Chart assignment
Charts to read and discuss
Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.
Chart 1 of 2 · World
How many young people go to college in each country?
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.
In 2022, the number of students in college or university in the United States equaled 79.4% of its young adults, against 42% worldwide; the figure ranged from 166.4% in Greece to 2.7% in Malawi. Search 126 countries and territories. Each figure is everyone enrolled after secondary school, of any age, divided by the people in the five years after the usual age for finishing it, so older students can take it past 100%. Many countries report late, so the newest year in which most countries and the United States reported is shown.
Questions to discuss
- In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
- Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
- Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators: School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) (CC BY 4.0 (credit the World Bank)) · Data as of Dec 31, 2022
Open the chart and its numbersChart 2 of 2 · Income and poverty
What is the typical household income in each state?
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.
In the Census Bureau's 5-year survey ending in 2024, the typical household in District of Columbia earned $109,870 a year, the most, followed by Massachusetts ($103,960) and Maryland ($103,678). Mississippi was lowest at $56,447, and the U.S. median was $80,734. These are 5-year estimates in 2024 dollars, each with a margin of error.
How to read this chart
Each bar is the median household income in a state: half of households earn more and half earn less. The dashed line is the whole U.S., for comparison. These are survey estimates, and each has a margin of error: the true value is likely within that range, so states with overlapping ranges may not really differ.
Questions to discuss
- Find your state. Is it above or below the U.S. median, and by about how much?
- Why do statisticians often use the median instead of the average (mean) for income?
- Housing and groceries cost more in some states. What would you need to know to compare what these incomes can buy?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (Public domain (U.S. government work). This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.) · Data as of Dec 31, 2024
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