USAFacts

The first #JustTheFacts episodes are officially live! Get the numbers — not rhetoric — on US immigration and the federal budget. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get exclusive access to future episodes. #budget #immigration #usafacts usafacts.org/just-the-facts…

China is the US’s 3rd top trading partner. With President Trump’s recent visit to China, let’s look at what the trade relationship is like between the two countries. In 2024, the US traded $660.7 billion in goods and services with China. In that same year, the trade deficit increased to $262.2 billion — meaning the US imports more than it exports to China. The majority of trade between the US and China is in the goods category, such as consumer goods; capital goods; and food, feeds, and beverages. And while services comprise of less than a third for total imports and exports, the US exports more services to China than it imports. Services make up 27.2% of exports and only 4.7% of imports — travel is the biggest import totaling $24.3 billion in 2024.

Got questions about the chair of the Federal Reserve? Our analyst Lucia is just the expert you’re looking for! Check out this week’s Ask an Analyst to learn more about Fed chair terms.

Is your weekly grocery run hitting the wallet harder than last year? We’re betting, yes. Grocery store prices increased 2.1% from January 2025 to January 2026. And the USDA expects prices to increase 2.5% in 2026. The staples with the biggest changes over the last year? 🥚Eggs: -47.9% 🍖 Beef: +21.6% 🍅 Tomatoes: -12.7% 🥔 Potatoes: -10.3% 🧀 Cheese: +4.9%

What do ovens, parkas, fruity drinks and Alexander Hamilton have in common? Find out on the next episode of Just the Facts, coming soon!

Learn more about the demographic breakdown by nursing profession.

There are 4.3 million nurses in the US — that’s 1 in 36 people in the workforce. Between 2014 and 2024, nursing jobs have seen a 20.7% jump. And while registered nurses make up the greatest number of nurses (3.28M), nurse practitioners saw the biggest percent increase of 158% in that same time. When it comes to pay, all five nursing occupations earn a higher median annual wage than the national average of $49,500 — with nurse anesthetists making the most at $223,210.

@crevier It means that 28% of the 8th graders scored a 299+ on the proficiency test. They didn't necessarily receive a perfect score, but they did score as proficient or higher.

@USAFacts Hmm, I don't understand the numbers. National average for 8th graders is 28%. 28% of what? Info says a scale of 1-500, but I don't get that either. So is that 28% of 500?

Are math scores above or below the national average in your state? 🔢In 2024, 4th and 8th graders had higher math proficiency, compared to 2022. 🔢There was a 28 percentage point difference between Massachusetts, the state with the highest rate of 4th grade math proficiency (51%), and New Mexico, which had the lowest (23%). 🔢4th graders have had a higher math proficiency rate nationwide compared to 8th graders for all 11 test years since 2003. This data comes from The Nation’s Report Card which tests US 4th and 8th graders on their math skills. So, how are students scored? 🎯Students are scored on a scale from 0 to 500. 🎯8th grade math proficiency (a score of 299) means you’ve got the Pythagorean theorem down — you can find a triangle’s hypotenuse like a champ.

California was 1 of 5 states to see population decline between 2024 and 2025. We partnered with CNN to help you stay informed on topics featured at the California gubernatorial debate. Visit usafacts.org/ca for even more on topics such as population change, unemployment, healthcare, and immigration.

Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking. But for real, your mom probably wants flowers for Mother’s Day.

The hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius is being closely monitored by the CDC with the health and safety of US passengers as their top priority. They report that the risk to the American public is extremely low. If you’re curious about how common hantavirus is in the US, we’ve got the data.

@RembauTimes Thanks! It's driven by our mission to make government data make sense.

@USAFacts @USAFacts design is really outstanding. Both the front end and the backend did a great job. Makes the insight from complicated facts stand out. Very high quality finish

The federal government spent $101.7 billion on SNAP in FY 2025 — with the average participant (of which there were 42.1 million people) receiving $188 per month. Where does the US see the highest participation rates? 📍New Mexico (21.9%) 📍Washington, DC (20.3%) 📍Oregon (18%)

Curious where US foreign aid dollars go? Of the $82.3 billion in foreign aid for FY 2024 (the most recent fully reported year), about two-thirds was economic ($55.36B), and the remainder was for military purposes ($26.98B). 3 countries received 22% of all US foreign aid: 🔹Isarel ($6.82B) 🔹Ukraine ($6.51B) 🔹Jordan ($1.74B)

Dems, GOP & indies all agree that California's cost of living is unmanageable. It comes as Cali’s unemployment rate has run 1+ pt ahead of the nation in every month since March 2023 per CNN’s partner @USAFacts Still, Cali is still a very wealthy state. usafacts.org/ca/

Spirit Airlines’ legacy lives on in the data…of top 5 airlines for on-time arrivals. 🛬 The Bureau of Transportation Statistics defines a flight as on time if it arrives within 15 minutes of the originally scheduled time. Industry standard was 76.4% in 2025.

@ladygaga Check out California in Numbers from @USAFacts while you’re at it! usafacts.org/ca/

Households with children are more likely to participate in SNAP than those without children. With the highest rate, single female-parent households are 3x as likely to receive benefits than the national average.

@ForecasterEnten What great data!

Oh my goodness on California's gas prices: the nation's highest. 1 reason? Cali's gas tax/fees are nation's highest, & the gap between Cali & the avg. state is way up per CNN’s partner @USAFacts. Most Cali voters say Cali's standards for energy/gas aren't worth added costs.

In which state do Americans make the highest average weekly wage? As of the beginning of this year, the answer is Washington at $1,517 per week. When accounting for cost of living differences, Washington is still top of the list at $1,417 per week. At the national level, the average wage is $1,278 per week. Workers in the information sector have the highest average weekly wage at $2,048 — 1.6x the national average across industries.