If you’re wondering how the census impacts the use of so much money, it’s quite simple. Federal dollars for services like education, transportation, healthcare and job training are distributed based on the population count. In addition, census data affect the number of seats a state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives, so the census can influence a state’s political clout.

If the money isn’t enough, then here’s one more reason: a variety of organizations including charities, outreach agencies and businesses use census data to research markets, advocate for causes, monitor public health trends, locate groups of skilled workers and much more. So when you get that census form, consider your community and fill it out.

U.S. unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted, December 2007 to December 2009. Chart courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, the jaws of job loss have surfaced again. Although the unemployment rate was unchanged, nonfarm payrolls lost 85,000 jobs in December, a number that was slightly higher than expected given a drop in the unemployment rate in November.

Check out the data: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

Will the economic downturn continue to bare its teeth in 2010? Share your thoughts here on our blog.

The Case for Change Map from Healthreform.gov

I was checking out healthreform.gov, a Website managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that lays out the case for health reform. On the site’s homepage, there’s an interactive map where you can get a report on the “current state of healthcare and the benefits of reform” in each state. Take a peek at the Missouri report. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that the “health care status quo is not an option for our states”?  Please share  an example as to why or why not.

So let’s get started. The Department of Labor released new employment figures that show that the unemployment rate dropped slightly to 10 percent in November from 10.2 percent in October.

The construction, manufacturing, and information industries saw job losses, while temporary help services and health care added jobs. Wholesale and retail trade, transportation and warehousing, financial activities and leisure and hospitality showed little change over the month. Do these data mesh with your experiences in the last month?  Are you currently looking for employment? Have you seen any uptick in job opportunities in your area? Please tell us what you see out there.