USA Facts

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Which states have the highest and lowest income tax?

Oregon collected the most state income taxes in 2023, while nine states collected no income tax at all.

https://usafacts.org/articles/which-states-have-the-highest-and-lowest-income-tax/?

How much does the US federal government spend?

About $7.05 trillion in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This averages about $20,600 per person in the US. The amount the government can spend depends on the amount of revenue it collects (e.g., through taxes, customs duties, and other sources). If it has to spend more revenue than it brings in, it borrows the funds, creating debt.

https://usafacts.org/answers/how-much-does-the-us-federal-government-spend/country/united-states/?

All about taxes

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) came with some big tax changes. When do they take effect and what's the tax story so far? Here's your one stop shop for everything taxes.

https://usafacts.org/economy/taxes/?

One last fact

The Michigan Wolverines and UConn Huskies are competing for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship (and someone might have already won by the time you receive this). But we at USAFacts have been holding our own data Final Four between each team’s home state. Here’s how the population of the states in the men’s Final Four changed over the last year. (You can see more population metrics here, including your state!)

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In Congress, a single "day" can last 30 seconds or stretch well over 24 hours

We went through more than a decade of official records to understand how congressional time actually works. The answer is weirder than expected.

https://usafacts.org/articles/congressional-time-in-session/?

How many people have mental illness in the US?

About 61.5 million adults had a mental illness in 2024. That's the equivalent of 23.4% of the adult population of the US, or 11 in 47 adults. This data comes from an annual survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which defines mental illness as a range of disorders, from mild to severe, affecting a person's thinking, mood, or behavior.

https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people-have-mental-illness-in-the-united-states/country/united-states/?

One last fact

In fiscal year 2024, the IRS’s operating costs were $18.2 billion, of which 65.3% went to salaries and benefits for the agency’s staff. The IRS spent $0.36 to collect every $100 in tax dollars, down from the 21st century peak of $0.53 in 2010.

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What do your federal taxes pay for?

Enter some of your details into this calculator and get a tax receipt showing how much you spend on national defense, Medicare, and more.

https://usafacts.org/articles/tax-receipt/?

Is the US population growing or shrinking?

It grew by 1.78 million people between 2024 and 2025, a 0.52% increase. That’s more than the population of Phoenix. Between 2015 and 2025, it grew by 6.2%. Changes in population reflect things like shifting birth and death rates, immigration patterns, and even the overall health of the economy. The recent 0.52% increase was primarily driven by immigration to the US.

https://usafacts.org/answers/is-the-population-growing-or-shrinking/country/united-states/?

One last fact

Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the value of goods and services a country or state produces — it's the sum of consumer spending, business investment, government spending, and net exports. “Real GDP” is adjusted to make it easier to compare the size of an economy over time without the effects of inflation.    GDP was $30.8 trillion in 2025. Real GDP rose 2.2% from a year prior.

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How many executive orders has each president signed?

Recent presidents have signed an average of 270 executive orders while in office, with two-term presidents averaging 332 and single-term presidents averaging 207.

https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-executive-orders-has-each-president-signed/?

What are the top causes of death for people 65 and older?

In 2024, cancer led deaths among adults ages 65–79, while heart disease led among those 80 and above.

https://usafacts.org/articles/what-are-the-top-causes-of-death-for-people-65-and-older/?

One last fact

Petroleum was the nation’s most-consumed energy source in 2024, accounting for 37.5% of energy consumption. Natural gas was second at 36.3%. Together, these sources fueled nearly three-quarters of the country’s energy needs.     The remaining energy consumption was from nuclear power, coal, and renewable energy, each at around 8% or 9%.

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A correction

We cited the wrong city last week when describing US population growth, and we regret the error. With a net increase of 1.78 million people, Phoenix would have been a much more accurate comparison. Thank you for trusting us with the facts.

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What is the crime rate in the US?

In 2024, for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate was 359 and the property crime rate was 1,760. Simply speaking, violent crimes are committed against people, property crimes are not. These crime rates do not include every violent and property crime, but rather four violent offenses and three property offenses that have been tracked since 1929.

https://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-crime-rate-in-the-us/country/united-states/?

What is the income of a US household?

The median household income in the US was $81,600 in 2024. Household income is the total money received in a year — wages, pensions, investments, public assistance, and more — by everyone in a household over 15.

https://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-income-of-a-us-household/country/united-states/?

