Stacker

Most U.S. states promise their employees pensions upon retirement, but aren’t saving enough money to be able to deliver on those promises. The fallout could threaten state budgets more broadly. In a pension plan, employees and employers both pay into a system which the employer invests in order to be able to make payouts when […]

michelmond // Shutterstock How the flood risk has changed in your state, according to FEMA In order to update information about property flood risk, the Federal Emergency Management Administration modified the methodology used in its National Flood Insurance Program evaluations for the first time in 50 years. Changes in climatic and urban conditions required a […]

In 2022, the average age of a vehicle on the road in the U.S. surpassed 12 years—a record high. The rising age of American cars is a longtime trend—the average age of automobiles in operation in the U.S. has grown by about 45% since 1995—that gained momentum in the last five years due to a […]

America’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been complicated by inflation and climbing interest rates. Emergency federal aid helped ordinary citizens, businesses, and government agencies alike make it through the economic slowdown. But as that dries up, a darker picture is emerging. The poverty rate climbed in 2021, while income inequality grew from 2020 to […]

Even as the Biden administration moves to embrace electric vehicles in its efforts to curb global warming, America continues to guzzle gas. How much gas a state’s residents consume can depend on various circumstances, including how far they travel, what kind of public transportation is available, and how high of a gas tax is imposed. […]

If you drive a car, buy groceries, eat out at restaurants, or have spent money on pretty much anything in the United States in the last 12 months, you’ve likely felt the impact of this period of record-high inflation. Inflation hit its highest point in 40 years in June 2022, with prices for all consumer […]

The holiday season is upon us, which means it’s the perfect time to dive into the history of iconic gifts—and for Americans to gear up accordingly and look out for the best deals. For retailers, it means lining physical and virtual shelves with the most popular toys and newest gadgets. Toy shopping has transformed over […]

It’s that time of year again when travelers start planning for holiday travel, looking for the best maldives packages for couple—if they haven’t already started. After a couple of arduous years of restrictions and continued inflation, Americans are especially determined to get a glimpse of new scenery and travel out of town to visit loved […]

The retirement years are meant to be the golden years—a period in life when your time is truly your own to enjoy. For many retirees in the United States, that means finding the perfect location that meets at the intersection of low cost of living with a high quality of life. By the time people […]

The warm months of the year are often remembered as a time of adventure and excitement but after a long summer of often record-setting high temperatures, many are ready to embrace the cooler weather that autumn and winter typically bring. While not every state gets particularly cold—especially places with notoriously mild winters like Florida and […]

The United States has seen a wide range of winters over the past century—everything from warm, mild years where folks could stroll leisurely through parks in February to turbulent, frigid seasons where people had to hunker down inside. There were years when blizzards swept in unannounced, covering huge swaths of the country in blankets of […]

Your yearly flu vaccine protects you and those around you from the influenza virus, which could be deadly. Getting vaccinated too early could mean you may have reduced immunity by the time the flu virus circulates in your community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting a flu vaccine in September or October […]

Public colleges and universities can come with far less sticker shock than their private sector counterparts, but that isn’t to say they offer a substandard education or even diminished cachet. Coverage of the “Varsity Blues” college admission scandal exposed the underhanded—and illegal—tactics some affluent parents will employ to ensure their child’s acceptance not just to […]

Political corruption has been in the news for as long as politics have existed. In the U.S. people are often critical of the vast amounts of wealth that politicians, especially those at the federal level, are able to accrue. In 2005, the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act was first introduced after an academic study […]

Long before streaming allowed audiences to binge-watch whole series in a single weekend, there was primetime TV-watching bliss. Fan favorites such as “The West Wing” and “The Sopranos” kept fans glued to their sofas week after week and year after year to find out what would happen next. Some fans loved shows so much they […]

If it feels like all of your friends are heading off on tropical vacations this winter, consider heading down a different path with a visit to a quaint, cozy American town. Whether you’re interested in dog-sledding through the wilds of Wyoming or touring luxurious mansions along the coast of Rhode Island, Stacker rounded up a […]

Urban heat islands are areas within cities that are hotter than their outlying regions, largely due to albedo—the tendency of a material like asphalt or pavement to absorb, rather than reflect, heat from the sun. Lack of tree cover, an abundance of tall buildings, and population density can amplify this phenomenon as well. These hot […]

The concept of television programming has served as an unofficial barometer of technological and social progress. As technology advanced, so did the medium of television, from black and white to color. Standard definition turned to high definition, which developed into 4K, and analog eventually became digital. But there’s a lot more to TV than nuts […]

