All about us

Posted at 5:51 PM on September 21, 2009 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

The Census Bureau released the 2008 American Community Survey today. The bureau sends surveys each year to a select sample of residents. Many of the questions on it are the ones that Rep. Michele Bachmann used to make a brouhaha a few months ago.

What does this year's survey tell us? Not a lot that we didn't already expect.

— The number of households with married couples has dropped from '07 .
— The number of people over 60 has increased. The median age of Minnesota has increased from 37.1 years to 37.4 years. In 2006 it was 36.8.
— The number of married people has dropped while the number of divorced people has increased.
— Eight-seven percent of people in the metropolitan area (including St. Cloud) commute to work by car. Seventy-eight percent of them drive alone. Gender doesn't make a difference in the results.
— Most people's commute is 20-24 minutes. (15.9%)
— The percentage of white people has increased to 88.1 percent.
— The number of unmarried women giving birth has increased from 24.9 percent in 2006 to 30.1% in 2008.
— Enrollment in elementary schools is dropping.
— Two-income families: About 55 percent of U.S. married couples had both spouses in the labor force. North Dakota ranked first at 65 percent, followed by Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa.
— The percentage of Scandanavians is dropping.
— Fewer own and more rent.
— Fewer households have two cars.
— Minnesota ranks behind only Massachusetts and Hawaii in the percentage of people with health insurance. (91.3%)
— The median value of a house has dropped from $221,900 to $213,800.
— The percentage of homeowners whose housing costs equal or exceed 35%of month income has increased significantly.

You can find the survey here.

Comments (1)

I just filled one of these out about a month ago...so I'm assuming these results are at least a year old, and the survey I completed will be reflected a year from now?

I suspect a year will make a big difference in some of the housing and job statistics.

Posted by Bonnie | September 21, 2009 9:21 PM

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