Statistics for the past decade

McClatchy Washington Bureau

Posted on Tue, Dec. 29, 2009
A plethora of numbers traces a decade of change

last updated: December 30, 2009 06:39:17 PM

WASHINGTON — Numbers are one way to measure where you've been and where you're going. In the first decade of the 21st century, numbers show that
the U.S. has grown in population but that its per household earnings, adjusted for inflation, have declined. The trade deficit has increased with China, but declined with Europe. The number of Republican public officials has dropped and so has the average approval rating of the presidents. Exxon Mobil has replaced Microsoft as the most valuable U.S. company. The number of college students has dropped, and cell phone use has skyrocketed.

Here are other statistics that trace the changes that took place in the last 10 years. Constant dollar calculations were made with the Bureau of
Labor Statistics' inflation calculator, found at
http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl.

THE UNITED STATES

Population 279,295,000 (1999); 308,150,087 (2009)

Hispanic percentage 11.7 (1999); 15.1 (2007)

Black percentage 13 (1999); 12.3 percent (2008)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. POLITICS

Registered voters 183 million (1998); 189 million (2008)

Republican governors 31 (1999); 22 (2009)

Democratic governors 17 (1999); 28 (2009)

Republican state legislators 3,442 (1999); 3,234 (2009)

Democratic state legislators 3,882 (1999); 4,073 (2009)

Female members of U.S. House of Representatives 60 (1999); 78 (2009)

Female members of the U.S. Senate 9 (1999); 17 (2009)

Openly gay U.S. members of Congress 3 (1999); 3 (2009)

Millionaires in the Senate 30 (1999); 67 (2009)

Millionaires in the House 66 (1999); 170 (2009)

Lobbyists registered with Congress 13,233 (1999); 13,426 (2009)

Members of Congress with Twitter accounts 0 (1999; Twitter was created
in 2006); 210 (2009)

Average presidential approval rating (percentage) 57 (1999); 49.8 (Dec. 10, 2009)

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Roll Call, Committee for Responsive Government, Center for Responsive Politics.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Number of federal executive branch employees 1.778 million (1999); 1.977 million (2009, estimate)

Total federal debt $5.606 trillion (1999); $12.9 trillion (2009, estimate)

Total federal budget $1.733 trillion (1999); $2.932 trillion (2009)

Gross tax collection by Internal Revenue Service $1.769 trillion (1999);
$2.745 trillion (2008)

Top individual tax rate: 39.6 percent (1999); 35 percent (2008)

Income subject to top tax rate $283,150 (1999); $372,950 (2008) In 1999 constant dollars $283,150 (1999); $288,586 (2008)

Number of taxpayers paying top marginal tax rate 864,129 (1999); 1,060,714 (2007)

Sources: Office of Management and Budget, Internal Revenue Service,
Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator

ECONOMY

Dow Jones industrial average 11,497.12 (Dec. 31, 1999); 10,547.83 (Dec. 28)

U.S. work force 139 million (1999); 155 million (2009)

People over 65 still working 4 million (1999); 6 million (2008)

Households receiving Social Security 27.1 million (1999); 30.6 million (2008)

Number of two-income households 37.5 million (1999); 39.3 million (2008)

Unemployment rate 4.2 percent (1999); 10 percent (November 2009)

Jobless workers 5.7 million (1999); 15.4 million (November 2009)

Unemployed workers not included in jobless number because they haven't looked for work in the past month 1.1 million (1999); 2.3 million
(November 2009)

Median household income $44,900 (1999); $50,303 (2008) In 1999 constant dollars $44,900 (1999); $38,924 (2008)

Median sales price for existing homes $138,000 (1999); $172,700 (2009) In constant 1999 dollars $138,000 (1999); $133,000 (2009)

Median sales price for new homes $161,000 (1999); $212,000 (2009) In constant 1999 dollars $161,000 (1999); $163,265 (2009)

Number of foreclosure proceedings 450,000 (1999); 2 million (2009, estimate)

Banks seized by Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. 8 (1999); 133 (through Dec. 11, 2009)

People living below the poverty line 32.8 million in 1999; 39.8 million in 2008

Poverty line for a family of four $17,029 (1999); $22,025 (2008) In constant 1999 dollars $17,029 (1999); $17,043 (2008)

