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Where kids are getting vaccine exemptions
When kindergarteners started school this year, many hopped off the school bus with vaccine exemption forms in hand. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, schools have required children to be vaccinated against various illnesses for years. But now, more families are opting out for medical and nonmedical reasons.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine recommendations committee has wrapped up two days of meetings regarding MMRV vaccines and more. Let’s take a look at the data.
- During the 2014–2015 school year, 2.2% of kindergarteners had a vaccine exemption. By the 2024–2025 school year, 3.6% did.
- Medical exemptions have remained around 0.2% since 2014, varying little. Meanwhile, nonmedical exemptions rose from 2.0% in 2014–2015 to 3.4% when the school year started in 2024.
- Maine had the highest medical exemption rate: 0.8%. Another 18 states reported rates of 0.1%, the lowest nationwide.
- Nonmedical exemptions varied widely by state. The highest rates were in Idaho (15.1%), Utah (10.0%), Oregon (9.7%), Alaska (9.0%), and Arizona (9.0%). The lowest was Connecticut (0.1%), which repealed nonmedical exemptions in 2021.
- Over the past decade, Idaho’s nonmedical exemption rates have grown more than any other state (+8.9 percentage points). Utah followed (+5.9), then Nevada (+5.6), and South Dakota (+5.2).
- Nonmedical exemption rates dropped in three states: Vermont was down 2.2 points, Connecticut was down 1.5, and Colorado, 1.3. Vermont and Colorado have also restricted or repealed certain exemptions.
Understanding jurisdictions within US law enforcement
High-profile law enforcement actions across the US this year have led to questions on the overlapping jurisdictional boundaries between state and federal agencies. USAFacts details how they work — and breaks down how many officers are in each federal law enforcement agency — in this new article.
- Nearly 100 federal agencies and 17,500 state and local agencies are involved in the nation’s law enforcement.
- State and local agencies focus on crime within their physical boundaries. Local police handle towns and cities, sheriffs cover counties, and state police patrol highways and conduct statewide investigations. Federal agencies respond to bank robberies, kidnappings, immigration violations, and other federal crimes, as well as crimes that cross state lines.
- There are 72 federal Offices of Inspectors General that investigate fraud, abuse, misconduct, and certain potential crimes within their respective agencies. Each office is led by a designated official; there’s one at the Securities and Exchange Commission. One at the US Postal Service. However more than 30 spots are currently vacant.
- There have been multiple court actions this year to sort out what level of cooperation between ICE and local agencies is required by law. Appellate courts have ruled on the legality of ICE’s detention requests, stating that some may violate the Fourth Amendment’s protection against detention without probable cause.
- It’s rare but not unprecedented for the military to be involved in civilian law enforcement. Laws, including the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the use of armed forces in civilian law enforcement, and the Insurrection Act, regulate such actions.
Data behind the news
Last Friday, Congressional Democrats and Republications failed to agree on a funding billthat could prevent a government shutdown on October 1.
Last week, the Federal Reserve lowered the target interest rateto between 4.00% and 4.25%. Here’s more on the Fed.
Our visualization on immigrant access to government assistance was one of the most popular newsletter features in recent months. Watch this videoto learn how we created it.
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One last fact
The Bureau of Labor Statisticsdefines a major work stoppage as a strike or a lockout that involves at least 1,000 workers and lasts one full shift at the place where the strike started. Last year, more than 270,000 workers were involved in 31 work stoppages.
In 1983, union members comprised about 20% of the employees in the US. By 2024, they were 10%.
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