What IS the state of the union?
Listed below are facts and figures that have changed over the past year.
Unemployment rate
2008: 7.6%
2009: 10%
Total number of people unemployed
2008: 11,400,000
2009: 15,267,000
Number of federal employees
2008: 1,900,000
2009: 2,229,000
Average federal employee salary
2008: $71,206
2009: $74,403
U.S. Median Income for a four person family
2008: $67,019
2009: $70,354
Total value of U.S. GDP
2008: $14.33 trillion
2009: $14.57 trillion
US Dollar vs. Chinese Yuan
2008 avg.: $0.15 to 1 Yuan
2009 avg.: $0.15 to 1 Yuan
US Dollar vs. Euro
2008 avg.: $1.35 to 1 euro
2009 avg.: $1.46 to 1 euro
Average spending per registered lobbyist
2008: $58,230.00
2009: $63,226.00
Cost of a barrel of oil
2008: $44.60
2009: $79.36
Average price for a gallon of gas
2008: $1.840
2009: $2.695
Guns sold in the U.S., ammo sold
2008: 12,709,023, 7-10 billion rounds
2009: 14,033,824, 12 billion rounds
Number of public-sector union members
2008: 7,832,000
2009: 7,900,000
Number of private-sector union members
2008: 8,265,000
2009: 7,431,000
Number of failed banks bailed out by FDIC
2008: 25
2009: 140
Total number of corporate bankruptcies
2008: 138
2009: 207
Number of personal bankruptcies
2008: 1,074,225
2009: 1,402,816
Average home price
2008: $292,600
2009: $268,733
Federal hate crime cases prosecuted by the Justice Dept.
2008: 23
2009: 25 (second highest ever, after 2001)
Divorce Rate
2008: 3.5 divorces per 1000 people
2009: 3.4 divorces per 1000 people
Number of movies watched, Total ticket sales
2008: 1,370,000,000 (tickets sold); 9,850,000,000 (revenue)
2009: 1,460,000,000 (tickets sold); 10,490,000,000 (revenue)
Visits to the White House
Total Visits by Banking and Finance C.E.O.’s: 31
Total Visits by Labor Union Bosses: 29
Total Visits by Energy C.E.O.’s: 15