Go Figure: A Numbers Game

Using LexisNexis Statistical DataSets

On what day did the US national debt reach $13 trillion?

Select National Debt (Daily) from the In the News Section. Move the scroll bar down until you find the date that we crossed into $13T. When you called up the data, it was already sorted by date. You should not sort the table by $ amount because (surprisingly) there are some days when the national debt declines.

What has been average (mean) gap between the Michigan unemployment rate and the national average rate from Jan 2009 to the present?

Multi-select the unemployment rate for Michigan and the US (ALL). Select data back to Jan 2009 by putting the cursor on the topmost table row, holding down right mouse button and shift key, dragging down to Jan. 2008.

Then use the Calculator tool to subtract C2 from C1. Deselect the two of them so you are only showing your calculated value. Select the Average function from the Statistical Analysis pulldown.

Are all US airlines covered in the Airline on-time performance data?

For a question like this, you should click on the I button to call up the citation record. Open the dataset description. If we failed toanticipate and answer the question, click on the web link where additional information about the dataset will be found.

What zip code in Maryland spends the most on software—total spent, NOT amount per household?

An EASI question. Search on computer software….You’ll see EASI’s Consumer Expenditure data in the results list. Select Zip code; Select Maryland. Make sure the Map is plotted to show AMOUNT. Make sure that column is sorted from high-low. Gaithersburg wins.

Draw a 20-mile radial map around that zip code. Zoom in on that area and let the map fill your screen.

Click on Gaithersburg in the Table to locate the zip code on the map. Position the cursor over the area, hold down the shift key, depress and hold the right mouse button, drag the cursor, and stop when the radius is roughly 20 miles. Change the Layout to Graph Only. Zoom in by drawing a box around the radial area.

What state (other than DC) had the highest percentof popular vote for Obama in the 2008 election?

Open the Presidential Election Results folder. Select Ranking, select State, select Democratic. There’s your answer.

Create a Tennessee county map showing the poverty rate for the population as a whole. Copy the map (but not the table) into a WORD document.

In the Population & Income folder, select Poverty % All Ages. Select Map, then County under State, then Tennessee. Change Layout to Graph Only. Under Export, copy image of results panel to clipboard. Paste into your document.

What state has seen the biggest growth this year in new jobs for highway construction under the Economic Stimulus program?

Search on highway construction. Select dataset for the Economic StimulusProgram, change indicator to Jobs Created, select Ranking, select State.

We often hear that consumer spending constitutes two-thirds of US GDP. Can you prove that using DataSets?

Yes, you can. Select GDP from the Economic Indicators folder.Click on GDP and multi-select Personal Consumption (hold down Control key). Using the Calculator tool, divide pc by GDP *100.A bit more than two-thirds, it turns out.

Which three banks led the nation in the value of the loans they restructured in 2009?

Search on loans restructured, open the FDIC dataset. Select ranking,then Bank. Limit to the top 3 by holding down the shift key and theRight mouse button. Drag down to the top 3 and release the mouse Button. Bingo.

In 2008, how many criminal felony cases filed in Federal district or circuit courts for sexual abuse of children ended in conviction?

Search on sexual abuse of children. Select the dataset for Criminal Offenses –All Offenses. Multi-select All dispositionsAnd the 3 methods of conviction.

What ten states have lost the most farmland from 1960 to 2008? Change the display so you show only those 10 states.

Search on farmland…It will the last hit in your results list. Select Ranking and State. Multi-select 2008 and 1960. Using the CalculatorTool, subtract the 1960 acreage from 2008.

Position the cursor on the first table row, hold down shift and right Mouse button, drag down 10 rows. Lift up on the mouse button. Voila.

Examine trends in construction industry job openings. Find BLS reports and press releases on the topic.

Search on construction industry job opening. Open the BLS dataset. Double click on any point in the trend line. You should see a selection of news stories about that indicator. You can amend the search string by adding a word or phrase; in this case, BLS. Click Update.