Estimated average time that workers age 16 and older across the country spend getting to work, according to research by the U.S. Census Bureau: 26.4 minutes

Percentage of the American workforce who ride a bicycle to work: 0.6

Estimated percentage who walk to work: 2.8

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of workers who report that employment-based health insurance is extremely or very important, according to "value of benefits" research by Employee Benefit Research Institute: 87

Percentage who said a retirement savings plan was important: 77

Percentage who cited a dental or vision plan: 72 percent

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of Americans who visit a local small business at least once a week, with 27 percent patronizing them twice a week, according to the 2017 Cox Business Consumer Pulse on Small Businesses: 92

Ranks of local support (67 percent), convenience (63 percent) and greater customer service than a large business (50 percent) on the list of reasons given for shopping and supporting small business: 1, 2, 3

Source: Cox Business.

Percentage of divorced Americnas who say the financial loss of a divorce has them going so far as to say they'll never marry again, according to a survey by Experian: 39

Of those who may consider tying the knot again at a later date, percentage who say good credit is an important quality for a potential spouse: 73

Percentage of respondents who regret not being more financially independent in their marriage: 59

Source: Experian Marketing Services.

Percentage of millennials who don't feel financially secure now, but expect to be in the future, according to a TD Ameritrade survey: 85

Percentage who are anxious about debt: 47

Source: TD Ameritrade.

Percentage of employees who believe political conversations among co-workers decrease their company's productivity, according to a survey by Clutch: 31

Percentage who say that in the past week they have felt "uncomfortable" amid political discussions at work: 12

Percentage of large companies (5,000 to 10,000 employees) that have some kind of office policy or guideline about politics in place: 67

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of wedding guests in the Northeast who indicate their typical gift for a close friend or family member is at least $200 in value, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 30

Percentage of wedding guests in the Northeast who indicate they spend at least $100 for gifts given to colleagues, acquaintances and distant relatives: 46

Rank of cash or a check on the list of the most preferred gift of Northeastern and Midwestern gift-givers: 1

Rank of a physical gift off the registry as the most popular gift in the South and West: 1

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of millennials who responded that an equity stake in the company is important to them when choosing where to work, according to a study conducted by Fit Small Business: 5

Percentage of millennials who chose having a mean boss as the top reason they would leave their job: 18

When asked how much a shorter commute would mean when considering a job change, percentage who answered that they don't care how long they have to travel: 43

Source: Fit Small Business.

Percentage of Americans who are losing sleep because of money, according to a CreditCards.com report: 65

Percentage who worry most about health care or insurance bills: 38

Percentage who lie awake fretting about saving enough for retirement: 37

Source: Creditcards.com.

Percentage of American drivers who say they use the trash can at the fueling island to dispose of their trash from their cars, according to the results of a national consumer study on attitudes related to trash, conducted by National Association of Convenience Stores: 70

Percentage of convenience and fueling retailers who say that most of the trash in their trash cans at the fueling island is not generated from the store: 56

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Idle Thought

"The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love." -- William Wordsworth, poet

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

Percentage of workers who have had to undergo training to keep or move forward in a position, according to a survey by Toluna: 71

Percentage of workers who will need to seek additional certifications, skills training or degrees to advance their careers at some point in the future: 73

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Year that Hyman Lipman was granted a patent for a pencil with an incorporated rubber eraser that could be sharpened, as it protruded from the wood sheath at the end opposite the graphite, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1858

Despite all of our electronic marvels, number of pencils that are still produced globally every year: 14 billion

Estimated U.S. annual production: 2 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Cost to the IRS to collect $100 in federal revenue, according to research by WalletHub: 35 cents

Total time Americans spend on their taxes each year: 6 billion hours

Percentage of filers who get a refund each year: 70

Percentage of filers who would get an "IRS" tattoo for a tax-free future: 20

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of workers who indicated they'd leave their job if they didn't feel appreciated, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 66

Percentage of senior managers who believe it's common for staff to quit due to a lack of recognition: 54

Source: OfficeTeam.

