Items tagged with 'data'
Capital Region median home prices 2011
The median sale price of single family homes in the Capital Region was basically flat in 2011 compared to 2010, according to numbers from the Greater Capital Association of Realtors.
The median price for sale price for a home in the greater Capital Region was $186,032 in 2011. It was $203,511 in the Capital Region's four core counties. Both of those medians were down about 1 percent from 2010.
GCAR (as it's known) recently posted its annual market report for 2011. It includes stats for individual counties, cities, and towns in the Capital Region -- we've broken those out into a table after the jump.
While prices were basically flat for the region as a whole, the average time it took to sell a house increased. GCAR says the average number of days on the market until sale was 101 days in 2011, up from 92 in 2012. (For some perspective, the average was 79 days in 2007. It's been rising each year since.)
Onto the table...
The best November ever?
Something's missing from picture. Oh, right, cold. And snow.
As far as the weather goes, this is one of the best Novembers we can remember in some time -- warm, with only a few traces of snow.
Or, to put it another way: It was 63 today! And 60 yesterday!
Curious about how unusual this warm November is, we looked up the temperature data.
Are there charts and graphs? Oh, you know there are charts and graphs...
Pot prices around New York State
This is all really hazy, so, you know, grain of salt and all that. Dude.
About a year ago we pulled data on marijuana prices in New York State from a site called Price of Weed. Yep, it's pretty much what it sounds like -- it's a crowdsourced database of pot prices.
We came across some research recently on these prices, so we figured it was a good time to light this topic back up.
Let's roll the numbers. Here are pot prices from around New York State, broken out by region...
Capital Region income distribution
With all the talk about 99 percents and 1 percents, we were curious about the income distribution in the Capital Region.
So, we looked up the data. Let's go to the charts, graphs, and discussion...
(You know you want to see where you rank.)
August 2011: historically wet
The top 10 wettest Augusts on record in Albany since 1826.
August 2011 was one of the wettest Augusts (by total precipitation) on record in Albany. In fact, this past August ranked #2 all time (or, at least, going back to 1826).
The rain from Irene made up a good a portion of that total. The NWS reported 4.69 inches of rain in Albany on August 28. Even without Irene, the month would have been unusually wet -- though not in the top 10.
Of course, your Irene total probably varies depending on where you were measuring. The NWS precipitation map reports heavier rainfall to the south -- especially in parts of central/south Greene County (probably one of the reasons the flooding was so bad there).
The map might even underestimate a bit -- its total for much of Albany County seems a bit low compared to the official report. And the Gazette reported this week that a rainfall total of 13.3 inches was recorded in East Durham (northern Greene County).
The rainfall map is after the jump.
(Thanks, Justin)
Capital Region elementary school test scores 2011
The state Education Department released results from the English and math proficiency tests for grades 3-8 this week. NYSED reports that, on average, scores are down slightly for English and about the same for math.
The state also makes the test score data available by school district, so we pulled out the results for Capital Region districts. A compact, easy-skim version is after the jump -- along with expanded presentations of the data -- after the jump...
Leaving New York
New York State lost a net of 1.6 million residents to other states over the last decade, according to an analysis of Census data by the Empire Center. Among the report's findings:
+ Since 1960, New York has lost 7.3 million residents to the rest of the country. This was partially offset by an influx of 4.8 million foreign immigrants, resulting in a net decline of 2.5 million residents.
+ New York's average annual domestic migration loss - the difference between people moving in from other states and out to other states -- jumped from about 60,000 people in the 1960s to an all-time high of nearly 237,000 in the 1970s. The state's domestic migration outflows have averaged between 130,000 and 160,000 a year since 1980.
+ For a second consecutive decade, New York's net population loss due to domestic migration was the highest of any state as a percentage of population.
+ New York's net migration loss - the sum of domestic and foreign migration - increased over the last decade to its highest level since the 1970s. Thirteen states had negative net migration between 2000 and 2010, and only three (Illinois, Louisiana and Michigan) lost a bigger share of their populations to migration than New York.
The chart above is from the report. The black line tracks net migration -- the loss of people to other states has been ongoing trend for the last 50 years.
The report also breaks out migration numbers for counties. Totals for the Capital Region are after the jump.
So where's everyone going? A Pew study asked that question a few years back. The top three states for New Yorkers migrating elsewhere: Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
chart: Empire Center
Capital Region high school graduation rates 2010
The state Department of Education released data today about high school graduation rates. The statewide graduation rate for the 2006 cohort of students was 73.4 percent (that counts kids who finished up by June 2010).
We pulled out the stats from Capital Region school districts. As in years past, some of the results are frustrating.
Sorted stats (including notes and qualifications) after the jump.
SUNY's economic impact on the Capital District
Impact of a walk-through fountain: priceless.
