Nevada returned to the top as the USA’s fastest-growing state, with a population increase of 2.9 percent between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Arizona, fastest-growing between 2005 and 2006, slipped to second place.

Meanwhile, Louisiana began to rebound from its post-Hurricane Katrina population loss, gaining nearly 50,000 people from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007, for a total population of 4.3 million. The state lost 250,000 residents during the previous one-year period. Texas gained more people than any other state: Its 2006-2007 increase of almost 500,000 was ahead of runner-up California, which added slightly more than 300,000.

California remains the most populous state with about 37 million people.

In the fall of 1621, the religious separatist Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest, an event many regard as the nation’s first Thanksgiving. It eventually became a national holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping, never on the occasional fifth Thursday.

Weighing in With a Menu of Culinary Delights

272 million is the preliminary estimate of turkeys raised in the United States in 2007. That’s up 4 percent from 2006. The turkeys produced in 2005 together weighed 7.2 billion pounds and were valued at $3.2 billion.

46 million is the preliminary estimate of turkeys Minnesota expects to raise in 2007. The Gopher State is tops in turkey production. It is followed by North Carolina (39 million), Arkansas (31 million), Virginia (21.5 million), Missouri (21 million) and California (16.8 million). These six states together will probably account for about two-thirds of U.S. turkeys produced in 2007.

690 million pounds is the forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2007, essentially unchanged from 2006 and 11 percent more than 2005. Wisconsin is expected to lead all states in the production of cranberries, with 390 million pounds, followed by Massachusetts (180 million). New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are also expected to have substantial production, ranging from 18 million to 52 million pounds.

1.6 billion pounds is the total weight of sweet potatoes — another popular Thanksgiving side dish — produced by major sweet potato producing states in 2006. North Carolina (702 million pounds) produced more sweet potatoes than any other state. It was followed by California (381 million pounds). Mississippi and Louisiana also produced large amounts: at least 200 million pounds each.

1 billion pounds is the total pumpkin production of major pumpkin-producing states in 2006. Illinois led the country by producing 492 million pounds of the vined orange gourd. Pumpkin patches in California, Ohio and Pennsylvania also provided plenty of pumpkins: Each state produced at least 100 million pounds. The value of all the pumpkins produced by major pumpkin-producing states was $101 million.

If you prefer cherry pie, you will be pleased to learn that the nation’s forecasted tart cherry production for 2007 totals 294 million pounds. Of this total, the overwhelming majority (230 million) will be produced in Michigan.

1.8 billion bushels is the total volume of wheat — the essential ingredient of bread, rolls and pie crust — produced in the United States in 2006. Kansas and North Dakota accounted for 30 percent of the nation’s wheat production.

841,280 tons is the 2007 contracted production of snap (green) beans in major snap (green) bean-producing states. Of this total, Wisconsin led all states (310,200 tons). Many Americans consider green bean casserole a traditional Thanksgiving dish.

$9.5 million is the value of U.S. imports of live turkeys during the first half of 2007 — 99.5 percent from Canada. USA’s northern neighbour accounted for all of the cranberries the United States imported ($2.2 million). When it comes to sweet potatoes, however, the Dominican Republic was the source of 63 percent ($1.7 million) of total imports ($2.7 million). The United States ran a $4.9 million trade deficit in live turkeys during the period but had surpluses of $9.4 million in cranberries and $15.3 million in sweet potatoes.

The Turkey Industry

$3.6 billion is the value of turkeys shipped in 2002. Arkansas led the way in turkey shipments, with $581.5 million, followed by Virginia and North Carolina. In 2002, poultry businesses whose primary product was turkey totalled 35 establishments, employing about 17,000 people.

$3.86 billion is the 2007 forecast of receipts to farmers from turkey sales. This exceeds the total receipts from sales of products such as rice, peanuts and tobacco.

The Price is Right. 99 cents is the cost per pound of a frozen whole turkey in December 2006.

Pending sales of existing homes activity will be dampened short-term as mortgage disruptions continue to impact the housing market, according to the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator, fell 6.5 percent to a reading of 85.5 from an upwardly revised 91.4 in July, based on contracts signed in August. It was 21.5 percent below the August 2006 index of 108.9.

Lawrence Yun, NAR senior economist, said the mortgage market impact is quantifiable. “Fewer contracts were being written because of mortgage availability issues, and a separate internal survey of our members shows more than 10 percent of sales contracts fell through at the last moment in August, primarily the result of cancelled loan commitments,” he said. “The volume of activity we’re seeing today is below sustainable market fundamentals because some creditworthy people are trying to buy homes but can’t because of the credit crunch.

“The impact was greater in high-cost markets that are more dependent on jumbo mortgages. In some areas, as much as 30 percent of signed contracts were falling through in August when the credit crunch problem peaked,” Yun said. “The problem has since become less severe, though jumbo loan rates are still higher than they would be under normal conditions. Therefore, sales activity in late fall will better reflect market fundamentals.”

The index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalised within one or two months of signing.

