The U.S. Census Bureau has released the new Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2009. First published in 1878, “Uncle Sam’s Almanac” is a summary of statistics on a wide range of important topics, from A (aquaculture) to Z (zinc production).
Statistics on health care, for example, note that the average length of stay for patients at community hospitals declined from 7.2 days in 1990 to 5.5 days in 2006. Yet over the same period, the average cost per patient stay climbed 81 percent, from $4,947 to $8,970.
Also, Americans are spending more on retail prescription drugs. Drug sales climbed from $72.2 billion in 1995 to $259.4 billion in 2007, with the majority of spending shifting from brand name to generic (60 percent brand name in 1995, less than 42 percent in 2007).
The Statistical Abstract is available on the Census Bureau’s web site.
