[View in Your Browser]([link removed]
w?a=3DSH8aQb&c=3D01HNNHDGTEJ2BJ6C7JQAY9GT07&k=3D952f0d793cdd333338b2b6efda3=
42af1&m=3D01K57B6ZCSRZQ25W1W3CDM1Z72&r=3D01K581GNZYZWYWVK7DCYBGEGA5)

[USAFacts]([link removed])

Explore the special report we created for Congress =E2=80=94 and for inform=
ed citizens like you=C2=A0

To find solutions to national challenges, everyone =E2=80=94 from everyday =
Americans to top policymakers =E2=80=94 needs clear, nonpartisan data to un=
derstand how the government is serving the people.
=C2=A0
This week, the USAFacts team is in Washington, DC, sharing the comprehensiv=
e America in Facts 2025: A Data-Driven Report for Congress report with lawm=
akers. Because no matter which side of the aisle you're on, you need solid =
data as a starting point for policy.

[USAFacts]([link removed]
-facts/)

This annual report is the result of years of interactions and conversations=
with Congressmembers and staffers. The final product: [Nearly 100 pages](h=
ttps://usafacts.org/research-and-initiatives/reports/america-in-facts/) of =
clear, accessible government data.

What=E2=80=99s in the report? Here=E2=80=99s a fact-filled preview:=C2=A0

What the government spends

- The federal budget has three types of spending: mandatory, discretionary,=
and paying interest on the debt. Mandatory spending must be funded as the =
law requires, unless Congress changes the rules or laws regarding the progr=
ams themselves.=C2=A0=C2=A0

[Components of mandatory spending]([link removed]
tives/reports/america-in-facts/)

- Of the $4.1 trillion in mandatory spending in FY 2024, the largest progra=
m was Social Security, accounting for 35%, or at $1.5 trillion.
=C2=A0
- Medicare accounted for $865.3 billion, or 21% of mandatory spending. Medi=
caid and the Children=E2=80=99s Health Insurance Program spending reached $=
637.7 billion, or 16%. =C2=A0

[Components of discretionary spending]([link removed]
itiatives/reports/america-in-facts/)

- Congress can alter discretionary spending each year through the appropria=
tions process. These changes are often due to shifting national priorities.=
In FY 2024, discretionary spending comprised 27% (or $1.8 trillion) of the=
budget overall.
=C2=A0
- National defense was the largest category at $850.7 billion or 47% of dis=
cretionary expenditures.
=C2=A0
- The government pays debt interest in the same way someone pays interest o=
n a credit card bill. These payments change based on the size of the debt a=
nd interest rates. In FY 2024, the government spent $879.9 billion in debt =
interest. That=E2=80=99s equivalent to 13% of total government spending, th=
e highest share spent on debt interest since 1999.
=C2=A0
- The total debt owed by the federal government reached $36.2 trillion by t=
he end of 2024. About 80% of the debt was owned by the public, meaning indi=
viduals, businesses, banks, the Federal Reserve, and foreign entities.

Immigration =C2=A0

- About 2.9 million authorized immigrants entered the US in FY 2023, up 15%=
from FY 2022. That=E2=80=99s the highest number of authorized immigrants s=
ince at least 1997.=C2=A0

- Refugee admissions reached 100,000 in FY 2024, the most since at least 20=
01.
=C2=A0
- There were 3.9 million pending immigration court cases in FY 2024, the hi=
ghest on record.
=C2=A0
- Afghan Asylees have increased after the US withdrawal: 110 asylees in FY =
2021 to 1,240 in FY 2022 to 14,470 in FY 2023. That's the most of any count=
ry, nearly triple the number of asylees from second-place China.

- After you read America in Facts, be sure to watch [this video]([link removed]
afacts.org/just-the-facts/immigration/) for even more on immigration.

The border =C2=A0

- The US removed about 330,000 people in FY 2024, up 86% from the year befo=
re.

- There were 2.9 million border enforcement actions in FY 2024, which count=
s people refused at ports of entry and apprehended for illegal crossing, do=
wn from a record high of 3.2 million in FY 2023. About 2.1 million, or 74%,=
happened along the southwest border. =C2=A0

[Outcomes of the southwest border encounters]([link removed]
-and-initiatives/reports/america-in-facts/)

- US Border Patrol (USBP) and the Office of Field Operations (OFO) performe=
d about 25,000 enforcement actions in June 2025, down 88% from June 2024. A=
nd enforcement action can be either an encounter with USBP between legal po=
rts of entry or being turned away from legal points of entry by OFO.

