Percentage of the U.S. workforce that is out on family or medical leave on any given day, according to a survey by ComPsych: 10

Average time off on FMLA: 14.2 days

Ranks of surgery, pregnancy and bonding with a new child as the top three reasons for family or medical leave: 1, 2, 3

Source: ComPsych Corp.

Percentage of Americans who think it is unacceptable for employers to fire people for doing something that is not illegal outside of work, according to a survey by YouGov: 54

Percentage of Americans who say they have been fired or otherwise lost their job at some point: 37

Percentage who said they deserved it: 27

Source: YouGov.

Of workers who currently have a minimum-wage job or have held one in the past, percentage who said they couldn't make ends meet, according to a survey by CareerBuilder: 65

Percentage who said they had to work more than one job to make ends meet: 49

Percentage of workers at all salary levels who were not able to make ends meet during the past year: 19

Percentage of all workers who say they're in debt: 65

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Year over year percentage increase in average holiday gift purchases by the wealthiest 10 percent of U.S. households, according to a survey by the American Affluence Research Center: 4

Estimated total gift purchases by these affluent households: $33 billion

Average holiday gift purchases estimated for each of the affluent households: $2,749

Average holiday gift purchases estimated for the average U.S. household: $687

Source: American Affluence Research Center.

Percentage of Americans who said "they were more scared of outliving their assets than they were of dying": 61

Percentage of people between the ages of 44 and 49 who said the same: 77

Percentage of those in their late 40s who had dependents who said the same: 82

Source: Convergex.

Ranks of Stephen King, James Patterson, J.K. Rowling and John Grisham on the list of America's favorite authors, according to a Harris poll: 1, 2, 3, 4

When asked which types of books (from a provided list) they've read over the last year, percentage of Americans who indicate that they've been filling their book bags with mystery, thriller and crime novels: 47

Percentage who have been flipping through history books: 33

Percentage who have been reading biographies/memoirs: 31

Percentage who enjoyed romance novels: 27

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of non-IT professionals who say the technology field holds appeal for them, according to a Robert Half Technology survey: 75

Percentage who say what attracts them is the salary potential and job opportunities: 38

Percentage who said the appealing culture: 13

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of millennials (those born in the early 1980s to the early 2000s) who say they are "concerned" about their delay in saving and investing for retirement: 40

Percentage of millennials who have delayed the purchase of a home: 29

Percentage who have postponed a major purchase, such as an automobile: 26

Percentage who have had to return home to live with their parents: 19

Source: Investor Protection Institute.

Percentage of organizations that are in the process of transitioning their business-to-business payments from paper checks to electronic payments, according to research by the Association for Financial Professionals: 80

Percentage of organizations that would replace paper checks with electronic payments if there was a cost benefit of doing so: 66

Source: Association for Financial Professionals.

Idle Thought

"Be not too hasty to trust or admire the teachers of morality; they discourse like angels but they live like men." -- Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

On average, amount that Americans had to hand over in 2013 to cover their annual housing costs -- nearly $350 more than they spent in 2011 -- according to research by Credit Donkey: $17,148

Estimated percentage of American households that spend more than 30 percent of their income to keep a roof over their heads: 41

Percentage of renters who spend more than half their pay on rent: 25

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Percentage of Americans aged 20 to 37 who said they are saving for retirement, according to the Insured Retirement Institute and the Center for Generational Kinetics: 68

Percentage of millennials who say they are preparing for retirement by reducing debt: 77

Percentage who are banking on winning the lottery: 15

Percentage who hope to receive gifted money to fund their retirement years: 11

Source: Insured Retirement Institute,

Average amount consumers celebrating Halloween plan to spend on costumes for the whole family, according to a National Retail Federation study: $27.33

Total amount that those celebrating will spend on costumes: $2.5 billion

Amount that will be spent on adult costumes: $1.2 billion

Amount that will be spent on children's costumes: $950 million

Source: National Retail Federation.

Percentage of the current workforce who say they would be successful making less than $50,000 a year, according to a survey by Careerbuilder: 25

Percentage of current high schoolers who say they need to make more than $70,000 a year to be successful: 63

Percentage of the current workforce who say the same thing: 47

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of parents who enjoy their children's Halloween bounty by either sneaking it when the kids aren't looking (23 percent) or by instituting a house rule that it must be shared (57 percent), according to the results of the National Confectioners Association's national survey: 80

Source: National Confectioners Association.

