Facts for Features: Women’s History Month (March)

From the US Census Bureau:

National WoCensusBureaumen’s History Month’s roots go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn’t until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women’s History Month, and the President has issued a proclamation.

161 million
The number of females in the U.S. as of December 2013. The number of males was 156.1 million. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Postcensal Resident Population: 7/1/2013 – 12/1/2013 http://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/asrh/2012/2012-nat-res.html

2 to 1
At 85 and older, the approximate ratio by which women outnumbered men in 2012 (3.9 million to 2.0 million). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=PEP_2012_PEPAGESEX&prodType=table

Jobs

75 million
The number of females 16 and older who participated in the labor force in 2012. Women comprised 47.2 percent of the labor force in 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey, DP03 http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/DP03

41.6%
Percent of employed females 16 and over in 2012 (annual average) who worked in management, professional and related occupations, compared with 34.7 percent of employed males in the same year (annual average). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat09.htm

Military

1.6 million
Number of female veterans in the United States in 2012. Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/B21001/0100000US

Earnings

$37,791
The median annual earnings of women 15 or older who worked year-round, full time in 2012. In comparison, the median annual earnings of men were $49,398. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2012, Page 7. http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-245.pdf

77¢
The amount that female year-round, full time workers earned in 2012 for every dollar their male counterparts earned. This ratio was statistically unchanged from 2011. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2012, Page 11. http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-245.pdf

Education

11.3 million
Number of women college students in fall 2012. Women comprised 56.8 percent of all college students. Source: School Enrollment in the United States: 2012, Table 5 http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2012/tables.html

31.4
Percent of women 25 and older who had obtained a bachelor’s degree or more as of 2013. Source: Educational Attainment in the United States: 2012, Table 3 http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2013/tables.html

25%
Percentage of women 18 and older with an alternative educational credential — such as professional certifications, licenses and educational — not statistically different from men. However, women had higher rates of alternative credentials than men at the bachelor’s degree and advanced degree levels. Source: Measuring Alternative Educational Credentials: 2012 http://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p70-138.pdf

15%
Among people with advanced degrees, the percentage of women who held educational certificates compared with 12 percent of men; 51 percent of women held professional certifications or licenses compared with 43 percent of men. Source: Measuring Alternative Educational Credentials: 2012 http://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p70-138.pdf

Voting

63.7%
Percentage of female citizens 18 and older who reported voting in the 2012 presidential election, in comparison to 59.7 percent of their male counterparts. Source: Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2012, Table 2 http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2012/tables.html

Motherhood

85.4 million
Estimated number of mothers in the U.S. in 2009. Source: Unpublished data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation

1.9
Average number of children that women 40 to 44 had given birth to as of 2010, down from 3.1 children in 1976, the year the Census Bureau began collecting such data. Source: Fertility of American Women: 2010 table 2 and Historical table 2 http://www.census.gov/hhes/fertility/data/cps/
The percentage of women in this age group who had given birth was 81 percent in 2010, down from 90 percent in 1976. Source: Fertility of American Women: 2010 table 1 and Historical table 2 http://www.census.gov/hhes/fertility/data/cps/

Marriage

66 million
Number of married women 18 and older (including those who were separated or had an absent spouse) in 2013. Source: Families and Living Arrangements: 2013, Table A1 http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/files/cps2013/tabA1-all.xls

5.2 million
Number of stay-at-home mothers nationwide in 2013; compared with 214,000 stay-at-home fathers. Source: Families and Living Arrangements: 2013, Table FG8 http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/files/cps2013/tabFG8-all.xls

Facts for Features: Irish Heritage Month & St. Patrick’s Day

From the US Census Bureau:

Irish-American Heritage Month (March)

Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration for all things Irish. The world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving in the English military. This parade became an annual event, with President Truman attending in 1948. Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1995, and the President issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year.

Sports Celebration of Irish Heritage

100,003

Population of South Bend, Ind., home to the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame. About 10.4 percent of South Bend’s population claims Irish ancestry.

Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/DP02/1600000US1871000

24.1%

Percentage of the Boston metropolitan area population that claims Irish ancestry, one of the highest percentages for the top 50 metro areas by population. Boston is home of the Celtics of the National Basketball Association.

Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/DP02/310M100US14460

78,390 and 16,167
Population of New Rochelle, N.Y., and Moraga, Calif., home to the Gaels of Iona University and St. Mary’s College of California, respectively. During college basketball’s March Madness, you will typically see these universities compete on the court, no doubt rooted on by some of the 8.4 percent of the New Rochelle population and 15.5 percent of the Moraga population that claim Irish ancestry.

Sources: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/DP02/1600000US3650617
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_5YR/DP02/1600000US0649187

Population Distribution

34.1 million

Number of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2012. This number was more than seven times the population of Ireland itself (4.6 million). Irish was the nation’s second most frequently reported ancestry, trailing only German.

Sources: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/S0201/0100000US/popgroup~541

Ireland Central Statistics Office http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/statisticalyearbook/2013/c1population.pdf

22.6%

Percentage of the population in Massachusetts that claims Irish ancestry, which is among the highest in the nation. New York has 2.5 million people claiming Irish ancestry, which is among the most of any state.

Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/DP02/0100000US.04000

153,248

Number of people with Irish ancestry who were naturalized citizens in 2012.

Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/S0201/0100000US/popgroup~541

39.2 years old
Median age of those who claim Irish ancestry, which is higher than U.S. residents as a whole at 37.4 years.

Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/S0201/0100000US/popgroup~541

Irish-Americans Today

34.2%

Percentage of people of Irish ancestry, 25 or older, who had a bachelor’s degree or higher. In addition, 93.4 percent of Irish-Americans in this age group had at least a high school diploma. For the nation as a whole, the corresponding rates were 29.1 percent and 86.4 percent, respectively.

Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/S0201/0100000US/popgroup~541

$59,220

Median income for households headed by an Irish-American, higher than the $51,371 for all households. In addition, 7.4 percent of family households of Irish ancestry were in poverty, lower than the rate of 11.8 percent for all Americans.

Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/S0201/0100000US/popgroup~541

41.1%

Percentage of employed civilian Irish-Americans 16 or older who worked in management, professional and related occupations. Additionally, 25.9 percent worked in sales and office occupations; 15.9 percent in service occupations; 9.3 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations; and 7.7 percent in natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations.

Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/S0201/0100000US/popgroup~541

68.9%

Percentage of householders of Irish ancestry who owned the home in which they live, with the remainder renting. For the nation as a whole, the homeownership rate was 63.9 percent.

Source: 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_1YR/S0201/0100000US/popgroup~541

Places to Spend the Day

16

Number of places in the United States that share the name of Ireland’s capital, Dublin. The most recent population for Dublin, Calif., was 47,156.

Source: 2012 Population Estimates http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2012/PEPANNRES/0400000US06.1620

If you’re still not into the spirit of St. Paddy’s Day, then you might consider paying a visit to Emerald Isle, N.C., with 3,669 residents.

Source: 2012 Population Estimates http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2012/PEPANNRES/0400000US37.16200

Other appropriate places in which to spend the day: the township of Irishtown, Ill., several places or townships named Clover (in South Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) or one of the seven places that are named Shamrock.

The Celebration

25.9 billion

U.S. beef production in pounds in 2012. Corned beef is a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish.

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service http://www.ers.usda.gov/news/BSECoverage.htm

$21.5 million

Value of potted florist chrysanthemum sales at wholesale in 2012 for operations with $100,000 or more sales. Lime green chrysanthemums are often requested for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Servicehttp://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/FlorCrop/FlorCrop-04-25-2013.pdf