Estimated number of years it would take for a single homebuyer to save a 20 percent down payment on the typical U.S. home, according to a Zillow analysis: 11

Estimated number of years it would take for married or partnered couples: 5

In San Jose, California, number of years a single buyer would need to save for a down payment -- longer than the lifespan of a typical home loan: 30

Percentage of the U.S. housing stock a single person could afford to buy, compared to a married or partnered couple, who could afford 82 percent of all homes: 45

Source: Zillow.

Percentage of American adults who said that in their most recent romantic relationship they shared money attitudes and habits that were "similar" or "very similar," according to a survey by The National Financial Educators Council: 66

Percentage who said "different" or "somewhat different": 24.1

Percentage of respondents who said money has affected their past and current relationships in a positive way: 25

Percentage who said their relationships were negatively affected: 19

Source: National Financial Educators Council.

When asked to characterize the overall health of top performers in their companies, percentage of U.S. employees who said they were just "somewhat" healthy, according to the findings of the HealthMine 2018 Rising Risk Survey: 65

Percentage of employees who have worked with an executive who became severely ill and whose illness affected the company: 25

Source: HealthMine.

Percentage of HR managers who encourage candidates to check in after submitting a job application, according to a survey from Accountemps: 100

Percentage who said they take thank-you messages into account when deciding whom to hire: 80

Percentage of HR managers who said they have removed a candidate from consideration because they were too pushy after an interview: 33

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of workers who report dating a co-worker, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 36

Percentage of men who say they have dated a co-worker, compared to 35 percent of women: 37

Percentage of male workers who say they have dated someone at work two or more times in their career, compared to 15 percent of their female colleagues: 20

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of professionals who said they tried to negotiate salary during their last job offer, according to a survey from staffing firm Robert Half: 39

Percentage of men who negotiated salary, compared to 34 percent of women: 46

Rank of New York, Dallas, San Francisco and Pittsburgh on the list of areas where professionals are most likely to negotiate: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Today, average percentage less interest charged on a new car loan than on an average used car loan, according to WalletHub: 14

Compared to buyers with excellent credit, amount more in interest it will cost those with fair credit for a $20,000 five-year loan: $6,267

Ranks of car manufacturers (rates at 42 percent below average) and credit unions (rates at 19 percent below average) on the list of the best options for financing a new car: 1, 2

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who report feeling unhappy with how their body looks at times, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of RiverMend Health: 79

Ranks of "looking in the mirror," "at the beach in a bathing suit" and "when shopping for clothes" on the list of times when this dissatisfaction is most prevalent: 1, 2, 3

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs CJ.

Percentage of U.S. adults who said they didn't think gays and lesbians should adopt a child, according to a survey by Adam & Eve: 14 (9 percent of the women and 20 percent of the men)

Percentage of respondents who said they were not sure: 12

Percentage who believe that same-sex couples should be able to adopt a child: 73

Source: Adam & Eve.

Percentage of executives who said their teams have met to discuss high-level plans regarding how their organizations will allocate savings associated with the new tax cuts, according to a Korn Ferry survey: 39

Percentage who said they have not yet been able to quantify the savings from the new tax law: 52

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Idle Thought

"In America, anybody can be president. That's one of the risks you take." -- Adlai Stevenson

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

Percentage of luxury consumers who put a great deal of importance in staying on top of the latest technology trends, products and gadgets, according to findings released by LG Signature: 24

Percentage of luxury consumers in America who say the feeling they get while buying luxury products is better than sex: 41

Percentage of millennial respondents who say they associate "innovative" and "minimalist" with luxury more than they did five to 10 years ago: 67

Source: LG Signature.

Percentage of Americans who consider credit card debt to be enough reason to kick a potential partner to the curb, according to research from finder.com: 78

Average amount that is deemed unacceptable: $11,525

Percentage of Americans who say utilizing payday loans could render a person undateable: 78

Average payday loan amount that would be a deal-breaker: $1,830

Percentage of Americans who say student loans could make a person undateable: 76

Average student loan debt that would be a deal-breaker: $51,000

Ranks of medical bills (72.2 percent), home equity loans (71.25 percent) and business loans (70.9 percent) on the list of kinds of debts more willingly tolerated: 1, 2, 3

Source: finder.com.

Across the world, rank of figure skating on the list of the most popular Olympic events, according to an Ipsos Global Advisor study of 27 nations: 1

In the U.S., rank of hockey and snowboarding: 2, 3

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of boys who think it's more important for their parents to save for their college over their parents' retirement, compared with only 27 percent of girls, according to a T. Rowe Price survey: 45

Percentage of parents of both boys and girls who are saving for their kids' college rather than their own retirement: 53

Percentage of parents who agree with the statement, "I'd be willing to delay my retirement to pay for my kids' college education": 73

Source: T. Rowe Price.

