2026-04-30 22:36:17
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Does earning more money actually make it easier to own a home?
Across U.S. occupations, the answer isn’t as straightforward as it seems. While high-income roles like management and STEM lead in pay, their homeownership rates are often matched by mid-income professions such as education and social services.
Using data from the National Association of Realtors and the U.S. Census Bureau, this graphic ranks homeownership rates by occupation in 2024, revealing how factors beyond salary—like job stability and geographic distribution—shape who owns a home.
A clear pattern emerges: once incomes pass a moderate threshold, homeownership rates begin to level out across very different occupations.
Management and business roles stand at 72%, reflecting both higher incomes and stability. But just below them, a surprising group of professions clusters tightly together.
STEM professionals and education workers have nearly identical homeownership rates (both 67%)—despite a massive gap in pay. In fact, STEM workers earn over $100K on average, while education workers make roughly $65K.
Here’s how homeownership varies across major occupations:
| Occupation | Homeownership Rate 2024 | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Management & Business | 72.2% | $91,398 |
| Education & Social Services | 67.3% | $65,147 |
| STEM / Technical | 67.2% | $102,450 |
| Sales & Real Estate | 63.3% | $50,967 |
| Healthcare | 62.2% | $82,134 |
| Skilled Trades & Construction | 62.0% | $54,777 |
| Transportation & Public Safety | 58.1% | $46,975 |
| Service Occupations | 45.5% | $38,936 |
Why do lower-paid professions keep pace? Occupations like education, healthcare, and public services often offer more stable employment, predictable income, and access to benefits—factors that can make long-term financial planning, including homeownership, more achievable.
Healthcare and skilled trades (both 62%) show relatively strong ownership, reinforcing the role of stable, in-demand work. Sales and real estate workers (63%) also sit in this middle band, reinforcing how a wide range of incomes converge at similar ownership levels.
At the lower end, transportation and public safety workers (58%) and service occupations (46%) lag behind, highlighting barriers faced by lower-income and less stable roles in accessing housing.
The biggest takeaway: beyond a certain income level, what you earn matters less than how stable and predictable that income is. That helps explain why professions with very different salaries end up with nearly identical homeownership rates.
For more, explore this graphic on the average salaries by state in 2025.
2026-04-30 19:52:34
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America’s $2.1 trillion export economy isn’t powered by a single industry—it’s a patchwork of 50 specialized engines.
This map shows the top international goods export for every U.S. state, based on data from the U.S. International Trade Administration. From aircraft in Washington to oil and gas in Texas, each state specializes in a different piece of the global economy.
Notably, over half of U.S. states are tied to strategic sectors like aerospace, semiconductors, and energy—industries increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions and supply chain shifts.
Aircraft is the most widespread top export, leading in 13 states across the country.
Aerospace and defense is the only U.S. manufacturing sector with a net trade surplus, fueling almost $1 trillion in economic activity annually. In states like Washington and Florida, it ranks as the largest export category overall.
Below is a state-by-state breakdown of the top export category in 2025, based on NAICS-4 classifications:
| State | Top Export 2025 | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Connecticut | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Florida | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Georgia | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Hawaii | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Kansas | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Kentucky | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Maine | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Maryland | Aircraft | Transportation |
| New Hampshire | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Ohio | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Oklahoma | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Washington | Aircraft | Transportation |
| Delaware | Medicine | Medical |
| Illinois | Medicine | Medical |
| Indiana | Medicine | Medical |
| Massachusetts | Medicine | Medical |
| North Carolina | Medicine | Medical |
| Pennsylvania | Medicine | Medical |
| Rhode Island | Medicine | Medical |
| Alabama | Vehicles | Transportation |
| Michigan | Vehicles | Transportation |
| Missouri | Vehicles | Transportation |
| South Carolina | Vehicles | Transportation |
| West Virginia | Vehicles | Transportation |
| Nevada | Primary Metals | Industrial |
| New Jersey | Primary Metals | Industrial |
| New York | Primary Metals | Industrial |
| Utah | Primary Metals | Industrial |
| Idaho | Semiconductors | Tech |
| New Mexico | Semiconductors | Tech |
| Oregon | Semiconductors | Tech |
| Vermont | Semiconductors | Tech |
| Arizona | IT Hardware | Tech |
| California | IT Hardware | Tech |
| Wisconsin | IT Hardware | Tech |
| Mississippi | Refining | Energy |
| North Dakota | Refining | Energy |
| Virginia | Refining | Energy |
| South Dakota | Chemicals | Industrial |
| Wyoming | Chemicals | Industrial |
| Louisiana | Oil & Gas | Energy |
| Texas | Oil & Gas | Energy |
| Colorado | Meatpacking | Agriculture |
| Nebraska | Meatpacking | Agriculture |
| Minnesota | Medical Devices | Medical |
| Tennessee | Medical Devices | Medical |
| Montana | Cattle | Agriculture |
| Alaska | Fishing | Agriculture |
| Iowa | Machinery | Industrial |
Semiconductors dominate exports across parts of the West, including New Mexico and Oregon—highlighting the growing importance of domestic chip manufacturing. Semiconductors made up 46% of New Mexico’s exports, totaling $7 billion in 2025. In Oregon, they were valued at more than $9 billion.
