Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Vets...

... there are a lot of us.  About 21.8 million of us, according to the Census Bureau.  From the Usual USAF Source:
A Snapshot of the Nation's Veterans: There are 21.8 million veterans in the United States, 20.2 million of which are males, according to the US Census Bureau's veterans' snapshot, issued on July 17. Some 1.3 million veterans have served in more than one war, including more than 100,000 who have been in three wars, according to the data. California leads the nation with two million vets, followed by Florida and Texas with some 1.6 million vets each, states the snapshot. Killeen, Tex., is the city with the highest percentage of veterans in its population: 28.9 percent. Veterans have a median income of $35,367, nearly $10,000 higher than that of the average American, according to the Census Bureau. They own 9 percent of all US businesses, states the snapshot.
I find that median income statement suspect, as far as the "average American" is concerned.  This table from USA Today sez the US per person average income was $40,584 in 2010 (Aside: I found it interesting NM ranks 43rd in average income.  We be PO'.).  But there may be a plausible explanation, aside from the statistical difference between "median" and "average:"
Median income refers to those who are 18 years and over with income in the past 12 months. Income includes not only wages and self-employment, but also Social Security, retirement pensions, VA payments, and other forms of income.
That's from the Census Bureau's snapshot graphic.  Still and even, that's a lot of vets, eh?  OTOH, that's only 7.3% of the population, assuming we've got 300 million people in the US.  And yeah, we could split hairs on this subject (demographics) from now until the cows come home.  But we won't.

10 comments:

  1. It always frosts me that CT is listed at number one. Take out Fairfield County - which owes its income to NYC - and CT would probably drop quite a bit. True, residents of Fairfield County do spend some of their money in CT on housing, property taxes, etc... Still, from a purely income point of view, Fairfield County is nearly 100% paid by NYC.

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    1. But... but... you're NUMBER ONE! NUMBER ONE!! ;-)

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  2. Well, not to get all statistically nerdy on you, Buck, but "average" and "median" are not the same thing. "Average" is the total of all figures divided by the number of all figures. "Median" is the middle of the list of figures used to derive the average. For instance, in the following list...

    500
    350
    250
    250
    150
    100
    100
    50
    50

    ... 200 is the average (1800 divided by 9) but 150 is the median.

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    1. Heh. You musta skipped over this part: "...aside from the statistical difference between "median" and "average:"

      No biggie. I'm pedantic, too. :-)

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  3. Yoinks! Excuse me, I have to remove my foot from my mouth, figuratively speaking.

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  4. I knew the median/average thang. I did. Really.

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  5. Pepper made noises for awhile about retiring to San Antonio because of the excellent vets' benefits (medical facilities, commissaries and exchanges) and no state income taxes, but I got the veto on that idea because San Antonio is in Texas.

    I knew the median/average thing,too, but didn't particularly care about it.

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    1. I understand yer antipathy towards Texas, but there are times when I wish I hadn't been waylaid in Portales. I was on my way to Austin or Corpus Christi when I stopped here ten years ago for a one-month visit. I can't help but think I might have been happier in either place.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.