980: Money/Prices in tables

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Below are five tables listing the prices of the items in 980: Money.

Contents

Dollars[edit]

Category Item Price Notes
Dollar bills
$1 Bill $1 $1 = $1[citation needed]
$10 Bill $10 Ten dollars are equal to ten dollars.[citation needed]
$500 Bill (William McKinley, discontinued) $500 Discontinued bills might be worth more than their original value but can still be used as normal currency worth its designated value (in this case $500).
$1000 Bill (Grover Cleveland, discontinued) $1000 Discontinued bill, see above.
Fruit
Apples (one dozen) $5.68 The price has since risen due to inflation.
Oranges (one dozen) $3.08 The price of oranges has since risen due to inflation.
Fast Food
Dollar Menu item $1.00 Most dollar menus cost one dollar,[citation needed] hence the name.
Starbucks Coffee $2.00 Ten years later, one might for that price get a small tall freshly brewed coffee.
Average US Restaurant Meals
Average single US restaurant meal $35.65 According to Zagat's 2012 restaurant survey.
Average meal at the 20 costliest San Francisco restaurants $85.27 According to a 2005 Zagat survey.
Dinner for four
Homemade rice and pinto beans $9.26 (With time cost of two hours of shopping, travel, preparation, and cleanup: $41.80) From this infographic made for this NYT article (paywall). Time cost at a rate of $16.27/hr maybe from this source for value of volunteer hours.[actual citation needed]
Homemade chicken dinner $13.78 (With time cost of two hours of shopping, travel, preparation, and cleanup: $46.32) Same sources as above.
McDonalds $27.89 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $36.03) Same sources as above.
Arby’s $34.00 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $42.13) Same value as above for time cost. Base cost possibly from personal experience.[actual citation needed]
Chili’s $69.64 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $77.78) Same as Arby's.
Outback Steakhouse $109.82 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $117.96) Same as Arby's.
Vehicles
Low-end bicycle $190 A quick google search will tell us that this is still a fairly realistic price.
Clothes
Men's suit $400 A quick google search will tell us that this is a fairly realistic price, although much cheaper suits exist.
Debt
Daily interest on average credit card debt $5.63 [actual citation needed]
Daily income
Median household daily income $136.28 [actual citation needed]
Taxes $32.16 [actual citation needed]
After-tax $104.12 The taxes subtracted from the median household daily income.
Game Consoles
PS3 $250 A quick google search will tell us that their demand has decreased significantly since other consoles (PS4, PS5) were released and there are no more new games being developed for the Playstation 3.
Xbox 360 $200 A quick google search will tell us that their demand has decreased significantly since other consoles (Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S) were released and there are no more new games being developed for the Xbox 360.
Wii $150 A quick google search will tell us that their demand has decreased significantly since other consoles (Wii U, Nintendo Switch) were released and there are no more new games being developed for the Nintendo Wii.
Electronics
Kindle Fire $199 Like video game consoles, other electronics such as Ebook readers become cheaper over time due to release of newer models and obsolescence.
Basic iPad $499 Like video game consoles, other electronics such as iPads become cheaper over time due to release of newer models and obsolescence.
iPad + 3G + a year of data $869 For the iPad, see above. 3G internet is being gradually phased out across the world (USofA, Europe), so it may not be possible to buy. (Information as of December 2021)
Basic Macbook Air $999 Like video game consoles, other electronics such as laptops become cheaper over time due to release of newer models and obsolescence.
Netbook $249.99 Like video game consoles, other electronics such as laptops become cheaper over time due to release of newer models and obsolescence.
iPod Nano $129 Like video game consoles, other electronics such as music players become cheaper over time due to release of newer models and obsolescence.
Mac Mini $599 Like video game consoles, other electronics such as desktop computers become cheaper over time due to release of newer models and obsolescence.
Comcast cable internet for a year ($59.99/month) $719.88 Comcast has since changed its name to Xfinity. [Xfinity's website](https://xfinity.com/learn/deals/internet) has internet starting at $25/month or $300/yr, a significant decrease.
Books
Paperback book $6.80 [actual citation needed]
Hardcover book $32.27 [actual citation needed]
Audio book $50.42 [actual citation needed]
Kindle $79.00 The price of a Kindle ranges from 24$ up to a little over 300$, depending on the model.
New video game $49.99 During the seventh generation of video games, most games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 home consoles would release for $59.99, while games for the handheld Nintendo DS would retail for $39.99[actual citation needed]. Randall appears to be averaging the two numbers.
Kindle keyboard + 3G $139 [actual citation needed]
Loose change
Loose change value per pound $12.80 The chart depicts 12 blocks instead of 13.
Loose change with no quarters $5.40 [actual citation needed]
One-gallon jug of loose change $270 [actual citation needed]
Loose change with no pennies $17.40 [actual citation needed]
Annual value of pennies received in change (at one daily cash purchase) $7.30 [actual citation needed]
Pet ownership (Based on ASPCA estimations)
Annual cost of rabbit ownership $730 [actual citation needed]
Annual cost of dog ownership $695 [actual citation needed]
Annual cost of cat ownership $670 [actual citation needed]
Annual cost of fish ownership $35 [actual citation needed]
Annual cost of bird ownership $200 [actual citation needed]
Annual cost of small mammal ownership $300 [actual citation needed]
Cell phone bill
Traditional cell phone average monthly fee $77.36 [actual citation needed]
Traditional cell phone average annual bill $928.30 Slightly less than the cell phone average monthly fee time 12, which would be $928.32.
Smartphone average monthly fee $110.30 [actual citation needed]
Smartphone average annual bill $1,320 Smartphone average annual bill times 12 rounded down. (The actual amount works out to $1,323.60)
Worker/CEO comparison
1965 production worker average hourly wage $19.61 [actual citation needed]
2007 production worker average hourly wage $19.71 [actual citation needed]
Typical 1965 CEO pay for the same period $490.31 [actual citation needed]
Typical 2007 CEO pay for the same period $5,419.97 [actual citation needed]

Thousands[edit]