In California and Arizona, IT hardware and computer equipment are leading exports, reinforcing the region’s central role in global tech supply chains.
These states are increasingly critical to U.S. efforts to reduce reliance on foreign chip production, especially amid rising competition with China.
Pharmaceuticals are the top export in six states, driven by dense R&D ecosystems in the Northeast and Midwest.
Massachusetts alone hosts more than 1,000 life sciences companies, making it a global hub for drug development and production. Indiana, meanwhile, is home to Eli Lilly’s global headquarters, with over 13,000 employees in Indianapolis alone.
This concentration of talent, capital, and research institutions continues to fuel high-value medical exports across the region.
The U.S. energy export boom is concentrated in the South, where a tightly integrated network of production, processing, and shipping powers global supply.
Texas anchors the system with $137 billion in oil and gas exports, while Louisiana’s ports and natural gas output connect U.S. energy to global markets. Neighboring Mississippi plays a key role in refining, turning raw inputs into export-ready fuels.
As global energy markets tighten, this regional dominance is becoming more important. In April, U.S. crude and petroleum exports surged to a record 12.9 million barrels per day, driven by conflict in the Middle East.
From aerospace hubs to semiconductor corridors and energy strongholds, America’s export economy is deeply regional—and increasingly strategic.
As global trade becomes more fragmented and geopolitics reshape supply chains, the industries dominating each state today could play an outsized role in shaping the country’s economic resilience looking ahead.
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the share of U.S. exports by state in 2025.
2026-04-30 12:49:10
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Social media use among young adults (aged 16–29) in Europe is nearing saturation, with many countries approaching universal adoption.
But two of Europe’s largest economies stand apart.
Data from Eurostat and Ofcom shows a clear gap. While countries in Northern Europe and the Balkans lead, major economies like Germany (84.2%) and Italy (80.3%) lag behind their peers.
In countries like Denmark or Czechia, social media use is close to universal among young adults.
Germany and Italy break from this pattern, highlighting how cultural and structural factors continue to shape digital behavior.
Below is the full ranking of 34 European countries by social media use among young adults:
| Rank | Country | Use of Social Networks in 2025 among young adults |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Cyprus |
98.3 |
| 2 |
North Macedonia |
97.7 |
| 3 |
Czechia |
97.2 |
| 4 |
Serbia |
97.2 |
| 5 |
UK |
97.0 |
| 6 |
Denmark |
96.9 |
| 7 |
Finland |
96.6 |
| 8 |
Austria |
96.1 |
| 9 |
Montenegro |
96.1 |
| 10 |
Switzerland |
95.8 |
| 11 |
Norway |
95.7 |
| 12 |
Ireland |
94.4 |
| 13 |
Netherlands |
94.2 |
| 14 |
France |
93.9 |
| 15 |
Latvia |
93.8 |
| 16 |
Turkey |
93.4 |
| 17 |
Romania |
92.1 |
| 18 |
Malta |
91.9 |
| 19 |
Spain |
91.6 |
| 20 |
Portugal |
91.6 |
| 21 |
Estonia |
91.4 |
| 22 |
Hungary |
91.1 |
| 23 |
Slovenia |
91.0 |
| 24 |
Croatia |
90.7 |
| 25 |
Greece |
90.6 |
| 26 |
Poland |
90.5 |
| 27 |
Lithuania |
89.8 |
| 28 |
Bulgaria |
89.4 |
| 29 |
Slovakia |
88.7 |
| 30 |
Sweden |
88.4 |
| 31 |
Belgium |
88.3 |
| 32 |
Luxembourg |
84.8 |
| 33 |
Germany |
84.2 |
| 34 |
Italy |
80.3 |
| -- | Average | 92.4 |
Cyprus and North Macedonia have the highest rates of young-adult social media use in Europe, followed closely by Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Serbia, and the United Kingdom.
In these countries, social media functions as essential infrastructure, used for everything from coordinating study groups to maintaining social circles. Being offline can make young people effectively invisible in networks that increasingly operate online.