Nothing beats a real Christmas tree, from the crisp evergreen scent to choosing the perfect Tannenbaum to adorn with glistening ornaments come December. Across the U.S., more than 15 million trees are harvested from 15,000 tree farms, where 295,162 acres are in production. Christmas trees are a big business, bringing in about $377 million in […]

In the United States, finding balance between working arduously at a job and meeting obligations to loved ones—not to mention finding time for a healthy social life and personal time—proves to be a perpetual balancing act. Perhaps that’s why U.S. holidays are such a cornerstone in people’s personal and professional lives. From religious holidays like […]

One of the most stressful decisions new parents face is choosing the perfect name for their newborns. First names rarely get changed after being assigned and carry with them a wide range of meanings and associations. This creates a lot of pressure on expectant parents to pick the perfect moniker for their little ones. Perhaps […]

People can follow trends throughout time by looking at how fashion and music change—and the reasons why. But another way of observing changes in society is by analyzing the names that parents give to their newborn babies. Of course, people name their children for different reasons, but the most common influences include religion, popular culture, […]

Frequent fliers and first-time passengers dread arriving at airports only to discover their flights have been delayed—or worse, canceled. Even a delay of one hour can throw a journey into disarray, causing passengers to miss connecting flights or the meetings they were flying out to catch in the first place. There are five basic kinds […]

On Sep. 14, Amtrak canceled all of its long-distance routes in the U.S. There was a looming national railway strike, and although no Amtrak employees were part of the involved unions, the dominant ownership of U.S. rail lines by seven companies left Amtrak and its passengers in the middle of the negotiations. Amtrak restored service […]

Teacher shortages are affecting schools across the U.S. at an unprecedented scale. Nearly three-quarters of district officials and principals have said there aren’t enough applications to fill open positions, according to a survey published in July 2022 by Education Week. To study this trend, Teachercertification.com used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate […]

Stacker analyzed the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey data to determine the three most popular destinations for people moving out of each state. Because this is survey-based data, there is some inherent error and actual numbers may vary. The Census Bureau found that, between 2018 and 2019, roughly 7.4 million people moved between states. […]

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a critical report in 2018 that outlined the immediate mitigation efforts needed to limit the rise of global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius or less—the temperature after which climate disruptions are likely to become much more severe. The report highlighted the need for global human-caused carbon dioxide emissions to […]

Midterm elections have the power to reshape the U.S. Congress, set the stage for future presidential elections, and alter the direction of the country at large. In 2020, more than two-thirds of estimated eligible voters in the U.S. voted in the presidential election, the largest voter turnout of the 21st century, according to the U.S. […]

Between parental politics, after-school programs, and PTA meetings, navigating school districts can be hard—and choosing the district that is best for your child is even harder. Stacker analyzed 2022 data from Niche to calculate the best school district in every state. Niche rankings rely on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, SAT/ACT scores, college […]

Americans are enthralled with watching the lifestyles of the rich and famous unfold on TV and social media. Despite the extravagant cars and vacations showcased on certain programming franchises, the wealth of these celebrities pales in comparison to some of America’s richest families. To find out which clans hold the most wealth, Stacker compiled a […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a particularly grueling time for teachers. School districts seesawed between in-person, remote, and hybrid learning, forcing educators to adapt quickly to an environment often not conducive to learning, nor allowing them to provide the best educational model for students of all needs. Moreover, many teachers worried about their […]

  What makes for a truly great horror movie? Is it the jump scares and buckets of blood? A solid directorial voice? Creativity? Originality? Deeper layers of meaning? These are the questions critics might ask themselves when examining the genre from an analytical perspective. And as one will soon discover, their conclusions aren’t always tuned […]

Most Americans can count on one hand the Indigenous Americans who they know contributed to the colonial history of this land—from Sacagawea and Geronimo to Pocahontas and Sitting Bull. However, the reality is the one-sided nature of American history taught to children in the U.S. has minimized the contributions of Indigenous people, making for a […]

  Nurses have the opportunity to make a significant impact on their patients. While working to help heal and save lives may be rewarding, it can also take a physical, mental, and emotional toll. Though COVID-19 hospitalizations appear to have eased from their peak, the health care industry has taken a hit like never before. […]

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the most significant infusion of federal aid to businesses and families in American history. But this pandemic wasn’t the first time the government has stepped in to rescue a failing industry or the economy. From America’s earliest days, the government has periodically recognized the need to step in to avert […]