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2025-06-23 20:10:59

Ranked: U.S. States from Most to Least Expensive

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

How far does a dollar really go across America?

As inflation has raised everything from housing costs to the price of eggs to record levels, consumers are feeling the burden. While tariffs stand to raise prices even further—although no meaningful signs in official data show this yet—price pressures have few signs of abating.

This graphic shows price parity by U.S. state based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

How Price Parity Compares Across America

To show the differences in prices across the country, the BEA compared each state to the national average, represented as 100 as of 2023.

Ranking as the nation’s most expensive state, prices in California are 13% higher than the national average.

In particular, California’s housing rents are 58% higher overall, second-only to Washington, D.C.. at 69% in 2023. Typically, housing is the primary driver of price disparities across the country.

At the same time, Californians pay more for groceries than any other state—at around 10% higher than the U.S. average.

Ranking in third is New Jersey, driven largely by its proximity to New York. In addition to high housing costs, a separate report shows that people in the Garden State pay 32% more for household bills like utilities and health insurance than the U.S. average.

At the other end of the spectrum, southern states like Arkansas and Mississippi offer some of the lowest costs of living. In August 2024, the median home sale price in Arkansas was just $203,067 compared to the U.S. median of about $385,000. Beyond housing costs, daily expenses like transportation and utilities are also comparatively lower.

Similarly, median home prices in Mississippi stand at just $183,507, however, median household incomes fall below the national average, at $55,060.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic from an affordability perspective, check out this graphic on home affordability scores by U.S. state.

2025-06-23 13:31:02

Visualized: Family Income vs. Taxes, by European Country (2024)

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

It really isn’t about how much you make (income) any more, it’s about how much you get to keep (incomes vs. taxes).

And taxes aren’t exactly beloved, even on the continent with the highest marginal tax rates.

So who’s really getting to keep the most of what they earn? We take a look in Europe specifically.

This visualization ranks gross and net earnings for dual-income European families with two dependents, and quantifies the impact of taxes and social contributions made in 2024.

The data for this visualization comes from Eurostat, accessed via Euronews. It is not adjusted for inflation or local costs. Net income includes tax returns and family allowances.

Ranked: Countries With the Highest Income in Europe

Swiss dual-income families earned the highest gross income in Europe—over €208,000 in 2024.

Remarkably, they took home 86% of it, one of the highest net retention rates in the continent. This results in a net income of €178,553, far surpassing most other European peers.

Country	Family Gross Income (€)	Family Net Income (€)	Taxes & Social Security (€)	% of Pay Taken Home
Switzerland	€208,755	€178,553	€30,202	86
Iceland	€158,208	€116,411	€41,797	74
Luxembourg	€148,591	€110,438	€38,153	74
Denmark	€136,506	€91,712	€44,794	67
Netherlands	€131,563	€101,465	€30,098	77
Norway	€131,350	€97,580	€33,770	74
Ireland	€128,317	€95,776	€32,541	75
Germany	€126,575	€86,372	€40,203	68
Austria	€123,398	€93,722	€29,676	76
Belgium	€121,682	€80,070	€41,612	66
Finland	€105,786	€76,150	€29,636	72
Sweden	€93,996	€75,076	€18,920	80
France	€89,937	€68,228	€21,709	76
EU	€86,293	€63,523	€22,770	74
Italy	€71,232	€54,472	€16,760	76
Spain	€63,397	€50,060	€13,337	79
Malta	€61,072	€48,048	€13,024	79
Cyprus	€57,397	€49,273	€8,124	86
Slovenia	€55,511	€38,209	€17,302	69
Greece	€55,435	€41,142	€14,293	74
Lithuania	€51,515	€34,128	€17,387	66
Estonia	€47,861	€39,965	€7,896	84
Portugal	€45,176	€35,394	€9,782	78
Poland	€44,786	€39,120	€5,666	87
Czechia	€43,769	€36,076	€7,693	82
Hungary	€41,754	€29,788	€11,966	71
Latvia	€40,351	€31,500	€8,851	78
Romania	€40,116	€26,766	€13,350	67
Croatia	€40,000	€29,523	€10,477	74
Slovakia	€37,057	€32,940	€4,117	89
Türkiye	€31,942	€22,880	€9,062	72
Bulgaria	€28,542	€23,375	€5,167	82

While income taxes are relatively high, Swiss families must also make mandatory contributions to healthcare and pensions, which significantly reduces their overall taxable income.

