Top Ranked Colleges That Pay Off the Least
The growing student loan debt crisis is one of the most daunting public policy challenges of our time. In the last 10 years alone, total student loan debt more than doubled in the United…
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Sam Stebbins
The Fastest Growing and Shrinking State Economies
The pace of economic growth in the United States slowed to 2.1% in the sec ond quarter, down from 3.1% in the first three months of 2019. The relatively modest second quarter growth was…
Cities Adding the Most Jobs
The U.S. economy added 224,000 jobs in June 2019, far exceeding economists expectations of 140,000 new jobs. The better than expected June jobs report marks 105 consecutive months of jobs growth — the longest…
States Producing the Most Renewable Energy
Demand for energy has skyrocketed in recent decades in the United States, driving up total electricity production by well over 700% since 1950. Today, over half of all electricity in the United States is…
Jobs With the Best and Worst Job Security
According to a recent Gallup poll, 18% of American workers are worried about losing their job — down from a peak of 31% in 2009 in the wake of the Great Recession. American workers…
Worst City to Live in Every State
Quality of life is subject to countless quantitative and qualitative factors — not the least of which is environment. While living in one of the best cities to live in every state by no…
Best City to Live in Every State
There are nearly 20,000 villages, towns, and cities across the 50 states, and not all of them are equally conducive to the well-being of those who live there. While quality of life is subject…
What Your State Spends on Your Health
The United States is one of only a handful of wealthy, developed nations that does not have universal health care. Still, the United States tops the list of countries that spend the most on…
Fastest Growing Place in Every State
Slightly more than one in every 10 Americans packed up and moved to a new home in 2017. While reasons for relocating vary from person to person and family to family, there are some…
Fastest Shrinking Place in Every State
U.S. population growth slowed to just 0.6% in 2018 — the lowest growth rate in 80 years. The last time the annual population growth was this low, the nation was in the throes of…
Countries With the Largest Nuclear Stockpiles
Of all the collective problems facing the world today, nuclear proliferation ranks among the most dire and unpredictable. Currently, nine countries are known to be in possession of a total of 13,865 nuclear warheads…
Most Expensive Place in Every State
Everybody across the United States uses the dollar as currency — but just how far a dollar goes varies, as some places are far more expensive than others. Cost of living is a measure…
America’s Most Violent and Peaceful States
Warfare is the most harrowing example of violence. While the United States is actively engaged in military campaigns abroad, war, in the traditional sense, has not been fought on our soil in over 150…
Youngest County in Every State
More than half of all Americans are currently under 38 years of age. By 2060, however, the majority will be at least 43-years-old, according to Census Bureau projections. Though the United States as a…
Oldest County in Every State
According to U.S. Census Bureau projections, retirement-age adults will outnumber Americans under age 18 by 2035 for the first time in history. The aging of the U.S. population is driven by a falling birth…
What Your State Spends on You
The core question in American politics, underlying all facets of public policy debate, is the proper size and function of government. The range of opinions on the matter is evidenced not only in our…
States That Are Falling Apart
The U.S. economy is a $20.5 trillion behemoth — and the nation’s infrastructure is the scaffolding upon which it depends. In many parts of the country, however, years of neglect have left critical transportation…
Poorest Countries in the World
The United States is among the wealthiest countries in the world. However, this level of economic development is not the norm in much of the world, and neither is the standard of living the…
The Most Populated Zip Codes in America
The United States is home to nearly 327.2 million people, more than any other country in the Western Hemisphere and the third most worldwide, trailing only China and India. Despite a massive population, the…
What a Typical Home Costs in Every State
The subprime mortgage crisis that began in 2006 ushered in the Great Recession and the global financial crisis. It also taught an important lesson: while homeownership may be the cornerstone of the American dream,…