Category Item Price Notes
Typical household net worth by head of household’s age in 1984
<35 years $11,680
35-44 years $72,090
45-54 years $115,060
55-64 years $149,240
>65 years $122,100
Typical household net worth by head of household’s age in 2009
<35 years $3,710
35-44 years $40,140
45-54 years $103,040
55-64 years $164,270
>65 years $172,820
Raising a child to age 17
Upper income $302,860
Middle income $206,920
Lower income $150,380
Vacations
All-inclusive one-week trip for two to St. Lucia resort from New England (incl. flights) $3,204
Twenty week-long Hawaiian vacations $136,020
Typical week-long Hawaii trip for two from US West Coast (incl. flights) $6,801
Typical weekend Hawaii trip for two from US West Coast incl. flights) $2,863
School Prices
Estimated one-year Hogwarts cost (incl. tuition) $43,000
Seven-year Hogwarts degree $301,000
Average community college tuition $10,340 (One year $2,580)
Average in-state university tuition $28,920 (One year $7,230)
Income per capita (2005)
United States 2005 per capita income $32,360
Switzerland 2005 per capita income $29,910
Germany 2005 per capita income $27,550
UK 2005 per capita income $23,240
France 2005 per capita income $16,400
China 2005 per capita income $3,540
Brazil 2005 per capita income $5,540
Houses
Small rural house $100,000
Typical new home $224,910
Health
Average individual health insurance annual premium $5,430
Cancer treatment including chemo $117,260 The chart depicts 115 blocks instead of 117.
Annual Household Costs
A daily pack of cigarettes for a year (NJ) $3,050
One Starbucks latte per day $1,820
Average smartphone annual cost $1,320
Annual cost of car ownership $3,650
Typical annual household food spending $5,650
Average household CC debt $9,960
Annual cost to carry that debt $2,090
Typical annual housing cost for various cities (based on military's Basic Allowance for Housing for an E1 servicemember with no dependents)
NYC $25,416
San Francisco $21,888
Boston $18,216
Los Angeles $17,640
Washington DC $16,380
Chicago $13,664
Worcester $12,456
Houston $11,888
Minneapolis $10,908
Detroit $10,080
Salt Lake City $9,108
Scranton $8,604
Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding
Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding cake $78,000
Kate Middleton's wedding dress $350,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $375,000.
Flower cost for Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding $800,000
Value of an investment of $1,000/year

(NOT changing with inflation) for 30 years at 5% annual interest

1 year $1,000
5 years $5,526
10 years $12,850
15 years $21,580
20 years $33,070
25 years $47,730
30 years $66,440
30 years ($30,000 saved in mattress) $30,000
30 years ($1,000/yr at a 4% real return (long-term stock + dividend average) $56,080
Value of investment (accounting for inflation)
30 years $27,370
30 years ($30,000 saved in mattress) $12,360
Average Vehicle Costs
Average used car $8,910
Average new car $27,230
High-end bicycle $1,500
Total cost to buy and own selected vehicles for five years
Honda Insight $27,874
Toyota Prius $38,771
Jeep Patriot $35,425
Honda Fit $28,745
BMW Z4 $61,312
Ford Explorer $43,524
Toyota Camry $34,697
smart fortwo $29,629
Honda CR-V $35,183
Chevy Volt $42,180
Hyundai Sonata $34,644
Ford F-150 $48,734
Nissan Cube $29,383
Porsche 911 $91,590
Total cost to buy and own selected vehicles for five years, if gas were $10/gallon
Toyota Prius $48,990
Honda Fit $45,233
Ford Explorer $69,076
smart fortwo $45,058
Chevy Volt $50,612
Ford F-150 $77,111
Typical annual household income
Bottom 20% $10,200
Second 20% $24,800
Middle 20% $44,400
Fourth 20% $76,100
Top 10% $201,100
Top 1% $822,000
Top 1/500th $2,080,000
Median US household income
Median US household income $51,270
After-tax $39,170
Taxes $12,100
Total lifetime income from ages 25-65 at $50,000/year after 25% taxes (including Social Security) $1,500,000
Cost per household served by US Rural Utilities Service program to expand broadband access $359,790
If I had $1000000 (Cost of the items the singer in "If I had $1000000" would buy to win your love: $263,330)
Furniture $21,160
Plymouth Reliant $3,000
Tree fort $15,000
Llama $2,120
Joseph Merrick's remains N/A (Held in Royal London Hospital collection and not available for purchase)
House $224,820
Tiny fridge $99.08
Gourmet pre-wrapped sausages (2) $34.48
Kraft Dinner (two double servings) $3.06
Expensive ketchup $10.75
Faux fur coat $198.00
Limo ride to the store $186.59
Luxuries
Golden Opulence ice cream sundae $1,000
Waist deep half-room ball pit $2,400
All 30 bestselling game consoles (refurb, eBay) $2,640
Initial seat on Virgin Galactic suborbital flight $200,000
Video Games
Typing F-U-N-D-S $10,000
Daily sales of Minecraft $193,500


Millions[edit]