Child support is also impressive: with monthly payments per child, daycare subsides, and tax deductions for childcare costs.

All of this substantially increases their net income (or their take-home pay).

Similarly, the Netherlands is fifth by gross income at €131,563, and they retain 77% of it after deductions.

For reference, Dutch families took home over €101,000, putting them ahead of bigger economies like Germany, France, and Italy.

Looking at Eastern Europe’s Taxes

Countries like Romania and Lithuania show stark contrasts from Western Europe.

Romanian families earned just over €40,000 but took home only €26,766, or just 67% of gross pay.

Lithuania fares similarly, with families losing about one-third of earnings to taxes.

Interestingly, both countries have a flat personal income tax rate. Why does that matter?

This IMF analysis on tax redistribution helps explain. In countries like Romania or Lithuania, tax and transfer systems aren’t doing enough to redistribute wealth and reduce poverty.

Sometimes they even make it worse because the poor pay taxes (especially flat or indirect ones) that outweigh the help they get from the state.

This shows how less progressive tax systems and weak social benefits can actually increase the financial pressure on low-income families—especially in Eastern Europe.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

What this graphic doesn’t cover is how living costs differ. Check out The Average Income for A European Family, Adjusted for Living Costs on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2025-06-23 02:30:58

Charted: ChatGPT vs. X in Global Site Traffic

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

As of May 2025, ChatGPT.com and X.com (formerly Twitter) are the fifth- and sixth-most-visited websites in the world, respectively.

But while both platforms continue to command massive global audiences, the gap between the two is widening.

This infographic compares global website traffic growth for ChatGPT.com and X.com (formerly Twitter) between April and May 2025, using data from Similarweb.

ChatGPT Trumps X in Web Traffic

ChatGPT surpassed X in total visits for the first time in April 2025. The trajectory continued in May, with ChatGPT recording 5.49 billion visits, compared to 4.39 billion visits for X.

ChatGPT’s monthly web traffic grew by 6.8% or 350 million visits in May, slowing down from 13% in April. In comparison, web traffic on X grew by 1.1% or 49 million visits in May 2025, after having recorded a 5% drop in April.

However, it’s worth noting that both websites serve completely different functions.

ChatGPT serves as a generative AI tool being increasingly woven into work, learning, and productivity. It’s also the most popular AI tool worldwide and has seen exponential growth compared to competitors. Meanwhile, X is primarily a social media network known for news and discourse on current events.

The Bigger Picture

ChatGPT’s momentum reflects a broader trend in how users are allocating time online and embedding AI into their daily routines.

If current trends continue, the gap between these two platforms will likely continue to widen. However, ChatGPT remains far from the likes of Google and YouTube, which saw 105 billion and 47 billion website visits in April, respectively.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Companies Leading the Era of AI on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2025-06-22 23:08:11

Ranked: U.S. States Most Dependent on the Federal Government

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

How reliant is your state on Uncle Sam’s wallet?

Every year, billions in federal tax dollars are redistributed to the 50 states and the District of Columbia through grants, contracts, and benefit programs.

We rank the states to see who benefits the most from the flows so readers can see the fiscal winners and losers at a glance.

Data for this visualization comes from MoneyGeek, which uses Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis figures.

Their dependency score blends two metrics: the state’s return‐on‐taxes ratio and the share of state revenues coming from federal sources.

Return on taxes measures how much state residents—including businesses—receive in federal payments for every $1 paid in tax to the federal government.

Importantly, this data does not include Medicaid payments.

Finally, a state’s political affiliation is based on its voting history in the past five presidential elections.

Ranked: States That Need the Federal Government the Most

New Mexico tops the 2024 list for states most dependent on the federal government, with a perfect score of 100.

Its residents receive $3.42 for every tax dollar they send to Washington, while the state covers nearly a third of its budget with federal funds.

West Virginia, Alaska, and Mississippi follow closely, each exceeding $2.60 in returns and relying on federal transfers for more than a quarter of state revenues.

The outlier is the District of Columbia: despite a lower tax return multiple ($1.71), 32% of its revenue comes from the federal government. This is unsurprising given its role as the nation’s administrative hub.

Federal Dependency: Red vs. Blue States

MoneyGeek’s ranking reveals a partisan tilt: seven of the states with the top 10 dependency scores are red, including conservative strongholds such as Alabama, Kentucky, and Montana.

Meanwhile, 11 of the 20 net tax recipient states have voted Republican in at least three of the past five presidential elections.

Yet political color is not destiny. Deep-blue New Mexico and D.C. also sit near the top.

