USAFacts’ top 10 articles of 2025
Crime, government activity, federal revenue and debt, election data, border security, and federal employment numbers were among readers’ favorite articles.
In 2025, Americans turned to USAFacts seeking information about the 2024 election, federal government employment and aid, immigration data, US debt ownership, government shutdowns, and crime statistics.
Here are the 10 most-read articles of the year:
10. How many voters have a party affiliation?
Americans remained interested in the number of voters with a declared political affiliation long after the presidential election. Records from the 32 states and Washington, DC, that require party affiliation when registering to vote offer insight into voter alignment.
As of August 2025, 45% of all registered voters had declared a party affiliation — 37.4 million registered as Republicans and 44.1 million as Democrats. Wyoming had the highest percentage of registered Republicans at 77%, while Washington, DC, had the highest percent of registered Democrats at 76%. Among all states, Maryland had the highest percentage of registered Democrats at 52%.
In Wyoming, 77% of voters are registered Republicans.
Percent of voters registered as Republicans by state, August 2025
In DC, 76% of voters are registered Democrats. In Maryland, it's 52%.
Percent of voters registered as Democrats by state, August 2025
9. How many people work for the federal government?
During a period of transition for the federal government, Americans sought information about the federal workforce and its historical trends.
As of August 2025, the federal government employed just under 3 million people. It was the 14th largest workforce across all industries nationwide and represented less than 2% of all employee jobs.
Less than 2% of jobs are in the federal government.
Monthly shares of total employment comprised by the federal government, Jan 1939–Aug 2025
Federal employment was highest in May 1990 with 3.4 million employees. The percentage of the population that worked for the federal government was at its peak in November 1944, or 7.5% of all jobs nationwide.
Federal employment peaked in May 1990 at 3.4 million.
Monthly number of federal government employees, Jan 1939–Aug 2025
8. What can the data tell us about unauthorized immigration?
With immigration in the news all year, Americans remained interested in the number of unauthorized migrants attempting to enter the US. Between October 2019 and June 2024, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded just under 11 million border encounters nationwide. These numbers include multiple crossings by some individuals.
Reported border encounters increased from 2020 to 2023.
Monthly nationwide border encounters by category, October 2019–June 2024
Monthly border encounters hit a peak of over 370,000 in December 2023 (that’s about 12,000 daily, or more than eight per minute). December 2023 annual encounters were 70% of 2017’s annual total.
The US averaged over 1.3 million border apprehensions a year during the 1990s compared to less than half a million during the 2010s.
Nationwide border encounters by category, FY 1980–2023
7. Which states rely the most on federal aid?
In 2021, federal grants comprised roughly 20% of states’ total revenues, fueling services including healthcare, education, social programs, infrastructure projects, and public safety. That year, state and local governments collectively received close to $1.3 trillion from federal grants.
Montana topped the list with the largest share of federal funds in its budget at 31.8%. New Mexico followed (30.7%), then Kentucky (30.1%), Louisiana (29.8%), and Alaska (29.0%).
Vermont relied the least on federal money, it was 12.8% of its budget in 2021. That’s a change from 2020, when Vermont led all states with 35.7% of its revenues coming from federal support due to COVID-19 relief.
California received the most federal aid in absolute terms, it ranked as the second-least dependent state, with 14.5% of its revenue originating from federal sources. Other states with relatively low federal reliance included Minnesota (14.6%), South Dakota (15.0%), and Iowa (15.5%).
State and local revenues depend on federal money to different degrees.
Percentage of total state and local revenues from federal government grants, FY 2021
6. How red or blue is your state?
Readers also sought information on state political profiles. These profiles are influenced by voting patterns in national elections, the party affiliations of governors and congresspeople, and state laws.
Most states consistently stick with presidential candidates from one party. During the 10 presidential elections since 1988, 41 states supported candidates from the same party at least eight times. Twenty states and Washington, DC, voted for the same party’s candidates in all 10 elections.
However, some states are less consistent. Nine states supported each major party at least three times.
Additionally, six states voted for different parties’ candidates in the last two elections.
How has your state voted?
Click to view the margins of victory for the last 10 presidential elections.
