JUST THE FACTS: Our Nation In Numbers

LABOR IN THE US Unions are playing a role in the debate over coronavirus and workplace safety, including threats of teachers’ strikes in New York City. But while labor unions are a significant presence on COVID-19 and racial justice issues, union membership has steadily decreased over several decades.  To mark Labor Day, USAFacts has an analysis of union data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 14.6 million unionized employees in the United States in 2019, many of whom were in unions for police, nurses, postal workers, meatpackers, or teachers. For comparison, there were 17.7 million workers in unions in 1983.   Last year, protective service occupations had the highest unionization rates at 33.8%. Education, training, and library occupations had the second highest: 33.1%.   Union membership has even dropped in industries that are gaining employees. Union memberships in natural resource, construction, and maintenance occupations (including forest, fishing, and farm jobs) dropped from 21% in 2000 to 15% in 2019. However, the number of people working in these jobs grew from 11.6 million to 12.4 million.  Track union memberships over the past few decades here. THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF DISASTERS  Wildfires are burning in California, Oregon, and Washington state, plus Louisiana is picking up and rebuilding after Hurricane Laura. With more tropical storms and hurricanes potentially on the way this fall, here’s a look at the costs of natural disasters over time. Natural disasters have cost the US more than $1.79 trillion since 1980, with 25.7% of that just from the last three years.   Tropical cyclones like hurricanes and typhoons are the costliest kind of major disasters. Cyclones have caused $954.4 billion in damages since 1980, averaging $21.2 billion per event. Severe storms—which are less destructive but more frequent—account for $268.4 billion in expenses during the same period.   Storms have been especially costly in Texas, Florida, and Louisiana, which have suffered damages totaling $286 billion, $226.3 billion, and $183.6 billion, respectively, in the last 40 years.    Fourth on the list of costliest storms is Puerto Rico. This island territory is 50 times smaller than Texas and has endured $101.5 billion in damage from natural disasters since 1980.  Read this new report for 40 years of disaster data, including the damage by state and seven most-common natural disasters. AUGUST JOB NUMBERS The US economy added 1.4 million jobs in August. It’s a sign that job numbers, while still being down, are potentially rebounding. But unemployment is starting to look different: many Americans are finding that their temporary layoffs are becoming permanent. Visit USAFacts to see the data. AND FINALLY... Something from the USAFacts Instagram: Here are the numbers on Green Cards, naturalizations, and asylums granted in the US since 2000. Follow USAFacts on Instagram for more graphics on data in the news.