Notations From the Grid (Special W-End Edition): Out & About in America

 

US births are dropping  In 2020, US births decreased to the lowest level in decades. This decline is one of several factors affecting the nation's population growth, along with immigration and mortality rates. Here's what new data reveals:    Twenty states had a drop in births greater than the national decline of 3.8%. In New Mexico, they decreased by 7.16%; in Wyoming, they fell by 6.81%, and Hawaii's fell by 6.35%. New Hampshire had the smallest decline: 0.6%.    Utah had the highest birth rate of all states in 2020: 14.1 births per 1,000 people. Vermont had the lowest rate at 8.2 births per 1,000 people. The share of births for women between 30 and 44 is up, while it's down for teen mothers. The percentage of all births for people aged 15 to 19 has declined by more than half in the last 10 years. Which year had the highest number of births since 1980? Find out in this report.  Data on Asian American diversity Today is the final day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To celebrate, USAFacts has a report full of metrics on the diversity of Asian Americans, from family size to median annual incomes to educational attainment.  Forty-eight percent of the total Asian American population live in three states: California, New York, and Texas. In Hawaii, 38.7% of the state population identifies as strictly Asian.  The median age for the overall American population is 38.5. With a median age of 52.4, Japanese Americans are the oldest demographic group in the Census Bureau's data, Asian or otherwise.    About 29% of the Japanese American population is older than 65. The Burmese American population has the highest share of people under 18 at 34%.   At 4.4 million people, Chinese and Taiwanese Americans are the largest portion of Asian Americans (24%). Indian Americans make up 23%. Filipino Americans are 16% and Vietnamese Americans are 10%. The median yearly income for Asian American households is $93,759, well above the overall US median of $65,712. Indian Americans have the highest median annual household income of all Asian Americans: $126,700. Filipino Americans have the second-highest at $100,300. Which Asian American groups are most likely to have a bachelor's degree? And how does the size of the average Asian American family compare to the overall US average? Get the answers at USAFacts.org.   Aid to the Middle East  The United States has granted between $46 billion and $57 billion in inflation-adjusted foreign aid annually worldwide since 2010. See the numbers on US aid to Israel and the rest of the Middle East here for perspective on military and economic aid to the region.  Afghanistan received the most aid in 2019 (the most recent data available): $4.9 billion for its military and economy. Israel received $3.3 billion, the second-largest amount.  Since 2000, over 70% of annual American aid to Israel has funded military efforts. In 2019, a record 99.7% of the $3.3 billion in US aid to Israel was for its military.   Most 2019 foreign aid to Jordan and Iraq was economic. That year, total foreign aid to Israel was twice that for Jordan. See more about US aid to the Middle East here.