Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Major U.S. Cities Where non-Hispanic Whites are the Majority


The U.S. cities were derived from the wikipedia article, List of United States cities by population. The racial/ethnic data for each city where taken from the American Community Survey 2012.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Teenage Pregnancy Across the Globe


Teenage pregnancy is one of largest issues facing developed nations. In the United States, it is estimated that teenage pregnancy costs the American taxpayer $9 billion annually.  Apart from being a burden on the taxpayer, teen pregnancy carries high emotional, financial, and physical costs to my mother, father, child, and community. In developed countries, early motherhood has adverse social and economical effects on the mother and child. Nearly 50% of all adolescent mothers sought social assistance within the first five years of their child's life. Because of this, teen moms often face a certain social stigma in developed countries.

Teenage pregnancy, despite being one of the largest social issues in the developed world, is viewed welcomingly in many developing countries; and, it shows in the map above. Unlike developed countries, teenage mothers in developing countries are often welcomed by society, family, and are usually married.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The Federal Minimum Wage in America


As of July 2009, the federal minimum wage was designated to $7.25 an hour. Employees earning tips, full-time students, certain disabled workers and others can be, and often are, exempted from the federal minimum wage. The above map reflects the percentage of workers paid at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

It's important to note that certain states and municipalities have set the a minimum wage higher than the federal level, preventing employers from paying workers at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. As a result, this map should only be interpreted as the percentage of workers earning the federal minimum wage or less - not the state or local minimum wage.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Belief in Evolution Across America




The theory of evolution, pioneered by Charles Darwin, is a polarizing issue in the United States. Primarily for its conflict with religious doctrines. Today, about 67% of Americans believe in the theory of evolution, but this belief in evolution is not constant among state lines. As depicted by the visualization above, states located in the south east have the lowest levels of belief in evolution. Meanwhile, the north east had the highest levels of belief in evolution. Possible reasons for different attitudes towards evolution could be attributed to religion, education, and scientific literacy.