Percentage of American 18- to 29-year-olds who admit they would rather upload a selfie than a picture with their loved ones, according to research from Hotels.com: 66

Percentage of U.S. young travelers who admitted to uploading pictures for bragging purposes while on vacation: 60

Percentage who check in at cool locations: 39

Percentage who track the amount of interaction on their posts: 32

Percentage who admitted they get anxious when their phone runs out of battery power on a trip, compared to just 8 percent who get anxious if they argue with their partner on a trip: 15

Source: Hotels.com.

Estimated amount that U.S. adults spent on gift cards in the last 12 months, according to Packaged Facts: $46 billion

Of this, amount that consumers spent on gift cards given to others: $28 billion

Amount they spent on gift cards they gave to themselves: $11 billion

Source: Packaged Facts.

When asked what their ultimate romantic vacation would be, percentage of respondents who chose a cruise to the Caribbean, according to a survey by Princess Cruises partnered with Wakefield Research: 55

Percentage of those surveyed who would opt to renew their vows at between 10 and 25 years of marriage: 51

Source: Princess Cruises.

Percentage of prospective homebuyers who would halt their home search if mortgage rates rose above 5 percent, according to a late 2017 survey commissioned by www.redfin.com: 6

Percentage who said that a 5 percent mortgage rate would cause them to slow their plans to buy: 27

Source: Redfin.

Percentage of consumers who won't use a home service professional again if they aren't technologically savvy, according to a survey commissioned by Verizon Telematics: 66

Percentage of service professionals across five industries (HVAC, construction, landscaping, plumbing and trucking/delivery) who recognize that technology adoption needs to be a top priority in order to ensure future business success: 70

Source: Verizontelematics.com.

Percentage of users of the SweetRing dating app who said they would like to limit their wedding costs to $20,000: 46

Percentage who would stay within a $15,000 limit: 28

Percentage who claimed they would rather save that money and travel to a foreign country: 10

Source: SweetRing.

Idle Thought

"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have." -- Socrates, ancient philosopher

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

When workers were asked what the "American Dream" meant to them, percentage who said making enough money for me and my family to live comfortably, according to a survey by CareerBuilder that allowed multiple answers: 85

Percentage who said being able to help others: 48

Percentage who said seeing my ideas become a reality in business: 17

Percentage who said becoming a millionaire: 10

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who are concerned about contracting a new or particularly resilient strain of the flu this year, according to a survey conducted by Bradley Corp.: 60

Percentage who wave hello or use alternate greetings when they meet someone who is sick: 51

Percentage of respondents who make it a point to wash their hands more frequently to avoid getting germs or passing them on to others: 61

Source: Bradley Corp.

Amount the average person celebrating Valentine's Day has spent, according to the 2018 Valentine's Day spending survey by WalletHub: $143.56.

Percentage of people who said gift cards on Valentine's Day are the worst type of present: 21

Source: WalletHub.

Rank of "online" on the list of places where singles most often meet, according to a survey by Match.com: 1

Percentage of singles who have had a "friend with benefits" relationship: 55

Of these, percentage who have seen the relationship turn serious: 45

Percentage of singles who build a friendship first -- known as "hanging out," where they skip the sex and haven't gone out on an official first date: 40

Source: Match.com.

Rate that the average American worker gives his or her job satisfaction on a 10-point scale, according to a Bankrate.com survey: 7

Percentage of workers who gave a rating of 8 or higher, including 19 percent who awarded a perfect 10, vs. just 11 percent who said 3 or lower: 50

Source: Bankrate.com.

Amount of money the third-party debt collection industry returned to creditors in 2016, according to a survey conducted by Ernst and Young on behalf of ACA International: $67.6 billion

Number of people directly employed by third-party collection agencies with a payroll of $4.9 billion: 129,262

Source: ACA International.

Percentage of parents who spend more than $2,500 a year on sports, dance, arts and other extracurricular activities, according to a study commissioned by SunTrust Banks Inc.: 20

Percentage who spend more than $1,000 annually: 40

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Percentage of Americans who said they have worked at a convenience store, according to a national survey conducted by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 19

Of these, percentage who said they worked at a convenience store while in high school: 24

Percentage who said said they worked at a convenience store while pursuing higher education: 29

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Ranks of relaxing or finding peace of mind, discovering new cultures or enjoying a change of scenery, becoming closer as a family, and reading or learning new things on the list of reasons for vacation travel, according to a survey by M Group Strategic Communications for travel insurer Generali Global Assistance North America: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: M Group Strategic Communications.

Among Protestant and nondenominational American churchgoers, percentage who have provided foster care in the last year, according to LifeWay Research: 25

Percentage who have adopted a new child from the United States: 17

Percentage who have adopted a new child from another country: 15

Source: LifeWay Research.

Idle thought

"The best fighter is never angry." -- Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher

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