California is likely playing a role in declining Las Vegas visitation, according to this Casino.com story noting that the Golden State is tied with Nevada for the highest jobless rate in the country and that private-sector job creation in California has been in a slump. 

Las Vegas gross gaming revenue (GGR) rose in June over May, but data indicate that June traffic on Interstate 15 between Southern California and Las Vegas decreased 4.3 percent over June of 2024. Gas prices may be dissuading would-be visitors: The national average gas price as of August 5 was $3.16 per gallon, but was $4.50 in California, per the American Automobile Association (AAA).

An NPR story published Friday noted that tourism in Las Vegas is cooling off — often a bellwether for the broader economy — and highlighted the fact that for the sixth consecutive month, June saw a decline in the number of Las Vegas visitors year-over-year: nearly 400,000 fewer, or an 11.3% drop, crediting the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). 

Air travelers into Las Vegas in June declined 6.3 percent over the prior year, another notable number in light of the fact that in 2024, Californians made up more than a fifth of air travelers into Las Vegas. 

Fact Pack co-publisher and economist John Restrepo and his team RCG Economics is out with the latest graphs and stats for Northern and Southern Nevada.

Here are two to whet your appetite:

As of Q2 2025 

As of Q2 2025 

Here’s a graph for those pondering the dip in visitation to Las Vegas and wondering where Nevada stands when it comes to economic diversification will be interested to note the following: 

As of June 2025 

Click here for a scroll-over look at each of the above sectors by percentage. 

Truflation 

Economic data and analytics source Truflation Is out with its latest assessments, and here is a snapshot of its inflation index as of Monday, August 11: 

As of 8/11/25 

(Note: Truflation assesses consumer and spending data sets using a proprietary technology system that mines information from credible sources to deliver verifiable daily inflation indexes.) 

Tariffs 

As the planet waits to see where tariffs will end up with America’s biggest trading partners, Mexico and China, along with India, here is where things stand: 

Baby, Please Don’t Drive My Car 

YouGov findings on America’s views on the minimum age for driving:

Many Americans also think there should be an age ceiling for a DL: 

Back to School 

School stats and facts and stats, compliments of the U.S. Census Bureau  (click the link for a zoom-in look at the infographic): 

Extrapolated and estimated based on FY 2023 data 

Not So Fun Back to School Facts 

An alarming analysis published by Financial Times based on data from the USC Understanding America Study reports that over the past decade, conscientiousness has collapsed among young adults. A piece by Aaron Wren notes that in that same age group (16 to 39 years of age), agreeableness also dipped while neuroticism increased. 

Source: Financial Times 

Other write-ups on the data abound, as do theories about the forces and factors in play, including: 

• Smartphones, streaming services, and engaging digital media provide an endless parade of distractions. 

• The enormous volume of hand-held and home screen information and entertainment correlates with less time spent socializing in the real world. 

• The decline in face-to-face interactions enables anti-social behaviors including online bullying, lack of follow-through and “ghosting.” 

An excerpt from Wren’s commentary (complete with a slot machine reference for Fact Pack reader amusement): 

In less than 15 years, we’ve tethered billions of brains to an always-on, infinitely stimulating “meta-world” — a hybrid of the broader digital ecosystem, the AI-powered feed that tells you what is conventionally known, and social media platforms that distort reality by promoting the loudest, most self-promotional sliver of humanity. This is not a tool for quiet reflection; it’s a behavioral slot machine that lives in your hand. 

And the cost is attention. Not just “I get distracted sometimes” attention, but the deep, sustained focus that conscientiousness requires. The skill of delaying gratification, resisting impulse, and staying the course is being replaced by an addiction to novelty, validation, and stimulation. The more we indulge, the less we can resist indulging — and the chart’s freefalling red line for young adults shows exactly where that road leads. 

The speed of this shift should terrify us. … The smartphone has reshaped cognition, social norms, and mental health in barely a decade — without any meaningful adaptation at all. … Future historian will likely look at this as the era in which humans zombified themselves — presuming of course there are future historians not addicted to their phones. 

(Note: USC’s latest Understanding America Study (UAS) involved surveying a panel of 14,700 households — and comes with an interactive tool our readers may find useful.) 

Per Capita Profit on… You 

If you’ve ever wondered how much money social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat make from your time and attention, the team at Sherwood News has your answer. 

Reddit, Pinterest, and Snap bring in average revenue per active North American user (ARPU) of $2.40 to $2.80 per month. As for Mr. Zuckerberg’s earnings per user, multiply by at least 10: 

Source: Sherwood News As of Q2 2025 

The estimate illustrated in the graph is based on 250 million daily active users in the U.S. and Canada and $20 billion in reported ad revenue. 

Source: Sherwood News As of Q2 2025 

Most Hated Foods 

A YouGov survey found that anchovies are America’s least favorite food, with 56 percent of respondents expressing a hard pass. Sardines, squid, and sushi also received low marks: 

Graph source: Sherwood News As of July 24-27, 2025 

Eggs and bananas were the foods most favored: 

As of July 24-27, 2025 

On the Horizon

Marketwatch calendar: 

Data & Dialogue About the Economy



The Fact Pack is a monthly business e-report co-authored by Mike PeQueen of Hightower Las Vegas and John Restrepo of RCG Economics, which combines important metrics relevant to business decision makers and financial commentary on the current issues facing the economy.

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