Posted on: Sunday, July 1, 2007
Ranking our planet's most expensive cities
Compiled by John MacIntyre
Ranks of Moscow, London, Seoul and Tokyo among the world's most expensive cities, according to a study conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting: 1, 2, 3, 4
Number of years that Moscow has been the world's most expensive city: 2
Ranks of New York and Los Angeles, the only two American cities to rank within the 50 most expensive cities: 15, 42
Number of European cities in the top 50: 30
TRAVEL PLANS
Percentage of travelers who said their plans have not been influenced by predictions for an active 2007 hurricane season, according to a survey by TripAdvisor: 92
Percentage who said the same last year: 89
Percentage of travelers who are planning to visit a hurricane-susceptible destination this summer: 29
BURGER COUNT
Estimated number of burgers that Americans consumed in 2006 (restaurants and in-home, combined), according to a survey by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association: 11.3 billion
Ranks of burger, steak and chicken as the most popular foods for the grill: 1, 2, 3
MONEY TALKS
Percentage of U.S. small-business owners who say not having enough money was the top factor interfering with their work-life balance, according to a survey conducted by MasterCard: 21
Percentage who said rarely being able to fully "turn off" from the job when away from work was the top factor interfering with work-life balance: 16
JOB SATISFACTION
Percentage of U.S. workers who said they plan to never leave their current place of employment, according to a study conducted by Express Personnel Services: 48
Percentage of employees age 25 to 34 who said they plan to never leave their current job: 27
FRIENDS AT WORK
Percentage of executives polled who say that office productivity improves when co-workers are friends outside of the office, according to a study conducted by Accountemps: 57
Percentage of employees who say the same: 63
WORST GIG
Rank of hazardous-materials diver among the 10 worst jobs in science, according to a study conducted by Popular Science magazine: 1
Ranks of oceanographer, elephant vasectomist and garbologist (studier of garbage) among the worst jobs in science: 2, 3, 4
SINGLE LIVING
Number of households headed by singles in the United States as of 2007, according to a study conducted by Packaged Facts: 89.6 million
Percentage of all U.S. households this represents: 50.3
Percentage of U.S. singles who are under the age of 45: 57
HEALTHY DIET
Percentage of Americans who say that breakfast is an important part of a healthy diet, according to a survey conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation: 90
Percentage of Americans who say they eat breakfast every day: 49
Percentage of Americans who accurately guessed the amount of calories they should consume daily to maintain a healthy weight: 11
SINGLE DRIVERS
Percentage of Americans 16 and older who drive to work, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau: 87.7
Percentage of Americans who drive to work alone: 77
IDLE THOUGHT
"It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all."
-- James Thurber, humorist
