Category: Surveys

Recent data suggests that efforts to tame inflation are starting to have an effect. After nearly a year of steady interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve, year-over-year growth in the Consumer Price Index slowed to 6.0% in February 2023. This figure was the lowest since September 2021.

While inflation might have finally reached its peak, many Americans continue to struggle with high prices. Nominal wages have grown since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic amid the Great Resignation and ongoing labor market tightness, but this rate of growth has trailed the rate of price increases for most workers. This cuts into household budgets and makes it more difficult for consumers to maintain their standard of living.

One of the factors that has made the recent run of inflation especially challenging is the fact that the spending categories with the greatest price increases are necessities. Inflation has taken place throughout the economy, but over the last three years, the biggest spikes have occurred in the categories of transportation (+23.8%), food and beverages (+21.5%), and housing (+16.4%). These categories are difficult for households to cut back on, and the rate of inflation for each has exceeded the average 16% price increase across all items.

Faced with these circumstances, U.S. households are feeling the pressure of inflation. More than 90% of adults in every age group express that they feel stressed about recent price increases. The most stressed age group is people aged 18 to 24, who are early in their careers and may not have savings, investments, or credit to fall back on. Inflation-related stress is also a widespread concern across income levels. In every income bracket below $75,000, more than 95% of people report feeling stressed about inflation. Even among the highest earners making above $200,000, more than 80% feel stress about recent price increases.

Consumers are adopting a variety of strategies to cope with the effects of inflation. Most commonly, shoppers look to cut costs: more than two-thirds of adults say they look for lower prices or discounts when making a purchase, more than half are eating out less and delaying major purchases, and nearly half are switching from name brand to generic products.

Inflation has also pushed 21% of adults to use credit cards, loans, or pawnshops to help pay their increased costs. Reliance on credit can be a quick way to help make ends meet in the short term, but doing so can be a risky move financially. People who carry balances on their credit cards or pay off loans slowly will ultimately pay more in interest—a risk exacerbated by the fact that interest rates have risen dramatically.

U.S. households are not turning to credit cards in equal measure, however, as there are geographic differences in where adults have started using cards more frequently. States in the Midwest, like Wisconsin and South Dakota, and in the South, like Georgia and Mississippi, have the fewest adults reporting an increased reliance on credit cards to cope with inflation. In contrast, Western states like Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California have all seen nearly one in four adults using their cards more often. But one New England state—Maine—sits at the top of the list, with 24.6% of adults reporting an increased reliance on credit cards due to rising prices.

To find the states where inflation is driving increased reliance on credit cards, researchers at Upgraded Points analyzed data collected in early January 2023 from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Census Household Pulse Survey. Researchers ranked states according to each state’s share of adults that increased their use of credit cards, loans, or pawn shops to cope with price increases.

The analysis found that 40.8% of adults in Colorado relied on credit cards to meet their spending needs, and 23.4% have increased their credit card usage due to recent price increases. Out of all states, Colorado experienced the 6th highest rate of increased credit card reliance due to inflation. Here is a summary of the data for Colorado:

• Share of adults that increased their use of credit cards due to prices: 23.4%
• Share of adults that relied on credit cards to meet spending needs: 40.8%
• Share of adults stressed about recent price increases: 93.3%
• Share of adults concerned about future price increases: 94.9%

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

• Share of adults that increased their use of credit cards due to prices: 20.9%
• Share of adults that relied on credit cards to meet spending needs: 37.3%
• Share of adults stressed about recent price increases: 94.4%
• Share of adults concerned about future price increases: 95.8%

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Upgraded Points’s website: https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/inflation-related-credit-card-use-by-state/

Whether you work with horses for a living or are looking for equestrian escapes, America has plenty of room to roam on horseback.

But which states are ideal for equine enthusiasts?

To mark National Horse Protection Day on March 1, Lawn Love ranked 2023’s Best States for Horse Lovers.

How does Colorado stack up?

