocent viewers with a less than perfect image of themselves which leads to depression, dangerous health habits and for some, suicide.
Let’s look even deeper to the multi-billion dollar world of gaming…Oh yes, don’t go hiding your Play Station or X Box now. Let us take a moment to dissect
Here is a list of the top selling X Box games of all time courtesy of Wikipedia:
Halo 2 (8 million)
Halo: Combat Evolved (5 million)
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (3 million: 2.4 million in US, 600,000 in Europe, 5,449 in Japan)
Fable (3 million – may include PC version)
Project Gotham Racing (2.5 million)
Grand Theft Auto Double Pack (1.7 million: 1.59 million in US, 100,000 in UK, 10,515 in Japan)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (1.58 million: 1.48 million in US,[19] 100,000 in UK)
Counter-Strike (1.5 million)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (1.46 million: 1.26 million in US,[19] 200,000 in UK)
Need for Speed: Underground 2 (1.44 million: 1.24 million in US,[19] 200,000 in UK)
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (1.39 million in US)
Correct me if I am wrong, but I see a theme that is present in many of these titles: Violence and death.
Gender, we cannot leave out the age old genetic dilemma that men and women are inherently different. Personality, emotions, passions and physical make up are all unique and separate qualities. There are exceptions, but for the near future, let us accept that for the remainder of mankind we will have to learn to deal with those differences.
Music, music music. It is the soundtrack of our lives and the power of words has the ability to translate to the power of perception. Are we influenced by lyrics in rap and death metal? Perhaps that is a factor as well.
“And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls”
And whispered in the sounds of silence”
- Written in 1964, this classic by Simon Garfunkel spoke of a word today 45 years ago
The internet…The most powerful mastermind of covert activity. You can be anyone and anything you want on the internet. You can be an eighty-year old man who can transform to an eighteen year old prom queen. Or a janitor becoming a CEO. The magic to transform can take on a life of its own..Be careful, do you know who you are talking to.
I was watching the news last evening and the newscaster said “Stay tuned, this next story could very well restore your faith in humanity”. Did we lose faith in humanity at some point? That was a profound statement to an audience in the New York City area of potentially millions to assume they have lost the belief that there is good in the world. That got me thinking, am I an optimist or a pessimist? Has reality, technology, sensationalism, violence, civil unrest, death, greed, power, recession, poverty, disease and loneliness numbed my senses and restricted my ability to feel?
I hope not. There is so much good out there, everywhere we turn.
Each spring the flowers blossom and there are colors everywhere you turn.
Each generation, children are filled with imagination and wonder.
Dreamers continue to dream and achievers teach us that there are no limits.
As we celebrate Mother Earth today, remember it is not a single day to reflect on what is good, but a 24 hour reminder that we should always focus on each and every living thing that makes this ecosystem so wonderful.
Writer / Blogger / Social Media and Talent Acquisition Consultant / Life Geek / Photographer
Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Global Social Media and Marketing Solutions including: organizational development, team building, change management, compensation structural development and implementation, social media and talent community development, growth and advancement, training, rewards and recognition, recruitment, attrition control, affirmative action administration, labor relations and M&A.
Trainer
So You Think You Can Interview - ProNet August, 2010 Personal Branding and Social Media Resources - ProNet June, 2010 Personal Branding and Social Media Resources - Lee Hecht Harrison July, 2010 Personal Branding and Social Media Tooling - Lenova Women in Leadership September, 2010 Your Life Bag - ProNet October, 2010, The Effects of Social Media in the Workplace - Carolinas Payroll Conference November 2012
Published Author
Sonni's Abyss (June 2008)
A Beautiful World (February 2011)
This Time Around (Scheduled for February 2013 Publication)
