Records and rankings
7/24/2013It’s all about you. That’s why we do this. We can spit out political articles, recommend the best bars and restaurants we know, report on stories of odd arrests and show the poor unfortunates who were captured by local authorities and suggest what books, movies and music to take in, but in the end, it all comes down to good, ol’ No. 1. In this 2013 edition of Records and Rankings, we bring you the statistics, figures and graphs all about you — whether you want to admit it or not. How do we measure up? Embarrassed about being a statistic? Proud, perhaps? Disappointed to find that you are not as unique as you thought? It’s OK. That’s what tattoos are for.
Speaking of tattoos, Americans spent $1.65 billion on tattoos in 2012, according to the Pew Research Center (found at www.staticbrain.com), and 11 percent of the 45 million people who are tattooed in this country have reported either having one removed or planning to have one removed.
ENTERTAINMENT
The average cost to see a movie in Des Moines is $8.09, and last year the U.S. average was $7.96. So when it comes to dropping $33 on a family of four (concessions not included) to see the latest box office smash, choose wisely.
Top 10 Grossing Movies of 2012
“Marvel’s the Avengers” ($623,357,910)
“The Dark Knight Rises” ($448,139,099)
“The Hunger Games” ($408,010,692)
“Skyfall” ($304,360,277)
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” ($303,003,568)
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2” ($292,324,737)
“The Amazing Spider-Man” ($262,030,663)
“Brave” ($237,283,207)
“Ted” ($218,815,487)
“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” ($216,391,482)
(Source: www.boxofficemojo.com)
Conclusion: Americans love super heroes, the supernatural and talking animals — not to mention women in no-need-for-guessing spandex.
Top Selling Albums of 2012 (copies sold)
Adele, “21” (4.41 million)
Taylor Swift, “Red” (3.11 million)
One Direction, “Up All Night” (1.62 million)
Mumford and Sons, “Babel” (1.46 million)
One Direction, “Take Me Home” (1.34 million)
(Source: www.billboard.com)
Conclusion: Whiny breakup songs seem to hit home with almost everybody, whether you love ’em, hate ’em or love to hate ’em.
Top Selling Digital Song Downloads of 2012
Gotye, “Somebody That I Used to Know” (6.8 million)
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe” (6.47 million)
Fun, “We Are Young” (5.95 million)
Maroon 5, “Payphone” (4.76 million)
Nicki Minaj, “Starships” (3.98 million)
(Source: www.businesswire.com)
Conclusion: Mixed tapes serve their purpose for both the horny and scorned: Hook up, break up, grovel, get over it, realize your freedom, go to the beach. Rinse. Repeat. Download. Delete. Apparently millions of wailing teenage girls are controlling the market on Billboard top 40s.
Best Selling Books of 2012:
“Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James
“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins
“Fifty Shades Darker” by E.L. James
“Fifty Shades Freed” by E.L. James
“Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins
(Source: usatoday.com)
Conclusion: Whoever started the rumor that women don’t like sex is a dirty, dirty liar or someone who could perhaps learn a few lessons from some of these top-sellers. We hope the odds of kinkiness are ever in your favor.
IOWA LIFE
The signs on the highways that stretch over the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, welcoming motorists into Iowa, read that this state offers “Fields of Opportunities.” It’s a fun play on words to celebrate both our growing economic prowess and our state’s rich agricultural base. According to the latest statistics, that’s not far from the truth.
Iowa Demographics
Population: 3,074,186
49.5 percent male
50.5 percent female
92.8 percent of the population is white
3.2 percent of the population is black
2 percent of the population is Asian
5.3 percent of the population is Latino
(Source: www.quickfacts.census.gov)
Conclusion: Some might say we need a bit more diversity in all fields, including our population. But race isn’t supposed to matter anyway, so who’s counting?
Education
Top Five Most Expensive Schools in Iowa (by annual tuition)
Grinnell College (Grinnell), $41,004
Luther College (Decorah), $36,100
Cornell University (Mount Vernon), $35,222
Coe College (Cedar Rapids), 34,220
Wartburg College (Waverly), $32,740
(Source: www.apps.iowacollegeaid.gov)
Conclusion: We’re not too cool for school, and many of us have years of student loans to prove it. To be more realistic, tack on $10,000 for beer money… oh, yeah, and another couple grand for books. Can’t forget the books.
Degrees (percent of Iowans)
High school diploma, 92.7
Associate, 41.1
Bachelor’s, 28.7
Graduate or professional, 8.7
(Source: www.luminafoundation.org)
Conclusion: Reckon we ain’t no so-called “Idiots Out Wandering Around” as them Minnesotans might like ta have ya think. Here in Iowa, we smart… at least, some of us.
Agriculture
Total acres of farmland = 30.7 million
Farm real estate value = $5,700 per acre
(Source: www.legis.iowa.gov)
Conclusion: Here in Iowa, we grow corn and soybeans. In fact, stats for 2011 reveal $6.2 million worth of crop exports. That’s corn and beans, not potatoes! Outsiders often confuse Iowa for the potato-growing state of Idaho, but besides starting our state names with the letter “I,” we have little else in common. (See sidebar below.)
IOWA LIFESTYLE
Jobs and Money
1,553,000 are employed.
86,000 are unemployed.
5.2 percent of Iowans are unemployed (the national average is 8.1).
$41,156 is the per capita personal income.
$50,504 is the median household income.
(Source: legis.iowa.gov)
Conclusion: A high school diploma can lead to a stellar career in truck driving and forklift operating.