The SUNY system has a $1.3 billion annual economic impact on the Capital District, according to an analysis done by Rockefeller Institute at UAlbany and the University at Buffalo Regional Institute. It figures the SUNY system has a $19.8 billion impact on the state as a whole.
Here's a handful of facts, figures and bits for the Capital District that we pulled out of the report, in a few cases matched up with outside data...
Capital Region age distribution
Boom. Echo boom.
The Census Bureau reported today that the median age of people in New York State is 38. (That is, half the people here are older than that, half are younger.) That's up from 35.9 in the 2000 Census.
Here are the median ages for the four core counties of the Capital Region (and medians from a decade ago):
Albany: 38.5 (36.8)
Rensselaer: 39.2 (36.7)
Saratoga 40.8 (36.9)
Schenectady: 39.8 (38.6)
The graph above is the age distribution for the Capital Region.
After the jump: the median ages for a handful of Capital Region cities and towns. Also: everyone's favorite game -- can you guess the local municipality by its age distribution?
Most popular baby names in New York 2010
As it does every year, the Social Security Administration today released a list of the most popular baby names in 2010, sorted by state.
So we pulled the list -- the 100 most popular names for boys and girls born in New York last year are after the jump. We also looked at the top 10 names this year ranked during the last few years...
Supermarket Showdown IV
As the "stealth downsizing" of products continues to cover up price increases, brands are starting to point out when they haven't changed sizes.
It's Supermarket Week on AOA -- a whole week of stuff about grocery shopping. Because we all have to eat.
AOA's annual comparison of local supermarket chain prices is back. Walmart is the three-time defending champ.
Can Hannaford or Price Chopper close the gap this year?
Capital Region 2010 census population totals
The Census Bureau released 2010 populations totals for places in New York State Thursday afternoon.
The population of the Capital Region's four core counties was up more than five percent since the last census in 2000, which made this area an outlier for upstate. Breakouts for the individual local counties are above (breakouts for all the cities and towns in the Capital Region are after the jump).
New York State's population was up about two percent, as was New York City's population. Officials there are already arguing there was an undercount.
Breakouts for Capital Region cities and towns -- as well as a few notes -- after the jump.
New York is third most populous state again, but it's losing two Congressional seats
There's a bigger version of this interactive display embedded in wide screen after the jump.
New York State had 19,378,102 residents on April 1, 2010, according to data released by the Census Bureau today. That ranks the Empire State third overall among states for population.
New York was the third most-populous state during the 2000 decennial census, too. The state's population has grown by 401,645 people since then. But its slice of the nation's overall population declined in that time. In 2000, New York counted as 7 percent of the US population -- now it's 6 percent.
And, as expected, New York is losing two Congressional seats. After re-apportionment, the state will have 27 members of the US House. (A House seat will represent about 710,767 people this time around.)
The total national population was counted at 308,745,538. That's up 9.7 percent since 2000.
Tables with number candy are after the jump.
Adding jobs one place, losing them another
New York State added more than 40,000 private sector jobs last month -- the biggest such increase since 2005, according to the state Department of Labor. Good news!
Here's the thing, though: the state lost 37,000 public sector jobs compared to the same month a year ago. The large majority of those jobs were at the local level. And with stimulus money drying up, you have to figure governments will keep cutting.
The Capital Region added 2,800 private sector jobs in October, compared to October 2009. But public sector losses put the overall change at -1,900. There are still roughly 30,000 unemployed people in this area.
Record year for Amtrak
Popular.
Amtrak announced this week that ridership was up 5.7 percent during the fiscal year that just ended compared to the year before. The rail org had a record 28,716,857 passengers.
Here are how some of the routes that pass through the Capital Region fared (rimshot):
The Empire Service gets a lot of traffic -- not just for here, but overall. In fact, it's the fifth most traveled non-Northeast Corridor route in Amtrak's system.
We're big fans of riding the train regionally -- it's our favorite way to get to NYC from Albany. Amtrak says it has a 65 percent share of the air-rail market between Washington and New York and a 52 percent share for air-rail travel between New York and Boston. The Northeast Corridor line had more than 7.1 million passengers last fiscal year.
By the way: Amtrak reports ridership is up 37 percent since FY2000.
Earlier on AOA:
+ The slow line to high-speed rail
+ The best way to get from Albany to NYC?
Capital Region unemployment rate stuck
The dots mark the last five Augusts.
The Capital Region's unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in August, according to the state Department of Labor. It was 6.9 percent in July and 6.8 percent in August 2009. (August to August is the best comparison because the local unemployment rate is not seasonally adjusted.)
There are more than 31,000 people unemployed in the Capital Region.
New York State's overall unemployment rate in August was 8.2. It was 8.4 in July and 8.6 in August 2009 (seasonally adjusted, so if you'd like to compare different months against each other, compare away).
The situation isn't good here, but it's better than the nation as a whole. The national unemployment rate in August was 9.5 percent -- about the same as a year ago.
Breakouts for individual Capital Region counties after the jump.
