Swivel Featured Graphs

Illicit Drug Use

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:03:27 -0800

In 2007, an estimated 19.9 million Americans ages 12 and older had used illicit drugs in the past month, according to a survey conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. That's 8 percent of the population in the same demographic. This graph shows the percent of illicit drug users in the past month who used cocaine, pain relievers, psychotherapeutics, and/or marijuana. Marijuana was the most commonly used drug with 14.4 million users in the past month, or 72.8 percent of drug users. Data uploaded by ChaTo. [Submitted by ChaTo]

Obama is Bringing Home the Bacon

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:27:40 -0800

The President of the United States is quite possibly the most demanding job in the world. So what will Obama be bringing home to Michelle and his girls? Well, in addition to an adorable puppy -- $400,000 per year. While his salary looks like diddlysquat in comparison to what CEOs are taking home, the President is the highest paid public employee. This graph shows the salaries for top Federal Employees. Or check out this blog post to see how much our founding fathers made in the White House. [Submitted by Natalie]

Students with Computers at USC

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:22:18 -0700

When you're a college student, your computer is often your most prized (if not most valuable) possession. This graph shows the percent of students bringing their computers to USC every year. In 2000 only 73% of students brought their computers to college at USC. Today 99% of students are lugging their computers with them. You can't help but wonder how this data would compare with the rate at which computers are stolen at college. Data uploaded by jalexander. [Submitted by jalexander]

Immigration to the United States

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:58:25 -0800

This graph shows trends in the number of immigrants to the United States by their region of origin since 1830. About a century ago, 91% of immigrants to the United States were from Europe; over 8,000 people immigrated from there in 1910. In 2006, 15% of immigrants to the U.S. were from Europe, 32% were from Asia, 43% from the Americas, 6% from Africa, and 2% from Oceania. [Submitted by Natalie]

Minimum Wage in Washington State

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:26:54 -0800

The state of Washington has the country's highest minimum wage at $8.07 per hour. Statewide, only 2.8 percent of all Washington workers are paid minimum wage. This graph shows the five Washington counties with the highest percentage of minimum wage jobs. According to Washington CEO, most minimum wage workers are in rural counties. Fourteen percent of jobs pay minimum wage in Okanogan County, 9.8% in Grant County, 8.7% in Yakima County and Adams County, and 8.6% in Douglas County. Data uploaded by pbucalo. [Submitted by pbucalo]

Busting Meth Labs

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:16:40 -0800

More than 12.3 million Americans (approximately 5.2 percent of the population) have tried methamphetamine, and 1.5 million are regular users. Operations to make the drug have been found in every U.S. state. This graph shows the number of meth lab incidents (in thousands) in the U.S. since 1999. The term "incident" includes all meth labs, dumpsites, and chemical and glassware seizures by the DEA. For more information about meth seizures in your state, check out the full data set. [Submitted by Natalie]

Pork Project Spending

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:16:07 -0700

A blog post on Political Equinox questions if cutting pork spending in Washington would really solve any financial problems. This graph shows the billions of dollars that goes towards discretionary spending each year. The author concludes that since pork barrel spending only amounts to 1% of the federal budget, it's not going to put a significant dent in our deficit, let alone solve the national debt problem. Even if we cut all pork spending, it would only save us about $18 billion dollars. Data and analysis from neilkelty. [Submitted by neilkelty]

U.S. Casualties in Iraq

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:30:17 -0800

For Veteran's Day, let's take a moment to honor the U.S. soldiers who have bravely fought and died in the Iraq War. This graph shows the number of soldiers named dead since the war began in March 2003. As of Monday, November 10, 2008, at least 4,193 members of the U.S. military have given their lives for the Iraq War, , according to an Associated Press count. Over 30,000 have been wounded in action. [Submitted by Natalie]