MoneyGeek’s analysis points to economic structure rather than ideology: energy extraction, military installations, and a high share of retirees often correlate with greater federal inflows.

The Big List of Donor States

At the opposite end, New Jersey and Washington score zero, receiving roughly half a dollar back for every dollar paid their residents pay in taxes.

California, New York, and Minnesota also run sizable “deficits,” each collecting less than 75 cents on the dollar.

These donor states tend to have large, diversified economies and higher-than-average household incomes, boosting tax receipts while limiting eligibility for certain federal aid programs.

Their contributions effectively subsidize public services elsewhere—fueling perennial debates over tax fairness and redistribution.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

For more insights, cross-reference this post with Visualizing $29 Trillion Economy by State on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2025-06-22 20:10:48

Mapped: The Most Common Job in Each U.S. State in 2024

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Two years ago, we visualized the American workforce as 100 people in an effort to break down the most common job across the country.

But what does similar data look like at a state level?

We used figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release and pulled the occupation with the most number of employees in each state.

Importantly the OEWS survey doesn’t cover the agriculture sector, so those estimates are missing from this map.

The Big List of Every U.S. State’s Most Common Job

Fast Food Worker hold the crown for most common job in 15 states stretching from Arkansas to Utah.

The trend underscores the South’s large service sector and the Mountain West’s booming tourism and quick-service chains.

Although wages in this occupation are lower than the national average, the sheer volume of positions makes it the backbone of many state labor markets.

At second place is a three-way tie between:

• Retail Salespersons and Cashiers
• Home Health Aides
• Logistics Managers & Specialists

These three are the most common jobs in 10 states each.

Despite rapid e-commerce growth, brick-and-mortar outlets remain major employers, particularly in suburban and rural areas where shopping malls and big-box stores serve as community hubs.

Automation and self-checkout are nibbling at headcounts, yet the customer-facing nature of retail continues to require large numbers of workers on the floor.

Healthcare’s Rise: Home Health Aides Lead in 10 States

An aging population and preference for in-home care propel Home Health Aides to the No. 1 spot in 10 states, from California’s 875,110 aides to Maine’s 18,080.

These roles typically offer lower wages than hospital-based nursing but have minimal barriers to entry, making them important stepping stones in healthcare careers.

Their prevalence signals both the challenges and opportunities created by demographic shifts.

Management & Logistics Highlight Diversified States

Operations Managers & Specialists rank first in 10 states, reflecting the rise and demand for cross-country supply chains.

Meanwhile, Freight Movers and Assemblers lead in logistics-heavy Nevada and industrial Michigan, respectively.

In higher-skill states, management roles replace service jobs at the top, pointing to more complex, higher-paying economic structures.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Meanwhile, equip yourself for the great AI disruption, with the Jobs That Use AI the Most on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2025-06-22 04:36:28

Breaking Down $175B in War Damage to Ukraine

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

The cost of Russia’s full-scale invasion extends far beyond the battlefield. Our latest voronoi-style visualization breaks down the direct damage across nine major sectors, from homes and highways to schools and farms. Seeing the numbers side-by-side reveals which parts of Ukraine’s economy will require the heaviest lift once the shooting stops.

The figures come from the World Bank’s Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment. Their December 2023 update tallies $175 billion in verified physical destruction—led by $57.6 billion in housing and $36.7 billion in transport infrastructure—while warning that reconstruction needs could approach $500 billion over the next decade.

Housing Takes the Hardest Hit

Nearly one in eight Ukrainian homes has been damaged or destroyed, translating into a $57 billion rebuilding bill. Beyond bricks and mortar, widespread displacement has pushed rents higher in safer regions and strained social services. According to Brookings, housing shortages also risk slowing the return of refugees and workers, delaying economic recovery.

Transport Disruption Ripples Through Trade Routes

Destroyed roads, bridges, and rail lines tally almost $37 billion in losses, severing critical east-west supply corridors. The International Finance Corporation notes that Ukraine’s role as a key conduit for grain and metals exports has been choked, with alternate routes through Romania and Poland adding cost and time. Re-establishing reliable logistics will be essential for post-war growth.

Energy Grid Under Fire

Shelling of power plants and substations has racked up $20 billion in damage, leaving businesses and households vulnerable to blackouts. The International Energy Agency points out that emergency grid synchronization with continental Europe has reduced outage risk, but long-term modernization will be needed to future-proof the system.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Global Nuclear Warhead Stockpiles (1945-2024) on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.