Annual changes in the index are more closely related to actual market performance than are month-to-month comparisons. As the relatively new index matures and seasonal adjustment factors are refined, the month-to-month comparisons will become more meaningful.

An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined as well as the first of five consecutive record years for existing-home sales.

The PHSI in the West was down 2.7 percent in August to 80.3 and was 27.1 percent below a year ago.

In the Midwest, the index fell 2.9 percent from July to 78.1 and is 18.0 percent lower than August 2006.

The index in the Northeast fell 8.3 percent in August to 77.3 and was 18.3 percent below a year ago.

In the South, the index dropped 9.5 percent in August to 97.8 and was 21.3 percent below August 2006.

The U.S. Census Bureau has released a series of tables on the 40 million Americans who moved between 2005 and 2006, including characteristics of movers by type of move. Published annually at the national and regional levels, these tables reveal trends about migration in the United States.

Some of this year’s findings include the following:

In 2006, 39.8 million United States residents moved within the previous one-year period.

The moving rate remained statistically unchanged from 2005 at 14 percent.

Nearly half of the reasons given for moving were housing related, such as wanting a bigger or smaller house.

The West had the highest moving rate (16 percent), followed by the South (15 percent), the Midwest (13 percent) and the Northeast (10 percent).

Hispanics had the highest moving rate (18 percent), followed by blacks (17 percent), Asians (14 percent) and non-Hispanic whites (12 percent).

In 2006, nearly one-third of all people living in renter-occupied housing units lived elsewhere a year earlier. The moving rate for people living in owner-occupied housing units was 7 percent.

For the population 16 and older, 24 percent of those who were unemployed in 2006 lived in a different place a year earlier. This compares with 14 percent of those who were employed in 2006 and 10 percent for those not in the labour force.

Most movers stayed within the same county (62 percent), while 20 percent moved from a different county within the same state; 14 percent moved from a different state and 3 percent moved from abroad.

Existing-home sales fell in August when mortgage availability problems were peaking, according to the National Association of Realtors. Total existing-home sales – including single-family, townhouses, condominiums and co-ops – were down 4.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of 5.50 million units in August from a level of 5.75 million in July, and are 12.8 percent below the 6.31 million-unit pace in August 2006.

Lawrence Yun, NAR senior economist, expected the decline. “The unusual disruptions in the mortgage market, including a significant rise in jumbo loan rates, resulted in a fairly high number of postponed or cancelled sales, with many buyers having to search for other financing when loan commitments fell through,” he said. “Lower sales contributed to a build-up of unsold inventory.”

Yun expects similar results for home sales in September. “Once we get through these disruptions, we’ll get a better sense of where the actual market is in late fall as conditions begin to normalise,” he said.

The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $224,500 (£109,500) in August, up 0.2 percent from August 2006 when the median was $224,000 (£109,300). The median is a typical market price where half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less.

“Price gains in the Northeast and Midwest were largely offset by a decline in the West, while the median existing-home price in the South was down slightly, demonstrating that all real estate is local,” NAR President, Pat Combs said.

Northeast
Existing-home sales in the Northeast slipped 2.0 percent in August to an annual pace of 1.00 million, and are 5.7 percent below a year ago. The median price was $282,300 (£137,700), up 3.6 percent from August 2006.

South
Existing-home sales in the South eased by 2.7 percent to a level of 2.20 million in August, and are 12.7 percent lower than August 2006. The median existing-home price was $183,500 (£89,500) down 0.7 percent from a year ago.

Midwest
Existing-home sales in the Midwest fell 5.2 percent to an annual rate of 1.28 million in August, and are 10.5 percent below a year ago. The median price was $177,100 (£86,400), up 3.1 percent from August 2006.

West
Existing-home sales in the West dropped 9.8 percent in August to a level of 1.01 million, and are 21.7 percent below August 2006. The median price was $332,300 (£162,100), which is 3.8 percent below a year ago.

Highlights from the U.S. Census Bureau’s release of data on key social, economic and housing characteristics for the United States has been released. The data came from more than 7,000 areas, including all congressional districts, cities, and metro areas with a 65,000 population or more. The highlights include:

Older Workers

Nationally, nearly one in four people between the ages of 65 and 74 (23.2 percent) were in the labour force in 2006, an increase from 19.6 percent in 2000. States with some of the lowest rates of older workers in the labour force include West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona.

The highest rates were found in South Dakota, Nebraska and Washington, D.C., all with about one-third of people in this age group in the labour force.

Homeownership

Homeownership has also increased since 2000, with more than two-thirds of all occupied homes (67.3 percent) currently owned by the occupant, compared to 66.2 percent in 2000. In 2006, the highest rates of homeownership were found in Minnesota (76.3), and some of the lowest were found in New York (55.6 percent) and Washington, D.C. (45.8 percent). Among the 20 largest metro areas, Minneapolis-St. Paul shared the top spot with Detroit (75.2 and 74.6 percent, respectively), with St. Louis ranking third (73.1 percent).