Federal minimum wage (hourly) $5.15 (1999); $7.25 (2009) In constant 1999 dollars $5.15 (1999); $5.58 (1999)

Value of a dollar $1 (1999); 77 cents (2009, in constant 1999 dollars)

Top CEO salary $569.8 million (1999, Michael Eisner, Disney Corp.); $556.9 million (2009, Lawrence Ellison, Oracle Corp.; $428.9 million in
constant 1999 dollars)

Average CEO compensation for Fortune 500 companies $8.4 million (1999, then the Fortune 800); $11.4 million (2009; $8.78 million in constant 1999 dollars)

Market capitalization of Exxon Mobil $281.6 billion (2000); $353.5 billion (Oct. 23, 2009) In constant 2000 dollars $281.6 billion (2000); $281.4 billion (Oct. 23, 2009)

Market capitalization of Microsoft $281.9 billion (2000); $250.2 billion (Oct. 23, 2009) In constant 2000 dollars $281.9 billion (2000); $199.2
billion (Oct. 23, 2009)

Estimated worth of Bill Gates, the richest American $85 billion (1999); $50 billion (2009, $38.5 billion in constant 1999 dollars)

Value of U.S. exports $965.88 billion (1999); $1.83 trillion (2008) In constant 1999 dollars $965.88 billion (1999); $1.41 trillion (2008)

Value of U.S. imports $1.23 trillion (1999); $2.52 trillion (2008) In constant 1999 dollars $1.23 trillion (1999); $1.95 trillion (2008)

U.S. trade deficit $265.09 billion (1999); $695.94 billion (2008) In constant 1999 dollars $265.09 billion (1999); $538.51 billion (2008)

Total trade with China (imports and exports) $94.9 billion (1999); $296.24 billion (through October 2009) In constant 1999 dollars $94.9 billion (1999); $228.14 billion (through October 2009)

Trade deficit with China $68.7 billion (1999); $188.5 billion (through October 2009) In constant 1999 dollars $68.7 billion (1999); $145.17
billion (through October 2009)

Total trade with European Union (exports and imports) $354.8 billion (1999); $453.9 billion (through October 2009) In constant 1999 dollars
$354.8 billion (1999); $349.56 billion (through October 2009)

Trade deficit with EU $45.2 billion (1999); $47.7 billion (through October 2009) In constant 1999 dollars $45.2 billion (1999); $36.73 billion (through October 2009)

U.S. car and light truck sales 16.89 million (1999); 9.376 million (through November 2009)

U.S. automakers' market share 69 percent (1999); 44.6 percent (through November 2009)

Number of workers making cars 169,800 (1999); 88,900 (October 2009)

Auto manufacturing jobs by state Michigan: 94,200 (1999); 31,100 (October 2009) Ohio: 39,700 (1999); 14,600 (October 2009) Kentucky:19,800 (1999); 8,600 (October 2009) Indiana: 9,000 (1999); 10,900 (October 2009) Texas: 5,800 (1999); 9,300 (October 2009) Alabama: 2,400 (1999); 11,000 (October 2009)

Sources: Interactive Data Real-Time Services, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, National Association of Realtors,
Mortgage Bankers Association, Forbes magazine, National Automobile
Dealers Association, J.D. Power and Associates, TheOnlineInvestor.com;
Stern School of Business, New York University, Federal Deposit Insurance
Corp., the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation
Calculator.

TECHNOLOGY

Percentage of households with land-line telephones 96 (1998); 91 (2005)

Percentage of households with cell phones 36 (1998); 71 (2005)

Factory sales of cell phones 30,667 (1999); 90,698 (2009)

Average annual household cell-service expense $210 (2001); $606 (2007) In constant 2001 dollars $210 (2001); $518

Number of text messages sent in December 2.1 billion (2003); 110.4 billion (2008)

Total Internet retail sales $5 billion (fourth quarter 1999); $32 billion (third quarter 2009)

In constant 1999 dollars $5 billion (fourth quarter 1999); $25 billion (third quarter 2009)

Number of homes with cable TV 69 million (2000); 62 million (2006)

