Statistical Abstract

The Census Bureau released the 2012 Statistical Abstract this month. It is considered to be the "authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States". The New York Times recently found some interesting data in the Abstract, although the article points out there is no context for the data.

Twice as many Americans play computer games as do crossword puzzles. More go bird watching than attend classical music concerts. Iowa has six times as many hogs as people. A record 26.6 million households do not use land lines but rely only on cellphones.

And if you were wondering about the health of Americans you can find that too...

Whether Americans are healthier is hard to tell. Farmers produced fewer potatoes and less spinach but more watermelons. People drank more tea and less coffee and ate more yogurt and less high-fructose corn syrup. Half the population said they had not dined out during the previous year. Smokers among 18- to 24-year-old men rose to 28 percent from 23.6 percent between 2008 and 2009 alone. The abortion rate per 1,000 women declined since 2000, while the rates of suicide and bankruptcies rose.

While there are lots of data in the 1400 page print edition and it is used by academics and journalist all over the country, the Abstract is on the budget chopping block for the next fiscal year. As more and more federal data series are published on the Internet, the government sees less need for a consolidated source.