Numbers

By Melissa August, Harriet Barovick, Elizabeth L. Bland, Heather Won Tesoriero and Rebecca Winters Sunday, Nov. 17, 2002
    • 24 Number of states, so far, that expect a budget deficit for the current fiscal year

    $15 billion California's projected budget deficit for the next fiscal year, up from $6 billion this year

    $887 Average amount Americans say they plan to spend on gifts this holiday season

    32% Percentage of adults who say they have given as a gift an item they had received from someone else

    64% Percentage of Mass-attending Roman Catholics who say the bishops have done a bad job of handling the church's sexual misconduct crisis

    19% Percentage of those Catholics who say they have stopped donating money to their diocese — though not necessarily to their parish

    $650 New daily pay for Elvis impersonators in Las Vegas

    $350 Old rate for Elvis impersonators — the same as showgirls — before their recently negotiated raise

    Sources: Reuters, San Jose Mercury News, Taubman Centers, American Express, Gallup, Variety