 

One last fact

Thirty-six states are holding gubernatorial elections this year. As a reminder, here’s how things stand now: 26 states have Republican governors, while 24 are led by Democrats.

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Just the Facts on the Fed   The newly confirmed Fed Chair Kevin Warsh is beginning his tenure as head of the Federal Reserve. The Fed is the nation's central bank, but you can’t walk into a branch to open a checking account. Instead, the Fed's decisions can make your car payments cheaper or a job harder to find.   So how does the Fed work? Glad you asked! USAFacts Founder Steve Ballmer just dropped this new video on the Fed and we couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Join Steve as he breaks down the Federal Reserve's complex role in the American economy. He'll break down complicated concepts, provide visuals to shed light on the institution, and even make a few costume changes.    This is the first Spotlight edition of the USAFacts newsletter, which we’ll send when we have a cool new way to explore data with you. You can expect to get them about once a month.    Here's a preview of what you'll find in the video, plus data to understand the Fed's role in your economic well-being:

The Federal Reserve is the most important bank you’ll never use. It’s a bank for banks. It holds cash reserves, moves money between banks, and can lend to them whenever needed.   The Fed has five responsibilities. The one that affects you most directly is its mandate to conduct monetary policy to keep inflation in check and employment high. Through it, the Fed can influence interest rates across the entire economy. (Here are the other four.)

Speaking of inflation When the Fed lowers interest rates, it can lead to the running economy “hot.” It can make it cheaper for you to buy a house, get a car loan, or borrow money to open a business. But if money’s easier to borrow, it can fuel inflation.   Last month’s inflation rate was 3.8%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures inflation through changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a metric designed to track the price of a “basket of goods and services.”

Think a dollar doesn't go as far as it used to? You're right. Track how the dollar’s value has changed with our inflation calculator! Explore the value from 1913 to now, or at any point in between.   Workers’ wages aren’t keeping up with inflation. Nominal wages rose 3.6% from April 2025 to April 2026, while prices grew 3.8%.   When the Fed raises interest rates, it can lead to the economy running “cold,” making things more expensive and slowing inflation. When borrowing is hard, it can slow the economy and drive up unemployment.

How the Fed influences interest rates The Fed changes the interest it charges on loans it gives and pays on other banks' cash reserves it holds, effectively setting the limits at which other banks can charge interest. The average overnight rate at which banks transact is called the federal funds rate. Get a jargon-free explanation of the federal funds rate from Steve himself.

If the Fed raises the federal funds range, your bank’s costs go up. Your bank might raise interest rates on new loans. Mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and short-term business loans all get more expensive. That can ripple across the economy: people buy less, inflation can decrease as demand falls, less demand means companies may need fewer workers — causing unemployment to rise.   The federal funds rate target range has changed about 30 times in the last 10 years. In 2022, inflation climbed well above the Fed’s 2% goal. In response, the Fed raised the federal funds target range seven times in a single year.

The Fed uses the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) to measure inflation. The PCE tracks changes in the prices consumers pay across the economy. This differs somewhat from the CPI (the inflation measure most Americans are familiar with) because the two indexes use different methods and baskets of goods and services to calculate price changes.   Sometimes interest rate changes aren't enough, so the Fed uses other tools. One of them is to create money. (Sounds nice, right?) Here’s how.    Thank you for joining us for this first Spotlight email! Watch the video now, then learn more about the Federal Reserve.

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How much do you pay in gas taxes?

Gas prices are nearing $6.00 a gallon in some parts of the US, while other regions pay over two dollars less at the pump. How much are taxes adding to the equation?

https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-do-you-pay-in-gas-taxes/?

How much money does the US federal government collect?

About $5.26 trillion in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This is about $15,400 per person in the US, however individual contributions vary based on income, spending, and other factors. Government revenue is the total amount of money received from individual and corporate taxes, and other sources that are used to pay for government spending.

https://usafacts.org/answers/how-much-does-the-us-federal-government-collect/country/united-states/?

One last fact

Twenty-four states and Washington, DC, have legalized recreational marijuana. Ohio is the latest state to do so, with voters approving a ballot measure in November 2023. Forty states and Washington, DC, have legalized some form of medical marijuana.