The following information is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
UNEMPLOYMENT:
· The unemployment rate, as of June 2013, is 7.6 percent. There has been a gradual decline in unemployment measures since 2010, when the unemployment rate was at its highest (9.8 percent).
· Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for:
o Adult women – 6.8 percent.
o Adult men – 7.0 percent.
o Teenagers – 24.0 percent.
o Whites – 6.6 percent.
o African Americans – 13.7 percent.
o Hispanics – 9.1 percent.
· The rate for long-term unemployment (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) makes up 36.7 percent of the unemployed.
· Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment:
o Less than a high school diploma – 10.7 percent
o High school graduates, no college – 7.7 percent
o Some college or associate degree – 6.4 percent
o Bachelor’s degree and higher – 3.9 percent
MINIMUM WAGE:
· The current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.
· In 2012, 75.3 million workers, 16 and older, were paid at an hourly rate. Of those paid by the hour, only 1.6 million earned the exact federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Around 2.0 million of those hourly paid workers were paid less than the federal minimum wage. Together, the workers paid at, or below, the federal minimum wage workers make up 4.7 percent of all hourly paid workers.
· 6 percent of women were paid at or below the prevailing minimum wage in 2012, compared to only 3 percent of men.
MEDIAN INCOME:
· According to the 2011 census the Median income per capita is $27,554.
o White – $29,401
o African American – $18,357
o Asian – $27,936
o Hispanic – $15,479
o New York Times reported the seasonally adjusted, median household income, in January 2013, to be $51,994.
POVERTY:
The following information is from the United States Census Bureau.
· 14.3 percent of the United States population fall below the poverty line.
· Percent of people below the poverty line:
o White – 11.6 percent
o African American – 25.8 percent
o Asian – 12.5 percent
o Hispanic – 25.3 percent
· Office of The Assistant Secretary for Planning and evaluation’s poverty guidelines:
|
2013 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA |
|
|
Persons in family/household |
Poverty guideline |
|
For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,020 for each additional person. |
|
|
1 |
$11,490 |
|
2 |
15,510 |
|
3 |
19,530 |
|
4 |
23,550 |
|
5 |
27,570 |
|
6 |
31,590 |
|
7 |
35,610 |
|
8 |
39,630 |
CEO TO WORKER PAY:
The following information is from AFL-CIO America’s Unions.
· Average CEO compensation – $12,259,894
· Average Worker Compensation- $34,645
· CEO to worker pay is 354 to 1
· In 10 years, 2.9 million jobs have been created overseas, while 1.1 million American jobs have been cut.
· The U.S. Treasury could receive $455 billion dollars if it was able to tax the profits from companies that shelter their profits abroad.
HOUSING CRISIS:
According to Core logic:
· Housing affordability is near its apex
· the housing market has gone up by 12.2% since May of 2012
· completed foreclosures are down by 27%