Category Item Price Notes
Dr. Evil
Amount Dr. Evil thought he was demanding from the 1997 world $6,630,000
Amount he was demanding $1,380,000
Video Games
Minecraft sales by October 2011 $56,780,000
William and Kate's wedding
Flowers $800,000
Security $20,000,000
Total cost $80,000,000
Human Values
Amount needed to live comfortably off investments $4,090,000
EPA value of a human life $8,120,000 The chart depicts 10 blocks instead of 8.
Six Million Dollar Man (2011 dollars) $29,870,000
50,000 salary for 40 years after 25% taxes $1,500,000
Lifetime cost to avoid changing your oil by abandoning your car and buying a new one whenever you hit 5,000 miles $3,270,000
Corporation Expenses
30-second Super Bowl ad slot $3,000,000
Annual cost to run Wikipedia $18,500,000
Loss in NewsCorp value over hacking scandal $750,000,000
Vehicles
Most expensive production car (Bugatti Veyron) $2,400,000
Most expensive car ever sold (1957 Ferrari 250) $16,390,000
Marginal cost to launch one shuttle $450,000,000
Total shuttle program per launch $1,451,000,000
One B-2 bomber $2,500,000,000
Structures
Large city office building $100,000,000
Dubai Fountain $224,540,000
Burj Khalifa $1,521,000,000
New Yankee Stadium $1,545,000,000
Rare Items
Qianlong Chinese vase sold in 2010 $83,710,000
Leonardo’s Codex Leicester (bought by Bill Gates) $45,930,000
Estimated value of first-edition Gutenberg Bible $34,610,000
1933 Double Eagle coin (All destroyed uncirculated save a few stolen from the US Mint) $9,330,000
Treskilling Yellow postage stamp (At $50 billion/lb possibly the world’s most expensive thing by weight) $2,780,000
1297 Magna Carta original copy signed by Edward I $21,890,000
Painting from The Card Players series (rumor) $250,000,000
Willem de Kooning’s “Woman III” (2006 auction bought by David Geffen) $168,780,000
Jackson Pollock’s “No. 5, 1948” (2006 auction bought by David Geffen) $153,440,000
Airbus A380 $264,000,000
Mona Lisa assessed value $730,660,000
Bitcoins
Market value of all Bitcoins as of 11/2011 $22,819,797
Market value of all Bitcoins as at July 2011 peak price $210,000,000
Millionaires
Darrell Issa (R-CA) net worth $304,000,000
Jane Harman (D-CA) net worth $294,000,000
John Kerry (D-MA) net worth $239,000,000
Mitt Romney net worth $210,000,000
Jon Huntsman net worth $40,000,000
Average net worth of US senator $13,400,000
Average net worth of US representative $4,900,000
A billionaire $1,000,000,000
Per US resident
$1 per US resident $312,620,000
$1 per US household $117,290,000 The chart depicts 138 blocks instead of 117.
$10 from every US resident $3,326,200,000 The chart depicts 3126 blocks instead of 3326.
$10 from every US household $1,179,180,000 The chart depicts 854 blocks instead of 1179.
Raptors
One F-22 raptor $154,500,000
One velociraptor (25% of Jurassic Park production budget amortized over three velociraptors) $1,930,000
Professional rapper net worth
50 Cent $100,000,000
50 Cent (stage name) $0.50
50 Cent (adjusted for inflation) $0.70
Birdman $100,000,000
Dr Dre $125,000,000
Jay-Z $450,000,000
Diddy $475,000,000
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling $1,000,000,000
J.K. Rowling had she become a rapper (Professional assessment by rapper/geek culture expert MC Frontalot) $82,000
Hurricanes
Annual hurricane forecast R&D funding $20,000,000
Hurricane forecast improvement funding since 1989 $440,000,000
Economic savings—during Hurricane Irene alone—due to limiting evacuations made possible by recent forecast advances $700,000,000
Prizes
$64,000 in 1955 when "The $64,000 Question" first aired $528,310
£1,000,000 in 1998 when the UK "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" aired $2,270,000
$1,000,000 in 1999 when the US "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" aired $1,330,000
$1,000,000 in 1955 when the TV show "The Millionaire" aired $8,250,000
$1,000,000 in 1931 when the film "The Millionaire" opened $14,530,000

Elections[edit]

Person Funds raised
2012 presidential fundraising $188,260,000
Herman Cain $5,380,000
Jon Huntsman $4,510,000
Michele Bachmann $9,870,000
Ron Paul $12,790,000
Rick Perry $17,200,000
Mitt Romney $32,610,000
Barack Obama $88,420,000
Other $17,480,000
Person Funds raised
2008 presidential campaign fundraising $1,860,390,000
Excluding candidate Lee L. Mercer, Jr of Houston, who claimed, in his combined FEC filings, $900,005,507 in fundraising and $900,006,431 in campaign spending.
Ron Paul $32,480,000
John Edwards $64,410,000
Rudy Giuliani $66,520,000
Mitt Romney $116,730,000
Barack Obama $799,670,000
John McCain $394,280,000
Hilary Clinton $259,050,000
Other $127,250,000
Person Funds raised
2004 presidential campaign fundraising $1,006,810,000
Howard Dean $61,620,000
Wesley Clark $34,620,000
John Edwards $39,310,000
John Kerry $352,090,000
George W. Bush $429,660,000
Other $89,510,000
Person Funds raised
2000 presidential campaign fundraising $805,120,000
Pat Buchanan $37,440,000
John McCain $75,180,000
Bill Bradley $65,680,000
Steve Forbes $114,400,000 *The Money Chart incorrectly reads $11,440,000
Al Gore $170,520,000
George W. Bush $247,100,000
Other $94,800,000

2010 midterm elections fundraising[edit]

Party Funds raised
Democrats $815,000,000
Republicans $587,000,000

2011-2012 Campaign donations by industry[edit]

Industry To Democrats (approx) To Republicans (approx) To Other (approx) Total Funds donated
Finance industry $47,000,000 $68,000,000 $7,000,000 $122,900,000
Organized labor $14,000,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $18,720,000
Energy industry $6,000,000 $21,000,000 $0 $26,680,000
Lawyers and general lobbyists $39,000,000 $19,000,000 $0 $57,590,000
Health industry $19,000,000 $23,000,000 $0 $42,727,000
Electronics and communication industry $21,000,000 $12,000,000 $7,000,000 $32,420,000

Inaugurations[edit]

Thing Price
Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration $174,100,000
Festivities (private donors) $46,400,000
Federal + state + local government (mainly security) $127,700,000
Thing Price
George Bush’s 2005 inauguration $178,600,000
Festivities (private donors) $47,800,000
Federal + state + local government (mainly security) $130,800,000

Past presidential campaign fundraising[edit]

Campaign Year Funds raised
1996 $559,810,000
1992 $521,480,000
1988 $606,300,000
1984 $429,860,000
1980 $434,220,000
1976 $664,160,000

Value of a solid gold toilet (626 lbs) by year[edit]

Year Value (Approximate)
1967 $2,000,000
1968 $2,000,000
1969 $2,000,000
1970 $2,000,000
1971 $2,000,000
1972 $3,000,000
1973 $4,000,000
1974 $7,000,000
1975 $6,000,000
1976 $4,000,000
1977 $5,000,000
1978 $6,000,000
1979 $9,000,000
1980 $15,000,000
1981 $10,000,000
1982 $8,000,000
1983 $9,000,000
1984 $7,000,000
1985 $6,000,000
1986 $7,000,000
1987 $8,000,000
1988 $7,000,000
1989 $6,000,000
1990 $6,000,000
1991 $5,000,000
1992 $5,000,000
1993 $5,000,000
1994 $5,000,000
1995 $5,000,000
1996 $5,000,000
1997 $4,000,000
1998 $4,000,000
1999 $3,000,000
2000 $3,000,000
2001 $3,000,000
2002 $3,000,000
2003 $4,000,000
2004 $4,000,000
2005 $5,000,000
2006 $6,000,000
2007 $8,000,000
2008 $8,000,000
2009 $10,000,000
2010 $13,000,000
2011 $15,000,000

Value of a carry-on suitcase full of $100 bills (30,000 ct, 60lbs)[edit]

