You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the telling numbers tucked inside the news. On Wednesday, FiveThirtyEight launched an in-depth look at guns in America. Significant Digits is going to highlight that work over the next few editions.
3 times as likely
Middle-age men in Wyoming are three times more likely to die by suicide than the average American. [FiveThirtyEight]
17.97
The suicide rate per 100,000 person-years for active-duty soldiers who work in mechanical and electrical repair. A 2013 study found that that group has a higher suicide rate than soldiers whose jobs place them on the front line in combat positions. [FiveThirtyEight]
1,871
The number of accidental gun deaths recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1981. By 2014, the number of accidental gun deaths had fallen by more than half. [FiveThirtyEight]
6 answered phones
The Huffington Post wanted to figure out the depth of Donald Trump’s ground game, so they called up the Trump campaign contact number in each of the 50 states. Someone picked up the phone in a mere six states. Fifteen states — including New York — have listed numbers that go to Trump campaign headquarters in New York City. This is not how this usually works: Clinton reportedly has 100 offices in 14 states, and staff in 45. [The Huffington Post]
28 percent
Percentage of registered Democratic voters who are religiously unaffiliated, according to a Pew Research Center study. Among all religiously unaffiliated voters, the demographic is breaking strongly for Hillary Clinton, with 67 percent saying they would vote for Clinton compared to 23 percent who would vote for Trump. [Pew Research Center]
$400,000
The Draken Harald Hårfagre, a viking ship that left Norway in April and is headed towards Duluth, Minnesota for a festival, needs some cash. Because of maritime regulations, the Draken will have to come up with $400,000 to pay for a pilot to navigate the Great Lakes or schlep it like some bargain-bin Leif Erikson back to Scandinavia. Organizers are scrambling to find a way to get the ship in port, lest Tall Ships Duluth 2016 lose its star attraction. [Star Tribune]
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