42nd Earth Day - April 22, 2012

April 22, 2012, marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day ― a day intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment. The day came from reaction to a massive oil spill in waters near Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1969. In honor of Earth Day ― and Earth Week (April 16-22) ― this edition of Profile America Facts for Features includes examples of Census Bureau statistics pertaining to energy and the environment.

Collecting Waste

$1.6 billion

Estimated revenue for “hazardous waste treatment – radioactive waste” in 2010 for U.S. employer firms was up 36.0 percent from 2009.

Source: 2010 Service Annual Survey

$715 million

Estimated revenue for “residential nonhazardous recyclable collection services” in 2010 for U.S. employer firms was up 26.5 percent from 2009.

Source: 2010 Service Annual Survey

$2.5 billion

Estimated revenue for “building remediation services ― asbestos contamination” in 2010 for U.S. employer firms was up 22.8 percent from 2009.

Source: 2010 Service Annual Survey

Heating and Cooling the Home

2.2 million

Estimated number of occupied housing units across the country heated by wood in 2010, which is less than 2 percent of all homes.

Source: 2006-2010 American Community Survey five-year estimates, Table B25040.

38,010

Estimated number of occupied housing units across the country heated by solar energy in 2010.

Source: 2006-2010 American Community Survey five-year estimates, Table B25040.

57.0 million

Estimated number of occupied housing units across the country heated by utility gas in 2010, which is about half of all homes.

Source: 2006-2010 American Community Survey five-year estimates, Table B25040.

88%

Estimated percent of newly built single-family homes across the country with air-conditioning in 2010. In 1974, it was 48 percent.

Source: 2010 Characteristics of New Housing

Commuting to Work

25.3 minutes

Estimated average time for workers 16 years and older across the country spent getting to work in 2010, up from 25.1 minutes in 2009.

Source: 2010 American Community Survey

31.8 minutes

Estimated average time for workers 16 years and older in Maryland spent getting to work in 2010, the longest commute time in the nation.

Source: 2010 American Community Survey

16.1 minutes

Estimated average time workers 16 years and older in North Dakota spent getting to work in 2010, the shortest commute time in the nation.

Source: 2010 American Community Survey

Working in the Nuclear and Forestry Fields

41,502

Number of workers employed in nuclear electric power generation across the U.S. in 2009. They had an average salary of $110,355.

Source: 2009 County Business Patterns

53,003

Number of workers employed in forestry and logging across the U.S. in 2009. They had an average salary of $35,127.

Source: 2009 County Business Patterns

Building a House

2,392 square feet

The average size of a single-family house built in 2010, down from 2,438 square feet in 2009.

Source: 2010 Characteristics of New Housing

$272,900

The average sales price of a new single-family home in 2010, up from $270,900 in 2009 but down from $313,600 in 2007.

Source: 2010 Characteristics of New Housing

9,000

The number of multifamily buildings built across the U.S. in 2010. Of these, 62 percent had at least five units.

Source: 2010 Characteristics of New Housing

Watching Nature’s Fury

36.8 million

The 2010 Census population (as of April 1, 2010) of the coastal portion of states stretching from North Carolina to Texas ― the area most threatened by Atlantic hurricanes. Approximately

12 percent of the nation’s population live in these areas.

Source: 2010 Census

15

The number of hurricanes to hit Florida’s Monroe County from 1960 to 2008, the most in the country. The 2010 population of 73,090 was down 8.2 percent from 2000. Lafourche Parish in Louisiana and Carteret County in North Carolina have each seen 14 hurricanes from 1960 to 2008. Lafourche’s population has risen 7.1 percent over the past decade while Carteret’s population has risen 11.9 percent.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coastal Services Center

U.S. Census Bureau State and County QuickFacts

Following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau’s Profile America Facts for Features series:

African-American History Month (February)

Super Bowl

Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14)

Women’s History Month (March)

Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/

St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May)

Older Americans Month (May)

Cinco de Mayo (May 5)

Mother’s Day

Hurricane Season Begins (June 1)

Father’s Day

The Fourth of July (July 4)

Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act

(July 26)

Back to School (August)

Labor Day

Grandparents Day

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)

Unmarried and Single Americans Week

Halloween (Oct. 31)

American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month

(November)

Veterans Day (Nov. 11)

Thanksgiving Day

The Holiday Season (December)

Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Profile America Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-763-3762; or email: .