Year Value (Approximate)
1967 $20,000,000
1968 $19,000,000
1969 $18,000,000
1970 $17,000,000
1971 $16,000,000
1972 $16,000,000
1973 $15,000,000
1974 $13,000,000
1975 $12,000,000
1976 $12,000,000
1977 $11,000,000
1978 $10,000,000
1979 $9,000,000
1980 $8,000,000
1981 $7,000,000
1982 $7,000,000
1983 $7,000,000
1984 $6,000,000
1985 $6,000,000
1986 $6,000,000
1987 $6,000,000
1988 $6,000,000
1989 $5,000,000
1990 $5,000,000
1991 $5,000,000
1992 $5,000,000
1993 $5,000,000
1994 $4,000,000
1995 $4,000,000
1996 $4,000,000
1997 $4,000,000
1998 $4,000,000
1999 $4,000,000
2000 $4,000,000
2001 $4,000,000
2002 $4,000,000
2003 $4,000,000
2004 $4,000,000
2005 $3,000,000
2006 $3,000,000
2007 $3,000,000
2008 $3,000,000
2009 $3,000,000
2010 $3,000,000
2011 $3,000,000

Billions[edit]

Harry Potter movie franchise total revenue[edit]

Item Value
Harry Potter movie franchise total revenue $21,000,000,000
Treasure found in a temple in India in 2011 $22,000,000,000

Box office revenue[edit]

Adjusted for monetary inflation but not ticket price inflation

Highlighted: films that earned more than 2009's Avatar

Some dates are off by one year.

Year Movie Revenue Highlighted
2009 Avatar $783,510,000
2008 The Dark Knight $547,520,000
2003 Shrek 2 $516,610,000
1999 The Phantom Menace $572,000,000
1997 Titanic $827,260,000 Yes
1994 The Lion King $625,810,000
1993 Jurassic Park $625,810,000
1984 Ghostbusters $507,720,000
1983 Return of the Jedi $686,710,000
1982 E.T. $996,580,000 Yes
1980 The Empire Strikes Back $778,530,000
1977 Star Wars $1,681,000,000 Yes
1975 Jaws $1,067,510,000 Yes
1973 The Exorcist $1,019,000,000 Yes
1965 The Sound of Music $1,144,920,000 Yes
1962 101 Dalmatians $1,131,310,000 Yes
1960 Ben-Hur $561,090,000
1957 The Ten Commandments $532,570,000
1943 Bambi $1,391,000,000 Yes
1942 Fantasia $1,146,000,000 Yes
1940 Gone with the Wind $3,157,000,000 Yes
1938 Snow White $2,841,700,000 Yes

Charity[edit]

Area Amount given
US annual charitable giving $294,850,000,000
To religious organizations $102,000,000,000
To educational organizations $42,240,000,000
To foundations $33,450,000,000
To human services $26,850,000,000
To societal benefit organizations $24,570,000,000
To health organizations $23,140,000,000
To international affairs $15,980,000,000
To arts and culture $13,460,000,000
To animals and environment $6,750,000,000
Other $6,410,000,000

Type of giving:[edit]

Type Amount given
Individual giving $214,650,000,000
Foundation grantmaking $41,560,000,000
Bequests $23,140,000,000
Corporate giving $15,500,000,000

Gates Foundation total giving since 1994[edit]

Area Amount given
Gates Foundation total giving since 1994 $25,360,000,000
Global health ~$12,000,000,000
US ~$4,000,000,000
Developments ~$3,000,000,000
Grants ~$1,000,000,000
Missing ~$5,000,000,000

Book publishing industry revenue[edit]

Genre Revenue
Book publishing industry revenue $28,320,000,000 (Sum of genres is $29.39 billion, 1 block more than depicted)
Romance $1,380,000,000
Trade books $14,130,000,000
K-12 $5,570,000,000
Professional $3,750,000,000
Higher education $4,560,000,000

Video game industry revenue[edit]

Area Revenue
Video game industry revenue $48,900,000,000
United States $18,830,000,000

Education[edit]

Item Value
Student loans outstanding $955,800,000,000 (This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $956,800,000,000)
Federal student loans $792,900,000,000
Defaulted Federal student loans (Private total unknown) $65,020,000,000
Private student loans $163,900,000,000
Total spending on primary and secondary education in the US $612,470,000,000
Teacher Salaries $295,810,000,000
Total annual higher education spending in the US $355,110,000,000

Harvard University revenue[edit]

Area Revenue
Tuition, donations, and fees $1,425,000,000
Investments $7,900,000,000

In other words, if Harvard eliminated tuition, it would mean roughly a 15% budget cut.

Education foundations[edit]

Foundation Amount given
Gates Foundation $36,700,000,000
INGKA Foundation $36,000,000,000
Howard Hughes Medical Institute $14,800,000,000
Ford Foundation $13,800,000,000
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $6,100,000,000

Endowments of the 63 wealthiest universities[edit]

University Endowments
Endowments of the 63 wealthiest universities $277,570,000,000
Harvard $32,000,000,000
Yale $19,400,000,000
Princeton $17,010,000,000
U of Texas $16,610,000,000
Stanford $16,500,000,000
MIT $9,900,000,000
Columbia $7,800,000,000
U of Michigan $7,800,000,000
Texas A&M $7,030,000,000
Northwestern $7,030,000,000
The other 53 $136,490,000,000

Corporate revenue[edit]

Corporation Revenue Profit Loss
Walmart $421,800,000,000 $16,390,000,000
ExxonMobil $354,700,000,000 $30,460,000,000
Chevron $196,300,000,000 $19,020,000,000
Fannie Mae $153,800,000,000 (the chart depicts 156 blocks instead of 154) $14,010,000,000
GE $151,600,000,000 (the chart depicts 151 blocks instead of 152) $11,640,000,000
Berkshire Hathaway $136,100,000,000 (Randall rounded down from 136.185 billion) $12,970,000,000
PepsiCo $57,840,000,000 $6,320,000,000
Coca-Cola $35,840,000,000 (this appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $35,120,000,000) $11,800,000,000
VISA $8,100,000,000 $2,700,000,000
MasterCard $5,500,000,000 (the chart depicts 5 blocks instead of 6) $1,850,000,000
General Motors $135,600,000,000 (the chart depicts 135 blocks instead of 136) $6,170,000,000
Ford $129,000,000,000 $6,560,000,000 (the chart depicts 6 blocks instead of 7)
Chrysler $44,950,000,000 (this appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $41,950,000,000) $653,000,000 (this appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $652,000,000)
AT&T $124,600,000,000 (the chart depicts 126 blocks instead of 125) $19,860,000,000
Verizon $106,560,000,000 (the chart depicts 106 blocks instead of 107) $2,550,000,000
Bank of America $134,200,000,000 (the chart depicts 135 blocks instead of 134) $2,240,000,000
JP Morgan Chase $115,480,000,000 $17,370,000,000
Citigroup $111,060,000,000 $10,600,000,000
AIG $104,420,000,000 $7,790,000,000
HP $126,000,000,000 $8,780,000,000 (this appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $8,760,000,000)
Apple $65,230,000,000 $14,010,000,000
Microsoft $62,480,000,000 $18,760,000,000
Google $29,320,000,000 $8,510,000,000
Combined annual profit of the Fortune 500 companies $708,600,000,000

