Dave Rogan
US trade deficit widens to $88.6 billion in July as computer imports hit a record
The July trade deficit is the largest since the March 2025 tariff rush. Capital goods imports set a record at $140.3 billion, computer imports have doubled this year, and Vietnam and Taiwan have both passed China as the largest bilateral deficits.
The largest ZIP codes in America by population
About 140,000 people share ZIP code 77494 outside Houston, more than live in Charleston. Texas holds five of the top six, and second place belongs to the most demographically unusual ZIP in the country.
Why the census matters for you
Census data steers about $2.8 trillion a year, roughly $82,000 per person over the decade one count governs. It also decides your congressional district, and whether a grocery store or clinic opens nearby.
The South drove most US population growth, but the South's growth engine is now slowing down
Five southern states produced three-fifths of all US population growth this decade. New Census estimates show that engine slowing sharply, with Florida's domestic migration collapsing from 310,892 to 22,517 in three years.
Census report claims 500 noncitizen voters in Wisconsin. Researchers say the methodology cannot support it
The report counts anyone without attached proof of citizenship as a noncitizen voter. Researchers say that kind of data matching produces far more false hits than the 24,000 the report claims to have found.
Where America's veterans live, and which wars they came home from
About 16.2 million Americans are veterans, and in one North Carolina county more than one in five residents has served. The map is base towns, and the generational makeup is shifting fast.
The counties where Americans never move
On Staten Island, 94.3 percent of people lived in the same house a year ago. In one Iowa county it's 71.4 percent. The most rooted places in America are suburbs, and the most transient are college towns.
Census privacy changes will reduce detail for small places and population groups
The Bureau published its own roadmap for replacing noise infusion: a 2030 census preview in mid-2027, the ACS fully converted by 2029, and a plain acknowledgment that small areas will lose detail.
What is the Census used for?
The census has one constitutional job: dividing the 435 House seats among the states. Redistricting, hundreds of billions in federal funding, and countless business and research decisions all grew on top of that.
AI is everywhere at work now, but the time savings are smaller than the hype
A new Census Bureau survey finds 55% of US workers have used AI on the job, but for about 7 in 10 users it saved two hours a week or less. The wider story is a sharp divide by education.
The Most Rent-Burdened Cities in America
In the most stretched U.S. cities, more than two-thirds of renters spend over 30 percent of their income on rent. Eight of the top twelve are in Florida, where rents surged after 2020 but wages did not.
Uninsured rates rose in 427 counties and fell in 65
New county health insurance estimates show deterioration outnumbering improvement six to one between 2023 and 2024, with children's coverage worsening in 185 counties against nine. The plateau after Obamacare's gains looks like it's tipping into a climb.
How to Find Age Demographics by ZIP Code
Median age swings from 74.9 to 18.2 between US ZIP codes. Here is where to look the figure up for any ZIP, why the under-18 and 65-plus shares tell you more, and what the extremes turn out to be.
US factory orders fell again in June, but the backlog reached nearly $1.6 trillion
Factory orders fell a second straight month in June and shipments dipped for the first time since December. The number that keeps climbing is unfilled orders, up in 23 of the last 24 months to nearly $1.6 trillion.
US construction spending is falling as the factory-building boom fades
June construction spending was flat against May but 3.2 percent below last year. The category tables show manufacturing construction down 21.4 percent, while office construction, which counts data centers, keeps climbing.
The Most Educated States in America
Every U.S. state ranked by the share of adults with a bachelor's degree. Massachusetts leads at 47.3 percent, West Virginia trails at 24.1 percent, and the map closely tracks state income.
The US Homeownership Rate Held at 65%, With Rental Vacancy at 7.3%
Homeownership held at 65.0 percent in the second quarter and both vacancy rates were flat. Underneath that steady national figure, states run from 74.9 percent in West Virginia to 41.5 percent in DC, and Newark sits at 24.4 percent.
The Largest Metro Areas in the US by Population
New York's metro holds 20.1 million people, more than the next two combined. Here are the 25 largest US metro areas with their 2025 populations, including the six in the top 25 that have lost residents since 2020.
Durable Goods Orders Rose 0.3% in June According to the Census Bureau
New orders for durable goods hit $334.8 billion in June, up just 0.3 percent. But transportation orders fell off a cliff in May and stayed down, and everything else has risen three months straight.
How Did Obamacare Affect the Uninsured Rate in America?
In 2013, 14.9 percent of Americans had no health insurance. Today it is 8.4 percent, a drop of about 18 million people. But all of the gains came before 2019, and the line has been flat ever since.