Non-English Speakers

In 2006, about 8 million more people spoke a foreign language at home than in 2000. Nationally, one in five over age 5 spoke a language other than English at home, compared to 17.9 percent in 2000. Among states, California (42.5 percent) had the highest percentage in this category, followed by New Mexico (36.5 percent) and Texas (33.8 percent).

Among the 20 largest metro areas, more than half of all people over 5 in Los Angeles spoke a language other than English at home. Miami ranked second in this category followed by San Francisco-Oakland and Riverside, California where about four in 10 spoke a language other than English at home.

Married with Children

The percentage of households that were married-couple families with children under 18 decreased from 23.5 percent in 2000 to 21.6 percent in 2006.

All states, except Connecticut, saw a percentage point decrease in households in this category since 2000. In 2006, Utah had the greatest percentage of married-couple households with children under 18, at 32.3 percent. Other states with high rates included Idaho, California, Texas, New Jersey and Alaska Florida (18.2 percent) and Washington, D.C. (7.3 percent) had some of the lowest.

Additional highlights:

The District of Columbia had a higher percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or more (46 percent) than any state.

California and Hawaii were the two states with the highest median value of owner-occupied homes (more than $500,000). California cities Newport Beach and Santa Barbara had median home values of about $1 million.

More than half of California homeowners with a mortgage spent 30 percent or more of their household incomes on mortgage payments and other owner costs. Less than a quarter of North Dakota homeowners spent 30 percent or more of their household incomes on mortgage payments other owner costs.

Florida home prices increased an average of 84 percent during the last boom, but wages have not kept pace. As a result, Florida workers in key occupations can no longer afford to buy into the housing market according to eFinanceDirectory.com, a real estate news site.

They recently analysed the earnings of workers in some of Florida’s key occupations and calculated the workers’ ability to afford a median priced home or fair market rent on a two-bedroom apartment.

The analysis included four major metropolitan areas, as well as five occupations that play a key role in the Florida workforce: fire fighters, police officers, nurses, receptionists, and wait staff.

The results showed that not only was it impossible for workers earning the average income for their field and location to reasonably afford a median priced home, it was also difficult for workers in the majority of the occupations to afford rent on a 2-bedroom apartment.

For example, in Miami, where the median priced home is $375,000, it would be virtually impossible for workers in the five occupations to qualify for a mortgage loan without some form of assistance. The Miami fire fighter, who on average earns more than the workers in the other four occupations ($65,312), would need to earn twice as much to be able to reasonably afford the median priced home.

In the same area, a receptionist earning the average income ($20,925) would need to work an unmanageable 72-hour working week to afford the fair market rent on a two-bedroom Miami apartment.

Similar problems were found in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Jacksonville, the other three Florida metropolitan areas included in the analysis.

Nearly one in every 10 of America’s 3,141 counties has a population that is more than 50 percent minority, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. Los Angeles County, California had the largest minority population in the country in 2006. At 7 million, or 71 percent of its total, Los Angeles County is home to one in every 14 of the nation’s minority residents.

Harris County, Texas gained 121,400 minority residents between 2005 and 2006, which led the nation. Harris (Houston is its largest city) now has a minority population of 2.5 million, comprising 63 percent of its total. Its minority population ranks third nationally, not far behind second place Cook County, Illinois (Chicago).

Based on total population, Starr County, Texas located on the Mexican border had the highest proportion of all counties that was minority, at 98 percent.

Highlights for the various groups:

Hispanic

• Los Angeles County had the largest Hispanic population (4.7 million) in 2006, followed by Harris County, Texas and Miami-Dade (1.5 million each).
• Maricopa County, Arizona (home of Phoenix) had the biggest numerical increase in the Hispanic population (71,000) since July 2005, followed by Harris County, Texas (63,000).
• Starr County, Texas had the highest Hispanic proportion of its total population in 2006, at 97 percent. In fact, each of the 11 counties with the highest Hispanic proportion of its total population was in Texas.

Black

• Cook County had the largest black population (1.4 million) in July 2006, followed by Los Angeles County (1 million).
• Harris County had the largest numerical increase (52,000) between 2005 and 2006, with East Baton Rouge Parish next (19,000).
• Claiborne County, Mississippi had a population that was 85 percent black in 2006, which led the nation. All 50 counties with the highest percentage black population were in the South.

Asian

• Los Angeles County had the largest Asian population (1.4 million) in 2006, with Santa Clara County, California (home of San Jose) the runner-up (556,000).
• Santa Clara County had the largest numerical increase (17,600) from 2005 to 2006, followed by Los Angeles (15,700).
• Honolulu County, Hawaii led the nation with a population that was 59 percent Asian. One other county – Kauai, Hawaii – was also majority Asian. San Francisco County, California led the continental United States, with 34 percent of its population Asian.

American Indian and Alaska Native

• Los Angeles County had the largest population of American Indians and Alaska Natives in 2006 (150,000) with Maricopa County, Arizona ranking second (95,000).
• Maricopa County had the largest numerical increase between 2005 and 2006 (3,700), followed by Riverside County, California. (1,600).
• Shannon County, South Dakota led the country in 2006, with 88 percent of its total population of 13,800 being a member of this group in 2006. Shannon was first of 10 counties/county equivalents that were majority American Indian and Alaska Native.