US health care spending[edit]

Category Item Price Notes
US cancer spending
US spending on lung cancer treatment $11,310,000,000
US spending on tobacco marketing $13,600,000,000
US spending on all cancer treatment $106,870,000,000
US spending on cigarettes $91,660,000,000 The chart depicts 93 blocks instead of 92.
US health care spending (2005 data)
Private insurance $785,900,000,000
Out-of-pocket $282,260,000,000 The chart depicts 250 blocks instead of 282.
Other private spending $79,000,000,000 The chart depicts 111 blocks instead of 79.
Total private spending $1,147,050,000,000
Medicare $387,070,000,000
Medicaid $351,980,000,000
Other government spending $219,000,000,000
Total Government spending $958,950,000,000
Total $2,106,000,000,000

NCAA budget[edit]

$5,640,000,000

Total annual tax breaks to the five largest oil companies[edit]

Item Value Notes
Combined pay at Wall St. banks and securities firms $135,000,000,000
Mobile computing annual sales $220,000,000,000
Online spending in 2009 $251,070,000,000
Total annual tax breaks to the five largest oil companies $2,100,000,000
US annual oil and gas subsidies $41,000,000,000
Ethanol subsidies $5,000,000,000
Combined annual profits of the five largest oil companies $36,000,000,000
Combined annual profits of the ten largest health insurance companies $12,870,000,000
2010 lobbying $3,560,000,000
2005 lobbying $2,750,000,000
2000 lobbying $2,000,000,000
One B-2 bomber $2,500,000,000 The chart depicts 2 blocks instead of 3.

US R&D[edit]

Item Value
US annual corporate R&D $334,490,000,000
Information technology $46,560,000,000
Scientific, technical or professional services $31,060,000,000
Manufacturing industries (Unlabelled on the money chart) $236,151,000,000
Other $20,710,000,000

US GDP[edit]

The combined economic value of all goods and services produced in a year

Category Item Value Notes
US GDP
$14,545,950,000,000
Government
$1,980,640,000,000
Real estate
Non-rental real estate $1,737,500,000,000 The chart depicts 1736 blocks instead of 1738.
Rental and leasing $187,610,000,000
Total $1,925,210,000,000
Nondurable Goods
Food, beverage and tobacco $212,330,000,000
Chemicals $223,050,000,000
Petroleum and coal $123,630,000,000
Apparel $12,050,000,000 The chart depicts 14 blocks instead of 12.
Paper products $57,800,000,000 The chart depicts 62 blocks instead of 58.
Plastics and rubber products $58,410,000,000
Textile mills $18,130,000,000 The chart depicts 12 blocks instead of 18.
Printing and related supports $33,790,000,000
Total $739,300,000,000
Durable Goods
Computers and electronics $212,640,000,000
Metal products $125,590,000,000
Machinery $116,110,000,000
Wood products $21,530,000,000 Rounded down to 21 blocks.
Furniture $24,930,000,000
Other transportation equipment $93,440,000,000
Motor vehicles, trailers and parts $80,560,000,000
Mineral products $39,360,000,000
Metals $44,710,000,000
Miscellaneous $81,390,000,000
Electrical equipment and components $53,260,000,000
Total $898,420,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $893,420,000,000.
Finance and insurance
Federal Reserve banks and credit intermediaries $529,540,000,000
Insurance $437,340,000,000
Investments $180,500,000,000
Funds and trusts $59,550,000,000
Total $1,207,030,000,000
Professional and business services
Waste management $39,870,000,000
Administrative and support services $358,110,000,000
Legal services $225,830,000,000
Computer systems design and service $174,730,000,000
Corporate management $253,950,000,000
Other professional or technical services $700,250,000,000
Total $1,752,750,000,000
Health and education
Social assistance $93,750,000,000
Ambulatory health care services $529,750,000,000
Hospitals $466,390,000,000
Educational services $159,580,000,000
Total $1,294,580,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $1,249,580,000,000
Utilities
$276,210,000,000
Other services
$345,540,000,000
Construction
$553,750,000,000
Mining
Mining (other than oil and gas) $50,380,000,000
Mining support $51,270,000,000
Oil and gas $145,990,000,000
Total $248,080,000,000
Agriculture
Farms $107,140,000,000
Forestry, fishing and related $30,080,000,000
Total $137,120,000,000
Arts and entertainment
Food service $285,480,000,000
Performing arts, sports and museums $73,040,000,000
Amusements, gambling and general recreation $73,040,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $58,110,000,000
Accomodation [sic] $111,990,000,000
Total $528,620,000,000
Information
Information and data processing $78,300,000,000
Publishing (including software) $152,170,000,000
Film, video and sound recording $61,610,000,000
Broadcasting and telecommunications $366,560,000,000
Total $658,630,000,000
Transportation and storage
Warehousing and storage $40,590,000,000
Water $14,730,000,000
Air $36,770,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $63,770,000,000
Rail $31,730,000,000
Truck $116,520,000,000 Rounded down to 116 blocks
Transit and land passenger $24,110,000,000 The chart depicts 22 blocks instead of 24
Pipeline $12,360,000,000
Other transport $97,560,000,000
Total $401,280,000,000

Billionaires[edit]

