Statistics


The following statistics are helpful for understanding the range of issues at stake in studying corporate accountability and social entrepreneurship:

Approximate population worldwide: 6 billion

Wealth and Income:

  • The population of the U.S. is 271 million people.
  • 80% of U.S. wealth is held by 20% of the families in the U.S.
  • Median (mid-point) U.S. family income is $47,467.
  • 47.3% of US income is earned by 20% of the families in the U.S.; 70.3% of the US income is earned by 40% of the families in the U.S. population.
  • The richest 20% earn at least $83,700 annually.
  • The highest paid 5% of U.S. families average earnings of $246,520 or 20.7% of all income.
  • At the very top, the richest .5% earned at least $1.375 million.
  • The richest 5% of families own more than half of all private property.
  • 1% of U.S. households possess one-third of the nation's privately held resources.
  • 12 of the richest families in the U.S. have a combined net worth exceeding $300 billion.
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 and Sociology by J.J. Macionis)
  • The U.S. has more income disparity than most industrialized countries according to the World Bank (2000).
  • According to Forbes magazine the richest 400 people in the U.S. have a minimum net work of $625 million. Their combined net worth is about $1 trillion.
  • ½ of the planet lives on less than $2 per day.
  • 1 billion people live on $1 per day. (Harper's, August 2002)
  • Percent increase from 1990-2000 in the average American worker's wages: 37
  • In corporate profits: 114
  • In the S&P 500: 300

Corporate Accountability:

  • According to Business Week, the average CEO made 42 times the average hourly worker's pay in 1980, 85 times in 1990 and a staggering 531 times in 2000.
  • United for a Fair Economy reported that when you include bonuses, stock options, long-term compensation, and perks that CEOs make 571 times that amount.
  • 90% of U.S. stock is held by 10% of U.S. stockholders
  • According to a Washington Post/ABC poll (Summer 02), 3 out of 4 people believe that recent corporate scandals signal broader problems in the way companies report finances.
  • To fix the problems, 53% said that the government should enforce existing laws more strictly.
  • 30% believe we need new laws to oversee corporate accountability.
  • Stress in the workplace effects 28% of all employees in Europe and accounts for 50-60% of all lost workdays there. (WSJ, Summer 02)
  • Criminal money entering the U.S. financial system from all sources ranges between $500 billion and $1 trillion per year. (Harper's, August 2002)
  • 80% of wedding gowns are made off-shore, many under sweatshop conditions-this represents a significant portion of the $32 billion/year wedding industry.
  • The average wage for producers of imported clothing in 2001 was between $1.91 and $1.79 per hour. (Dollars and Sense, Jul/Aug 02)
  • Number of women out of 4,341 top corporate executives in the U.S.: 171
  • Percentage of top female executives in corporate America who have children: 22 (Business Week Fall 2001)
  • Percentage of top male executives who have children: 70 (Business Week Online, Fall 2001)

Poverty:

(2001 poverty threshold) The official poverty definition counts money income before taxes and does not include capital gains and noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps).

  • One person: $9,214
  • Two persons: $11, 859
  • Three persons: $13, 853
  • Four persons: $18, 267

Environment:

From Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures:
  • Cost of 7.9 liters of oxygen: $29
  • Value of a 50-year old red cedar's oxygen output per year: $3 million
  • Value of a 50-year old red cedar for timber: $2,700
From Friend of the Earth (www.foei.org):
  • The atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases, particularly CO2, have increased by 30% over the past 200 years. If the current rate of emissions continues the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will double during this century and continue to rise in the future.
  • Industrialized countries, with 20% of the world's population, are responsible for more than 60% of current and past greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Global warming could lead to dangerous weather patterns such as unexpected droughts, cyclones, and sudden snowstorms.
  • Over the last 100 years, global sea level has risen by 4-5 inches.
  • By 2100 AD, global temperature is expected to rise by about 35.6 degrees F and consequently the sea level by an average of 1.6 feet from the present level.
From the U.S. Department of Energy:
  • U.S. Oil Consumption Nearly 20 Million Barrels per Day in 2000
  • The United States consumed 19.7 million barrels of oil per day in 2000, more than half of which (10.4 million barrels per day net) came from imports. Imports from the Persian Gulf in 2000 were 2.5 million barrels per day, which amounts to 12.6% of U.S. consumption.
  • The United States has only 3% of the world's known oil reserves.
  • Imports accounts for 60% of America's daily oil consumption, 12.6 % of that comes from Persian/Arabian Gulf States which produce 18% of the world's supply of oil.
  • With less than 5% of the world's population, the US accounts for over 25% of the world's oil consumption.