What Is The Population of The Bay Area?

This is a question we had in our mind for quite some time – we keep calling it the heart of the tech world, silicon valley etc – how many people are there in the Bay Area, anyways? We spotted this today:

“Today, the Bay Area has about 7 million residents. In a free housing market, the population of the San Francisco Bay Area would have been growing rapidly over the last two decades. For example, between 1900 and 1920, the growth of the auto industry helped the population of the Detroit metro area nearly triple, from 540,000 people to 1.4 million people. If the San Francisco Bay Area had grown that fast since 1990, it would have about 16 million people today.”

Statistics Source: Forbes

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter

Which European Country Is The Most Hard Working?

If you just base it on what you have been hearing, you will never guess this one. We spotted this amazing fact today:

“Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the average Greek worker toils away for 2,017 hours per year which is more than any other European country.

Out of the 34 members of the OECD, that is just two places behind the board leaders, South Korea.

On the other hand, the average German worker – normally thought of as the very epitome of industriousness – only manages 1,408 hours a year. Germany is 33rd out of 34 on the OECD list (or 24th out of 25 looking at the European countries alone).”

Statistics Source: BBC

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter

Vacation Stats: American Households To Spend About $1,200 Per Person on Summer Vacations

We had spotted some interesting stats on the amount spent on coffee and the amount spent on lunch – we spotted this today:

“American households expect to spend about $1,200 per person on summer vacations, according to a just released American Express survey.
Assuming a median household income of roughly $50,000 a year and an average household size of two to three people, that translates to an estimate of 5% to 7% of income going toward vacations.”

Statistics Source: CNN Money

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter

India Growth Stats: Growth at 7.5% in 2012-13

We had written some interesting stats on India – India Mobile stats and India Internet stats – we spotted this today:

“”The Indian economy’s strong fundamentals, namely high saving and investment rates and rapidly expanding labour force and middle class will ensure a steady economic performance… We expect it to expand by about 7.5% in 2012-13,” UNESCAP chief economist Nagesh Kumar said.”

Statistics Source: Moneycontrol

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter

US, Budget, Surplus?

Well, if you add the words Monthly and April to it, Yes. We spotted this today:

“US April Monthly Budget Surplus $59.1B. First monthly surplus since September
Expectations were for a $31.0B surplus
April is always a good month for the government due to tax returns but this is the best April since 2008.”

Statistics Source: ForexLive

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter

Rent Statistics: The Average Monthly U.S. Rent for Apartments hit $1,008

This is an all time high. We have written multiple posts on Rent Vs Buy – we spotted this today:

“Rents are surging from New York to Los Angeles. The average monthly U.S. rent for apartments hit $1,008 in the first quarter, pushing past the all-time high set in the third quarter of 2008, according to the data firm RealFacts. USC’s Lusk Center for Real Estate forecasts a 10% jump in Los Angeles County rents over the next two years. In certain markets, it is now cheaper to own a home than rent.”

Statistics Source: LATimes

It is cheaper to own a house than to rent – yes, we have seen that one before. Particularly, with ever-falling housing prices.

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter

Rent Vs Buy: Its All Different In Manhattan

We had written some stuff on Rent Vs Buy before – but remember, it is all relative – you always need to know the location. That makes all the difference. So we were not surprised when we spotted this today:

“in the nation as a whole, houses look like they’re a pretty good value, relative to rents, for the first time in many years. …

The most striking thing, of course, is how expensive New York is relative to the country as a whole: that huge spike in the original chart now just looks like more of a foothill.

But it’s also clear that even with record-low interest rates, Manhattan prices are still a lot higher than Manhattan rents.

It wasn’t always that way. Rents were higher than prices from the fourth quarter of 1994 through the fourth quarter of 1999 — a full five years, during which prices rose from $227,500 to $320,000. Which in hindsight was a great time to buy, seeing as how prices now are at $775,000″

Statistics Source: FelixSalmon

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter

Euro Area Unemployment Rate At 10.9%

We had spotted multiple unemployment stats in the past – we spotted this today:

“The euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10.9% in March 2012, compared with 10.8% in February It was 9.9% in March 2011.
The EU27 unemployment rate was 10.2% in March 2012, stable compared with February. It was 9.4% in March 2011.
Eurostat estimates that 24.772 million men and women in the EU27, of whom 17.365 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in March 2012.
Compared with February 2012, the number of persons unemployed increased by 193 000 in the EU27 and by 169 000 in the euro area.
Compared with March 2011, unemployment rose by 2.123 million in the EU27 and by 1.732 million in the euro area.”

Statistics Source: Eurostat

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter

3.2 Billion: What USPS Lost In Jan-Mar 2012

We had spotted multiple postal services stats in the past – not many positive stats though. We spotted this today:

“The U.S. Postal Service’s financial struggles continued at the start of 2012, as the agency reported a $3.2 billion loss for the three months ended March 31.
The recession, declining volume in the type of mail that most Americans use and a congressional mandate to prefund retirement health care benefits continue to cause losses, the Postal Service reported.”

Statistics Source: CNN Money

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter

Retirement Statistics: Half of Americans Not Saving For Retirement

When you are in your 20s even 30s, it is difficult to think about how you will manage your finances when you retire. You are still in explore mode and that has a say, among many things, on how much you put aside for retirement. So how do we digest many facts about the current generation Americans? There are definitely bits and pieces that we can tie together. Like this one: Did you know, this gaming stat – that the average gamer is 37 years old? That particular one came as a surprise to us here at Statspotting. We spotted this today:

” Nearly half of Americans (49%) say they are not contributing to any retirement plan, according to a new survey by LIMRA, an industry-sponsored group. And 56% of Gen Yers, ages 18 to 34, are more likely to not be saving.
That’s forcing many Americans to plan to work beyond age 65. “A number of clients have had to postpone retirement simply because of their health care cost,” says Sheryl Garrett, a financial planner at Garrett Planning Network.”

Statistics Source: USA Today

These are pointers that would have a very high impact on a lot of business decisions. Spending and saving patterns in a lot of ways decide the way the economy turns.

For Interesting Statistics Everyday, Find Statspotting on Facebook and Follow Statspotting on Twitter