Related: The US Census Bureau released numbers of on the poverty rate today. It estimates New York State's rate in 2009 at almost 16 percent. That national poverty rate was 14.3 percent -- the highest since 1994.
Capital Region elementary school test scores
The state Education Department released results from the English and math proficiency tests for grades 3-8 this week.
So, we pulled out the results for Capital Region school districts. A compact, easy-skim version is after the jump -- with links to more detail. (If you want a school-by-school breakdown, NYSED makes that available, too.)
On to the data, some of which are sobering...
New York's least-smoky counties
The Capital Region's four core counties have some of the lowest adult smoking rates in the state, according to data distributed by the state health department today.
The full rankings are after the jump. Among Capital Region counties, Albany County had the lowest smoking rate at 16.5 percent.
We were also curious about how smoking rates might associate with income -- so we whipped the two sets together. The result is also in there.
Eww: The DOH released this data as part of push to get people to stop smoking. Part of the campaign: two new TV spots of which a DOH officials says: "Some viewers may complain the ads are too graphic or emotional..." The one embedded above is pretty gross. Here's the other.
Capital Region June unemployment rate better than last year
The dots mark the unemployment rate for the last five Junes.
The Capital Region's unemployment rate was 6.6 percent in June, according to the state Department of Labor. It was 6.5 percent in May and 7.1 percent in June 2009. (June to June is the best comparison because the local unemployment rate is not seasonally adjusted.)
There are more than 30,000 people unemployed in the Capital Region.
New York State's overall unemployment rate in June was 8.2. The state's rate was 8.3 in May and 8.6 in June 2009 (seasonally adjusted, so if you'd like to compare different months against each other, compare away).
The national unemployment rate in June was 9.5 percent.
Breakouts for individual Capital Region counties after the jump. Every county showed a decrease in the unemployment rate compared to June 2009.
The Capital Region's economy is performing relatively well
The Albany metro area was among the 21 economically strongest performing large metro areas through the first quarter of 2010, according to the Brookings Institution.
The report bases the rankings on a handful of categories: employment, unemployment, output, home prices, and foreclosure rates.
The Albany metro area scored well for foreclosed properties and both employment and unemployment -- and relatively well for housing prices (the ranks, with the associated data, are after the jump).
Of course, all these rankings are relative to other metro areas. The overall picture is not great. The Brookings report describes the current national situation as "a jobless and increasingly fragile recovery."
New York is not the volunteer state
The top four volunteer activities in this metro area.
From a report called Volunteering in America, based on averages from 2006-2009:
The Albany metro area has 200,000 volunteers
27.1% of residents volunteer - ranking them 44th among the 75 Mid-size cities
34.7 hours per resident - ranking them 44th within the 75 Mid-size cities
$532.2 million of service contributed here
Here's the full rundown for this metro area.
The report includes a list of "community factors that may influence Albany's volunteer rate" -- but in Albany's case they would seem to indicate that more people in this area would be volunteering.
New York State did terribly in the rankings -- 51st among all states (and DC) for percentage of people who volunteer. NYC probably accounts for a lot of that -- it's volunteer rate was 50th among 51 large cities.
Here are the national rankings.
The federal government produced the report based on data collected by the Census Bureau.
[via the TU's Chris Churchill]
Earlier on AOA:
+ From 2008: Know of a great place to volunteer?
graph: Volunteering in America
The Capital Region's unemployment rate is a little better. Sort of. Maybe.
The dots mark the Capital Region unemployment rate for each May since 2000. It's easier to read big.
The Capital Region's unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in May, according to the state Department of Labor. It was 6.5 percent in April and 6.7 percent in May 2009. (May to May is the best comparison because the local unemployment rate is not seasonally adjusted.)
The labor department reports the number of non-farm jobs in the Capital Region last month was down 2,500 compared to May 2009. There are still almost 30,000 people unemployed in the Capital Region.
New York State's overall unemployment rate in May was 8.3 -- the lowest rate since April 2009. The state's rate was 8.4 this past April and 8.4 in May 2009 (seasonally adjusted). But the labor department says the number of non-farm jobs in the state last month was down 22,700 compared to May 2009.
So, what's up here? There are fewer jobs compared to this time year -- but the unemployment rate is down (slightly)?
Most popular baby names in New York 2009
As it does every year, the Social Security Administration recently released a list of the most popular baby names in 2009. You can break the list out by state, which is exactly what we did.
The list of the most 100 popular names for boys and girls born in New York last year is after the jump.
Listomania
A list of lists: from beer to frowns to development to on-time arrivals.
Updated June 8, 2010
Everybody loves a good list. And it seems like every month or so, the Capital Region or New York State (or something around here) ends being ranked on some sort of list.
We got thinking about this recently -- and came to the only logical conclusion: there needs to be a list of lists.
And here it is.
... said Jenna about The quintessential Capital Region food?