- Another 15% of enforcement actions occurred at airports, 7% at the northe=
rn border, and 4% at coastal borders. =C2=A0

Wages=C2=A0

- The nation=E2=80=99s median annual wage was $49,440 in 2024.=C2=A0

[Median annual wages]([link removed]
/america-in-facts/)

- Massachusetts, Washington, and Alaska had the highest median wages, each =
over $59,000.
=C2=A0
- Six states =E2=80=94 Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Louisiana, Ala=
bama, and Oklahoma =E2=80=94 had median wages under $44,000.
=C2=A0
- After adjusting for inflation, median wages decreased by 0.3% from 2023 t=
o 2024, following declines in the two previous years.=C2=A0

Explore the full report=C2=A0

That=E2=80=99s just the start. America in Facts has more on these topics, p=
lus deep dives into the American population, tax data, and poverty rates, a=
nd dozens of visuals to back them up.=C2=A0

Explore the report we made for Congress [right here]([link removed]
esearch-and-initiatives/reports/america-in-facts/). =C2=A0

[USAFacts]([link removed])

USAFacts goes to Washington=C2=A0

While USAFacts will be talking data in the halls of Congress this week, we=
=E2=80=99ll also be on the grounds of the Washington Monument, bringing fac=
ts to the people. If you=E2=80=99re in the area on September 18, you could =
snag a copy of America in Facts, or maybe a USAFacts shirt to rep your favo=
rite source of nonpartisan data. We'll be hanging out by something so big y=
ou might say it=E2=80=99s...inflated.=C2=A0

[USAFacts]([link removed]
-facts/)

[USAFacts]([link removed])

Data behind the news

We=E2=80=99ve noticed an uptick in search interest in our data on [Utah cri=
me rates]([link removed]
te/utah/) and deaths from [gun deaths in Utah]([link removed]
/how-many-people-die-from-gun-related-injuries-in-the-us-each-month/state/u=
tah/) following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. We have those numbers, p=
lus numbers for every other state, on our site.=C2=A0

On Friday, the Congressional Budget Office released new economic projection=
s for the next three years. The projections are an update to the outlook it=
had released in January. These projections include a rising [inflation](ht=
tps://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-current-inflation-rate/country/unite=
d-states/) rate.

Sudoku. Wordle. [Weekly fact quiz]([link removed]).=
=C2=A0

[USAFacts]([link removed])

One last fact

[How has federal spending changed since 1980?]([link removed]
h-and-initiatives/reports/america-in-facts/)

Federal spending rose 2.9 times from FY 1980 to FY 2024 (after adjusting fo=
r inflation).=C2=A0

Want to see how government revenue has changed since then? [America in Fact=
s]([link removed])=
has you covered. In fact, the charts in the report are so detailed and, we=
ll, cool, that we suggest you get out of your inbox and into the data. (Thi=
s nifty chart in particular is on [page 7]([link removed]
84e2a5bdf3df6/original/USAFacts_2025_DIGITAL_Federal-Finances.pdf) of the f=
ederal finances section.)=C2=A0

[USAFacts]([link removed])

[Economy]([link removed])

[Crime]([link removed])

[About]([link removed])

[FAQs]([link removed])

[instagram]([link removed])
[twitter]([link removed])
[facebook]([link removed])
[youtube]([link removed])
[Custom]([link removed])

Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up here]([link removed]
/?_kx=3DKeXKMooUjJOiwoNgC5AaQA.SH8aQb&utm_campaign=3D3_5_25_Mar%20Data%20Do=
wnload_Nat&utm_medium=3Demail&utm_source=3DUSAFacts_Klaviyo) for your own w=
eekly issue of the USAFacts newsletter.

Copyright=C2=A9 2025 USAFacts All Rights Reserved. PO Box 1558 Bellevue, WA=
98009-1558

[Manage Preferences]([link removed]
=3DSH8aQb&c=3D01HNNHDGTEJ2BJ6C7JQAY9GT07&k=3D952f0d793cdd333338b2b6efda342a=
f1&m=3D01K57B6ZCSRZQ25W1W3CDM1Z72&r=3D01K581GNZYZWYWVK7DCYBGEGA5) |=C2=A0[U=
nsubscribe]([link removed]
8aQb&c=3D01HNNHDGTEJ2BJ6C7JQAY9GT07&k=3D952f0d793cdd333338b2b6efda342af1&m=
=3D01K57B6ZCSRZQ25W1W3CDM1Z72&r=3D01K581GNZYZWYWVK7DCYBGEGA5)