During the past year, percentage of Americans who donated time to a charitable cause, according to a survey by Toluna: 28

Percentage of respondents who have committed a random act of kindness for someone else (aka "paying it forward"): 60

Percentage who have paid for someone else's groceries when they didn't have enough money: 34

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Average number of guests at a wedding in America, according to the results of The Knot study of U.S. brides and grooms: 141

Average number of bridesmaids: 5

Average number of groomsmen: 5

Source: The Knot.

When Americans were asked how they planned on spending their retirement, percentage who said "traveling," according to the Ipsos/USA Today retirement poll: 55

Percentage who said "spending more time with family": 54

Percentage who cited "volunteering": 35

Source: Ipsos.

Percentage of credit card holders who have never redeemed their credit card rewards, according to a Bankrate.com report: 31

Percentage who typically redeem their rewards points/miles frequently: 38

Ranks of cash back, airline tickets and gift cards on the list of the most popular redemptions: 1, 2, 3

Source: Bankrate.com.

Ranks of Holland, Michigan; Carbondale, Illinois; Springville, Utah; and East Chicago, Indiana, on WalletHub's list of the best small cities to start a business: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of millennials (18- to 34-year-olds) surveyed by CentSai who said they would choose a local lender, in contrast to recent Fannie Mae data showing approximately 69 percent of all homebuyers would apply for a mortgage online: 71

Percentage of millennials who said they would use a local real estate agent instead of an online agent: 75

Source: CentSai.

Idle Thought

"Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life." -- Giorgos Seferis, writer and Nobel laureate

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

On a first date, the percentage of singles who say that when dining out, they prefer a hearty meal, according to a poll conducted by Grubhub and Tinder: 62

Percentage who prefer a lighter meal: 38

Percentage of respondents who would rule out a second date if the other person didn't offer to pay: 36

Percentage who said it would not be an issue: 64

Source: GrubHub.

In spite of losing his position with Met Life, rank of Snoopy on the list of America's most-liked spokescharacters, according to E-Poll Market Research: 1

Rank of the Budweiser Clydesdales, Lily (from AT&T), Allstate Mayhem, Pillsbury Doughboy, Snuggle Bear on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: E-Poll Market Research.

Percentage of U.S. consumers who say the top reason they unsubscribe from email is because they get too many emails in general, according to data released by MarketingSherpa: 26

Source: MarketingSherpa.

Year that the Library of Congress was founded, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1800

Estimated number of books in the Library of Congress: 38 million

Estimated number of libraries there are across the U.S.: 120,000

Estimated number of people who are employed full time by state and local libraries: 87,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of U.S. broadband households that want to use voice to control their entertainment and smart home devices, according to research from Parks Associates: 55

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of American pet owners who indicated that their pet's nutrition is just as important as their family's nutrition, according to a survey from Open Farm: 94

Percentage who agree they pay as much attention to the ingredients that go into their pet's food as the ingredients their family eats: 84

Source: Open Farm.

Percentage of Americans who had been abroad in the past year who took their smartphone with them when they traveled, according to a survey by T-Mobile: 69

Percentage of respondents who said they'd rather lose their luggage than their phone: 55

Percentage who would give up a preferred seat on their flight before giving up their phones: 66

Rank of staying connected with family and friends back home on the list of reasons respondents gave for wanting to have their smartphone in hand: 1

Source: T-Mobile.

Percentage of Americans who use the three-syllable pronunciation of the word "caramel" (care-uh-muhl), according to a survey by Werthers to celebrate National Caramel Day: 57

Percentage who pronounce it as "kar-muhl": 43

Source: Ipsos Data.

Percentage of America's top math students who do their homework in a room by themselves, according to a survey sponsored by The Moody's Foundation: 84

Percentage of the students who spend more than 11 hours a week doing homework, while 29 percent spend six to 10 hours: 47

After school, percentage of the students who participate in extracurricular activities such as clubs and student government: 78

Source: Moody's (Economy.com).

Percentage of consumers who said they would be willing to shop at a new store if presented with a cash-back offer, according to a study by RetailMeNot: 33

Percentage who indicated they would be more willing to make a purchase with the ability to combine a coupon with a cash-back offer: 47

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Idle Thought

"No human being is illegal." -- Elie Wiesel

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