Category Person Networth Ten Richest Ranking
Technology
Carlos Slim Helú and family $74,000,000,000 First
Bill Gates $56,000,000,000 Second
Larry Ellison $39,500,000,000 Fifth
Larry Page $19,800,000,000
Sergey Brin $19,800,000,000
Jeff Bezos $18,000,000,000
Steve Ballmer $14,500,000,000
Mark Zuckerberg $13,500,000,000
Paul Allen $13,500,000,000
Steve Jobs (D) $8,300,000,000
Eric Schmidt $7,000,000,000
Sean Parker $1,600,000,000
Steve Case $1,300,000,000
Politicians and alleged evil plutocratic puppet masters
Warren Buffett $50,000,000,000 Third
Charles Koch $22,000,000,000
David Koch $22,000,000,000
Michael Bloomberg $18,100,000,000 The chart depicts 19 blocks instead of 18.
George Soros $14,000,000,000
Silvio Berlusconi and family $7,800,000,000
Rupert Murdoch $7,600,000,000
David Geffen $6,000,000,000 The chart depicts 4 blocks instead of 6.
Uncategorized
Bernard Arnault $41,000,000,000 Fourth
Lakshmi Mittal $31,100,000,000 Sixth
Amancio Ortega $31,000,000,000 Seventh
Eike Batista $30,000,000,000 Eighth
Mukesh Ambani $27,000,000,000 Ninth
Walmart
Christy Walton and family $26,500,000,000 Tenth
Jim Walton $21,300,000,000
Alice Walton $21,200,000,000
S. Robson Walton $21,000,000,000
Fictional (source: Forbes)
Carlisle Cullen $34,500,000,000
Scrooge McDuck $33,500,000,000
Bruce Wayne $6,500,000,000
Artemis Fowl $1,900,000,000
Fashion
Lilianne Bettencourt $23,500,000,000
Ralph Lauren $5,800,000,000
Ronald Lauder $3,100,000,000 The chart depicts 2 blocks instead of 3.
Art and media
George Lucas $3,200,000,000
Oprah Winfrey $3,200,000,000
Five wealthiest rappers combined $1,250,000,000
J. K. Rowling $1,000,000,000
Donald Trump
Donald Trump $2,700,000,000 The chart depicts 2 blocks instead of 3.

Combined net worth of the world's 1,210 billionaires $4,500,000,000,000

Corporations[edit]

by market capitalization (combined value of all stock)

Company Value
Saudi Aramco (State-owned company—estimated market value) $2,940,000,000,000
Apple $358,310,000,000
ExxonMobil $357,910,000,000
PetroChina $280,160,000,000
IBM $211,640,000,000
Microsoft $211,340,000,000 (the chart depicts 212 blocks instead of 211)
Bank of China $208,810,000,000
China Mobile $201,510,000,000
Royal Dutch Shell $199,780,000,000
Nestlé $193,700,000,000
Chevron $188,030,000,000
Facebook 2011 valuation $70,000,000,000
AT&T attempted T-Mobile purchase $39,000,000,000
Facebook 2010 valuation $33,450,000,000
Zynga 2011 valuation $14,000,000,000
LivingSocial 2011 valuation $2,980,000,000


Cost to buy the world a coke[edit]

Item Cost
Cost to buy the world a coke (2011 wholesale prices) $2,240,000,000
Coca-Cola's annual marketing budget $2,980,000,000
Cost to teach the world to sing (four half-hour lessons at $30 each) $840,000,000,000

US household income[edit]

This section shows the money made every year in the US, broken into five pools of about $2 trillion each. The pools are sorted by income level—the top $2 trillion is made by a small number of wealthy households (the "one percent"), while the bottom $2 trillion represents the combined annual income of the poorer half of the country.

Note: Figures are only estimates—these statistics were computed using data from the Congressional Budget Office analysis of 2007 incomes, and have been subject to the normalizations detailed below.

Who # Households  % Households Typical income/year Income
The 1% 1.6 million 1.3 >$400,000 $1,397,000,000,000
High incomes 9 million 8 $150,000 - $400,000 $1,411,000,000,000
Upper incomes 18 million 16 $90,000 - $150,000 $1,553,000,000,000
Upper middle incomes 27 million 23 $55,000 - $90,000 $1,610,000,000,000
The bottom 50% 63 million ~50 <$55,000 $1,711,000,000,000
Total 118.6 million 98.3 $7,682,910,000,000

Amount needed[edit]

Type Amount Notes
Required for poverty-line income $2,602,000,000,000 This is the amount that must be set aside from each pool to leave $22,350—roughly a poverty-line income—for each family in that pool. If taxes are cut into this region, then it forces the average after-tax income for the pool below $22,350. (Of course, many families in this group make less than that already.)
Required for a middle-class income $4,874,000,000,000 This is the amount that must be set aside from each pool to leave $44,700—roughly double the poverty-line income—for each family in that pool.
Amount needed to give everyone an income over $100,000 $7,070,000,000,000 Amount which must be left in the pool to keep the average income above $100,000 (See descriptions below for details)
Amount needed to give everyone an income over $250,000 $8,836,000,000,000 Amount which must be left in the pool to keep the average income above $250,000 (See descriptions below for details)

Taxes[edit]

Type Amount Notes
State taxes $642,030,000,000 Unlike federal taxes, state taxes are regressive—the poor pay a higher percentage of their income than the rich. This is because sales taxes, a large component of state revenues, fall disproportionately on the poor.
Federal taxes $2,192,180,000,000 effective total federal taxes paid, after deductions and tax credits

Note on methodology: these totals were calculated from an analysis of the 2007 CBO report on effective federal tax rates by income. There were some mismatches between figures on total income from various sources and combined CBO tax rates/federal revenue. The income totals here were adjusted for inflation and then scaled slightly to match federal tax revenue. This should only affect the total reported income and not the distribution of the tax burden or the rough makeup of the quintiles.

State government spending[edit]

[map without amounts]

Total US states' debt $46,000,000,000

US foreign military aid[edit]

Area Amount Notes
Total $11,010,000,000
Afghanistan $5,800,000,000
Israel $2,410,000,000
Egypt $1,320,000,000
Other $5,800,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $1,480,000,000.

US foreign humanitarian and economic aid[edit]

Area Amount
Total $34,410,000,000
Iraq and Afghanistan $5,370,000,000
West Bank and Ghana $1,050,000,000
Africa (total) $8,850,000,000
Other $19,130,000,000

Ft. Knox gold reserves[edit]

Item Value
Ft. Knox gold reserves (November 2011 prices) $245,900,000,000
Unclaimed US treasury bonds $16,000,000,000
All the tea in China $4,210,000,000

Corporate tax deduction[edit]

(Note: some of the corporate deductions are very technical and, even with the help of a technical accountant, I had trouble making sense of them. The text below is my best attempt at an English interpretation of the legalese.)

