2024 by the Numbers 

A presidential election, summer Olympics, two regional wars, and a stock market reaching all-time highs all contributed to a year we will not soon forget.  Here are some other notable statistics from 2024 as defined by their numbers.

$ 36.2 Trillion – The national debt as of 12/4. That represents $ 107 Thousand per U.S. citizen or 123% of US GDP.¹

$ 7.1 Trillion – Current annual U.S. Federal spending.²

$ 2.1 Trillion – Current U.S. Federal Deficit.³

$ 2.0 Trillion – The amount a proposed advisory committee of the incoming presidential
administration believes the Federal Budget can be reduced.⁴ 

$ 1.0 Trillion – Current yearly interest on the national debt.⁵

$ 56 Billion – Elon Musk’s twice judicially-denied pay package at Tesla.⁶ 

50 Billion – The number of internet users worldwide as of October 2024 which amounted to 67.5 percent of the global population. Of this total, 5.2 billion, or 63.8 percent of the world’s population, were social media users.⁷

26.6 Billion – Streams of Taylor Swift’s music in 2024 on Spotify, making her the number one most-streamed artist globally. ⁸ We commented on Miss Swift last year when she began her Eras tour, which concluded recently as the highest-grossing tour ever at $ 2.2B.

15.4 Billion – Distance in miles of the Voyager 1 probe from earth. The probe, which is nearly 50 years into its journey, is still sending data back to earth and expanding our understanding of the cosmos.⁹

675 Million – Number of Breadsticks served annually at Olive Garden.¹⁰ One of our staff revealed eating 12 during their most recent visit to the restaurant.

643 Million – People who voted in India’s general election, setting the record for the world’s largest election. Interestingly, that number represents 44.1% of India’s total population, the same percentage that voted in the U.S. election in November.¹¹

37 Million – Chickens supplied to Chick-fil-A by its top four suppliers annually.¹² 

19.6 Million – The number of Federal, State, and Local government employees at the end of 2023 (13.9% of the U.S. workforce). ¹³

13.4 Million – Barrels per day of oil produced by the U.S., now the world’s largest producer.¹⁴

$9.5 Million – Net worth that Gen Z’ers believe is necessary for financial success compared to $ 5.6 Million for Millennials. The understanding of these Gen X and Millennial authors is that most want to inherit it.¹⁵

$ 6.2 Million – Price a banana duct-taped to a wall sold for at a Sotheby’s art auction. Another auction yielded a $32.5MM winning bid for Dorothy’s red ruby slippers. ¹⁶

6 Million – Social media Mentions of Moo Deng, the viral and rather sassy baby pygmy hippo at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo so far in 2024. This viral sensation highlighted the plight of her species, which is endangered due to habitat loss and excessive hunting. ¹⁷

3.1 Million – Printed copies of “A Court of Thorns and Roses” as of April 2024. Also known as “ACOTAR” by its fans and endearingly referred to as “smut” by many TikTokers, the romantic fantasy book also ranked number one on Spotify for most popular audiobook in 2024.¹⁸

3 Million – Social media users who followed P’nut the Squirrel.  ¹⁹

1 Million – Dead or wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.²⁰

4.3 Thousand – Estimated amputations from bench and table saws, annually. Be careful out there, home improvement warriors! ²¹ 

717 – The average American’s FICO Credit Score as of October (The most recent period for which data is available). This score is down from July 2023. This is noteworthy as it is the first time this number has fallen in over a decade. Factors affecting the move are high interest rates, inflation, and a struggle to save. As of April 2024, more than 18% of Americans were at least 30 days behind on one or more credit cards, an increase of 5% compared to April 2023.²²

547 – Days astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams have spent (as of 12/4) aboard the International Space Station for their 8-day mission.²³

387 – Number of Boeing 737 MAX planes grounded due to door plugs potentially being installed improperly. This issue cost Boeing nearly $80 billion dollars between fines, compensation, legal fees and cancelled orders making it one of the most expensive corporate blunders ever. ²⁴

228 – Americans killed by hurricane Helene. 2024 saw a record-breaking season with Beryl as the earliest Atlantic Category 5 hurricane on record and Milton having the quickest increase in wind speed ever observed when it transitioned from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in merely 22 hours.²⁵

126 – Medals won by the U.S. at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games including 40 gold, the most ever for a non-boycotted games outside the U.S.²⁶ USA! USA! USA!

84% –  Surveyed who believe that hard work is the most important factor to achieving financial success.²⁷

66th – President of Mexico and also their first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum, an environmental scientist and former Mexico City Mayor, won the election in June.²⁸

$ 50 – The prize awarded to the winner of the Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest hosted in NYC. To the audience’s surprise, the real Timothée Chalamet made an appearance at the event. This contest has ignited a pop culture phenomenon, leading to similar events featuring lookalikes of Jeremy Allen White, Harry Styles, and Dev Patel, seemingly designed to attract actual stars to show up.²⁹

31% – Maximum percentage occupancy of all Federal office buildings except the Treasury (40%).³⁰

22 – Percent of mobile internet traffic generated by Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Also, the amount in tons of cheese stolen in the U.K.’s “grate cheese robbery.”³¹ We do not believe there is any causal link between these two statistics. 

13 – Age of Owen Burns of Michigan who used a marble, a rock, and a slingshot to save his 8-year-old sister from being kidnapped. Also, we give a shout-out to the unidentified Husband-of-the-Year who leapt onto a polar bear to save his wife from being attacked.³²

5.5 – Marathons worth of distance “raced” by MCM employees (3 full, 5 half). 

2.4% – The US inflation rate so far in 2024.³³

May the last days of 2024 bring you merriment and joy and may 2025 be a year of peace and prosperity, love and laughter, honor and fortune. 

Disclosures 

This material is not investment advice and should not be relied on as such. The information presented herein has been obtained from external sources believed to be reliable; however, Manchester Capital Management does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of such information. Any predictions, opinions, and other information contained in this article are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after any date indicated.