Ranks of "the texter," "the tailgater," "the left lane hog," "the crawler" and "the multitasker" on the list of driving behaviors that generate the most fury and earn the scorn of Americans, according to the Expedia 2015 Road Rage Report: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of "back-seat driving," "reluctant co-pilot," "radio hog" and "snoozer" on the list of the least-popular in-car behaviors: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of women who have a child younger than 18 who would ideally like to stay home and care for their house and family, according to a Gallup Poll: 56

Percentage of women without young children who would rather work outside the home: 58

Percentage of men who prefer to work regardless of parenting status: 75

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of adult men and women who have experienced chafing and irritation on their skin, according to a survey commissioned by Anti Monkey Butt: 60

Among those who have experienced this discomfort, percentage who say this occurs most in their nether regions, including the buttocks, inner thighs and scrotum: 68

Source: Clarion Brands.

Although it's been 45 years since Herbie hit big screens in "The Love Bug," number of motorists who have been proposed to behind the wheel, according to research from Allianz: 1.9 million

On the nation's highways, number of motorists who have had the brakes put on their relationships and been dumped while in the car: 2.3 million

Source: Allianz Life Insurance.

Percentage of Americans who see teaching as a prestigious occupation, according to a Harris poll: 60

Percentage who also believe that teachers in the United States are paid too little: 60

Percentage who think that too little money is spent nationally on public schools: 61

Source: The Harris Poll.

Idle Thought

"It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them." -- Agatha Christie, author

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Although two-thirds of Americans believe their efficiency is above average, percentage of men who believe they are more efficient than women, according to data released by Crucial.com: 67

Percentage of women who believe they are more efficient than men: 90

Source: Crucial.com.

Cost to produce a penny in the 2014 fiscal year -- down from 2.4 cents in 2011, but still more than face value -- according to research by Jeffrey Sparshott in The Wall Street Journal: 1.7 cents

Cost to produce a nickel in 2015, down from 11 cents: 8 cents

Cost to produce a dime: 3.9 cents

Cost to produce a quarter: 9 cents

Amount of money the U.S. Mint could save if it simply eliminated the penny: $52.9 million

Source: Wall Street Journal.

Number of days prior to domestic travel when the lowest ticket prices are found, according to data released by Expedia in partnership with the Airline Reporting Corporation: 50 to 100

Average savings in the price of tickets sold during this period: $85

Percentage of cost that customers can save (up to $568) if they book both flight and hotel together on Expedia: 20

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of workers who said they’re likely to contact a company with feedback after a good customer-service experience, according to a Robert Half survey: 71

Percentage who would reach out after receiving bad service: 79

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of employees who said they are very satisfied with their organizations, according to Mercer: 45

Percentage who said they are very satisfied with their jobs: 42

Percentage of all workers -- regardless of their satisfaction level -- who are seriously considering leaving their organizations: 37

Percentage of senior managers surveyed who are seriously considering leaving their current roles: 63

Source: Mercer.

Estimated number of Americans who plan to celebrate Halloween this year, according to a National Retail Federation study: 157 million

Amount that the average person celebrating will spend: $74.34

Expected total spending on Halloween: $6.9 billion

Source: National Retail Federation.

Percentage of Americans who cited "inattentive parents" -- parents who let their kids run wild -- as the most aggravating hotel guests, according to a study, commissioned by Expedia and conducted by GfK: 67

Percentage of respondents who are frustrated by "hallway hellraisers": 64

Percentage who complained about "the complainers," or guests who berate hotel staff over minor inconveniences: 54

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of high-net-worth individuals who say that they anticipate making an investment in real estate this year, up from 48 percent in 2014, according to a survey of the wealthiest 1.5 percent of the U.S. population by Coldwell Banker Previews International: 54

On average, number of homes that high-net-worth individuals own: 2.1

Average percentage of net worth that is comprised of residential real estate for these individuals: 38

Source: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp.

Percentage of information technology decision-makers within small- and medium-sized businesses who say IT vendors should simplify technology, according to a survey by Techaisle: 72

Percentage of respondents who say they ignore some technologies, even though they may be useful: 61

Source: Techaisle.

Percentage of Americans who think that foreign aid spending should be higher than the current level, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos in 17 foreign aid donor countries, including the United States: 63

Percentage who think that spending on foreign aid should be nothing at all: 16

Percentage of Americans who think that spending on foreign aid gives the United States influence in the global community: 62

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road." -- William Least Heat-Moon, travel writer

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)