Preventing Gun Violence

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:49:05 -0800

The Brady Campaign is the nation's largest grassroots organization dedicated to preventing gun violence. Unfortunately, most U.S. states have failing scores when it comes to stopping criminals from obtaining guns. This graph shows the number of points awarded to each state on the 2007 Brady State Scorecard. Two-thirds of all states scored less than 20 points (out of 100), and almost half of all states scored 10 points or less. California has the strongest gun laws (79), followed by New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Also, check out this graph, which compares a state's Brady score with it's violent crime rate. Data uploaded by hardwarehank. [Submitted by hardwarehank]

Price of Crude Oil

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:49:20 -0700

According to Bloomberg, U.S. crude oil for December delivery declined to $63.25 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Stock Exchange. Prices are down 34 percent from a year ago, and have tumbled 56 percent since reaching $147.27 on July 11. Investors are worried that sinking prices are not only a sign of economic weakness, but also that a U.S. recession could kill demand for fuel. This graph shows the price for crude oil (USD) since 1987. Data uploaded by zero1inifnity. [Submitted by zero1infinity]

Risk of Breast Cancer

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:25:54 -0700

Aside from being female, age is the most important risk factor when it comes to breast cancer. This graph shows a woman's risk of developing breast cancer between the ages of 20 and 70. A woman living in the U.S. today has a 12.3% (1 in 8) risk of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. Thirty years ago, that chance was 1 in 11. The increase in risk is mainly due to longer life expectancy, long-term Hormone Replacement Therapy, and the rising prevalence of obesity. [Submitted by Natalie]

U.S. Daily Newspaper Circulation

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:04:17 -0700

Here are the top 10 daily papers ranked for the six-month period ending September 2008 based on a Monday-through-Friday average, according to the new FAS-FAX from the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The percent change compares this period to the same period a year ago. —micpohling. [Submitted by micpohling]

The 2008 Internet Election

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:45:53 -0800

No matter the outcome today, many political analysts believe this election will change the way people look at web-generated data. While we are just beginning to understand the usefulness of these figures within the political arena, here's a quick look at some of the statistics that have spawned what WSJ is calling the first real "Internet Election." This graph shows Barack Obama and John McCain's share of both candidates' total amount for each indicator (excluding poll data). Read more. [Submitted by Natalie]

McCain and Tax Breaks for Oil Companies

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:14:20 -0700

Swiveler Hayden takes a look at John McCain's, "cunning plan to fight corporate giveaways with corporate giveaways." Under McCain's proposed tax plan, the top five oil importers in the U.S. stand to save a total of $3.8 billion annually under the McCain administration. The two largest tax cuts will go to corporations; he plans to cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25% to make U.S. corporations more competitive, and allow corporations to expense their investments. For more information, see this report from the Center for American Progress. [Submitted by hayden]

Obama's TV Advertising

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:29:53 -0800

Candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have spent more than $400 million on over 320 television ads, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising expenditures. This graph shows how much money Obama spent on TV advertising by issue of the ad. In total, he spent a total of $207,410,911 to broadcast 109 television ads. McCain spent a total of $119,906,703 to broadcast 71 television ads. Read more. [Submitted by Natalie]

U.S. Debt Increases

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:28:32 -0800

Which political party is responsible for racking up the most U.S. debt over the last eight years? This graph shows the annual increase towards the total outstanding debt (in billions). And this accompanying table shows which political party was in control of the House and the Senate during that year. Over the past eight years, Congressional approval of increases in debt looks like about $1.8 billion for the Democratic Party and $2.6 billion for the Republican Party. Data uploaded by hayden. [Submitted by hayden]

How much are people spending on Halloween?

