Statistics and Indicators

December 19, 2007 - Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in November decreased by three-tenths of a percentage point to 7.4 percent, according to data released today by the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG). Total employment rose by 25,000 as unemployment declined by 17,000. As a result, the state's labor force edged upward by 8,000 over the month.

Michigan's November 2007 jobless rate is three-tenths of a percentage point above the state's November 2006 rate of 7.1 percent. The national rate rose by two-tenths of a percentage point in the same period.    » read more »

November 26, 2007 -- FRANKFORT, Ky. — Unemployment rates rose in 94 Kentucky counties between October 2006 and October 2007, dropped in 18 counties and remained the same in eight counties, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training, an agency of the Education Cabinet.    » read more »

November 26, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The total number of tourists visiting Florida during the third quarter of 2007 increased by 4.8 percent compared to the same period in 2006 according to preliminary data released by VISIT FLORIDA®, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation. From July 1 through Sept. 30, 2007, 21.1 million people visited Florida.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. - 11/19/2007 - American Indian and Alaskan Native children are overrepresented in the nation's foster care system at more than 1.6 times the expected level, according to a new report by the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and the national, nonpartisan Kids Are Waiting campaign, a project of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Yet tribal governments are excluded from some of the largest sources of federal child welfare funding.    » read more »

November 21, 2007 -- MADISON - The Wisconsin Department of Justice - Office of Crime Victim Services has released the 2006 Domestic Abuse Incident Report (DAIR). The annual report is compiled from data submitted by district attorneys' offices throughout the state and analyzes homicide statistics gathered by the Office of Justice Assistance.

Key findings of the report include:

* Wisconsin prosecutors reported 25,531 domestic abuse incidents referred to their offices by law enforcement during 2006.    » read more »

November 19, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement in response to the 2006 hate crimes statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.    » read more »

November 20, 2007 -- Maine State Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman announced that the preliminary seasonally-adjusted October unemployment rate for Maine was 4.8 percent, unchanged from 4.8 percent for September and up slightly from 4.7 percent for October 2006. The national unemployment rate for October was 4.7 percent.

“Labor market conditions have changed little recently,” said Commissioner Fortman. “The unemployment rate has remained at 4.8 percent since July.”    » read more »

November 19, 2007 -- FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 6.1 percent in September 2007 to 5.6 percent in October 2007, according to the Office of Employment and Training (OET), an agency of the Kentucky Education Cabinet. October 2006’s jobless rate was 5.7 percent.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate remained at 4.7 percent from September 2007 to October 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.    » read more »

Reported hate crimes at lowest level in eight years, below annual average

November 19, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Reported hate crimes in Florida fell last year to their lowest level since 1998, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum announced today. McCollum released the Florida Hate Crimes Report covering the 2006 calendar year, noting that a total of 259 hate crimes were reported by local law enforcement agencies that year.    » read more »

Nov. 19, 2007 -- The number of resident births exceeded 100,000 for the first time in Arizona’s history last year, according to a new report by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The Arizona Health Status and Vital Statistics report for 2006 said the number of resident births doubled to 102,042 in 2006 from 50,049 in 1980.    » read more »

Salt Lake City, Utah - Utah's population reached 2,699,554 persons in 2007, according to the Utah Population Estimates Committee. This 3.2 percent increase from 2006 represents a record increase of 84,425 persons, approximately the population of Ogden, Utah.    » read more »

Michigan's October Jobless Rate Increases

November 14, 2007 - Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in October increased by two-tenths of a percentage point to 7.7 percent, according to data released today by the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG). Employment fell by 43,000 and unemployment advanced by 9,000 as the state's labor force declined by 34,000 over the month.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 11/13/2007 - Two-thirds of American families are earning more today than their parents did a generation ago, yet their likelihood of moving up—or down—the economic ladder still depends in large measure on their parents’ position, according to a new report issued by The Economic Mobility Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts.    » read more »

08 November 2007 -- Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says measures, such as hiring more agents and installing hi-tech detectors, have resulted in 22 percent decrease in arrests of illegal immigrants along the southern U.S border with Mexico. He says this is a sign U.S. authorities are beginning to get control of the border. But a separate U.S. government audit released this week found that thousands of illegal migrants made their way undetected through screening procedures at legal ports of entry, such as airports and land border crossings.    » read more »

Governor Highlights Health Care Reforms, Says More To Be Done

November 5, 2007 -- Montpelier, Vt. — A non-profit health advocacy group, working with the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention, has ranked Vermont the healthiest state in the country, the office of Vermont Governor Jim Douglas announced today.

The ranking lists each state on 20 measures of wellness, including high school graduation, obesity and infant mortality rates, their focus on preventive medicine and wellness and the percentage of residents with health insurance.    » read more »