Prepare for Earth Day with the State of the Earth, a data-driven snapshot of US land, air, and energy.

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** The State of the Earth
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Earth Day is April 22. USAFacts has the data to help Americans understand the nation's status on climate, emissions, and more in The State of the Earth in Numbers. ([link removed]) Explore these interactive charts with data from government agencies responsible for land conservation and energy production to understand the status of US land, sea, and more.
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* The average amount of precipitation is growing in Northeast states and along the Mississippi River. California had the greatest average annual precipitation drop over the past century.

See more, including how the pandemic affected air quality, where the US ranks worldwide for CO2 emissions, and how National Park visits changed over the past year with this data collection from 1895 to 2020 ([link removed]) .


** Some jobs rebound from pandemic losses
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Employers added 916,000 jobs to payrolls in March, the most of any month since August 2020. What’s driving this job growth? The data reveals ([link removed]) both seasonal and pandemic-related changes.
* There were 8.2 million Americans without high school degrees working in March, down 10% compared to February 2020. Meanwhile, 58.6 million Americans with a bachelor’s degree or higher worked that month, down 0.3%.

* The unemployment rate fell for many racial groups in March, but it rose from 5.1% to 6% for Asian Americans. Black Americans had the highest overall unemployment rate that month (9.6%), followed by Hispanic Americans (7%).

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* The leisure and hospitality industry added 280,000 jobs as the weather grew warmer, more Americans got vaccinated ([link removed]) , and states loosened virus restrictions. Almost two-thirds of these new positions were at bars and restaurants.

* Public and private education added 190,000 jobs as schools resumed in-person learning. Construction added 110,000 jobs after facing February losses that were likely weather-related.

Parse the jobs picture by even more demographic data here ([link removed]) .

Afghanistan troop withdrawal
President Joe Biden announced last week that the US will begin drawing down troops from Afghanistan on May 1, concluding September 11. How many troops will that be? According to federal data, it’s not entirely clear.
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* There were 13,329 troops ([link removed]) in Afghanistan in 2017, the same year that the Defense Department stopped providing military deployment figures for Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

Learn more about troop deployments at USAFacts ([link removed]) .

Childcare and the pandemic

Working parents faced childcare challenges when the pandemic closed daycares and moved schooling online. Now, childcare is keeping some people, particularly women, from returning to work ([link removed]) as businesses and schools reopen.
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* According to a recent Household Pulse Survey, almost 15% of all women aged 25 to 44 with kids are currently not working because of childcare. That’s compared to just over 2% of young men living with kids.

* Furloughs or job loss due to shutdowns and temporary layoffs were the primary reasons for keeping women with kids out of work last spring. Childcare, however, has been the primary reason since mid-June.

How much do income and the cost of childcare impact women reentering the workforce? See the charts at USAFacts to find out ([link removed]) .

And finally...
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited President Joe Biden to address Congress on April 28. A president’s first joint address isn’t officially considered a state of the union, but much of the function is the same. So, before the speech, see the State of the Union in Numbers ([link removed]) for a data-driven look at how the nation is doing in 11 key areas.
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Want the inside scoop from the team behind the State of the Union in Numbers ([link removed]) ? USAFacts President Poppy MacDonald and USAFacts Research Manager Olivia Martin talk through its major takeaways in this video ([link removed]) , including insight into why the unemployment rate isn’t as high as one might think given the pandemic. See the video for the reason why.

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