ThinkstockSevere drought continues to threaten the water supply of large parts of the Western U.S. According to a group that monitors drought conditions, Lubbock, Texas has averaged the worst level of drought since the…
Mister DonutMany of America’s once-great restaurant chains are now impossible to find. While McDonald’s and Subway locations continue to multiply, Howard Johnson’s and Chi-Chi’s are all but forgotten. 24/7 Wall St. relied on food…
ThinkstockLast year, 1.57 million Americans served prison sentences in state or federal penitentiaries, a slight decrease from nearly 1.6 million in 2011, according to figures released Thursday by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Despite…
ThinkstockIs the American Dream dead? The vast majority of Americans born into poverty are unable to make much more than their parents. According to data released earlier this week from a study spanning three…
ThinkstockThe way we produce and consume energy is changing in this country. Recently, coal and oil consumption has fallen. Meanwhile natural gas production has been rising, accounting for more than a third of the…
ThinkstockThe average wage of a U.S. worker was $1,000 per week in the fourth quarter of 2012, or 4.7% higher from the same time in 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).…
ThinkstockAfter falling for three straight years, U.S. beer consumption finally leveled off last year. In 2012, the country consumed 28.2 gallons of beer for every adult of legal age. Annual beer consumption varies widely…
courtesy of The Car Spy, via Wikimedia CommonsFor some automakers, building a base of new customers is very important. These are often new brands with smaller market shares. For other automakers, often the more…
ThinkstockWhen people think of high-tech jobs, they typically think of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and Ivy League Ph.D.s. But according to a new definition of STEM jobs — those requiring skills in science, technology, engineering…
ThinkstockSingapore is currently the most competitive city in the world, beating out New York and London, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which focuses on global research. However, says the EIU, by 2025,…
ThinkstockOne in five homes in the foreclosure process stands vacant after being abandoned by owners. While the housing market is on the mend, some cities still struggle as they wait for thousands of homes…
ThinkstockLess than a third of the nation’s workers were actively engaged in their jobs last year, according to a Gallup report released this week. Gallup’s State of the American Workplace showed that an additional…
ThinkstockU.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.5% in 2012 after growing 1.6% in 2011, the most the economy has grown since 2006. Nationally, manufacturing, trade and the finance and insurance industry made some…
ThinkstockOne in every five jobs in the United States required a high level of knowledge in science, technology, engineering or math as of 2011. Since the industrial revolution, the share of these kinds of…
ThinkstockThe Great Recession left many families in need of greater economic security. Although federal programs provide some safety net, the states supply much of the security. A new report rated Washington as the state…
ThinkstockFrom debit card fees to overdraft charges, consumers need clearer policies from their banks to understand checking accounts, according to a report released by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The report identified seven “best” practices…
ThinkstockIn 2011, for the first time in decades, the amount the nation’s schools spent per student fell. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest release on education spending, the nation’s schools spent $10,560 per…
ThinkstockThe number of poor people in U.S. suburbs rose by 63.6% between 2000 and 2011, from 10 million to well over 16 million people. For the first time, there are now more people living…
Courtesy Maersk LineOver the past decade, U.S. exports to China have grown at an annual rate of nearly 17% each year. In 2012 alone, the 50 states shipped more than $100 billion worth of…
Courtesy Chrysler Group LLCIn 2012, drivers filed just under 30,000 complaints about their cars with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The complaints included problems with brakes, powertrains and every other part of…