Profits vs. Wages

BUSINESS SENTIMENT

53%

Portion of small-business owners who regarded cash flow as their greatest concern in September 2010, down from 60% in September 2009

Bureau of Labor Statistics

profits vs. wages

Net domestic profits earned by U.S. corporations since the fourth quarter of 2008:

$609 billion

Net change since then in the amount these companies spent on wages and benefits:

-$171 billion

bureau of labor statistics

the worKplace

The No. 1 complaint about office working conditions:

Temperature

International facility management association

Small-Business Profits

State with strongest growth in small-business profits in 2010:

Vermont: +71%

State with largest decline in small-business profits in 2010:

Idaho: -21%

Intuit

personaL finance

Average amount U.S. parents spend to raise a child to 18, excluding college tuition:

$286,000

U.S. Department of Agriculture

tax policy

Estimated annual revenue California would receive if it legalized marijuana and levied a $50-per-ounce tax:

$1.4 billion

California state board of equalization

personnel

19%

Portion of newly hired employees who achieve "unequivocal success" within 18 months of hire

Leadership IQ

retailing

Average amount a gift-card holder spends beyond the card's value:

$33

Share of retail gift cards never redeemed:

6%

first data; mercator advisory group

salaries

$5,525

The amount of additional pay a typical 6-foot employee earns compared with a 5-foot-5-inch co-worker

harvard university