Source: Washington Post Archive:

Some interesting charts on income distribution, from the Washington Post. (related article)

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Average life expectancy varies a lot by location, gender, and race. International comparisons done by the original study conclude that the US is falling behind the rest of the industrialized world.

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From a design point of view, take a look at the below version of the map from the original study — the use of a higher contrast color scheme and non-linear legend ranges results in a more striking view of the results. I’m not sure which one I like better. The top one is more information rich and cleaner – but the bottom one slaps you in the face with meaning.

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A number of these charts have been making the rounds, using different measures. Some of the projections obviously have to be taken with a grain of salt, but the basic message appears to be that letting the Bush era tax cuts expire would relieve a lot of budget pressure. Each of the links below go to fairly in-depth blog posts.image image

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Despite public perception of immigrants as being poorly educated, the high-skilled U.S. immigrant population today outnumbers the low-skilled population. (related article; original study)

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On the left, a comparison of budget proposals. On the right, a videographic that is sort of “debt ceiling for dummies”. Both from the Washington Post.

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Average earnings of different college bachelor’s degrees. Good to see engineering at the top. The most popular major?: Business – ick. The original study also breaks down earnings by gender and ethnic groups. (related Washington Post article)

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A fantastic annotated heatmap from the Washington Post breaking down job creation/loss by sector. On the right is an interactive, slightly more annotated, line chart version of the same data. I prefer the heatmap. (related article)

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The Washington Post has mapped out a bunch of interesting stats concerning States’ Budget problems: shortfalls, pension liabilities, proposed cuts (health care, education, etc), and who is in charge. To sum up: this is yet another way we’re screwed beyond belief. (related article)

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2010 census data illustrates the gradual gentrification of DC – the city that was 70 percent black in the 1970s is now estimated at less than 50 percent. Heck, from 1990-2010 rising housing costs chased ME across town from Georgetown to Mount Pleasant to Capitol Hill. The related article has some interesting details.

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There are also two interactive versions:

Projections of when China’s GDP will be bigger than the USA’s, based on several different growth rates. There’s also an interactive version.

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Consumer debt is down, though nobody knows whether that’s a sign of changing consumer habits or changing banker habits. (related article)

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Many middle eastern countries have a large percentage of young people in the population. Compare this to the United States, where it is easier for our politicians to ignore the voice of the young (most of the time).

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Combine this with high unemployment, and you’re going to have political problems no matter how autocratic you are:

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Here are some interactive tools to let you explore the President’s recent budget proposal, where that money comes from, and where it goes. First, from the Washington Post, a look at 30 years of budgets: Revenue is on the left, expenses on the right; click on any box to see the percentage change since 1981; bars are colored by the president’s party.

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Next, a more detailed treemap from the NYT, but only covering the 2012 values and change from 2010.

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Cross-country financial and trade exposures are hard to visualize, but this interactive network diagram from the Washington Post is a good attempt.  And the sovereign spread sparklines at the bottom are a nice addition.

Interactive web diagram of loan and trade interdependence for the united states and the EU

I somehow missed catching this when it came out in December.

A very cool look at the cost and popularity of gadgets since the 1980s – covering phones, computers, TV, video, and audio. You can clearly see the “digital revolution” start around 2000, killing off earlier technologies; it’s also interesting to see the cost of any gizmo fall over time (the circles get smaller). By Alicia Parlapiano for the Washington post. (related article)

Chart of personal communication technology from 1980 to 2010Chart of gadget popularity and cost over time