A Citizens analysis of consumer-to-business and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions shows the trend toward real-time payments and all-digital transactions continues — but nearly half of midsize businesses in the U.S. are still using paper checks. 

Fraud is a concern for most, and smaller businesses unsurprisingly report suffering from fraud more frequently than larger businesses, which can afford to employ AI and API tools to perform functions at a far higher rate than mom-and-pop shops. 

As of 2024 

State by state data (Nevada looks pretty good when compared to many other states, though not as good as most of its Mountain West neighbors): 

Graph source: Visual Capitalist 

Notably, B2C payment alternatives, which include platforms such as Venmo, PayPal and Zelle, declined somewhat in popularity among midsize businesses after peaking in 2024. 

Source: Citizens 

As of 2024 

Edu 

The latest education-centric infographic from Visual Capitalist interprets recent OECD data and sheds light on trends in advanced and emerging economies. A few highlights: 

• Canada, Ireland, and South Korea have some of the highest shares of tertiary-educated adults (55–65 percent) in the world.

• Emerging economies such as India, Indonesia, and Mexico still have high proportions of adults without a high-school diploma. 

• Germany is an advanced economy with a relatively low share of tertiary-educated adults — a result of a strong vocational and apprenticeship system where many high-skill, well-paying jobs do not require a degree. 

As of 2024 

Table: 

Data source: OECD (as of 2024)

Table source: Visual Capitalist 

Worst College Degrees for Job Finding and Earning 

A Federal Reserve Bank of New York analysis of survey data from 2023 and 2025 reveals the economic value of a college degree today, measured by the early- and mid-career rate of pay associated with its attainment and by the number of available jobs in a particular field compared to the demand for those jobs. 

Degrees in the U.S. that generally aligned with lower-than-average mid-career salaries (less than 70K) and relatively high unemployment rates in 2025 include: 

• Anthropology (9.4 percent) 

• Fine arts (7 percent) 

• Sociology (6.7 percent) 

(Early career graduates are those aged 22 to 27, and mid-career graduates are those aged 35 to 45.) 

Majors with an assurance of relatively strong mid-career earnings but that had a relatively high unemployment rate of 6–8 percent in 2025 include: 

• Computer engineering (122K) 

• Computer science (115K) 

• Physics (100K) 

Degrees in public policy, economics, communications, and journalism generally offer mid-level to strong salaries (75K–110K) but align with moderately high unemployment. rates, while degrees in English and History tend to offer moderate salaries (70K–77K) but have better unemployment rates (4.6–5.3 percent). 

Visual Capitalist table: 

Data source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2023—2025) 

Data source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2023—2025) 

(Note: A key concept in the higher education vs. high school/trade school education debate is “underemployment,” generally defined as a college graduate working in a job that typically does not require a college degree — such as an anthropology major working as a barista (though we would argue that a coffee shop featuring brief but fascinating anthropology lessons while you wait for your morning cappuccino might be an idea worth exploring…) 

Worldwide Wages 

After adjusting for inflation and price differences, statutory minimum wages in leading high-income economies—including Germany, Australia, and France—are higher than all 50 U.S. states, according to an analysis of 2024 statutory minimum wages in all 50 U.S. states and 35 OECD and emerging-market countries. 

Washington D.C., Connecticut, Washington, and Arizona have the highest statutory minimum wages in the U.S., and states using the federal minimum wage (which hasn’t changed since 2008) as their baseline cluster at the bottom end of the wage ranking — close to upper-middle-income economies like Colombia and Peru. 

Caveats: 

• Real wage values diverge after adjusting for cost of living. 

• Findings and figures are gross (pre-tax, pre-tips) statutory figures. This matters because EU taxes tend to be far higher than in U.S. states, and tipping culture is mostly absent in Europe. 

• Any income or salary comparison is always subject to scrutiny because of consumer price differentials and inflation (how that affordability changes over time). 

That said, a “high level” view of broad themes makes the following “purchasing power” graphic interesting: 

Data sources: OECD; U.S. Labor Law Center; 

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; BLS Consumer Price Index 

Washington, D.C. had the highest (“real”) nominal wage in the U.S. ($17.50/hour), as well as the highest real (PPP-adjusted) minimum wage in 2024, at $12.43/hour. Next were: 

• Connecticut ($12.10) 

• Washington State ($11.87) 

• Arizona ($11.78) 

The “N” section of the table for U.S. states, including Nevada: 

As of 2024 

Adult Obesity 

Obesity continues to be a major factor in some healthcare systems: According to the World Health Organization, approximately 900 million adults worldwide have a body mass index of 30 or higher. 

The highest rates are recorded in the Pacific region, the U.S., and Persian Gulf countries, where the proportion of obese people reaches 40-75 percent.  

In Europe, obesity rates vary considerably, from 10-13 percent in France, Switzerland, and Denmark to more than 30 percent in Romania and Hungary. 

In Latin America, rates are generally higher, ranging from 23 percent in Venezuela to 39 percent in Chile. 

Infomap from Visual Capitalist: 

As of 2022 

E-waste 

The growing problem of electronic waste and responsible e-waste management has an interesting economic angle: valuable mineral resources contained in e-waste can be a bargaining chip in geopolitics, as illustrated in the following Statista graph: 

As of 2024 

According to Global E-Waste Monitor global e-waste contained 31 billion kilograms of metals in 2022, including approximately 4 billion kg of metals classified as critical raw materials. 

Only a fraction, $28 billion, of total value of $91 billion was recovered in 2024: $9 billion worth of metals recovered in documented formal collection and recycling schemes and $12 billion (mostly iron, copper and platinum-group metals) recycled through informal routes in low- and middle-income countries. 

On the Horizon

This week’s 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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