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:47:30 -0700

According to the National Retail Federation, the fantastical Halloween holiday may offer some relief to consumers looking to escape their everyday reality. Although the economy is taking a hard hit, people are willing to spend more on Halloween this year than in previous years. This graph shows the total average spending per person on things like costumes, candy, decorations, and greeting cards. The average person plans to spend $66.54 on the holiday this year, up from $64.82 in 2007.Read more. [Submitted by Natalie]

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:15:24 -0700

Last night, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies kicked off the 2008 World Series in St. Petersburg, Fla. And what's a baseball game without a hot dog? Last year retail sales of hot dogs in Philadelphia, home to the Phillies, totaled $46 million. This graph shows retail sales for the top ten hot dog consuming cities in the U.S. The city ranks fourth on the list of hot dog retail, behind New York, Los Angeles, and Washington/Baltimore. For more hot dog fun facts check this out. [Submitted by Natalie]

Looking at the U.S. Money Supply

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:41:18 -0700

This graph shows two measurements of the U.S. money supply (M1 and M2) since 1960. M1 is a narrow measure that includes all money in circulation and account balances for checking accounts. M2 is a broader measure that is used to forecast inflation. It includes M1, plus savings, deposits, and non-institutional money market accounts. An increase in the money supply stimulates increased spending because it puts more money in the hands of consumers; when people feel wealthier they tend to splurge more. A blog post on Visualizing Economics points out that the ratio between these two measurements is at a historical high. Data uploaded by catherine. [Submitted by catherine]

Children Living Below the Poverty Line

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:03:55 -0700

After a decade of decline, the proportion of children living in low-income families has been rising again since 2000. This graph shows the percentage of children living below the poverty line since 1959. Out of 73 million children living in the United States, almost 18% are living in poor families. For a family of four, the poverty line is drawn at $21,200. You can see the full data set here. [Submitted by Natalie]

Top 10 Government Contractors in Michigan

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:41:10 -0700

This graph shows the top ten government contractors in Michigan of all time. General Dynamics, a company that specializes in defense contracting, is the largest government contractor in the state of Michigan. Today, General Dynamics focuses its military operations on shipbuilding and armored vehicles, such as the Strykers, commonly used in the Iraq War. To date, the corporation has done about $16.8 billion worth of government contract work in Michigan. Data uploaded by madamo. [Submitted by madamo]

How Much is an Ounce of Gold?

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:02:25 -0700

This graph shows the price of an ounce of gold in the Euro, U.S. Dollar, Yen, and Rupee. This morning Reuters reported that a global sell-off of gold to pay for losses is reflected in a decline in gold prices in currencies across the board. The article says that the stronger U.S. dollar, which makes metals priced in dollars more expensive for holders of other currencies -- such as the Euro -- may suggest that the overall supply and demand fundamentals are also weakening. Graph by mssnlayam. [Submitted by mssnlayam]

Drilling for Oil in Uintah County

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:19:42 -0700

The federal government has offered 33.4 million acres of public and private land in Utah for oil and gas drilling. Uintah County is one of the top producing counties when it comes to black honey in the beehive state. This graph shows the amount of oil drilled in Uintah County since 1984. The total oil produced in the state of Utah from 1989-2003 totals 33.5 million barrels, equivalent to 3 hours of U.S. consumption per capita a year. (To see Uintah's production of natural gas, click here.) Graph by dfletcher. [Submitted by dfletcher]

Facebook's Carbon Footprint

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:05:10 -0700

Facebook Engineer, Doug Beaver, has announced that the social networking site now hosts 10 billion photos and Facebook has just over one petabyte of photo storage. Annually, the per capita figure for energy consumption would be 1124 KWh per year, or equivalent to emissions of 0.75 tons of green house CO2(Carbon footprint), which is half of NY city’s carbon footprint. For more, check out this blog post. —apurba [Submitted by apurba]

The Richest Americans

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:02:40 -0700

According to Forbes, the rich haven't gotten richer (or poorer for that matter) this year. The price of admission to The Forbes 400 is $1.3 billion for the second year in a row. The assembled net worth of American's wealthiest men and women rose by 2% from last year, to $1.57 trillion. This graph shows the top ten richest Americans on the Forbes 400 list. Read more. [Submitted by Natalie]