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What strange things do people search for on Google? How does income tax affect migration patterns? What features are popular in which type of homes?

At the City-Data Blog, our writers utilize data to answer questions you never knew you had. From silly, light-hearted investigations to powerful economic examinations, we cover a range of topics that anyone can enjoy! Our writers, many of them Ph.D. graduates or candidates, create easy-to-read articles on a wide variety of topics.

Popular New Year’s resolutions

Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning

New Year’s is one of the most celebrated days in the world. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, full of gifts and long-awaited surprises for those kids who didn’t misbehave.

According to a survey among young adults (published at Statista.com) in 2015, about 72 percent of respondents said that they typically spent New Year’s Eve at home. Slightly above 20 percent stated that they were guests at someone else’s home on New Year’s Eve, and about 10 percent celebrated in a restaurant, bar or club.

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Christmas is America’s favorite holiday season

Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning

Christmas is a civil holiday and an important part of the holiday season. During the Christmas shopping season, sales increase in almost all retail sectors. According to Statista.com, the most popular gift in the United States across all income levels is gift cards: 52 percent.

The statistics show that American consumers expected to spend an average of about $830 on Christmas gifts in 2015. In comparison, the average sum in 2014 was $720. In 2013, U.S. consumers spent approximately $704, compared to $770 in 2012. The highest average spending occurred in 2007; this year, Americans spent an average of $866 dollars on Christmas gifts.

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Fish in the American dish: recreational fishing

Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, in 2005, the United States harvested 4,888,621 tons of fish from wild fisheries and another 471,958 tons from aquaculture. The U.S. is the fifth largest producer of fish after China, Peru, India and Indonesia, producing 3.8 percent of the global total.

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American hunting and wildlife

Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning

Many years ago, hunting was a necessity for survival. In current times, hunting has developed into a form of sport and recreation in Western countries. In the U.S., hunting is generally regulated on a state-by-state basis, but hunters nationwide are required to hold a hunting license regardless of state. In 2013, about 14 million people participated in hunting in the U.S.

In 2011, American hunters spent an average of $2,484 on hunting, a significant increase from 2006, when the average hunter spent approximately $2,050. In 2001, the average hunter’s expenditures in the U.S. amounted to $2,001.

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The National Football League is an American treasure

Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning

Since its formation in 1920, the National Football League (NFL) has gained massive popularity in the United States. The TV viewership of the Super Bowl, the annual game that determines the champion of the NFL, amounted to 114 million people in 2015. In 2014, Super Bowl XLVIII (featuring the Seattle Seahawks against the Denver Broncos) was broadcast to 111 million people.

By the way, the average cost for a 30-second-advertisement was $4 million that year. Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 held the second-highest average cost for a 30-second advertisement at $4.5 million. The game between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos in February of 2016 (Super Bowl 50) holds the current record at a whopping cost of $5 million for a 30-second advertisement.

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The numbers on people suffering from asthma

Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning

According to the statistics, over 230 million people worldwide suffer from asthma. The prevalence of asthma in the United States has steadily increased to its current level of 8.6 percent. In comparison, this rate was only 7.6 percent in 2001. The percentage of people diagnosed with asthma began to grow in 2013 (7.4 percent). In 2014 and 2015, the rates of people suffering from asthma amounted to 7.9 percent and 8 percent accordingly.

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Dynamics of home-based working in the U.S.

Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning

Working from home is becoming more and more popular in the U.S. The number of people who prefer to use their own dwelling as a workplace increased slightly in recent years. People who work 9 to 5 may start asking questions like, “Who actually are home-based workers?” and, “Why don’t they fancy a typical job in the office?” There are main types of such workers: home workers, who work exclusively from home, home-based workers, who work from home part or all the time, and mixed workers, who work both from home and from the office.

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Are people living outside the metro areas cushioned against falling home prices?

Andrey Kamenov, Ph.D. Probability and Statistics

The U.S. Census Bureau provides us with a lot of interesting data about new homes in their Survey of Construction. Today we look at the sale prices of homes in regard to their location (i.e. whether or not they are located in a Metropolitan Statistical Area).

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Owners prefer to build small homes outside of metro areas

Andrey Kamenov, Ph.D. Probability and Statistics

As anyone who has looked to buy a new house likely knows, there are basically four types of houses. Some are built for sale or for rent, and some are built by owners, either with help from a contractor or by themselves. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction provides us with this data on each surveyed home.

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Occupational standing of different demographics

Alexander Fishkov, Ph.D. student Computer Science

The Num-Powers-Boyd score measures occupational status based on median education levels and median incomes of individuals. An intuitive interpretation of the score of an occupation is the percentage of the population having an occupation with education and income levels below that occupation. This score weights education and income contribution equally. Although the use of such indices is still a topic of discussion among professional sociologists, this simple and clear interpretation can be understood by everyone.

In a previous post, we used this measure to examine occupation rankings through time. Today we will look at the scores of different demographic groups. This time we also used data provided by the Minnesota Population Center and IPUMS.

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