The team at Mortgage Calculator released a study examining COVID-19’s impact on the American housing market. The pandemic hugely impacted the global economy, creating shifts in the prices of groceries, cars, gas, and homes. Generally, home prices skyrocketed all around the country. Their research showed that these ten U.S. cities had the largest home price increases:

• Irvine, CA
• Detroit, MI
• Fayetteville, NC
• Miami, FL
• Tampa, FL
• Buffalo, NY
• Port St. Lucie, FL
• Newark, NJ
• San Bernardino, CA
• Petersburg, FL

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There are many reasons that home prices rose so much between 2020 and 2024. The economy was chaotic and uncertain during the pandemic, with average people feeling unequipped to navigate the changes. Many people lost jobs, especially those who held public-facing positions. Others switched to remote work, forcing them to make their home their workspace. For some, this was an ideal situation; others wished for a new home to accommodate their new way of working. Unemployment rose to a higher rate than it had in 80 years. This situation left many seeking new situations, but just as many felt they should plant deeper roots instead.

There were not enough houses to fit the number of people searching for a move or first-time home ownership. Interest rates soared. People moved out of city centers to rural and suburban communities. This left the housing market in flux with skyrocketing prices, as we can see from the in-depth research presented in this chart.

The United States is consistently recognized for its charitable spirit, often ranking highly on the World Giving Index by the Charities Aid Foundation. Americans are undeniably enthusiastic about supporting causes and helping others. Recently, Harmony and Healing conducted a study to identify which U.S. counties are the most charitable.

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Using IRS tax data, the researchers analyzed income and charitable contributions, focusing on the percentage of income donated. This approach allowed them to spotlight the counties with the most generous residents.

Leading the list is Benton County, Arkansas, where residents donate an impressive 15.56% of their income. On average, this equals $29.41 per person. Researchers believe this high level of generosity is influenced by the Walmart headquarters located in the county. With Walmart employing nearly half of Benton County’s residents, the company’s philanthropic culture may inspire local giving habits.

New York County, home to Manhattan, comes in second. Known for its wealth and festive spirit, especially during the holiday season, the area’s residents seem inspired to give back. The combination of high incomes and a culture of holiday cheer likely contributes to its ranking.

Third place goes to San Mateo County in California. Notably, this county is among several in the state to make the top ten, suggesting Californians are particularly committed to charitable giving.

This study highlights how location, culture, and economic factors can shape generosity across the United States, showcasing the varied ways Americans support their communities.

Ever wonder how much money major corporations make per employee? Profit Per Employee (PPE) is determined by dividing the company’s profit by the company’s quantity of full-time employees. The most profitable companies may not necessarily be the most profitable by number of employees—and vice versa. Whenever the economy is uncertain, this formula is usually one of the metrics companies will monitor to determine the efficiency and productivity of their staff. Using data over profit and company size from 2023, our team at The Chartistry has ranked the top 50 companies with the highest profit per worker.

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With a profit of nearly $2 million for each of their 9,500 employees, ConocoPhillips ranks first for highest profit per employee by quite the large margin. ConocoPhillips, an American oil and gas producer, saw a total profit almost $18.7 billion in 2023. Since oil and gas are two of the most valuable energy commodities in the world, it is not uncommon for an energy company to rank high in terms of PPE since their net profit is typically quite expansive. Of the top 50 companies with the highest profit for every employee, six of them can be categorized under the energy sector.

Coming in second place, Prologis is an investment trust company that saw a total profit of $3.4 billion in 2023. This profit was divided by their 2,466 employees to end with a profit of $1.36 million per employee.

In third, there is the tobacco company Altria Group. Altria Group’s 2023 profit of $5.8 billion was divided by 6,300 employees to result in a profit per employee of $915 thousand. Tobacco is yet another commodity product, with only one other tobacco company making the top 50 ranking.

Exxon Mobil is another oil and gas company with high profit per employee, coming in fourth place. Out of their profit of $55.7 million in 2023, their 62,000 employees averaged a profit of $899 thousand each.

Rounding out the top 5 companies is Chevron, the third oil and gas energy company in the top companies by profit per employee. With a total profit of $35.3 million, their PPE comes out to $809 thousand for each of their 43,846 employees.

Some companies land rank in both the most profitable in the world overall as well as in profit per worker. Apple, for example, brought in a 2023 profit of nearly a $100 billion. The company itself is valued at a total of $2.1 trillion. They managed a PPE of $609 thousand for their 164,000 employees, making them seventh among all companies.

Why is Profit per Employee Important?

For every company with an impressive profit per employee, there are tens, hundreds, even thousands of people working at the front line and behind the scenes to keep operations running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. PPE, not to be confused with Revenue per Employee, is a way for the company to measure the performance and productivity of the average employee in any given workforce to judge their added value. In other words, a way to know if their investment in hiring, retaining, and training their employees returned desirable results. Of course, it isn’t and shouldn’t be the only method to judge the value of an employee. When used in combination with other metrics, however, it can be a helpful tool to see the what employees have brought to the company.

For the majority of situations, a healthy profit per employee will be a good indicator of the health of the company at large. It shows that the business is properly maximizing the streamlining of their operations and utilizing the talent of each employee. This performance can mean that an underwhelming PPE may lead to cost-cutting measures for the company. Oftentimes, this is in the form of employee layoffs in areas that may not be contributing to the overall profit.

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The Profit per Employee of the Largest Companies in the U.S. By Market Cap (The Full List)