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

• Honolulu County had the largest population of this race (177,000) in 2006, with Los Angeles County (59,000) second.
• Hawaii County, Hawaii and Clark County, Nevada (home of Las Vegas) had the largest numerical increases in this race since July 2005, around 900.

Non-Hispanic White Alone

• Los Angeles County had a nation leading 2.9 million residents who were part of this group in 2006, with Cook, Illinois, second at 2.4 million.
• The largest numerical increase from 2005 to 2006 belonged to Maricopa County, Arizona. (35,500). Wake, North Carolina (home of Raleigh), ranked second, gaining 18,700.
• Magoffin County, Kentucky with an estimated 13,400 total residents, and Mitchell County, Iowa with an estimated 10,900 total residents, led the nation with 98.9 percent of their population being non-Hispanic white alone in 2006.

The US administration has announced tougher action against businesses which employ illegal immigrants.

The tighter workplace enforcement measures come after Congress failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Under the new plan, employers will have 90 days to prove the workers are legal US residents or fire them.

If workers’ documents cannot be verified, employers would be required to fire them or could face fines of up to $12,500 (£6,250) per violation, a 25% fine increase, as well as possible criminal charges.

Officials said the rules would be backed by stepped-up raids on workplaces across the country that employ illegal immigrants.

The new plan will also strengthen patrols on the Mexican border.

The US government has already stepped up raids on companies employing illegal workers, and the number of criminal investigations of employers has also risen.

However, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said such initiatives alone would not stamp out illegal immigration.

The new measures could have major implications for the country’s agriculture, construction and hospitality industries which employ most of the illegal immigrants in the US. More than 70 percent of farm workers in the fields of the United States are illegal immigrants, according to estimates by growers’ associations.

The US economy added the fewest number of jobs last month since February, increasing payrolls by just 92,000, the Department of Labour numbers showed. The figures disappointed the market, which had been looking for more than 130,000 new jobs in July. The US 4.6% unemployment rate in July was the highest since a similar 4.6% rate in January.

Some analysts said the figures were better than initial reports suggested, noting that 120,000 jobs were created in the private sector, especially in service industries. Government jobs fell by 28,000.

However the US Labour Department also revised down its estimates for job creation in each of the two prior months by a total of 8,000. It means that in the first seven months of 2007, average job growth has eased to 136,000 per month from a more vigorous 189,000 throughout 2006.

Economists warned against panicking at the figures, suggesting that growth was picking up as the year progressed and was not poised to fall into recession.

“It’s moderately softer but it’s not enough to change the overall trend of the economy,” said Pierre Ellis, senior global economist with Decision Economics. “The start of the third quarter remains relatively healthy.”

The US economy grew by 3.4% in the three months to June, which was faster than expected, but other more recent economic indicators regarding consumer spending and house building have been disappointing.

Sales of homes in the United States fell in June with some potential buyers staying on the sidelines, but prices rose slightly, according to the National Association of Realtors. Total sales fell 3.8 percent to an annual rate of 5.75 million units in June from a level of 5.98 million in May, and are 11.4 percent below sales in June 2006.

“Home buyers have been getting mixed signals about the housing market, which is causing some of them to hesitate,” Lawrence Yun, NAR senior economist, said. “Mortgage interest rates have risen recently, and tightening lending standards are continuing to hamper sales, but fewer risky loans will put the market on a healthier path. Although general buying conditions remain favourable for long-term home buyers, it appears some buyers are looking for more signs of stability before they have enough confidence to make an offer.”

The national average home price for all housing types was $230,100 (£112,300) in June, up 0.3 percent from June 2006 when the average was $229,300 (£111,900).

“Consumers should avoid making decisions based on what they hear about the national market because all real estate is local. There are pockets around the country where home sales are quite strong, so you really need to consult …about local market conditions, ” NAR President Pat Combs said.

Regionally, home sales in the South eased by 1.7 in June, and are 11.4 percent below a year ago. The average price was $190,800 (£93,100), up 0.7 percent from June 2006.

In the Midwest sales declined 2.8 percent in June to a level of 1.37 million, and are 8.1 percent below June 2006. The average price in the Midwest was $171,700 (£83,800), which is 1.5 percent below a year ago.

June home sales in the West dropped 6.8 percent to an annual pace of 1.10 million, and are 19.1 percent below a year ago. The average price was $340,000 (£165,900), down 0.4 percent from June 2006.

Sales in the Northeast fell 7.3 percent to a level of 1.01 million, and are 7.3 percent lower than June 2006. The average price was $294,400 (£143,700), up 1.8 percent from a year ago.

Tax measures have been introduced which should boost the Florida property market. The state’s Legislature has approved the largest property tax cuts in state history following the damage done by hurricanes in recent years.

Jill Diamond, of Florida property firm Clearsky, said: “The Florida property taxation system, unlike in the UK, does reflect the costs and so does go down as well as up. This is a positive factor.”

