The first #JustTheFacts episodes are officially live! Get the numbers — not rhetoric — on US immigration and the federal budget. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get exclusive access to future episodes. #budget #immigration #usafacts usafacts.org/just-the-facts?…

Are your summer vacation plans taking a hit due to rising inflation? Headline inflation jumped to 4.2% in May — the last time it was above 4% was in April 2023. The categories seeing the biggest increases over the last year are: 🛢️ Fuel oil ( 58.8% change YoY) ⛽ Gasoline ( 40.5%) ✈️ Airline fares ( 26.7%) With rising costs in both driving and flying, a staycation doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. *This was made possible by public data. Visit usafacts.org/data-we-depend-… to sign our open letter to Congress.

While immigrants make up 18.4% of the working population (as of 2024), they make up 17.2% of the working-age population. In which states do immigrants make up the largest share of the workforce? 📍California (33.4%) 📍New Jersey (30.9%) 📍Florida (28.8%) Education and health services account for the largest share of immigrant workers (20.4%). However, compared with native-born workers, immigrants are more likely to work in construction (9.9% versus 6.3%). *This was made possible by public data. Visit usafacts.org/data-we-depend-… to sign our open letter to Congress

Think public data could be better? Want Congress to use data to legislate and fix it when it falls short? Help us get 100,000 signatures on our open letter. Be one of the first and sign your name at usafacts.org/data-we-depend-…. Share this with your friends, family, coworkers, community leaders, barista, or person you sit next to on the train. This impacts us all.

The facts we rely on don't appear out of thin air. Which is why we're asking you to join our Data We Depend On campaign! Public data helps Americans understand everything from the economy and healthcare to education and public safety. America's data infrastructure is outdated, and we need your help in asking Congress to: ✏️ Use data to legislate ✏️ Fix data when it falls short If reliable public data matters to you, add your name to the open letter along with Steve Ballmer. Be one of the first 10,000 to sign your name at usafacts.org/data-we-depend-… And share this with everyone you know!

We’ve got $20 on the company softball team bringing the vibes to the game. Sports betting generated $2.71 billion in state tax revenue between January and September 2025. Over the same period in 2024, it brought in $2.15 billion. Which states are bringing in the most tax revenue from sports betting? 🏀 New York ($1B) ⚾ Illinois ($478M) 🎾 Ohio ($185M) ⚽ Pennsylvania ($173M) 🏈 Massachusetts ($159M) And while 39 states and DC have legalized sports betting, 41 states actually report revenue from sports betting. This is due to the tax code and states collecting taxes on revenue generated from bettors’ wagers and not paid directly by bettors.

Guess #1 before the reveal

You’ve probably seen lots of headlines in the news about layoffs, so let’s take a look at the data. As of April, 6.95 million people have been laid off or discharged in 2026 — that’s 0.97% less than by April 2025. The overall layoff and discharge rate was 1.1% in April — equal to the average over the past 12 months (1.1%). Which industry saw the highest rate in April? That would be the information industry (media, tech, telecom) at 2.1%. In December 2025 (the most recent data), the state with the highest layoff rate was Idaho at 2.1%. In early 2026, the BLS announced that state-level layoff data would change from a monthly to a yearly release in July.

Is the federal government spending more or less than it's bringing in? The US hasn't seen a budget surplus since FY 2001. So, it turns out, it’s spending more. Through April of FY 2026, the budget deficit has reached $953.6 billion — that’s about $95.2 billion lower than the same month last fiscal year. The deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in FY 2025 — down from 6.2% in FY 2024. Comparing the surplus or deficit to the GDP accounts for changes in the size of the economy and inflation, allowing for comparisons in the deficit over time.

Send this to your friend who says, “Don’t worry, he’s friendly.” 🐶 Can you guess how many dog bite incidents USPS mail carriers see each year?

Whether you’re a Californian deciding how to vote in today's primary or curious about California economics and population, we've got a page that puts key facts about the Golden State in one place. Check it out here: usafacts.org/ca/

How are increased prices affecting you most? Overall prices increased 3.8% from April 2025 to April 2026. Of this, 1.6 percentage points came from price increases in housing. Transportation costs followed closely behind contributing 1.2 percentage points. Transportation prices were 7.1% higher in April 2026 than they were a year before — the highest inflation rate among the 8 CPI categories. Just two months ago, in February 2026, the YoY percent change was -0.5%. March 2026 YoY saw a 5% increase in transportation costs.

Without a paper route, what kinds of jobs do young people have? The top 3 industries where young people work are: 🏨Leisure and hospitality: 5.4 million young people 🛍️ Retail: 3.6 million 📚Education and health services: 3 million In July 2025, 56.2% of employed young people ages 16–24 worked in these 3 fields. The racial and ethnic demographics of young workers vary among industries, including the top 3 that employ high numbers of young people. Take a look at our chart that breaks it down by demographic and industry. Did you have a job when you were a teenager?

Feel free to count this towards your protein intake for the day. The USDA’s newest dietary guidelines for 2025–2030 increased serving recommendations for meat and soy more than any other food group compared to the previous edition. As of 2021, Americans were already buying nearly enough protein to meet the new 2025 dietary guidelines — which recommend nearly 2x as much meat as previous guidelines. Do you eat enough protein based on the new recommendations?

Measles cases in the first 18 weeks of 2026 were up 95% compared to the same period in 2025 — hitting its peak the week of January 11, 2026, with 295 cases that week. Before a measles vaccine became available in 1963, an estimated 3 to 4 million people were infected each year, though far fewer cases were officially reported. Around 400-500 people died annually. Annual case numbers have remained low overall since 2000 but have begun to spike as of 2025. South Carolina has seen over a 3rd of recorded measles cases (668) in 2026 with Utah recording the second highest at 425, as of April 30th.

Are wages keeping up with inflation? For the first time since May 2023, the answer is no. From April 2025 to April 2026, wages grew 0.24 percentage points slower than inflation. Looking over the last 20 years: 💵Nominal wages (the literal dollars earned regardless of cost of living) rose from $685/week to $1,283 — an 87.2% increase. 💵 Real wages (inflation-adjusted equivalent to nominal wages) rose from $1,142/week to $1,283 — a 12.3% increase. 💵 The nominal wage growth is $598, but the real wage growth is $141. Across the country, 40 states and DC saw increased real wages from March 2025 to March 2026 — with Virginia seeing the highest increase of 5.6%.

Detailed record-keeping on active-duty military deaths began in 1980, but historical records from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) show approximately 1.2 million fatalities between 1775 and 1991. World War II accounts for approximately 41% of US military casualties (16.1M) across major conflicts recorded by the VA in that same time period. Looking at more recent conflicts, Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2010) resulted in 60% of the total casualties for all operations in the war on terror — 40,800 service members were injured or killed. The US began Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026 to dismantle Iran’s security infrastructure. As of May 13th, 13 service members have died in the operation and 404 have been wounded in action.

You've donned the graduation gown, flipped the tassel, and updated your LinkedIn page. 🎓 Now you're probably thinking, 'Show me the money.' According to the Census Bureau, people with a full-time job and a bachelor’s degree earn a median weekly salary of $1,543 — 66% higher than those with a high school diploma. The average annual salary? $105,381. Swipe through the charts to see if your major lands on the list of highest paying jobs. *We’re sorry if this has you reconsidering what you majored in.

♟️Was it Professor Plum in the study with the candlestick? Join us for a game of Clue as our analyst Nicole explains murder vs homicide data in this week’s Ask an Analyst.