While social media use exceeds 90% across much of Europe, Germany and Italy stand apart.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has 84.2% of young adults on social media, well below many of its neighbors. Italy is lower still at 80.3%, meaning one in five young adults are not on any social platform, the highest share on the continent.
In Germany, stricter privacy norms shaped by GDPR have contributed to a more cautious approach to online presence. Policymakers are even considering restrictions on youth access, with leaders citing the dangers of online socialization.
In Italy, lower usage may reflect a stronger role for offline social life. Everyday interactions, from evening strolls to time spent in cafes, continue to provide alternatives to digital connection.
High social media use in the Balkans is partly linked to emigration.
Roughly a quarter of Western Balkan citizens, for example, move abroad in search of higher wages and better job opportunities. For families split across different countries or even different continents, social media plays a key role in maintaining communication.
Diaspora has helped social media usage overcome the digital skepticism seen in countries like Germany or Italy.
To learn more about this topic, check out the We’re Spending More Time Watching Videos on Social Media on Voronoi.
2026-04-30 01:47:57
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For the first time since the late 1920s, the U.S. is spending more on interest payments than on national defense.
That shift marks a turning point in federal priorities. As debt levels climb and borrowing costs rise, interest payments are taking up a growing share of the budget—projected to hit $2.1 trillion by 2036, far outpacing defense spending.
This chart compares annual U.S. net interest payments and defense outlays from 1996 to 2036, based on data from the White House and projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) as of February 2026.
In 2024, U.S. interest payments reached $879.9 billion, surpassing defense spending of $850.7 billion.
Projections through 2036 show interest payments continuing to pull ahead, even as defense spending rises.
The table below shows how annual U.S. net interest payments and defense spending changed from 1996 to 2025, along with projections from 2026 to 2036:
| Year | U.S. Annual Net Interest Payments (billions) | U.S. Annual Defense Spending (billions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $241.1 | $266.0 |
| 1997 | $244.0 | $271.7 |
| 1998 | $241.1 | $270.2 |
| 1999 | $229.8 | $275.5 |
| 2000 | $222.9 | $295.0 |
| 2001 | $206.2 | $306.1 |
| 2002 | $170.9 | $349.0 |
| 2003 | $153.1 | $404.9 |
| 2004 | $160.2 | $454.1 |
| 2005 | $184.0 | $493.6 |
| 2006 | $226.6 | $520.0 |
| 2007 | $237.1 | $547.9 |
| 2008 | $252.8 | $612.4 |
| 2009 | $186.9 | $656.7 |
| 2010 | $196.2 | $688.9 |
| 2011 | $230.0 | $699.4 |
| 2012 | $220.4 | $670.5 |
| 2013 | $220.9 | $625.8 |
| 2014 | $229.0 | $596.4 |
| 2015 | $223.2 | $583.4 |
| 2016 | $240.0 | $584.8 |
| 2017 | $262.6 | $590.2 |
| 2018 | $325.0 | $622.7 |
| 2019 | $375.2 | $676.4 |
| 2020 | $345.5 | $713.8 |
| 2021 | $352.3 | $741.6 |
| 2022 | $475.9 | $752.1 |
| 2023 | $658.3 | $806.2 |
| 2024 | $879.9 | $850.7 |
| 2025 | $970.0 | $893.0 |
| 2026P | $1,039.0 | $885.0 |
| 2027P | $1,108.0 | $901.0 |
| 2028P | $1,218.0 | $928.0 |
| 2029P | $1,324.0 | $938.0 |
| 2030P | $1,432.0 | $966.0 |
| 2031P | $1,548.0 | $986.0 |
| 2032P | $1,670.0 | $1,006.0 |
| 2033P | $1,784.0 | $1,034.0 |
| 2034P | $1,904.0 | $1,051.0 |
| 2035P | $2,019.0 | $1,068.0 |
| 2036P | $2,144.0 | $1,100.0 |
Between 1996 and 2001, U.S. defense spending averaged about 30% higher than net interest costs, as falling interest rates and budget surpluses kept debt servicing relatively low.
That gap widened sharply after 9/11. Military spending doubled over the following decade, reaching $699 billion in 2011, while interest costs rose more slowly to $230 billion.
During the low-interest-rate era of the 2010s, borrowing costs stayed low even as federal debt nearly doubled—from $9.0 trillion in 2010 to $16.8 trillion in 2019—masking the long-term cost of that debt.
After COVID-19, that dynamic reversed. A surge in borrowing combined with higher interest rates pushed debt servicing costs sharply higher, with net interest outlays nearly tripling to $970 billion by 2025.