It is expected that the market will pick up as buyers recognise that their bill payments will be smaller as a result of the cuts.

The Legislature passed a property tax relief and reform package that will cut property taxes for property owners in Florida by almost $32 billion dollars over the next five years. The greatest savings for Florida’s homeowners will be created by a new “Super Homestead” exemption which will provide an average 44% reduction on most home-owners tax bills.

Over 800,000 people went into business for themselves in America in 2005, as the number of businesses without employees reached 20.4 million.

Non-employer firms increased by 860,000, up 4.4 percent in a year. These businesses, known in the business industry as “lone wolves,” had receipts of $951 billion and make up approximately 78 percent of the nation’s 26 million-plus firms according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Non-employer firms may be run by one or more individuals and can range from home-based businesses to corner stores or construction contractors. These firms are often part-time ventures with owners operating more than one business.

Among the fastest-growing non-employer industries in the United States are Web search portals (41.2 percent), Internet service providers (16.6 percent), nail salons (18 percent), electronic shopping and mail-order houses (12 percent), recreational vehicle dealers (12.1 percent) and landscaping services (11.1 percent).

The District of Columbia led the nation in the growth of these small businesses with a 9.6 percent increase between 2004 and 2005, followed by Nevada at 7.7 percent and Florida with a 7.6 percent growth rate. Georgia and Utah had increases of 7.6 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

Among the nation’s most populous counties, Los Angeles County, California had 799,108 non-employer businesses, with Cook County, Illinois, second at 380,457. Miami-Dade, Florida followed at 296,456.

Phoenix has become the nation’s fifth most populous city, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. As of July 1, 2006, this desert metropolis has a population of 1.5 million. New York continued to be the nation’s most populous city, with 8.2 million residents. This was more than twice the population of Los Angeles, which ranked second at 3.8 million.

Phoenix moved into fifth place ahead of Philadelphia, the latest evidence of a decades-long population shift. Nearly a century ago, in 1910, each of the 10 most populous cities was within roughly 500 miles of the Canadian border. The 2006 estimates show that seven of the top 10 — and three of the top five — are now in states that border Mexico.

Only three of the top 10 from 1910 remained on the list in 2006: New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. Conversely, three of the current top 10 cities (Phoenix; San Jose, California. and San Diego) were not even among the 100 most populous in 1910, while three more (Dallas, Houston and San Antonio) had populations of less than 100,000.

Fastest Growing Cities
Many of the nation’s fastest-growing cities are suburbs. North Las Vegas, Nevada, had the nation’s fastest growth rate among large cities (100,000 or more population) between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006. North Las Vegas’ population increased 11.9 percent to 197,567. It was joined on the list of the 10 fastest-growing cities by three in the Dallas metro area: McKinney (ranking second), Grand Prairie (sixth) and Denton (ninth). In the same vicinity, Fort Worth just missed the list, ranking 11th.

Florida and Arizona each had two cities among the 10 fastest growing: Port St. Lucie (third) and Cape Coral (fourth) in Florida; and Gilbert (fifth) and Peoria (seventh) in Arizona, both near Phoenix. North Carolina (Cary, near Raleigh) and California (Lancaster, near Los Angeles) each contributed one city to the list. California had seven cities among the 25 fastest growing, leading all states.

Phoenix had the largest population increase of any city, adding more than 43,000 residents to reach 1.5 million. However, Texas dominated the list of the 10 highest gainers, with San Antonio, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and Dallas each making the top 10. North Las Vegas; Miami; Charlotte, N.C.; and San Jose, California. rounded out the list of the 10 biggest gainers. Overall, eight Texas cities were among the 25 biggest gainers.

New Orleans had by far the largest population loss among all cities with populations of at least 100,000 people. The city lost slightly more than half of its pre-Hurricane Katrina population. It fell from 452,170 on July 1, 2005, to 223,388 one year later — a loss of 50.6 percent.

Top 25 of
Americas Largest Cities

The USA housing market remained sluggish last month with sales of homes at their lowest level in four years. Sales fell 0.3 percent to 5.99 million units in May, the lowest rate of sales since June 2003, according to the National Association of Realtors.

There was also bad news from Lennar, America’s biggest housebuilder, which announced a $244.2 million (£122 million) loss for the second quarter of 2007. Lennar’s average house price fell by 7.5 per cent to $298,000.

Lennar’s chief executive, Stuart Miller, said: “As we look to our third quarter and the remainder of 2007, we continue to see weak, and perhaps deteriorating, market conditions. We currently expect to be in a loss position in our third quarter.”

House sales in the United States are now 10% lower than a year ago, when 6.68 million units were sold.

The sharp downturn in the housing market, after years of high growth, has shown little sign of bottoming out.

The number of homes for sale rose 5% to a 15-year high of 4.43 million units, almost double the supply from two years ago.

The median price of an US home is now $223,700 (£111.850), 2.1% less than in May 2006.

Northeast
Home sales in the Northeast rose 5.8 percent to a level of 1.10 million in May, but were 3.5 percent lower than May 2006. The median home price was $282,700 (£141,350), which is 0.5 percent higher than a year ago.

