Even with the ongoing difficulties in the housing and mortgage industries, the American dream is still defined by many as owning your own home. Across the U.S., just over 65 percent of households own their homes, a decline of more than 1 percent since the year 2000. Among the states, the highest percentage of home ownership is in West Virginia, at more than 73 percent, while the lowest rate is in New York, at just over 53 percent. And New York City tops the nation in the highest percentage of renting households, at 69 percent. Among the nation’s nearly 45 million African-Americans, around 43 percent live in their own homes. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov
Sunday, February 23rd. The nation’s first college of pharmacy was founded in Philadelphia on this date in 1821, an appropriate anniversary to note that many health care organizations prescribe February as Wise Health Care Consumer Month. The “Rx” for Americans is to invest at least as much time in researching their health care options as they do for a new television. While prescription medication is one aspect of health care consumption, all levels of services and insurance are the elements of being a wise health care consumer. In the U.S., the number of people with health insurance coverage increased from 260 million in 2011 to more than 263 million in 2012. That’s just under 85 percent of the population. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at <www.census.gov>.
Saturday, February 22nd. The history of radio and the presidency seems to center entirely on Franklin Roosevelt’s famous “fireside chats” beginning in 1933 in the depths of the Depression. But the first president to address the nation from the White House over the infant broadcast medium was, ironically, “Silent Cal.” President Calvin Coolidge spoke to a coast-to-coast audience on this date in 1924 on the occasion of George Washington’s birthday. His words were carried over just 42 stations. That year, there were 530 radio stations in the country, broadcasting to just 1.25 million households. Today, there are over 6,300 radio stations employing over 100,000 people, and 114 million or 99 percent of U.S. households have radios. Profile America is in its 17th year as a Public Service of the U.S. Census Bureau.