Monday Trivia #160
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisiana, California, Michigan, Missouri, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Ohio, Nebraska, Alaska, Wyoming, Oregon, Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana, North Dakota, Mississippi, South Carolina, Delaware, Idaho, Tennessee, Texas, Kansas, Georgia, Montana, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Illinois, Utah, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota.
Ratio of ZIP codes to population?Report
Monday Morning Hints: Values are a percentage, from high to low. The highest value (RI) is in the ballpark of 50-60% and the lowest (MN) between 10-15%. If included, DC would be an outlier.Report
My first thought, upon seeing Rhode Island and Massachusetts at the top, was Catholic percentage of the population. I’ve seen Rhode Island listed in first place and Massachusetts very high too. However that cannot be, as Southern states would be near the bottom and West Virginia would not be that close to the top.
Rhode Island and Massachusetts also would be one-two in the percentage of population that’s of Portuguese ancestry. But it wouldn’t be anywhere like 50%, and the bottom states would be much lower than 10 – 15%.Report
Late Monday Hints: It’s in relation to a thing, or a percentage of things. (As opposed to a percentage of people.)Report
Oh, I said Hints plural. Second is that it’s objectively preferable to be at the bottom of this list than the top.Report
Rhode Island also vies with Nevada for the highest unemployment rate of any state, but that cannot be the answer because second-on-the-list Massachusetts has a fairly low unemployment rate.Report
Percentage of animal shelter animals put to sleep within a year?
(man, it’s too early in the morning for Sarah Sarah McLachlan in your head).Report
% of ‘old’ cars still registered?Report
Wednesday Hints: DC would be at the top of the list with over 70%. Puerto Rico would be in between Rhode Island and Massachusetts.Report
Percentage of buildings taller than X that are government buildings?Report
Something to do with land use by the military?Report
Given that RI is at the top of the heap, I’ll guess: % of public-employee pension obligation per resident, or some such formulation of the amount owed to public employees for promised pension per each citizen of the state.Report
Late Wednesday Hint: Ironically, the state at the bottom of this list had the most newsworthy incident in recent memory as to why it’s not good to be at the top of this list.Report
% of bridges beyond their planned lifespan? Or just % of bridges that are over a certain age?Report
Yup.
After late hint, I’d second this guess and go so far as to say that @chris is not a troll under the bridge.Report
Close enough. Percent of bridges that are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.Report
I was going to say “old and decrepit,” but was afraid that would make me sound old and southern.Report
Here is the source. Really interesting results.Report
old and decrepit would sound like a Mainer to my ear; so I think it would be a safe description.Report
It could be because I hear it in a southern accent (my southern accent is long gone).Report
I’m so sad you missed the humor — old and decrepit/safe description.
sigh.
I worked really, really hard to shed my Maine accent; and whenever I get around a bunch of folks who speak it, I revert. My family teases me endlessly.Report