March 2005  

The EconData.Net Monthly Newsletter

SITE OF THE MONTH:  Social Security Beneficiaries

Social Security Recipients by State & County, 2003
The current debate over social security privatization has caught our attention at EconData.Net, so we've tracked down the state and county level data on the numbers of social security recipients by state and county.  This site shows data for the old age, survivors and disability portion of social security.  It presents basic program data on the number and type of beneficiaries and the amount of benefits paid in each state and county. It also shows the numbers of men and women aged 65 or older receiving benefits.  The data are derived from the Master Beneficiary Record, the principal administrative file of Social Security beneficiaries. The national ZIP + 4 file produced by the U.S. Postal Service is used to designate the beneficiary's state and county.  Data are available in html and pdf formats.
http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/oasdi_sc/2003/index.html

Economic Segregation in US Cities

The Economic Gap Between Suburbs and Central Cities
A recent report from the Brookings Institution charts income disparities at the neighborhood level in US metropolitan areas.  The report, Pulling Apart: Economic Segregation among Suburbs and Central Cities in Major Metropolitan Areas, was written by Todd Swanstrom, Colleen Casey, Robert Flack, and Peter Dreier.  An analysis of census income data for cities and suburbs in the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas between 1980 and 2000 shows that the overall per capita income gap between central cities and suburbs remained unchanged between 1990 and 2000, in stark contrast to the widening gaps in the previous two decades. However, the city and suburban income gaps in the Northeast and Midwest are still wide and growing while smaller gaps in the South and West are narrowing.  You'll be particularly interested in the detailed data on page 12,  Appendix A. Central City and Suburban Per Capita Income Ratio: 2000, 1990, and 1980, Ranked by 2000 index.
http://www.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/20041018_econsegregation.htm

International Students

International Students in the US; US students studying Overseas
The United States continues to attract a large number of college students from nations around the world.  The Institute of International Education tabulates the number of international students by state and metropolitan area.  In all, 572,509 international students studied in the U.S. in 2003/2004, a 2.4% drop from the previous year.  Nearly half of these students were enrolled in colleges and universities in the the leading 20 metropolitan areas.  The Institute tabulates enrollment in each of these top 20 metropolitan areas.
http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=49935

The Institute also produces a series of state-by-state summaries of international education.  The state reports show the number of international students in each state, and list the principal countries of origin of international students.  In addition, these reports also track the number of students from each state studying in other countries.
http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=36562 

Newsletter of the Month:  Census Product Update

Get the latest from the Census Bureau
The largest source of data from the federal government is the Census Bureau.  You can get a heads up on newly available data and reports by subscribing to the Census Product Update, a biweekly listing of recently released and upcoming data products from the U.S. Census Bureau.. Editors Belva Kirk and Greg Pewett succinctly highlight importance of each item and give you a link to the data.
http://lists.census.gov/mailman/listinfo/product-update

NEW LINKS

Energy Resources
March's new links give you some insights into a variety of energy related topics, including gasoline prices, and energy resources.

• American Automobile Association
  Daily Fuel Gauge Report:  Daily update of price of gasoline (regular, mid-grade, premium, diesel), per gallon, for states and metro areas.
  http://198.6.95.31/sbsavg.asp
  

• Energy Information Administration
  Energy Data Rankings
  http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/rankings/rankindex.htm
  

• U.S. Geological Survey
  Energy Resources Program:  Access to variety of coal, petroleum and natural gas data bases.
  http://energy.usgs.gov/
  

• Energy Data Bases
  Links to a number of energy resource data bases.
  http://energy.usgs.gov/databases.htmlBullet