The first #JustTheFacts episodes are officially live! Get the numbers — not rhetoric — on US immigration and the federal budget. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get exclusive access to future episodes. #budget #immigration #usafacts usafacts.org/just-the-facts?…

How much do high school teachers get paid? The median salary across the US is $72,340. Adjusted for cost of living, Oklahoma has the lowest high school teacher salaries at $51,000. Can you guess which other states rank at the bottom? 👇

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Regular gas prices have risen nationally for 3 weeks in a row. The national average is $4.48/gallon — up $1.31 from this time last year. And Michigan has seen the biggest price increase YoY, +$1.71. Diesel is currently seeing its highest gas prices ever at $6.53/gallon. What are you paying at the pump this week? ⛽

Over half of Americans report household AI use (57%) — with men using it more than women. As income and educational attainment increased, so did AI use. It is also more common among people who have a job; 66.7%, compared to 44.1% of unemployed respondents. Do you use AI more or less than the average American?

Last week our team was on-the-ground in DC asking Congress to use public data to legislate and fix it when it falls short. With over 80,000 signatures on our open letter to Congress, we've passed along which data matters most to you.

📷Episode 1 of our new series with @TheCrashCourse is officially out! The series explores some of today’s biggest questions about US government — paired with data and classroom materials. Want to dig into the numbers behind each episode? We got you! Whether you’re a teacher or life-long learner, explore each Crash Course topic with classroom-ready materials including discussion questions, vocab guides, and student worksheets — so you’re ready to teach in minutes. 📷 usafacts.org/crash-course/

Mississippi has the highest car accident fatality rate of any state at 17.89 deaths per 100,000 people — the national rate is 7.15 per 100,000. As a pedestrian, you’re most at risk in New Mexico where the vehicle-related pedestrian fatality rate is 4.22 deaths per 100,000 people. Men are almost 2x more likely to be the victim of a fatal car crash.

Early voting for the midterms has officially kicked off in multiple states. What are the voting laws in your state? 🪪 24 states require a photo ID to vote 🗳️ 4 states don’t have early in-person voting periods 📅 21 states + DC allow for same day registration 💻 7 states don’t allow online voter registration

When it comes to government spending, American taxpayers have a vested interest. In FY 2025, the federal government spent $6.1T — over half of which was mandatory spending. Of the $4.2T in mandatory spending, the largest program was Social Security at $1.6T, comprising 37% of the total. For discretionary spending, the largest category was national defense at $893.6B (48% of the total). How do you think the government should spend your tax dollars?

If you could go back to college today, what would you major in? The top 5 occupations expected to grow the most by 2034 all require a STEM degree. 🔸Data scientists 🔸Information security analysts 🔸Medical and health services managers 🔸Actuaries 🔸Operations research analysts

Obesity rates have risen in every state since 2013. Obesity rates vary from 25.6% in Colorado to 41.7% in West Virginia. And New Mexico had the largest change, rising from 26.3% in 2013 to 36.3% in 2023. Back in the 1960s, about 13% of Americans were considered obese under CDC guidelines. Today, it's closer to 40%. What do you think might be driving these trends where you live?

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in 3 years. The 0.25-point increase brings the target range to 3.75%–4%. When the Fed raises rates, borrowing can cost more everywhere — mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and business loans can all get pricier.

Are AI data centers driving up your electric bill? For most Americans, probably not — at least not yet. The tl;dr of our analysis: 📌 Average electricity cost increases nationwide have followed general inflation patterns. 📌 Big state-level rate increases are more common than you think. 📌 Where data centers are dense, prices haven’t risen faster. 📌 Other factors besides AI may explain rising electricity prices. For a more in-depth dive on electricity prices & AI, read more here: usafacts.org/articles/are-ai…

The results are in! 🎉 While our Emmy-nomination dreams are still unrealized, Ad Fontes Media recognizes us as a trusted source of impartial information in its latest Media Bias Chart. Once again, we’re proud to land in the top center of the partisan bias scale out of 4,700 news sources. Don't just take our word for it. Check it out for yourself! adfontesmedia.com/simple-cha…

Do you live in a state with a flat or progressive income tax rate? Oregonians pay the highest average state income tax per person, $3,123.07. Only DC is higher at $4,465.88 per person.

How much does your state pay its teachers? Learn more about teacher salaries in the US: usafacts.org/answers/how-muc…

Nearly 70% of Supreme Court justices confirmed in the past 50 years were nominated by a Republican president — that hasn't always been the case. While a president might never get the chance to nominate a justice, another might make enough nominations to shape the court for decades.

Nearly 22 out of every 10,000 Americans — 745,652 people — experienced homelessness in January 2025. Of that total, 36% were unsheltered. And demographics can shift the rate of homelessness a population experiences. But what does the data miss? 🔹 Public place counts miss those in cars/motels or those avoiding being counted, while service-based counts miss anyone who doesn't use those services. 🔹 Sheltered counts can exclude people staying with family/friends, in foster care, or in justice facilities, and rural areas can struggle with staffing and infrastructure.

Americans are losing trust in where they get their information. But they still value facts and data. Our 2026 State of the Facts Survey with @APNORC found trust in federal government information is declining across major issues, from 18% in 2024 to 11% in 2026. But 60% of Americans say data makes them more likely to see information as factual — the strongest driver of confidence. So, how do we make sure people can find trustworthy facts wherever they’re looking? That’s what we’re working on at USAFacts: ➡️ Bringing government data directly into AI platforms so people (and AI agents) can easily access trustworthy public data available. ➡️ Building new civic content for students and lifelong learners, including a 15-part YouTube series with @TheCrashCourse and more #JustTheFacts videos. ➡️ Empowering fact-based discourse to the test if ideological adversaries can have a productive debate if they start from the same set of facts. ➡️ Directly asking Congress to commit to investing in robust, modern data infrastructure that is free of political influence, visible to the public, and ready for AI models. The way we get information is changing. The need for clear, accessible facts isn’t. To discover more insights from our State of the Facts Survey, visit usafacts.org/articles/americ…

Literacy is about more than reading. Here’s what the data measure.