U.S. Census Bureau Facts for Features: Earth Day: April 22, 2017

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- April 22, 2017 , marks the 47th anniversary of Earth Day ― a day intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. Organizers started Earth Day in response to a massive oil spill in waters near Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1969. In honor of Earth Day ― and Earth Week (April 18-22) ― this edition of Profile America Facts for Features includes examples of Census Bureau statistics pertaining to energy and the environment.

Renewable Energy

$9.7 billion
The total of revenues in 2012 for electric power generation industries that use renewable energy resources, such as hydro, wind, geothermal, biomass, solar and other electric power generation.
Source: 2012 Economic Census
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/22A1//naics~221111|221114|221115|221116|221117|221118

1,183
The number of hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, biomass, solar and other electric power generation business establishments in 2014.
Source: 2014 County Business Patterns
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~22111|221111|221114|221115|221116|221117|221118

12,456   
The number of employees in hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, biomass, solar and other electric power generation business establishments in 2014.
Source: 2014 County Business Patterns
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~22111|221111|221114|221115|221116|221117|221118

$5.1 billion
The total of revenues in 2012 for the wind electric power generation industry, the highest among the industries using renewable energy resources. Hydroelectric power generation followed with revenues of $2.5 billion. Geothermal electric power generation had revenues of just under $1 billion ($981.2 million), followed by biomass electric power generation with $721.5 million in revenues; solar electric power generation with $427.6 million; and other electric power generation with $43.4 million.
Source: 2012 Economic Census
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/22A1//naics~22111|221111|221114|221115|221116|221117|221118

Heating and Cooling the Home

2.4 million
The estimated number of occupied housing units across the country primarily heated by wood in 2015, which is 2.0 percent of all homes.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table DP04
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/DP04  

106,737
The estimated number of occupied housing units across the country using solar energy in 2015 as their primary source of heat, which is 0.1 percent of all homes.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table DP04
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/DP04  

57.0 million
The estimated number of occupied housing units across the country primarily heated by utility gas in 2015, which is 48.2 percent of all homes.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table DP04
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/DP04  

93%
The estimated percentage of newly-built single-family homes across the country with air conditioning in 2015.
Source: Presence of Air-Conditioning in New Single-Family Houses Completed
www.census.gov/construction/chars/pdf/aircond.pdf

Commuting to Work

26.4 minutes
The estimated average time workers age 16 and older across the country spent getting to work in 2015, up from 26 minutes in 2014 and 25.8 in 2013.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table S0801
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0801

33.1 and 32.6 minutes
The estimated average time workers age 16 and older in New York and Maryland spent getting to work in 2015, the longest one-way commute times in the nation.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table S0801
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0801

16.9 and 16.6 minutes
The estimated average time workers age 16 and older in South Dakota and North Dakota spent getting to work in 2015, the shortest one-way commute times in the nation. The estimates for North Dakota and South Dakota are not significantly different.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table S0801
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0801

885,188
The estimated number of people who rode a bicycle to work in 2015. This comes out to about 0.6 percent of the American workforce.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B08006
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B08006

4,114,125
The estimated number of people who walked to work in 2015. This comes out to about 2.8 percent of the American workforce.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B08006
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B08006

Working in the Nuclear and Forestry Fields

54,183
The number of workers employed in forestry and logging establishments across the United States in 2014.
Source: 2014 County Business Patterns
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~113

48,602
The number of workers employed in nuclear electric power generation establishments across the United States in 2014.
Source: 2014 County Business Patterns
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~221113

109.9%
The percentage increase in the number of nuclear electric power generation establishments across the United States from 2005 to 2014, going from 68 establishments to 149 establishments, respectively. 
Sources: 2005 County Business Patterns and 2014 County Business Patterns
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~221113 
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2005/00A1//naics~221113

Using Energy

18,817 trillion Btu
The energy consumption in the U.S. manufacturing sector in 2010, down 17 percent from the 22,576 trillion Btu (British thermal units) consumed in 2002.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2010 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey
www.eia.gov/consumption/manufacturing/index.cfm

-32%
The percentage drop in the consumption of coal in the U.S. manufacturing sector from 2002 to 2010, going from 1,956 trillion Btu to 1,328 trillion Btu, respectively.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2010 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey
www.eia.gov/consumption/manufacturing/index.cfm

Building a House

2,467 square feet
The median size of a single-family home completed in 2015.
Source: Median and Average Square Feet of Floor Area in New Single-Family Houses Completed
www.census.gov/construction/chars/pdf/squarefeet.pdf

648,000
The number of single-family homes completed in 2015. Of these, 66,000 had two or fewer bedrooms and 307,000 had four bedrooms or more.
Source: Number of Bedrooms in New Single-Family Houses Completed
www.census.gov/construction/chars/pdf/bedrooms.pdf

$360,600

The average sales price of a new single-family home sold in 2015.
Source: Median and Average Sales Prices of New Single-Family Houses Sold www.census.gov/construction/chars/pdf/soldpricerange.pdf

14,000
The number of multifamily buildings built across the United States in 2015. Of these, 8,000 used electricity as the primary heating fuel.
Source: Number of Multifamily Buildings Completed by Type of Heating Fuel www.census.gov/construction/chars/pdf/mfb_heatingfuel.pdf

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

113,090
The number of employees working in recyclable material merchant wholesale establishments in 2014.
Source: 2014 County Business Patterns
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~423930

$95.8 billion
The total sales for recyclable material merchant wholesale establishments in 2012, up 19.6 percent from $80.1 billion in 2007. Total sales in 2012 for recyclable paper and paperboard products were $9.8 billion; recyclable plastics products were $2.5 billion; and recyclable glass products were $560.9 million.
Source: 2012 Economic Census and 2007 Economic Census
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/42SLLS1//naics~423930/prodsvc~10000|12930|12943|12944
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2007_US/42SLLS1//naics~423930/prodsvc~10000|12930|12943|12944

$8.4 billion

The product shipments value for recycled paperboard in 2015.
Source: 2015 Annual Survey of Manufactures
https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ASM/2015/31VS101/0100000US/prodsvc~3221307

Collecting Revenue

$2.1 billion
The estimated revenue for hazardous waste management collection services in 2015 for U.S. waste collection employer firms.
Source: 2015 Service Annual Survey, Table 4, NAICS 5621
http://www2.census.gov/services/sas/data/table4.xls

$5.2 billion
The estimated revenue for hazardous waste treatment and disposal services in 2015 for U.S. waste treatment and disposal employer firms.
Source: 2015 Service Annual Survey, Table 4, NAICS 5622
http://www2.census.gov/services/sas/data/table4.xls

$14.9 billion
The estimated revenue for local, fixed-route passenger transportation, by road and transit rail in 2014 for U.S. transit and ground passenger transportation employer firms.
Source: 2014 Service Annual Survey, Table 4, NAICS 485
http://www2.census.gov/services/sas/data/table4.xls

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 (usually first Sunday in February)
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)
Mother's Day (second Sunday in May)
Hurricane Season Begins (June 1)
Father's Day (third Sunday in June)
The Fourth of July (July 4)
Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act
  (July 26)
Back to School (August)
Labor Day (first Monday in September)
Grandparents Day (first Sunday after Labor Day)
Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)
Unmarried and Single Americans Week
  (third full week of September)
Halloween (Oct. 31)
American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month
  (November)
Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November)
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. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines.

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

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