At a projected $1.0 trillion in 2026, America’s net interest bill is set to become the fastest-growing major budget item.
By 2036, net interest outlays will more than double to $2.1 trillion, while defense spending is projected to reach $1.1 trillion.
If current projections hold, the U.S. will spend far more on servicing its debt than on national defense within a decade, raising questions about how future budgets will balance economic stability, security, and growth.
This crossover isn’t just symbolic. It marks a fundamental shift in how the U.S. allocates its resources—toward servicing past borrowing rather than funding current priorities.
As interest costs rise, a growing share of federal spending is effectively locked in, reducing flexibility for areas like defense, infrastructure, and research. Over time, this can crowd out new investments and make it harder for policymakers to respond to economic downturns or emerging challenges.
In other words, higher interest payments don’t just reflect rising debt—they actively shape what the government can afford to do next.
To learn more about which NATO countries dominate defense spending, check out this graphic, which visualizes NATO countries by their estimated defense spending.
2026-04-29 23:33:00
Commodity price spikes historically capture mass attention, but few have drawn as many eyes as gold. The metal has been on a record-setting bull run, making it a persistent topic of interest since at least 2023.
The historic, multi-year price rally raises an important consideration: how investors choose to access gold can significantly impact their returns. There are several different paths to gold investment, each with its own costs and benefits that shape overall performance.
This graphic, in partnership with BullionVault, shows the key cost factors that impact gold returns.
Every gold investment starts as a 400-troy-ounce wholesale bar. From this foundation, investors have three options, each with a distinct cost structure that can affect returns over time. They are:
Retail and wholesale investments allow for physical ownership of gold with the decision-making power over where and how the gold is held. In contrast, ETFs offer investors shares in a trust to gain easy access and exposure to the price of gold.
Across all methods, three key factors shape returns: price premiums, storage and insurance costs, and ongoing management fees.
Every gold investment includes a premium, regardless of the path taken. This premium comes from two factors: the price spread and trading costs.
The price spread indicates the percentage gap between gold’s buy and sell price. It captures real-world costs like minting, shipping and delivery, and dealer markups.
Trading costs are the commissions and trading platform access fees, as a percentage of trade value. Together, these premiums determine how much value investors retain when entering or exiting a position.
Here is a table that shows how spreads and trading fees compare across different gold investment methods, using a baseline $10K investment.
| Form | Cost |
|---|---|
| Coins | $800 |
| Bars | $500 |
| BullionVault | $115 |
| ETF | $50 |
| Investment Value | $10,000 |
Source: Daily Gold Price; ETF.com; BullionVault.
Minimizing these combined costs can help investors retain more capital when seeking gold exposure.
Where gold is kept directly affects the cost, security, and value of the investment. Storage options include homes with or without a safe, bank deposit boxes, and professional vaults.
This table shows what first-year storage costs can look like across methods using a $10K baseline:
| Storage Option | Cost |
|---|---|
| Basic home safe | $1,985 |
| Safety deposit box | $1,125 |
| BullionVault | $48 |
| ETF | $32 |
| Investment Value | $10,000 |
Source: London Gold Exchange & BullionVault.
While home storage offers full control, it often requires additional spending on a safe and insurance. Bank deposit boxes may limit access and exclude insurance coverage.
Meanwhile, ETFs remove storage concerns but also eliminate ownership benefits, while charging expense ratios to cover the operating and management fees of the fund. In contrast, professional vaults can offer lower costs and stronger security through institutional-scale infrastructure.
Platforms like BullionVault, provide access to these vaults, passing on lower costs and economies of scale to individual investors.
Across most metrics, ETFs often appear cheaper at the start, but their cost advantage can change as investments frow. Ongoing fees, though small, can compound and reduce returns over time.
The table below compares the weighted average monthly cost of ETF ownership with BullionVault’s monthly costs.
| Investment Value | BV Storage Fee /Month | US Weighted Avg ETF (0.32%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 4.00 | 0.27 |
| 5000 | 4.00 | 1.33 |
| 10000 | 4.00 | 2.67 |
| 15000 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| 20000 | 4.00 | 5.33 |
| 25000 | 4.00 | 6.67 |
| 30000 | 4.00 | 8.00 |
| 35000 | 4.00 | 9.33 |
| 40000 | 4.00 | 10.67 |
| 45000 | 4.50 | 12.00 |
| 50000 | 5.00 | 13.33 |
| 55000 | 5.50 | 14.67 |
| 60000 | 6.00 | 16.00 |
| 65000 | 6.50 | 17.33 |
| 70000 | 7.00 | 18.67 |
| 75000 | 7.50 | 20.00 |
| 80000 | 8.00 | 21.33 |
| 85000 | 8.50 | 22.67 |
| 90000 | 9.00 | 24.00 |
| 95000 | 9.50 | 25.33 |
| 100000 | 10.00 | 26.67 |
| Fee as a % of investment value | 0.01% ($4 minimum) | 0.32% |
Source: BullionVault. *Average weighting based on each ETF’s gold holdings.