Cars
54,201 vehicles were newly registered in 2012.
36,343 of newly registered vehicles were made in the U.S.
(Source: www.iowaworkforce.org)
Conclusion: Ford or Chevy? Who cares as long as it’s made in ’Merica?
Housing
1,332,487 total housing units.
The average monthly mortgage payment is $1,173.
The average monthly rent is $637.
3,672 houses in Iowa are valued at $1 million or more.
(Source: www.factfinder2.census.gov)
Conclusion: Home is where the heart is, whether in a studio apartment or a multi-million-dollar mansion.
ALL THINGS SINFUL
Alcohol
Iowans consume approximately 86.7 million gallons of alcohol per year That’s 39.78 gallons of alcohol per person in an average year:
Liquor = 4.9 million gallons
Wine = 4.2 million gallons
Beer = 77.6 million gallons
(Source: legis.iowa.gov)
Conclusion: Well, the song does say rain makes corn and corn makes whiskey. We know how to efficiently use our natural resources. Plus, it’s cheaper than a movie.
Tobacco
20.4 percent of adult Iowans smoke.
7.9 million packs of cigarettes are bought or smoked by minors each year.
54.9 percent of Iowans have attempted to quit smoking.
4,400 adults die each year from their own smoking.
(Source: www.tobaccofreekids.org)
Conclusion: One Gallup poll records that in the 1940s, 43 percent of Americans smoked. Fortuneately we are on the decline for this habit.
VITAL STATISTICS (iowa 2012)
Age
Oldest male: 106
Oldest female: 109
Births
Total live births: 38, 204
Live male births: 19,522
Live female births: 18,682
Out-of-wedlock live births: 12,916
Highest weight reported: 11 lbs. 10 oz.
Lowest weight reported: 8 oz.
Oldest father: 73
Oldest mother: 50
Youngest father: 14
Youngest mother: 13
Day on which most births occurred: July 1 (161)
Most popular boys names:
Carter (194)
Mason (184)
Owen (181)
Most popular girl names:
Emma (205)
Sophia (191)
Olivia (190)
Conclusion: We’re breeding a generation of kids who can go to class with their aunts and uncles, many of whom have a good chance of not knowing who their daddy is.
Marriages
Total: 20,567
Oldest male: 95
Youngest male: 17
Oldest female: 94
Youngest female: 16
Day on which most marriages occurred: Sept. 10 (682)
Month in which most marriages occurred: June (2,751)
Male-Male marriages: 417
Female-Female marriages: 885
Divorces
Total: 7,416
Oldest male divorcee: 97
Youngest male divorcee: 19
Oldest female divorcee: 89
Youngest female divorcee: 18
Marriage of longest duration ending in divorce: 56 years
Marriage of shortest duration ending in divorce: 59 days
Conclusion: She just wouldn’t squeeze the Fixodent from the bottom of the tube. Guess it’s never too late… Or too soon for that matter.
Deaths 2012
Total: 28,074
Most deaths occurred on Feb. 9 (109).
Most deaths occurred in the month of March (2,622).
Oldest male at time of death: 106
Oldest female at time of death: 109
Suicides: 420
Leading causes of death
Heart disease: 6,726
Cancer: 6,440
Cerebrovascular Disease: 1,431
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 1,831
Unintentional injury: 1,340
Motor vehicle: 393
Falls: 454
Machinery: 23
Drowning: 23
Choking: 46
Poisoning: 197
Unintentional injury deaths by county
Polk: 180
Scott: 73
Linn: 69
Black Hawk: 42
Woodbury: 41
(Source for Vitals above: www.idph.state.ia.us)
Conclusion: Uh… be more careful?
Health
64.8 percent of Iowa adults are overweight
28.3 percent of Iowa children are overweight
Life expectancy for Iowa males is 77.3 years.
Life expectancy for Iowan females is 82 years.
(Source: www.statehealthfacts.org)
Conclusion: Statistically, many of us are likely to die old and fat… and hopefully happy.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
10,542 reported cases of chlamydia
1,803 reported cases of gonorrhea
68 reported cases of syphilis
(Source: www.statehealthfacts.org)
Conclusion: Think that stat is uncomfortable? Not as uncomfortable as a herpes outbreak. Iowa has a host of free clinics. So there’s no excuse to not get checked regularly.
Iowa Crime
8,830 violent
8,504 property
10,162 drug related
533 public order
10-20 years is the average prison sentence.
The average offender’s age is 36 years old.
Total prison population: 8,333
Female prison population: 682
699 inmates are serving life sentences.
$84.85 is the average daily cost of one prison inmate in Iowa.
Des Moines Crime
191,962 calls
37,783 police reports completed
794 OWI arrests
24,859 traffic tickets issued
60,161 parking tickets issued
10 murders reported: seven cleared
94 rapes reported: 40 cleared
587 aggravated assaults reported: 455 cleared
234 robberies reported: 77 cleared
2,371 burglaries reported: 288 cleared
6,708 thefts reported: 1,522 cleared
843 auto thefts reported: 132 cleared
1,599 drug-related arrests
45 prostitution arrests
59 search warrants issued
7 clandestine meth labs
18 meth lab dump sites
$1.6 million total street value of drug seizures.
Total street value of marijuana seized, $1,011,311.32
Total street value of methamphetamine seized, $390,232.50
(Source: www.dmgov.org)
Conclusion: We often leave our doors unlocked and trust our neighbors, and we should not live in fear, but bad things happen even in Iowa. So, in the wise words of Jerry Springer, “Take care of yourself and each other.” CV