Area Deductions Notes
Corporate tax deduction $125,180,000,000
Reduced tax on first $10 million of corporate income $3,240,000,000
Delay of taxes on 'income' made from defaulting on a debt (Temporary stimulus measure) $21,390,000,000
Temporary change to equipment depreciation rules allowing more (and sooner) deductions on the purchase of new equipment $24,390,000,000
Clean energy, space, science and tech R&D $13,900,000,000
Miscellaneous rules for international corporate finance $6,800,000,000
Foreign corporation income financing rules $13,680,000,000
Other $41,740,000,000 Rounded down to 41 blocks

Individual tax deductions[edit]

These are types of income, or uses of income, which the government has partly or fully exempt from tax, often to encourage some activity. This can be thought of as 'spent' tax revenue, although it's not quite that simple; there's no guarantee [that] removing the deduction would add that amount to revenue, because the presence of the deduction may be affecting taxpayers' spending habits.

Area Deductions Notes
Small business health insurance $1,620,000,000
Federal employee expenses abroad $7,910,000,000
EITC (anti-poverty low-income tax credit) $78,760,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $56,460,000,000.
Donations to charity $39,130,000,000
Capital gains (investment income) $78,760,000,000
Pension contributions $84,940,000,000
Other $64,970,000,000
Employee fringe benefits $6,690,000,000
Scholarships $2,130,000,000
Property taxes $15,710,000,000
Employer-provided transportation $3,850,000,000
Retirement accounts $24,630,000,000 Rounded down to 24 blocks.
Cafeteria plans $26,760,000,000 Rounded down to 26 blocks.
State and local bonds $19,560,000,000 Rounded down to 19 blocks.
Company daycare $3,140,000,000
College and university tax credits $12,060,000,000
Mortgage interest $92,040,000,000
Medicare Benefits $55,850,000,000 Rounded down to 55 blocks
Child care $55,850,000,000 The chart depicts 104 blocks instead of 107.
Employer health plans $107,140,000,000
Making Work Pay (ending) $60,510,000,000 The chart depicts 64 blocks instead of 61.
First-time homebuyer credit $8,820,000,000
Veterans' benefits $5,570,000,000
Life insurance benefits $25,750,000,000
Capital gains death exclusion $25,750,000,000
Social security and railroad retirement $27,170,000,000
Home sale capital gains $15,200,000,000
Total $964,970,000,000

Federal spending[edit]

Item Value
Annual deficit $1,394,530,000,000
Additional receipts $83,230,000,000
Taxes raised $2,192,180,000,000

Disasters[edit]

Disaster Estimated Total Damage Notes
Japan 2011 Earthquake $235,000,000,000 reconstruction and recovery cost, World Bank estimate
Hurricane Katrina $107,440,000,000
1988 US Drought $78,060,000,000 The chart depicts 83 blocks instead of 78
1980 US Drought $60,740,000,000
Hurricane Andrew $46,180,000,000
9/11 insured losses $40,000,000,000 For hurricanes, the rule of thumb is that total losses are roughly double insured losses. It is unclear if a similar rule exists for terrorism.
Hurricane Ike $28,170,000,000
Hurricane Irene $8,000,000,000 (estimated) (the chart depicts 10 blocks instead of 8)

Hypothetical disasters[edit]

Estimated total losses if the disaster happened today (based on insurance industry modeling)

Disaster Estimated Total Losses Notes
1938 Long Island Express $236,960,000,000 if it had curved left and made landfall in New Jersey instead of Long Island (rounded down to 236 blocks)
1812 New Madrid, Missouri earthquake $206,050,000,000
1926 Miami hurricane $202,000,000,000
1906 San Francisco earthquake $197,810,000,000
1900 Galveston hurricane $82,420,000,000
Long Island Express $78,060,000,000 (1938 New England Hurricane)
Charleston SC, quake of 1886 $76,240,000,000
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake $12,360,000,000

Cost of electricity[edit]

(Price of electricity to power all US homes for a year, by plant type)

Plant Type Cost Notes
Advance combined cycle natural gas 78,100,000,000
Conventional Coal (without societal costs) 117,340,000,000
External societal costs from the use of that amount of coal power $226,690,000,000 Harvard Medical School analysis. The range of possible values was $119b to $342b. Most of the uncertainty was due to potentially lower costs from air pollution or higher ones from climate change.
Public Health Burden in Appalacia [sic] $55,400,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $60,400,000,000.
Air pollution from power plants $118,300,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $123,300,000,000.
Climate Impact $40,030,000,000
Advanced coal with carbon capture $168,590,000,000
Biomass $139,250,000,000 Estimates of climate impact vary wildly Consensus seems to be more than nothing but less than coal.
Geothermal $125,880,000,000
Advanced nuclear $140,980,000,000 Little impact on climate/air, but hard to find assessments of meltdown and fuel storage costs/risks. Some past costs shown for perspective.
Hydroelectric $106,940,000,000
Wind $120,070,000,000
Offshore wind $301,030,000,000
Solar (photovoltaic) $260,800,000,000
Solar (thermal) $385,940,000,000

Nuclear accidents[edit]

Accident Cost Notes
Fukushima meltdown estimated total cost to Japan $131,100,000,000 Compare to $128,590,000,000 for deaths from quake/tsunami
Fukushima cost from 300 extra cancer deaths (EPA conversion) $2,570,000,000
Belarus estimated 30-year costs from Chernobyl $282,350,000,000
Cost of estimated 42,457 Chernobyl deaths (EPA method) $344,750,000,000

BP oil spill claims fund[edit]

Item Value
BP oil spill claims fund $20,270,000,000
Total 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami aid from all countries $15,840,000,000
Worldwide aid to Somalia since 1991 $55,000,000,000
G8/IMF loan pledge to Arab Spring $73,000,000,000
Japan's contribution to TEPCO victim fund $62,000,000,000
Cost to fund Wikipedia at current levels for 100 years $1,850,000,000
Cost to provide free yearly tax prep to every US household $8,450,000,000
Cost to give every US 18 year-old a free degree at a community college $46,340,000,000
Additional cost to fund all US schools at magnet school levels $46,340,000,000
Annual cost to send every US child to a university for free $127,610,000,000
Cost to buy the Amazon rainforest $130,000,000,000 $100/acre going rate for poor-access land
UBS loss from one rogue trader $2,300,000,000
DoE loan to CA Valley Solar Ranch Project $1,200,000,000
Apple's cash on hand $76,200,000,000