Colorado’s Rank in Some Key Metrics (1st = Best)

• Number of Equestrian Programs – 3rd
• Number of Horse Camps – 7th
• Number of Rescue Horses Up for Adoption – 5th
• Number of Barn Builders – 4th
• Number of Horse Sanctuaries and Rescue Facilities – 4th
• Annual Cost of Equine Care (as % of Average Household Income) – 10th

To come up with our ranking, we compared the 50 states based on 27 metrics, such as equestrian programs, horseback riding trails, horse shows, and museums. We also considered horses for sale, boarding facilities, veterinarians, trainers, and affordability.

Our full ranking is available here: https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-states-horse-lovers/

The 2022 Healthy Aging Index, a newly released report about life quality in the US performed by digital health company DoFasting, ranks Colorado 2nd out of 50. The state hangs back from Utah by a slight difference. According to the research, the primary variable for such outstanding results concerning healthy aging is healthcare.

The report analyzes 5 fundamental pillars of healthspan: demographics, economics, behavioral aspects, healthcare, and mental health. Underpinning these pillars are 25 indicators (5 per pillar) that are interrelated and work together to provide an overall measure of healthy aging across the 50 US states. Each indicator’s highest score is 4, the lowest is 0. The highest possible final score is 100; however none of the states have scored it.

The 2022 Healthy Aging Index aims to highlight specific improvements that individual states could make to support healthy aging. For Colorado factors such as diet, divorce rate, and suicide rate have not shown excellent results and have let the Colorado state settle down with second place in the Healthy Aging Index.

“According to recent meta-analysis, higher fruit and vegetable intake reduces mortality; Colorado scored only 1 out of 4 points when it comes to healthy diet,” says Supriya Lal, RD, MPH, health advisor at DoFasting.

While the primary variable for such outstanding results of Colorado state concerning healthy aging is healthcare, indicating that the state is coping well with chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity and  hypertension.

“An Oxford university analysis involving nearly one million people worldwide has shown that obesity can trim years off life expectancy. A study showed that moderate obesity reduces life expectancy by about three years and severe obesity by ten years, equal to time loss due to lifelong smoking. This indicates  that such a comparable factor within the state can be an important consideration when it comes to healthy aging,” says Supriya Lal RD, MPH, health advisor at DoFasting.

 “Corresponding to the study, the best state for healthy aging is Utah, which is becoming an attractive destination for relocation due to affordable healthcare costs and beautiful nature. The worst state for healthy aging is Mississippi because of the lower quality education, lower income, and high poverty and crime rates,” says Kasparas Aleknavicius, MD, medical advisor at DoFasting.

“Multiple recent studies have shown that a low-risk lifestyle can prolong life expectancy – and that most of these additional years of life are spent in good health,” adds Aleknavicius.

Despite spending the most on healthcare worldwide, the United States falls well behind other world leaders in life expectancy rankings. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that after a historic drop in life expectancy in 2020, the country took another alarming hit in 2021, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic reports. And while life expectancy in other high-income countries has since increased, in the US, it fell by almost 3 years (down to 76.1 years).

One of the reasons for such poor rankings is the US medical system. However, such measures also depend on a variety of socio-economic and behavioral factors that affect an individual’s health – diet, exercise, smoking, poverty, obesity, compliance with medical protocols, and many others.

 The research was carried out by experts in the digital health company DoFasting. The team of researchers and medical doctors analyzed 1,250 units of data from 25 reputable sources. The research was conducted to shed light on the uneven distribution of resources around the United States and help people make decisions regarding the most suitable place to live in.

The methodology and explanations of how each factor influences healthy aging can be found here. The methodology behind the report and all calculations can be found here. Visualized information and web access can be found here.

Majority of states are enjoying pre-pandemic levels of prosperity according to new report by Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream and Legatum Institute

WASHINGTON, November 15, 2022 –  Colorado ranks tenth in overall prosperity according to the American Dream Prosperity Index (ADPI), released this month by the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream in partnership with Legatum Institute. The United States continues to see a rise in prosperity, even as we faced the long-term impacts of a pandemic and the economic realities of rising inflation and a shrinking economy. But while the overall trend points to a prosperous nation, prosperity continues to be unequally distributed regionally, often eluding rural communities and Black Americans.

