Estimated annual capital investment in the nation's highway and bridge network needed over the next six years by all levels of government to meet current transportation needs, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Public Transportation Association: $120 billion

Annual amount needed to meet public transportation needs: $43 billion

Source: American Public Transportation Association.

Overall median tenure of salary and wage workers (age 25 years and older) in the U.S. in 2015, according to the Employee Benefits and Research Institute: 5.5 years

Average length at which public sector workers stay in their jobs: 8 years

Average tenure for males 55 to 64, the longest of any age cohort: 10.7 years

Source: EBRI.

Ranks of self-awareness; interpersonal relationships, listening and empathy; and influence as the most-coached topics for top-tier corporate executives, according to a survey by Korn/Ferry: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of interpersonal relationships, listening and empathy; influence; and communication skills as the most-coached topics for mid-level managers: 1, 2, 3

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Chance that a woman giving birth between 2000 and 2014 was cohabiting at the time of the birth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1 in 5

Rank of women age 40 to 50 in managerial or professional occupations as those most likely to be childless versus women of a similar age in all other occupations: 1

Percentage by which the number of women age 40 to 44 having one child jumped from 1976 to 2014: 100

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of CFOs who say they have lost a good employee to a company offering higher compensation, according to a survey by Robert Half International: 25

Percentage who have lost a good employee because of limited opportunities for advancement: 22

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of business executives who consider the business suit typical office attire, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com of 500 executives (hiring and human resources managers in senior leadership positions including CEOs, CFOs and COOs): 20

Percentage who outfit themselves in business casual: 57

Percentage in jeans or shorts: 18

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of teens who report looking to their parents for information on how to manage money, according to a survey by The Allstate Foundation: 84

Percentage of parents who say their family's approach to financial matters is to not discuss finances with their children and "let kids be kids": 34

Source: Allstate Insurance Co.

Percentage of a company's market value that is attributable to its reputation, according to Weber Shandwick: 60

Percentage of consumers who say they are increasingly checking product labels to see which company is behind the product they buy: 67

Source: Weber Shandwick.

If all the oil from American do-it-yourself oil changers were recycled, the number of cars to which it would be enough to supply motor oil, according to the Environmental Protection Agency: 50 million

Source: AutoMD.com.

Ranks of family satisfaction, health and nutrition, and sustainability on the list of what shoppers consider important factors in deciding what makes it into the shopping cart, according to a survey by Cone Communications: 1, 2, 3

Source: Cone.

Idle Thought

"It takes a lot of time to be a genius; you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing." -- Gertrude Stein

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of people in 32 emerging and developing nations who say the Internet is a positive thing for education, according to a Pew Internet and Life survey: 64

Percentage who say it is good for the economy: 53

Percentage who say it is good for morality: 29

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Percentage of small-business owners who say that new technologies will offer a bigger return on their investment than hiring another employee, according to a survey by Brother International: 72

Percentage who say hiring another employee will offer a better return: 28

Percentage of small-business owners who say they frequently feel overwhelmed with the number of technologies available to run their businesses: 63

Source: Brother International.

Percentage of Americans who think that 1 in 7 people in the U.S. is a Muslim, according to a survey by Ipsos: 15

Actual chance that a person in the U.S. is a Muslim: 1 in 100

Source: Ipsos Global.

Percentage of the public sector that is unionized, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 35.7

Percentage of the private sector that is unionized, down from 20.1 percent in 1983: 11.1

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of retirees 65 and older who say they are living the retirement of their dreams, according to Country Financial: 79

Percentage of early retirees (ages 50 to 64) who say they are living the retirement of their dreams: 51

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of singles who met their last first date online, according to a survey by Match.com: 31

Percentage who met through a friend: 25

Percentage who met in a bar or club: 6

Source: Match.com.

In a global survey, percentage of people who say they enjoy the freedom of being connected anywhere, anytime, according to a survey by Nielsen: 76

Percentage who say watching video is an important part of their lives: 55

Source: Nielsen Online.

Number of small-business owners in the U.S., according to Packaged Facts: 28 million

Percentage of those that do not have employees: 80

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of Americans who say they spend time thinking about vacations, according to a survey by Edward Jones: 28

Percentage who say they spend time thinking about retirement: 22

Source: Edward Jones.

Percentage of children age 4 to 8 who skip lunch on any given day, according to Nestle USA: 13

Percentage of 9- to 13-year-olds who skip lunch: 17

Percentage of 9- to 13-year-olds who skip lunch on the weekend: 23

Source: Nestle Confections & Snacks.

Idle Thought

"It is not what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." -- Moliere, actor and playwright

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Rank of 2015 as the year in which there are more wealthy Americans at all wealth segments ($100,000 to $1 million in net worth, $1 to $5 million, $5 to $25 million and $25 million plus), according to the Spectrem Market Insights: 1

Source: Spectrem Group.

Number of bills paid by the average household, according to a recent survey by Synergistics Research: 13

Percentage of those that are paid online by computer: 37

Percent that are paid by personal check: 22

Source: Synergistics Research Inc.

Percentage of Americans who believe couples should attend marriage counseling before they marry, according to a Harris poll: 77

Percentage who believe having parents who are divorced is better for children than having parents who are together but unhappy: 71

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of CFOs who say if they gave their staff greater autonomy over how and when they do their jobs (such as flexible work hours, working remotely or less direct supervision) that their productivity would increase, according to a survey by Robert Half Management Resources: 32

Percentage who say they would see a decrease in productivity: 13

Percentage who see no change: 55

Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

Percentage of millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) who have never been married, according to a Pew Internet survey: 68

Percentage of the Silent Generation (born between 1928 and 1945) who, when they were the same age as millennials, were never married: 32

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Rank of Ireland as the country having the fastest-rising property market, with residential prices jumping almost 17 percent, according to the Global Property Guide: 1

Rank of Europe as the fastest-rising housing market region in the world: 1

Source: Global Property Guide.

Percentage of Americans who have no money set aside for emergencies, according to CreditDonkey.com: 26

Percentage of American households that function without a bank account: 7.7

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Year that the Exchange National Bank in Chicago opened the first drive-up, offering its motoring customers 10 teller windows with sliding drawers, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1946

Today, estimated number of banks with drive-up tellers: 94,000

Number of employees who work in these banks: 1.5 million

Estimated assets: $15 trillion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who want to spend their golden years in another city or state, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 60

Percentage who said living close to family is the most important factor in deciding where to retire: 24

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of American fliers who report that they "have been intimate" with someone on a plane, according to a survey by Expedia: 5

Of that figure, percentage who report having been intimate with someone who they were traveling with: 3

Source: Expedia.

Idle Thought

"The great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up. That is possible for him who never argues and strives with men and facts, but in all experience retires upon himself, and looks for the ultimate cause of things in himself." -- Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Laureate

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)