Midwest
Home sales rose 0.7 percent in May to a level of 1.41 million, but were 6.6 percent below a year ago. The median price in the Midwest was $168,800 (£84,400) which was 1.7 percent below May 2006.

West
Home sales in the West slipped 0.8 percent in May to an annual pace of 1.18 million, and were 16.3 percent below May 2006. The median price was $341,900 (£170,950), which is 0.5 percent lower than a year ago.

South
Home sales fell 3.4 percent to an annual sales rate of 2.30 million in May, and were 11.9 percent below a year ago. The median price in the South was $184,000 (£92,000), down 3.8 percent from May 2006.

Immigration has lowered wages in both Canada and the United States says a new study by Statistics Canada.

Canada
The main impact of large numbers of highly-skilled immigrants coming to Canada has been to push down the earnings of highly educated Canadians. Canadians with postgraduate degrees saw their real weekly wages tumble 7 percent between 1980 and 2000.

“It all boils down to the skill mix… Canada gets more skilled immigrants than America and they have a mitigating effect on wage inequality.”

United States
In the United States the opposite has happened. Most immigrants to the USA have been less skilled. The newcomers have depressed the earnings of low-paid Americans and increased the gap relative to the highest-paid.

Different Immigration Policies
According to Statistics Canada, the differences in skill mixes between Canada and the United States have been caused by differences in immigration policies during the last four decades.

Canadian immigration policies since the 1960s have encouraged high-skilled workers to come to the country. During the same period, American immigration policy has emphasised family reunification, resulting in a disproportionate number of low-skilled immigrants.

Significant illegal immigration to the United States since 1965 - an estimated 10.3 million as of 2005 - mostly from Mexico, has also contributed to the tendency for US immigrant workers to be lower-skilled than those who entered Canada.

Immigration to the United States, moreover, has tended to increase the supply of young workers; the opposite has been seen in Canada.

Immigration Numbers
Between 1980 and 2000, immigration increased the male labour force by 13.2% in Canada and 11.1% in the United States. In each country, a migration-induced increase of 10% in the labour supply was associated with a 3% to 4% drop in weekly earnings.

America’s minority population has reached 100.7 million, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau. A year ago, the minority population totalled 98.3 million.

“About one in three U.S. residents is a minority,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. “To put this into perspective, there are more minorities in this country today than there were people in the United States in 1910. In fact, the minority population in the U.S. is larger than the total population of all but 11 countries.”

The American population in 1910 was 92.2 million. The overall population of America today is over 300 million.

Four states and the District of Columbia are “majority-minority”. Hawaii leads the nation with a population that is 75 percent minority, followed by the District of Columbia (68 percent), New Mexico (57 percent), California (57 percent) and Texas (52 percent). No other state has a minority population exceeding 42 percent of the total.

Highlights for the various groups:

California has the largest Hispanic population of any state followed by Texas and Florida.

New York has the largest black population followed by Florida and Texas.

California has the largest Asian population and also has the largest population of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Maine and Vermont have the highest proportion of single-race non-Hispanic whites (96 percent each), followed by West Virginia (94 percent).

Sales representatives, teachers and mechanics are among America’s most sought-after workers, according to survey findings released by Manpower Inc. The employment services company also found that 41 percent of U.S. employers are having difficulty filling positions because of a lack of available talent.

“With the variety of positions employers are struggling to fill, it seems like job seekers should have little trouble finding work,” said Jonas Prising, President of Manpower North America. “Yet on a daily basis we hear from clients who can’t find the right people for open positions and candidates who are struggling to get hired. The reality is that the talent crunch is more complex than a shortage of people. To bridge the talent gap, we must dig deeper and consider issues such as skill levels, geographic dispersion and demographics.”

The 10 hardest-to-fill jobs, as reported by U.S. employers for 2007, are:

Sales representative
Teacher
Mechanic
Technician
Management/executive
Truck driver
Driver/delivery
Accountant
Labourer
Machine operator

Manpower surveyed more than 2,400 U.S. employers in February as a follow-up to its 2006 survey to determine which positions employers are having difficulty filling this year.

In the 2007 study, 41 percent of U.S. employers cited difficulty in filling jobs. This is a slight dip from the 2006 results, when 44 percent of employers reported challenges filling open positions.

Sales representatives topped the list of hardest-to-fill jobs for the second straight year as companies rely on experienced sales staff to propel future growth. Teachers and mechanics replaced engineers and nurses/healthcare workers in the second- and third-place positions this year.

“Even though some jobs fell off the top 10 list, demand for these positions still exists,” said Prising. “We know that employers are attempting to manage their talent requirements through a variety of strategies, including outsourcing, offshoring and technology, due to the fact that the pressure to meet production and financial goals remains despite talent shortages.”

As employers balance efficiency strategies with the growing difficulty of hiring the right people, many are changing their approach to hiring and retention, according to Melanie Holmes, Manpower Vice President of Corporate Affairs – North America.