Prosperity is a multidimensional concept which the American Dream Prosperity Index seeks to measure, explore, and understand. The framework of the Index captures prosperity through three equally-weighted domains which are the essential foundations of prosperity — Inclusive Societies, Open Economies, and Empowered People. These domains are made up of 11 pillars of prosperity, built upon 49 actionable policy areas, and are underpinned by more than 200 reliable indicators.

Colorado rounds out the top 10 states in overall prosperity. The state’s strengths include ranking first in business environment, seventh in education, eighth in governance, ninth in natural environment, and 11th in social capital. According to the Index, Colorado could focus its improvement on the safety and security (ranked 41st), infrastructure (ranked 34th), and personal freedom (ranked 28th) pillars. Since 2012, Colorado has seen the most improvement in social capital.  

“While our nation faces many challenges including record inflation, increased gun violence, and a deteriorating mental health landscape, we are encouraged by the resiliency of communities across our country as they work to create prosperous lives for their residents,” said the Center’s President Kerry Healey. “The American Dream Prosperity Index was founded on the principle that better data leads to better decisions and outcomes. It is our goal to make this report one of the most important tools for local, state and federal lawmakers and civic leaders.”

“We are encouraged by the steady rebound of prosperity post-pandemic, even in the face of unique regional challenges,” said Legatum Institute CEO Philippa Stroud. “The foundations of the U.S. economy continue to stand strong, particularly due to the innovative entrepreneurial mindset that Americans are known for. This forward momentum highlights the genuine push towards prosperity in the face of continued adversity.”

Across the country, millions of Americans are facing challenges that continue to threaten prosperity. According to the 2022 ADPI, since 2012, all states apart from North Dakota have increased their prosperity, but prosperity remains unequally shared across and within states. For most people, 2022 has been a year of progress as the nation continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and as the economy strengthens. However, this increase in prosperity is tempered by rising gun violence in nearly every state. Also detrimental to the nation’s prosperity is the deteriorating mental health of America, marked by a rise in suicides and opioid-related deaths, even as Americans’ overall health continues to improve.

ADPI’s key findings also point to waning social cohesion across the country as another roadblock to U.S. prosperity. This is seen in the decreasing number of Americans who have helped a stranger, donated money to charity, volunteered or frequently talked to a neighbor.

ADPI National Patterns toward Greater Prosperity:

• In 2022, 26 states have recovered to pre-pandemic levels of overall prosperity, with Oklahoma, New Jersey and New Mexico seeing the biggest improvement. Reasons for the improvement in these states vary, but economic factors such as the increasing number of entrepreneurs played a key role in the post-pandemic rebound and bodes well for further improvement.
• Over the past decade, Americans’ physical health have improved. Since 2012, rates of smoking have fallen by nearly a third, excessive alcohol use has decreased by 17% and pain reliever misuse has decreased by 21%. 
• The long-term downward trend in property crime is an encouraging development across the United States, with all but six states improving over the past decade.

ADPI Key Findings:

• While U.S. prosperity rebounded post-pandemic in 2022, current record inflation threatens this recovery
• In 2022, Prosperity has increased in every state except North Dakota, but this progress remains unequally distributed within state and local communities and across ethnic groups
• High and rising gun violence in nearly every state is impacting American’s individual sense of security and prosperity
• Mental health has deteriorated in every state, including increased deaths of despair
• A continuing decline in social cohesion and group relationships at all levels of society creates barriers to prosperity.

Although the data does highlight a substantial number of barricades to prosperity, ADPI can be used to craft unique solutions across all levels of government. A deeper examination of prosperity, prompted by the Index, can reveal individual issues that each state can tackle in order to advance the prosperity of its citizens. This push towards the development of local data-led initiatives, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach, is essential for transformation across the country.