Number of homes with satellite TV systems 11.7 million (2000); 28 million (2007)

Average monthly cost for basic cable $28.92 (1999); $44.28 (2008) In constant 1999 dollars $28.92 (1999); $34.26 (2008)

Number of AOL subscribers 18.6 million (first quarter 2000); 5.4 million (third quarter 2009)

Number of digital TVs and monitors sold 121 (1999); 35,414 (2009)

Average price of a digital monitor $2,443 (1999); $688 (2009) In constant 1999 dollars $2,443 (1999); $530 (2009)

Number of personal computers sold 14,900 (1999); 27,945 (2009)

Average price of a personal computer $1,100 (1999); $590 (2009) In constant 1999 dollars $1,100 (1999); $454 (2009)

Number of laptops sold 7,248 (2003); 18,738 (2009)

Average price of a laptop $1,155 (2003); $623 (2009) In constant 2003 dollars $1,155 (2003); $530 (2009)

Number of satellites in orbit 623 (1999); 1,002 (2009)

Number of countries with manned space programs 2 (1999); 3 (2009)

Minutes of Skype Internet phone calls 0 (1999; Skype was founded in 2003); 3.1 billion (third quarter 2009)

Number of contributors to Wikipedia 0 (1999; Wikipedia was created in 2001); 85,000 (2009)

Number of entries on Wikipedia 0 (1999); 14 million in 260 languages (3,120,633 in English) (2009)

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, AOL, Consumer Electronics Association,
Harvard Center for Astrophysics, Skype, Wikipedia, Bureau of Labor
Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator.

ENVIRONMENT

Average annual estimated CO2 emissions worldwide (tons) 23.4 billion (1999); 29.9 billion (2007)

United States: 5.97 billion (1999); 6.01 billion (2007) China: 2.91 billion (1999); 6.28 billion (2007) Europe: 4.42 billion (1999); 4.69
billion (2007)

Average U.S. vehicle gasoline consumption in miles per gallon 27.5
(1999); 27.5 (2009)

U.S. oil consumption (barrels per day) 19.519 million (1999); 19.498 million (2008)

China oil consumption (barrels per day) 4.364 million (1999); 7.831 million (2008)

Europe oil consumption (barrels per day) 16.03 million (1999); 16.147 million (2008)

Species protected under the Endangered Species Act 1,189 (1999); 1,322 (2009)

Number of people in the world without safe drinking water 1.1 billion (2000); 884 million (2009)

Number of days of unsafe air in Los Angeles 152 (1999); 112 (2009)

Area of the Arctic ice cap (square miles) 2.48 million (September 1999); 2.07 million (September 2009)

Sources: Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency

MILITARY

Number of active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines) 1.1 million (1999); 1.4 million (2009)

Defense budget (including supplementals) $270.5 billion (fiscal year 1999); $680 billion (fiscal year 2010) In constant 1999 dollars $270.5 billion (fiscal year 1999); $524 billion (fiscal year 2010)

Percentage of new recruits who graduated high school 98 (1999); 73.8 (2009)

Number of troops based in Germany 65,540 (1999); 53,960 (2009)

Number of troops based in South Korea 36,000 (1999); 28,500 (2009)

Authorized strength of U.S. military Reserves (National Guard and
Reserves) 877,000 (1999); 847,900 (2009)

Number of troops based in the country with the largest U.S. military presence 65,540 (1999, Germany); 115,000 (November 2009, Iraq)

Minimum pay for a major in the Army $31,349 (1999); $48,322 (2009) In constant 1999 dollars $31,349 (1999); $37,214 (2009)

Minimum pay for a private first class in the Army $13,417 (1999); $19,796 (2009) In constant 1999 dollars $13,417 (1999); $15,245 (2009)

Number of Air Force bases in the United States 72 (1999); 68 (2009)

Number of U.S. military commands 8 (1999); 10 (2009)

Number of U.S. aircraft carriers 12 (1999); 11 (2009)

Russian military spending in constant 2005 dollars $14.04 billion (1999); $38.23 billion (2008)

Chinese military spending in constant 2005 dollars $21.62 billion (1999); $63.4 billion (2008)