“Employers are seeing more and more rejected job offers, creating a healthy competition as companies vie for top talent. As a result of this, employers are revising policies and enhancing benefits in areas as common as flexible scheduling to non-traditional offerings like take-home meals and onsite yoga classes. We anticipate more and increasingly creative cultural changes as companies take the steps necessary to distinguish themselves in the eyes of employees,” said Holmes.

Despite problems in the property market, the United States economy added 180,000 jobs last month.

Average hourly earnings for private production and non-supervisory workers rose by 6 cents to $17.22. Over the year, average hourly earnings increased by 4.0 percent.

The new jobs split was:

Industry Sectors

• Construction employment up by 56,000.
• Retail trade employment up by 36,000.
• Employment in health care up 30,000. Job gains occurred throughout the industry, including doctors’ offices, hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities.
• Professional and business services employment was flat in March. Job gains in computer systems design and management consulting were offset by small declines elsewhere in the professional and business services sector.
• Manufacturing employment continued to trend down, by 16,000, with declines in several industries including furniture, computers and electronic products, textile mills, and paper and paper products.

Unemployment by Ethnicity

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for whites decreased to 3.8 percent over the month while unemployment for blacks rose slightly to 8.3 percent and Asian unemployment also rose slightly to 3.0 percent.

Unemployment In America’s States

For the past six months, America’s unemployment rate has been in a narrow band of 4.4 to 4.6 percent. The tables below show states with lower than average, average, and above average unemployment rates.

U.S. States With
Below Average Unemployment Rates

U.S. States With
Average Unemployment Rates

U.S. States With
Above Average Unemployment Rates

The mortgage crisis in America has deepened so much that family homes can now be bought for less than the price of a new car according to The Telegraph.

A four-bedroom home near the original Motown recording studio in Detroit recently sold for £3,700 ($7,000), less than most used cars. A boarded-up bungalow fetched £685, and a three-bedroom house listed for £276,000 attracted just £69,000.

Detroit, which made its fortune on the back of the car industry, now holds a more dubious distinction: the capital of home repossessions.

The decline of its main industry has seen Detroit suffer more than other areas from a crisis that is sweeping the United States and has sent a big chill through the whole economy and global stock markets.

Up to 1.5 million Americans could lose their homes in the next two years, while repossessions rose by 42 per cent in 2006. The vast majority of those at risk are borrowers hit by the sharply rising costs of “sub-prime” mortgages offered to low income buyers, often with bad credit ratings. Lenders typically offer loans at attractive “teaser” interest rates which after two or three years leaps, doubling repayments in many cases.

41 percent of employers worldwide are having difficulty filling positions due to a lack of available talent. A survey, conducted by Manpower Inc, reveals talent shortages in various countries.

Below is a list of some of the countries surveyed and the top 10 most difficult jobs to fill for each one. Talent shortages are resulting in recruitment difficulties for 62% of employers in New Zealand, 61% in Australia, 41% in the United States, 36% in Canada and 34% in the UK.

New Zealand
1. Sales Representatives
2. Engineers
3. Management/Executives
4. Technicians
5. Accounting & Finance Staff
6. Labourers
7. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily printers/finishers,
flooring installers or unspecified skilled trades)
8. Machinists/Machine Operators
9. IT Staff (primarily software developers/engineers)
10. Production Operators
Total Number of Respondents: 621
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 62%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 38%
Margin of error: +/- 3.9%

Australia
1. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily electricians, boiler
makers or welders)
2. Engineers
3. Sales Representatives
4. Accounting & Finance Staff
5. Labourers
6. Management/Executives
7. Drivers
8. Machinists/Machine Operators
9. Technicians
10. Administrative Assistants & PAs
Total Number of Respondents: 2,486
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 61%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 39%
Margin of error: +/- 2.0%

United States
1. Sales Representatives
2. Teachers
3. Mechanics
4. Technicians
5. Management
6. Truck Drivers - Freight
7. Drivers - Delivery
8. Accountants
9. Labourers
10. Machine Operators
Total Number of Respondents: 2,407
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 41%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 59%
Margin of error: +/- 2.0%

Canada
1. Skilled Manual Trades
2. Sales Representatives
3. Customer Service Representatives/Customer
Support
4. Labourers
5. Drivers
6. Mechanics
7. Machinists/Machine Operators
8. Engineers
9. Management/Executives
10. Cleaners & Domestic Staff
Total Number of Respondents: 1,703
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 36%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 64%
Margin of error: +/- 2.4%

United Kingdom
1. Skilled Manual Trades
2. Administrative Assistants & PAs
3. Engineers
4. Sales Representatives
5. Management/Executives
6. Labourers
7. Accounting & Finance Staff
8. Chefs/Cooks
9. Machinists/Machine Operators
10. Supervisors
Total Number of Respondents: 1,805
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 34%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 66%
Margin of error: +/- 2.4%

Nearly 37,000 employers across 27 labour markets were surveyed in late January 2007.

The latest figures from Statistics Canada show that Canada’s economic output per person is about 15 percent lower than America’s.

