Child Care Costs Nearly Doubled in 25 Years

According to a report published earlier this month by the United States Census Bureau titled "Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011" the cost of child care nearly doubled from 1986 to 2011. In 1986, the average family with an employed mother spent $84.30 a week (in 2011 dollars) on childcare compared to $143 in 2011. Despite this dramatic increase in child care costs, the proportion of income spent on child care has remained relatively steady from 6% of the monthly family income spent on child care in 1986 to 7% in 2011. It is also important to note that the wage earned by full-time child care workers has not increased in the past 20 years. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 1990 the average full-time child care worker earned $19,680 (2011 dollars) compared to $19,098 in 2011. Interestingly, it seems the proportion of children cared for by a non-relative in the providers residence declined while the proportion of families who rely on day-care centers or fathers taking care of preschool children has increased. However, despite an increased reliance on organized day care centers, many children are still cared for by relatives. As of 2011, nearly 1 in 4 preschoolers were cared for by a grandparent, about 1 in 5 were cared for by their fathers while their mothers were employed, and 1 in 10 were cared for by a sibling or other relative. For more information on how the demographics of child care has changed, please read the full report at http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p70-135.pdf.

56.7 Million Americans Have a Disability

Last Friday, Matthew Brault from the Health and Disability Statistics Branch of the Census Bureau appeared on C-SPAN to discuss Americans with disabilities in the U.S.  There were 56.7 million people with a disability in 2010, up 2.3 million from 2005.  38.3 million possessed a severe disability – a disability that totally prevents the survey respondent from doing many different activities listed in the Survey of Income and Program Participation.  Of Americans aged 21 to 64 with a disability, just 4-in-10 were employed, and 11% of Americans aged 15 to 64 with a severe disability experienced persistent poverty.

Over a Third of American Companies are Hiring

Gallup tracks the percentage of employed Americans who report their company is hiring or laying off workers.  The most recent tally displays an improving job market, in which 35% of companies are hiring compared to 16% that are letting go of employees.  These percentages have hardly changed since four years ago, when 37% of companies were hiring and 16% were laying off.  However, since bottoming out at 24% in late 2009, the percentage of companies that were seeking employees has risen steadily to its current level.  Conversely, the percentage of companies laying off its workforce peaked in early 2009, and has since fallen consistently.