Plus, tracking Afghan visas to the US since 9/11

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** Afghan visas to the US post 9/11
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The number of Afghans traveling to the US has fluctuated in the decades following the 9/11 attacks, the subsequent war in Afghanistan, plus Congressional actions. With the recent US military withdrawal from the country and evacuation of some Afghan citizens, USAFacts has the numbers ([link removed]) on people coming to the US temporarily or permanently.
* Non-immigrant visas increased starting in 2003 and hit a high of 4,421 in 2014. The US has decreased non-immigrant and immigrant visas issued to Afghan nationals in the past three years.

* Most non-immigrant visas for Afghans are for business and tourism. They typically last three to six months. These visas dropped the most following 9/11, down 40%.

* The special immigrant visa program allows Afghans (plus their families) employed by/on behalf of the US to resettle here for their safety. In 2006, Congress created a special immigrant visa program for Iraqi and Afghan translators. The program expanded in 2014 to include all Afghans and Iraqis employed by the US. Over 8,000 more visas were granted to Afghans in 2015. Special immigrant visas have fallen by more than 25% since peaking in 2017.

Discover more about visas for Afghans here ([link removed]) .

USAFacts is marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with more reports in the coming week, including data on the Department of Homeland Security and other responses to the terrorist attacks. Visit USAFacts ([link removed]) or check your inbox for more.

How far does $15 an hour go?

A $15 minimum wage has been in the national dialogue for years. President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan included a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15, but it was cut from the final bill. Still, eight states and Washington, DC, have or will soon have a $15 an hour minimum wage.

How long does someone making $15 an hour have to work to meet their financial needs? What about $7.25 an hour? USAFacts parsed the data ([link removed]) so you can see just how many work hours it takes to afford everything from food to healthcare to clothing to foreign travel.
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* About 1.1 million or 2% of hourly workers earned $7.25 per hour or less in 2020. At that rate, it would take more than four years for one person to cover the yearly expenses of an average American family.

* Despite calls for a $15 an hour minimum wage, it would not be enough for a single-income-earner household to cover average annual expenses anywhere in the US. For example, the average Mississippi family spent $44,071 in 2018, the lowest of any state. One person earning $15 an hour would need to work just over 73 workweeks to make that much. There are 52 weeks in a year.

See more and interact with the data visual here ([link removed]) .

Similarities amid Southern states during Delta

The United States has had at least 4.6 million new COVID-19 cases since June 20, when cases hit the lowest levels since March 2020. Cases have spiked in every state since then, but the Southeast is grappling with exceptionally high caseloads. The metrics reveal trends ([link removed]) on deaths and vaccinations among some Southern states.
* Twelve of Louisiana's 64 parishes have had more than 5% of their populations test positive since June 20. All but one of them have less than 38% of the population vaccinated. However, St. Tammany Parish is 45% vaccinated and had 5% of its population test positive.

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* Florida has had 5,176 coronavirus deaths during the current surge, 17% of the 31,335 deaths nationwide. Earlier in August, the daily death count was higher than at any point in the pandemic. The seven-day average Florida COVID-19 death count was 227 as of August 25.

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* Mississippi is the country's second least-vaccinated state. Full vaccination rates in its counties range from 24% in Smith County — where 3% of the population tested positive this summer — to 51% in Jefferson County, where 2% of people tested positive.

Learn more about these states amid the Delta surge ([link removed]) . And follow vaccinations in all states right here ([link removed]) .


One last fact
Home construction hasn't kept pace with the past 20 years of population growth. According to building permit data from the Census Bureau, 912,000 single-family homes were built last year. The US population grew by more than 3 million people in that time.

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