Cost to get married in Manhattan, New York -- the most expensive place in the United States, according to the results of a study of U.S. brides and grooms by The Knot: $78,464
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Cost to get married in Arkansas -- the least expensive place to get married: $19,522
Source: The Knot.
Estimated number of prime-age men in the United States who are no longer in the labor force, according to federal data reported by Novus Medical Detox Center: 7 million
Percentage of those not in the labor force who say pain prevents them from working a full-time job: 40
Percentage who take some type of pain medication, with a majority using prescription medication: 50
Percentage of labor force participation among men aged 25 to 54 in January 1948: 96.7
Percentage of participation in September 2016: 88.6
Source: Novus Medical Detox Center.
Percentage of high school students who pick their career based on something they saw on TV or in a movie, according to CareerBuilder research: 25
Percentage of full-time workers who regret the college major they chose: 33
Source: CareerBuilder.com.
Percentage of women who are "very confident" in their ability to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle, according to research by the Trans America Center for Retirement Studies: 10
Percentage of women who plan to retire after age 65: 40
Source: Trans America Center for Retirement Studies.
Percentage of American adults (and 91 percent of teens) who say say they have heard another person call someone a retard, according to a Harris Poll: 92
Percentage of adults (and 47 percent of teens) who say they have heard the derogatory phrase directed toward a person who has an intellectual disability: 56
Percentage of adults (and 27 percent of teens) who say there's nothing wrong with using the word "retarded" to describe a thing or situation: 38
Source: The Harris Poll.
Percentage of senior managers who said their employer organizes activities tied to sporting events like March Madness, according to research by OfficeTeam: 23
Among those firms that do get into the games, percentage of managers who say the top benefit is showing that the company supports a healthy blend of work and play: 39
Percentage who say it builds camaraderie among colleagues: 37
Percentage of employees who report celebrating sports events with office buddies: 53
Source: OfficeTeam.
Percentage of consumers who are expecting a tax refund this season, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: 66
Percentage of those who will spend their refunds on everyday expenses: 21
Percentage who will use them for major purchases, such as a television, furniture or a car: 9
Percentage who will splurge on special treats like dining out, apparel or spa visits: 8
Source: NRF.
Percentage of the world's population that is made up of young people (16- to 24-year-olds), according to the findings of the Citi/Ipsos Global Survey: 16
Number of people this represents: 1.2 billion
Percentage of young people in developing markets who believe they will find opportunities to succeed in their preferred career, compared to 64 percent of their counterparts in developed markets: 79
Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.
Year that the Massachusetts Bay Colony issued paper money (in the form of promissory notes from governing bodies) due to the shortage of coins, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1690
Year that Congress passed the Legal Tender Act, fixing paper money as a means of paying the government's considerable Civil War bills with something other than gold or silver: 1862
Current estimate of the amount of U.S. currency circulating in the United States and the world: $1.5 trillion
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Percentage of homeowners who are planning to spend money on home improvement projects in 2017, according to a survey by LightStream: 59
Ranks of outdoor projects, home repairs/technology, bathroom updates and kitchen remodels on the list of the top four projects: 1, 2, 3, 4
Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.
Idle Thought
"A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money." -- W.C. Fields
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)