Based on this structure, once an investment exceeds $15K worth of gold, BullionVault can become more cost-efficient than the average U.S. ETF.
Ultimately, investors that reduce trading, storage, and management fees can retain more of gold’s value. BullionVault offers an easier way to buy, store and sell physical gold at wholesale prices, with access to five professional-market vaults worldwide.

Gold or Stocks? See how $10K since 2000 grew, and why gold leads on wealth preservation.

Central bank gold buying has reshaped the market over the past decade. This piece charts the trend and spotlights 2025’s leading buyers—and why it matters.
2026-04-29 22:22:48
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The Ivy League is often shorthand for elite higher education in the U.S., but many of America’s highest-ranked universities sit outside that group.
Two non-Ivy schools, MIT and Stanford, rank ahead of every Ivy League university in the 2026 QS World University Rankings.
This graphic ranks the top 25 non-Ivy League universities in the U.S. using 2026 data from QS World University Rankings, which scores universities based on academic reputation, research, employability, sustainability, and global engagement.
MIT and Stanford are the clearest examples of how U.S. academic prestige extends beyond the Ivy League. Both rank ahead of every Ivy League university in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, with MIT earning a perfect score of 100 and Stanford scoring 98.9.
The following data table lists non-Ivy League universities in the U.S. alongside their QS score for 2026.
| Rank | University | State | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIT | Massachussetts | 100 |
| 2 | Stanford University | California | 98.9 |
| 3 | Caltech | California | 94.3 |
| 4 | University of Chicago | Illinois | 93 |
| 5 | UC Berkeley | California | 91.2 |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins | Maryland | 89.7 |
| 7 | Northwestern University | Illinois | 85.1 |
| 8 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Michigan | 84.7 |
| 9 | UCLA | California | 84.4 |
| 10 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pennsylvania | 82.3 |
| 11 | New York University | New York | 81.1 |
| 12 | Duke University | North Carolina | 79 |
| 13 | UC San Diego | California | 76.9 |
| 14 | UT Austin | Texas | 76.4 |
| 15 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Illinois | 75.9 |
| 16 | University of Washington | Washington | 72.7 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania State University | Pennsylvania | 72.6 |
| 18 | Boston University | Massachussetts | 71.1 |
| 18 | Purdue University | Indiana | 71.1 |
| 20 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin | 66.6 |
| 21 | UC Davis | California | 66.3 |
| 22 | Rice University | Texas | 65.7 |
| 23 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia | 65.5 |
| 24 | UNC Chapel Hill | North Carolina | 63.2 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | Texas | 63 |
Decades of academic excellence have turned MIT and Stanford into intellectual centers that power their regions. More than 100 MIT alumni have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, and the university is best known for its contributions to engineering, science, and technology.
Meanwhile, Stanford played a key role in the mid-20th-century creation of Silicon Valley in the Bay Area. Its alumni include the presidents of six countries and multiple Supreme Court justices.
California has the strongest showing of any state in the ranking, led by Stanford, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. This concentration reflects the state’s mix of private research powerhouses and major public universities.
The UC system spans 10 campuses across the state and serves roughly 300,000 students. In addition to UC Berkeley, the Los Angeles (84.4), San Diego (76.9), and Davis (66.3) campuses are also world-renowned for their academic rigor and contributions to both STEM fields and the social sciences.
Alongside high-research universities like Caltech, the UC system has helped shape California’s reputation as a center of intellectual rigor and entrepreneurship.
While regions west of the Mississippi River have relatively few leading universities outside of Texas, Illinois anchors another hub of major non-Ivy colleges, especially around its largest city.
The University of Chicago (93) is the fourth-best non-Ivy school in the country. Founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1890, it served throughout the 20th century as a key center for law, nuclear research, chemistry, and political economy. Meanwhile, Northwestern University (85.1), located in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, counts nearly 50 Pulitzer Prize winners among its alumni.
Outside the Chicago area, the Midwest is home to leading universities such as the University of Michigan (84.7), Purdue University (71.1), and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (75.9).
To learn more about this topic, check out the The U.S. Dominates the World University Ranking on Voronoi.