5. Which countries own the most US debt?
Both DOGE and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act put spotlights on the federal budget and sparked Americans’ curiosity about the country’s debt. The US government owes trillions of dollars to foreign entities, including governments, central banks, companies, and individual investors.
As of April 2024, foreign countries owned approximately 7.9 trillion in Treasury securities, representing 22.9% of the total US debt. These securities are popular worldwide because they are considered safe investments. Japan and China have been the largest holders of US Treasurys over the past two decades. Between 2003 and 2011, both countries combined held 44% or more of all foreign-owned US debt. However, their share has declined, and by 2023, they controlled about 25% of foreign-owned debt.
Japan and China have been the largest foreign holders of US debt for the last two decades.
Foreign-owned US debt, adjusted for inflation, December 2000–April 2024
As of April 2024, the five countries owning the most US debt were Japan ($1.1 trillion), China ($749.0 billion), the United Kingdom ($690.2 billion), Luxembourg ($373.5 billion), and Canada ($328.7 billion).
Five countries hold about $3.3 trillion in US Treasurys — roughly 40% of all foreign-owned assets.
US foreign-owned debt by top five holding countries as of April 2024
4. Which states have the highest murder rates?
According to the most recent data the national homicide death rate fell by 7.8% from 2022 to 2023. Notably, the age-adjusted homicide rate had reached its highest point of the 21st century in 2021, rising by 36.7% between 2019 and 2021.
The homicide rate fell from 2022 to 2023 but remains 39% above its 2014 low.
Age-adjusted homicide death rate per 100,000 people
In 2023, the states with the highest homicide rates per 100,000 residents were Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. In contrast, New Hampshire, Utah, and Rhode Island recorded the lowest rates. Mississippi’s homicide rate, the highest in the nation, was more than 10 times greater than New Hampshire’s, which was the lowest.
Mississippi has the highest homicide rate, while New Hampshire has the lowest.
Age-adjusted homicide death rate and total homicides by state, 2023
3. Which states contribute the most and least to federal revenue?
In fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024), the federal government collected around $5.07 trillion from states and their residents through taxes on individuals and businesses. It redistributed about $4.87 trillion back to them via programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, and education grants. That amounts to a difference of $216.0 billion, or about $635 per person, in favor of the federal government.
Nineteen states sent more to the federal government than they received. Thirty-eight percent of revenue came from the nation’s four most populous states: California (15.9% of the total), Texas (8.2%), New York (7.6%), and Florida (6.4%). On average, states contributed almost $15,000 per resident.
Some less-populated states generated more than their populations would suggest. Massachusetts sent $21,933 per person to the federal government, Nebraska contributed $21,922, and Minnesota sent $21,106. Washington, DC, sent $64,427 per resident, nearly triple what Massachusetts sent.
Nineteen states sent more to the federal government than they received in FY 2024.
Balance of funds between residents and the federal government, FY 2024
2. Everything you need to know about a government shutdown
The most recent US government shutdown began on October 1 and ended on November 12. It lasted 43 days, making it the longest in US history. Americans sought to understand its effects, including furloughed employees, reduced services, closed parks and museums, and much more.
A government shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass, or the president refuses to sign, a spending bill, resulting in a funding gap and temporary disruption of operations. Shutdowns are typically resolved when Congress passes continuing resolutions that provide short-term funding while long-term negotiations continue. Every shutdown since 1990 has ended with such a resolution.
Prior to 2025, the government last shut down in 2019.
The government shutdown in 2025 was the longest in US history.
Duration of federal government funding gaps in days since 1977
1. Which cities have the highest murder rates?
Americans also looked for city and county level insights. Using homicide data from large urban counties provides approximate city homicide rates.
The home counties of New Orleans; Memphis, Tennessee; St. Louis city; Baltimore; and Washington, DC, had the highest homicide rates.
The lowest rates were in the home counties of San Jose, Anaheim, and San Diego, California; Plano, Texas; and the borough of Queens in New York.
Orleans Parish (home to New Orleans) has the highest homicide rate of large metro counties.
Homicide death rate and total homicides by large metropolitan county, 2023
Thank you for letting us be your source for government data, without the rhetoric, in 2025.
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Page sources
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Current Employment Statistics
https://www.bls.gov/data/
US Customs and Border Protection
Nationwide Encounters