The Index has been designed to benefit a wide range of users, including state and county leaders, policymakers, investors, business leaders, philanthropists, journalists, researchers and U.S. citizens.

View the 2022 ADPI here.

View Washington’s state profile here.

View the state-by-state prosperity rankings here.

View state-by-state rankings in specific categories by clicking on the category below.

• Safety and Security
• Personal Freedom
• Governance
• Social Capital
• Business Environment
• Infrastructure
• Economic Quality
• Living Conditions
• Health
• Education
• Natural Environment

The challenges facing the healthcare sector in the U.S. are numerous. The U.S. lags behind other developed nations on many key metrics of health, including life expectancy, chronic disease burden, and avoidable deaths. The population has been growing older on average with the aging of the Baby Boomers, creating increased demand for health services. Longtime public health challenges like obesity, substance abuse, and mental illness have wide-ranging impacts on Americans’ overall health and well-being. And in the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has placed unusually heavy strain on healthcare providers and hospitals.

With these many interlocking and compounding challenges, the U.S. spends heavily to support the healthcare system. According to federal data, national health expenditures in the U.S. total $4.1 trillion per year, making up nearly 20% of the nation’s GDP. The bulk of this spending comes from the federal government, which contributes 36.3% of expenditures, and U.S. households, which account for 26.1%.

Often underappreciated in discussions of the U.S. health system is the role of state and local governments. States and localities frequently fund public hospitals, health inspections, mental health and substance abuse programs, water and air quality programs, and payments to private hospitals for public health services. State and local governments funded 14.3% of total national health expenditures in 2020.

This spending is one of the most significant budgetary responsibilities of state and local governments. Health and hospitals represent the third largest spending category for state and local governments, behind only public welfare and elementary and secondary education. Collectively, governments spend $345 billion on health and hospitals each year, accounting for nearly 10% of all state and local spending.

State and local spending on health and hospitals on a per-capita basis has also grown over time. In the year 2000, state and local governments spent $678 per capita on health and hospitals in inflation-adjusted dollars. By 2020, that figure had risen to $1,040—an increase of more than 50%.

However, this trend has not played out the same in all locations. In fact, 13 states have seen a decline in health and hospital spending per capita over the last decade, led by Arizona, where spending has declined by more than 50%. In contrast, other states have seen rapid growth in health spending. Vermont’s inflation-adjusted state and local spending per capita more than doubled between 2010 and 2020, from $355 to $730, and Utah’s 96.2% rate of growth was not far behind.

Just as trends in health spending have varied by geography, total spending also looks different from state to state. Nationwide, states and localities spend around 9.9% of their budgets on health and hospitals, at a total of $1,047 per capita. But a number of states and localities spend well above these figures, including Wyoming, where the per-capita spending is nearly triple the national average, and South Carolina, where health and hospital spending represents nearly 20% of state and local expenditures.

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau. To determine the states that spend the most on health and hospitals, researchers at HowtoHome.com calculated health and hospital spending as a share of total spending. In the event of a tie, the state with the greater total health and hospital spending per capita was ranked higher.

The analysis found that health and hospital spending in Colorado amounts to an annual $723 per capita—6.9% of the state’s total spending—compared to the national average of $1,047. Here is a summary of the data for Colorado:

• Health & hospital spending as a share of total: 6.9%
• Total health & hospital spending per capita: $723
• Total health & hospital spending: $4,196,424,000
• Total direct expenditures: $60,879,680,000

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

• Health & hospital spending as a share of total: 9.9%
• Total health & hospital spending per capita: $1,047
• Total health & hospital spending: $345,008,758,000
• Total direct expenditures: $3,494,136,935,000

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on HowtoHome.com’s website: https://www.howtohome.com/us-states-that-spend-most-on-health-and-hospitals/

Lattice Publishing LLC | 1111 6th Ave., Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92101 Unsubscribe Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by powered by Try email marketing for free today!