This is an improvement on 1998 when there was a 19 percent gap between the two countries.

There are two main reasons for the gap. These are:

• Canadians work 5 percent fewer hours each week than Americans.
• Americans produce more per hour worked than Canadians.

The gap is not closing because individual Canadian workers are becoming more productive. In fact, they are becoming less productive. As a result of falling unemployment, however, the “average” Canadian now works more hours than they did in 1998.

According to the OECD, the average number of hours worked per worker each year is 1,825 in the USA and 1,751 in Canada. (In the UK, the average number of hours worked each year is 1,668.)

House sales rose strongly in the United States of America in February to reach the highest level since April 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The average price for an existing-home for all housing types was $212,800 (£108,570) in February, down 1.3 percent from February 2006 when it was $215,700 (£110,050).

Total existing-home sales rose almost four percent, the biggest monthly rise in three years. David Lereah, NAR’s chief economist, said the strong gain was a surprise.

“Some of the rise in home sales may be from mild weather that brought out shoppers in December, but fundamentals have improved in the housing market and buyers see a window now with historically-low mortgage interest rates and competitive pricing by sellers.

“Even so, winter storms last month discouraged shopping, and buyers were chilled with the third coldest February on record. These unusual weather patterns mean home sales that close in March may decline before rebounding later this spring.”

NAR President Pat Vredevoogd Combs said the median home price currently is distorted.

“Over the last year, we’ve seen declining sales in many high-cost areas but rising activity in lower cost markets,” she said.

“This change in the geographic composition of sales means we aren’t getting apples-to-apples comparisons in median home prices from a year ago.

“What’s really happening is probably somewhere in between the different measures, but home prices are soft – a year ago we were still seeing bidding pressures and double-digit price growth. Overall, home prices should rise slowly this year, and many buyers have an opportunity now that was only a dream during the five-year boom.”

Average House Prices In U.S. Regions

Northeast United States: $265,900 (£135,660) — down 1.4 percent from February 2006.

Midwest United States: $157,000 (£80,100) — down 1.3 percent from February 2006.

South United States: $175,900 (£89,740) — down 2.9 percent from February 2006.

West United States: $337,100 (£171,990) — up 2.2 percent from February 2006.

A quarter of British people trying to get onto the property ladder in Britain would consider moving abroad – even as far as Australia or New Zealand – to live more cheaply so that they could save for a deposit to buy their first home in Britain. The findings are revealed in the latest Quarterly Savings Survey from National Savings and Investments.

The Quarterly Savings Survey asked more than 1,000 people who do not own or are not currently buying their own home, “Would you consider moving abroad where the cost of living might be cheaper in order to save to get on the property ladder back in Britain?”

The results show that Spain, Australia or New Zealand and the USA were the top choices for those people who would consider moving abroad for a cheaper life so they could save for a deposit on their first home in Britain. A fifth would also consider moving to Eastern Europe.

Spain: more than two in five
Australia or New Zealand: one in three
USA: more than one in five
Eastern Europe: one in five

More young people are willing to move.

One in four would move abroad.
More than a third of 25-34s would relocate.
Just under a third of 35-44s would emigrate for a cheaper life.

Moving within Britain also an option.

While a quarter of British people would consider moving to another country to live more cheaply in order to save for a deposit on a home in Britain, an almost equal number (24%) would be happy to move to a cheaper part of this country for the same reason.

Again, younger people are most mobile, with more than a third of 16-24s and 25-34s saying they would move to a cheaper part of the country for the sole purpose of saving money for a deposit on their first home.

Dax Harkins, senior savings strategist at NS&I, said: “British people clearly have a great appetite for buying a property in this country but find it difficult to save for a deposit while living here. It seems many will go to extreme lengths to achieve their goal, even if it means moving to the other side of the world in order to save up for a deposit back home.”

United States authorities are investigating a series of suspected visa scams costing would-be British migrants millions of pounds.

A BBC investigation found more than 50 families had spent around $7m to obtain US visas that never appeared.

Two companies were investigated:

• Royal Development – founded by Michael Leggett who left the UK in 2003 after his double glazing company went into liquidation, with debts of almost half a million pounds. Royal Development advertised in the UK claiming that it could help people obtain an E2 business visa. Royal Development began operating in 2003 and since then signed up an estimated 26 families who paid $2.6m. Some of the people who paid money to Royal Development have been deported from the USA. The State Department has said it is investigating the company over allegations of visa fraud, including claims that the company forged paperwork.
• Central Florida Visa Group – founded by Florida businessman Doug Hall, who claims the would-be migrants’ money had been stolen by one of his employees. Police sources told the BBC their investigation is focusing on Mr Hall. An estimated 25 Britons paid over $4.5m dollars to obtain E2 visas.

A spokesman for the US Embassy in London said that Britons should be cautious about who they hired to find a business and obtain an E2 visa.

“Don’t get the same person who is sorting out your visa to find a business for you,” says Consul General John Caulfield.

“If they want you to invest in their business they are not going to be realistic about the realities.”