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Readers top 10 of 2023

Readers turned to USAFacts for nonpartisan data on how the US supports other nations, who is experiencing homelessness, where shifts in crime rates are, and more. These were the top USAFacts reports for readers in 2023:

10. Homelessness by state
According to the latest reports from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, about 582,000 Americans experienced homelessness in 2022. Many of the states with the highest homelessness rates also had the highest housing costs, including California, Oregon, and Hawaii.

9. Which countries receive the most aid from the US?

With continued conflict in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, American attention shifted to the country’s role in global politics. Government data details the more than $3.75 trillion in foreign aid supplied by the United States since the end of World War II, over a quarter of which has gone to Israel, Egypt, Afghanistan, South Korea, and what used to be South Vietnam.

8. What is a swing state?

With a presidential election coming next year, voters will again be keeping an eye on the nation’s swing states. Florida and Nevada have had narrow margins in five of the last eight presidential elections, while New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have had tight margins in four.

7. How many homeless people are in the US?

Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders had 2022’s highest rates of homelessness at 121.2 people per 10,000. Black, Native American, multi-racial, and Hispanic populations all had rates higher than the general public. Veterans are homeless at higher rates than the population overall (20 out of every 10,000 veterans were homeless in 2022), however rates are down. But what does the data miss?

6. What financial support has the US given Ukraine since Russia’s invasion?

Supporting Ukraine has been a priority of the Biden Administration since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. In that time, the US has sent Ukraine over $60 billion in funding and equipment, including over $43 billion in equipment and weaponry. In a December letter to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget warned that the US was “out of money” to support Ukraine.

5. How much military aid does the US give to Israel?

Israel has been the largest recipient of US aid since World War II, with American support totaling $317.9 billion. In 2022, the US sent $3.3 billion to Israel, 99.7% of which went to the Israeli military. Since 2000, over 86% of annual American aid to Israel has funded military efforts. USAFacts updated this article in the wake of the October 7 attack against Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza.

4. What do teachers earn in your state?

K-12 teachers are paid the most in states in the Northeast and on the West Coast, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California. More than half of teachers in the US have a master’s degree, but average teacher salaries are lower than the average salaries of college graduates in all but two states—New York and Rhode Island.

3. Where are crime rates highest and lowest?

Both the violent crime rate and the property crime rate continued to decrease from 2020 to 2021, but national crime rates don’t show regional differences. According to state-level data, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Louisiana had the highest violent crime rates at over 650 per 100,000 people, while Colorado, Washington, and Oregon had the highest property crime rates at over 2,800 per 100,000.

2. Which cities have the highest homelessness rates?

Homelessness was clearly a prominent topic for readers in 2023. Of the 48 largest cities in the US, Los Angeles and New York had the largest recorded homeless populations. Six of the 10 cities with the largest homeless populations were in California.

1. Who owns the most US debt?

This report got into the details of US debt as an asset and why foreign governments are interested in owning it in the first place. The story took off on social media and in the weekly newsletter.

Foreign nations own approximately $7.4 trillion (or 24%) of US debt in the form of US Treasury securities (considered to be among the world’s most secure assets). Nearly half of all foreign-owned debt belongs to five countries: Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

There are hundreds of more articles where those came from. Visit USAFacts for more data insights on crime, the economy, the American population, and much more.