How Many Years of Your Salary Are 401(K) Fees Costing You?
The financial pros all say you should invest in your company's 401(k) plan, but the fees on those investments can easily add up to a number that will shock you.
Census
Has US Economy Bottomed Out? Census Suggests Yes
Americans are on the move again after record numbers had stayed put, more young adults are leaving their parents' homes to take a chance with college or the job market, once-sharp declines in births are leveling off and poverty is slowing.
Census Shows 1 in 2 People Are Poor or Low-Income
Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans %u2014 nearly 1 in 2 %u2014 have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income. The latest census data depict a middle class that's shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government's safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families.
The Texas Surge: Is America Headed South?
For more than two centuries, the Census Bureau has plotted America's population center, mapping a steady progression of westward and southward growth. With a boom in Texas and busts on the coasts sending the center South, what does the new center say about the nation's future?
Rising Rents Could Be the Spark That Reignites Inflation
Vacancy rates have been declining at apartment buildings across the U.S., sending rents soaring. And because housing makes up a big part of core inflation, those higher rents could translate into a doubling of the inflation rate this year.
Census Bureau: U.S. Gains Up to 31 Million More Residents
The U.S. gained between 24 million and 31 million residents in the past decade, according to the Census Bureau's demographic analysis released Monday. And women outnumber men by 1.8 million.
Homeownership Rate Stuck at 11-Year Low
Despite government efforts to keep people in their homes and record-low interest rates, the homeownership rate remains stuck at 1999 levels, according to the latest figures from the Census Bureau.
Young Single Women Now Earn More Than Men
Young single women are earning more than their male peers in metropolitan areas around the U.S., according to an analysis of Census Bureau data released Wednesday. Some hope that the trend could eventually eliminate the male-female pay gap.
After Katrina, the New Orleans Population Goes Upscale
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is older, wealthier and less diverse, but it's also home to more well-off young people -- demographic changes that could attract more businesses and developers, and give a real lift to efforts to rebuild the Big Easy.
Initial Jobless Claims Make a Surprise Jump
Initial jobless claims unexpectedly surged by 19,000 to 479,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Although the statistic was likely skewed higher by normal summer factory shutdowns, the increase portrays a labor market still under strain.
June's Jobs Report Could Have Been Even Worse
Overall, 125,000 U.S. jobs were lost last month, primarily due to the Census ending 225,000 temporary positions. Private sector hiring of 83,000 was better than in May, but it's pretty weak for this point in a recovery. Still, any gains are hard to complain about.
Nonfarm Payrolls Fell 125,000 in June on Census Worker Lay-Offs
Total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 125,000 in June as the government laid off 225,000 temporary census workers. That was roughly in line with expectations of a 130,000-job drop. Private sector jobs rose by 83,000, below estimates of 110,000.
Some Hopeful Factors in May's Ugly Job Report
Investors wouldn't know it from the brutal equities sell-off in response to the report, but it offered more positive signs than it's getting credit for. The crises in Europe and the Census's "stealing" workers from the private sector mask some reasons for optimism.
What Happens When Census Jobs Go Away?
Last month, the U.S. Census added 48,000 new jobs to the economy, and over the next two, it will add as many as 700,000 more. But as welcome as those jobs are, they're only temporary: How will Americans react when the end of the Census puts those numbers back into the job-loss column?
Job Growth at Last: 162,000 Added to Payrolls
March was a good month for employment growth after all, as the economy added 162,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. It was the biggest rise in U.S. employment since March 2007, when the economy added 239,000 jobs.
What's at Stake in the Census 2010 Count? Plenty
The U.S. Census Bureau is pushing residents to mail Census 2010 forms back ahead of the April 1 deadline. Why is that so important? States could stand to lose an average of $1,400 for each person not counted.
Children and Workers Among 40 Million U.S. Poor
Poverty is growing in the recession, with nearly 40 million Americans living at or below the official poverty level in 2008. That figure includes more than 14 million children and a growing class of "working poor."
Texas Is the Big Winner in Recession Migration
As the recession has sent hundreds of thousands of people moving from place to place in search of jobs, Texas has experienced a major surge in population growth. Lita Epstein takes a peek at what this means for America's political, economic, and social structure.
