According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were an estimated 1,577 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in Rhode Island in 2022. Adjusting for population, this comes out to about 14.4 people for every 10,000 state residents, the 17th most among the 50 states.
Among the six places in Rhode Island with available data and populations of at least 25,000, Woonsocket ranks as the poorest. The typical Woonsocket household earns $44,310 a year, compared to the statewide median household income of $70,305.
In Rhode Island, the salary of the governor stood at $145,755 as of 2021, the 24th lowest among the 50 states. For additional context, the typical state governor earns between $147,000 and $150,000. Meanwhile, the overall cost of living in Rhode Island is estimated to be about 1.8% higher than the national average.
With decades-high inflation eroding incomes, families around the country are struggling to make ends meet. The problem is especially pronounced for those in minimum wage jobs, as the federal minimum wage stands at $7.25 an hour – and in 20 states, the minimum wage matches the federal figure.
The Biden Administration’s recent announcement regarding student debt relief thrust the topic into the forefront of the news. Under the program, students awarded Pell Grants and who took out loans from the Department of Education will have $20,000 of debt canceled. Those without a Pell Grant will have $10,000 shaved off their outstanding balances.
The United States has nearly 121 guns per 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey, a Swiss-based research project. That figure may be higher today since it was reported in the organization’s report published in 2018 and was already an increase from 88 guns per 100 people in 2011. (These are states with the most gun purchases per person.)
Americans have more guns than anywhere else in the world, and gun sales in the U.S. continue to eclipse those in any other country. This is true both in terms of gun ownership by person and absolute sales. America, without question, is the gun sales and gun ownership capital of the world.
2020 was a tumultuous year in the United States. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment surged and gun sales spiked. The murder of George Floyd also rattled confidence in law enforcement and sparked nationwide protests. Amid the turmoil, homicide cases jumped by nearly 30%, the largest single-year increase on record.
Tasked with protecting lives and property, police officers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. Responding to emergencies, conducting traffic stops, patrolling high-crime areas, and arresting suspects are all part and parcel of the job – and each year, dozens of police officers are killed in the line of duty, feloniously or accidentally.
here are over 393 million guns in circulation in the U.S., according to estimates from the Small Arms Survey, far outnumbering the national population of 327 million. In the United States – the only country in the world home to more civilian-owned guns than people – guns are big business.
The cost of living in the United States is well below the cost of living in several other developed countries, including the Nordic nations as well as New Zealand and Australia. Still, living expenses in the U.S. are higher than in much of the world.
In what has been dubbed the Great Resignation, Americans have been quitting their jobs in record numbers in recent months – a trend that shows no signs of slowing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 4.5 million Americans quit their job in March 2022, the most ever recorded in a single month, and up from 4.4 million quits in February.
We all require a certain amount of money each month to pay for normal living expenses, and in recent months, that amount has gotten much higher. Whether at the pump or the grocery store, Americans are being hit with a severe case of sticker shock.
The United States is in a period of historic inflation. The consumer price index rose by 8.5% over the 12 months ending in March 2022, the fastest increase in over four decades. Though it is not keeping pace with inflation, income is also on the rise in the United States.In Rhode Island, per capita income stands at $64,156, slightly lower than the national figure and the 18th highest among states.
The American housing market took off during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The homeownership rate – or the share of housing units occupied by their owner – jumped by 2.6 percentage points from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2020, by far the largest increase ever recorded. By the end of 2020, there were 2.1 million more homeowners in the United States than there were a year earlier. In Rhode Island, the homeownership rate stands at 61.6%, lower than the national average.
Inflation is surging in the United States – in large part because of rising food prices. In cities across the country, food today is 8% more expensive on average than it was a year ago, and American families are feeling the pinch. According to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank, a family of four – two adults and two children – can expect to pay an estimated $9,835 on food in 2022.