U.S. arms sales to developing countries (constant 2007 dollars) $22.67 billion (2000); $12.16 billion (2007)

U.S. market share of arms sales (percentage) 59 (2000); 34 (2007)

China's market share of arms sales (percentage) 1.8 (2000); 9 (2007)

Sources: Department of Defense, Military Pay Chart, Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute, Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
Inflation Calculator

EDUCATION

Percentage of science and engineering Ph.D.s granted by U.S. universities that went to foreigners 33 (1999); 42 (2009)

Number of private high school students 1.278 million (1999); 1.319 million (2008)

Number of public high school students 14.638 million (1999); 15.397 million (2008)

National high school dropout rate 5 percent (1999); 3.5 percent (2007)

Number of students enrolled in four-year colleges, full and part time 11 million (1999); 9.6 million (2008)

Number of full-time students at four-year colleges 7.913 million (1999); 7.981 million (2008)

Number of African-Americans enrolled in four-year colleges 1.4 million (1999); 1 million (2008)

Number of students enrolled in two-year colleges 4.201 million (1999);
3.397 million (2008)

Enrollment in traditional black colleges 270,641 (fall 1999); 312,248 (fall 2008)

Salary and benefits of the highest paid college president $878,222 (1999, Harry C. Payne, Williams College) $1,598,247 (2008, Shirley Ann
Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; in constant 1999 dollars, $1,236,713)

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics,
United Negro College Fund, Chronicle of Higher Education, Bureau of
Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator.

HEALTH

Average U.S. life expectancy 76.7 (1999); 77.9 (2007)

Men: 73.9 (1999); 75.3 (2007) Women: 79.4 (1999); 80.4 (2007)

U.S. infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 7.1 (1999); 6.77 (2007)

Global child mortality rate (deaths before age 5 per 1,000 live births) 87 (1999); 65 (2009)

Life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa (years) 46 (1999); 51 (2009)

Number of new AIDS cases in the U.S. 41,356 (1999); 37,041 (2007)

Number of AIDS deaths in U.S. 17,982 (1999); 14,561 (2007)

Diagnosed diabetics in the United States 11.1 million (1999); 17.9 million (2009)

Number of births to unmarried women in the U.S. 1.307 million (1999);
1.642 million (2006)

Number of Trojan condoms shipped in the United States 340.992 million (1999); 552.672 million (2009)

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, Diabetes
Association of Greater Cleveland, Trojan.

LIFESTYLES/MISCELLANY

Average movie ticket price $5.08 (1999); $7.46 (2009) In constant 1999 dollars $5.08 (1999); $5.75 (2009)

Percentage of U.S. households that watched the top-rated television show 18.6 (1999, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"); 14.4 (2009, "American Idol")

Number of Roman Catholics 28 million (1999); 23.9 million (2007)

Number of Jews 2 million (1999); 1.7 million (2007)

Number of American homes without indoor plumbing 1.436 million (1999);
1.259 million (2007)

States that have legalized medical marijuana 5 (1999); 13 (2009)

Registered marijuana users in California 0 (1999); 37,236 (2009)

Number of states that permit same-sex marriage 0 (1999); 6 (2009)

U.S. prison inmates 2,026,596 (1999); 2,304,115 (2009)

Number of homicides in the United States 15,530 (1999); 16,272 (2008)

Number of U.S. executions 98 (1999); 51 (as of Dec. 14, 2009)

Sources: Hollywood.com, Nielsen, U.S. Census Bureau, Marijuana Policy
Project, Department of Justice, FBI, Death Penalty Information Center.

INTERNATIONAL

Number of countries on which the U.S. has imposed sanctions 9 (1999); 12 (2009)

Total U.N. peacekeeping budget $1.3 billion (1999); $7.8 billion (2009) In constant 1999 dollars $1.3 billion (1999); $6.01 billion (2009)

Number of U.N. peacekeepers worldwide 18,460 (1999); 117,000 (2009)

Number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank 177,000 (1999); 300,000 (2009, estimated)

Population of Russia 146,670,000 (2000); 140,367,000 (2010 estimate)

Sources: U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations, U.N. Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, B'Tselem, Israel Central Bureau of
Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator.

McClatchy Newspapers 2009