EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EST, DECEMBER 4, 1998 (FRIDAY) Public Information Office CB98-226 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) Lars Johanson 301-457-1171 Census Bureau's Statistical Abstract Highlights America's Population and Economy from 'Motor Voters' to ATMs One in three people registering to vote does so at a motor vehicle office, according to the newest edition of the Commerce Department's Census Bureau's comprehensive annual desktop compendium of statistics about America. Among other facts, the 1998 Statistical Abstract of the United States shows that the average fee for using another bank's automated teller machine is about $1, that people who enjoy watching wildlife outspend hunters by more than 2 to 1 and that two-thirds of elderly nursing home patients are in wheelchairs. "The 118th edition statistically profiles America's population and economy," said Glenn King, chief of the Statistical Compendia Branch. "It's packed with almost 1,700 tables and graphs, including nearly 100 new tables. Some of the new information covered in this year's edition includes employment and wages in the information technology industry, criminal victimization at school and breast-feeding of infants. Other data in the Statistical Abstract show that: In the spring of 1998, 62 million persons 18 years old and over had Internet access, either at home or at work. About 44 million 54 percent males and 46 percent females had accessed the Internet within the previous 30 days. In 1997, more than 4.1 million persons were self-employed in home-based businesses, with about half of them engaged in service industries and slightly more than half of them, men. In 1997, the average minimum monthly balance to avoid a checking account fee was $1,052 at banks that offered single-fee accounts. In the 1996-1997 school year, about 200,600 men and 128,000 women participated in National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned sports, with the highest participation being the 54,000 men who played college football. The 1998 Statistical Abstract is available from the National Technical Information Service (Stock No. PB 98-965801, $33 for the softbound cover and PB 98-965301, $39 for the hardbound) by calling 1-800-553-NTIS. It is also available from the U.S. Government Printing Office (Stock no. 003-024-08835-5, $38 for the softbound cover and 003-024-08836-3, $44 for the hardbound) by calling 202-512- 1800. A CD-ROM version of the book, along with the supporting and historical data files, will be available later.-X-The U.S. Census Bureau, pre-eminent collector and disseminator of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and the economy of the United States, conducts a population and housing census every 10 years, an economic census every five years and more than 100 demographic and economic surveys every year, all of them evolving from the first census in 1790.