New York City[edit]

Area Combined Property Value Notes
New York City $806,490,000,000
Manhattan $281,040,000,000
Queens $208,180,000,000 rounded up to 209 blocks
Brooklyn $201,230,000,000
Staten Island $61,380,000,000
Bronx $54,660,000,000 rounded down to 54 blocks

Megaprojects[edit]

Project Cost Notes
National missile defense shield cost through 2013 $107,690,000,000
F-22 Raptor program (halted) $67,610,000,000 The chart depicts 61 blocks instead of 68.
Planned Russian Bering Strait tunnel $66,000,000,000 The chart depicts 56 blocks instead of 66.
Obama's 2011 high-speed rail proposal $53,000,000,000
Cost to build SF-to-LA high-speed rail $45,000,000,000
UK Crossrail $26,490,000,000
King Abdullah Economic City $50,020,000,000 High-speed rail $9,120,000,000
Hong Kong International airport $27,120,000,000
Manhattan Project $24,400,000,000 Rounded up to 25 blocks
2nd Avenue NYC subway line $17,960,000,000 Rounded down to 17 blocks
Big Dig cost $18,510,000,000 as of 2008 (rounded down to 18 blocks)
Failed Army intelligence-sharing computer system $2,700,000,000
Bay Bridge span replacement $6,300,000,000
Downtown Dubai project $20,270,000,000 Burj Khalifa $1,520,000,000
Channel Tunnel $22,960,000,000
Nimitz-class carrier $4,930,000,000
Gerald R. Ford-class carrier $9,000,000,000
Amtrak 30-year plan for northeast corridor $192,000,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $117,000,000,000.
City Qatar is building to host the 2022 World Cup $207,000,000,000
Apollo moon landing project $192,000,000,000
International Space Station $138,000,000,000
Space Shuttle program $194,620,000,000
US interstate highway system $465,970,000,000 The largest single public-works project in the history of mankind

Federal budget[edit]

Category Item Price Notes
General/Legislative
Policy and regulation $629,460,000 Merged into one block with Management.
Fiscal assistance $5,150,000,000
Property and records $1,550,000,000
Legislative $4,140,000,000
Fiscal operations $12,070,000,000
Management $535,000,000 Merged into one block with Policy and regulation.
Total $24,074,460,000
Energy
Conservation $5,070,000,000
Supply $5,870,000,000
Policy and regulation $629,460,000
Preparedness $201,710,000
Total $11,771,170,000
Science/Tech
General R&D $12,850,000,000 Rounded down to 12 blocks.
Space $18,620,000,000
Total $31,470,000,000
Agriculture
Farm income $16,830,000,000
R&D and services $4,820,000,000
Total $21,650,000,000
Justice
Law Enforcement $28,140,000,000
Criminal justice assistance $4,920,000,000
Legal $13,250,000,000
Corrections $7,850,000,000
Total $54,160,000,000
Community and regional development
Community $10,040,000,000
Regional $3,290,000,000 Label swapped with Disaster relief.
Disaster relief $10,800,000,000 Label swapped with Regional.
Total $24,130,000,000
Transportation
Air $21,720,000,000
Water $9,480,000,000 Rounded up to 10 bocks.
Ground $61,610,000,000 Rounded down to 61 blocks.
Total $92,810,000,000
Education and job training
Social services $19,440,000,000
Research and other labor $5,470,000,000
Training/employment $9,990,000,000
Higher education $20,300,000,000
K-12 and vocational education $74,260,000,000 The chart depicts 73 blocks instead of 74.
Total $129,460,000,000
Natural resources
Pollution control $10,990,000,000
Conservation $10,930,000,000
Recreation $3,960,000,000
Other resources $6,560,000,000
Water $11,810,000,000
Total $44,250,000,000
Health/Medicaid
Health care $335,320,000,000
Safety $4,200,000,000
Research $34,670,000,000
Total $374,080,000,000
Interest on debt
$198,870,000,000
Social Security
$716,360,000,000
Federal payments to dead retirees $120,200,000
Income security
Other income aid $184,350,000,000
Food aid $96,410,000,000
Retirement and disability (non-SS) $6,650,000,000
Housing $59,450,000,000
Government retirement and disability $121,500,000,000
Unemployment $162,330,000,000
Total $630,680,000,000
Veterans
Other $4,940,000,000
Training and rehab $8,200,000,000
Housing $547,000,000
Medical care $46,340,000,000
Unemployment $49,830,000,000
Total $109,860,000,000
Military
R&D $78,040,000,000
Housing $3,220,000,000
Nuclear security $19,580,000,000
"Defense-related" $7,670,000,000
Construction $21,460,000,000
Personnel $157,810,000,000
Operations $279,750,000,000
Equipment $135,420,000,000
Total $703,030,000,000

Budget options[edit]

Estimates by the Congressional Budget Office of the effect of various hypothetical policy decisions on annual tax revenue averaged over the next ten years.

Category Item Price
Cost of existing tax cuts (Loss in annual revenue if tax cuts are made permanent)
2001 (Bush) tax cuts $158,240,000,000
2003 (Bush) capital gains tax cuts $27,190,000,000
2010 (Obama) payroll tax cut $111,700,000,000
Potential new taxes (Increase in annual tax revenue if implimented)
Raise corporate taxes by one percentage point $10,060,000,000
Legalize marijuana (and tax it at levels similar to tobacco) $7,020,000,000
Institute tax on CO2 emissions $10,060,000,000 (This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $118,000,000,000)

Stimulus spending[edit]

Year Item Value Notes
2008
Individual tax breaks $120,110,000,000
Student loan guarantees $33,470,000,000
Business tax breaks $52,360,000,000 Rounded up to 53 blocks.
Total $205,930,000,000
2009
Tax breaks $307,530,000,000 The chart depicts 318 blocks.
Education $90,460,000,000 The chart depicts 92 blocks.
Medicare/Medicaid $80,500,000,000 The chart depicts 89 blocks.
Transportation $32,560,000,000
Unemployment $62,740,000,000
Infrastructure $24,000,000,000
Other $150,160,000,000 The chart depicts 183 blocks.
Total $747,950,000,000 The chart depicts 800 blocks.

Bailouts[edit]

Item Value Notes
1980s-1990 S&L bailout $78,300,000,000 total cost to taxpayers (the chart depicts 180 blocks)
Cost to FDIC of bank failures $19,000,000,000 resulting from the 2008 financial crisis
TARP bailout funds distributed $392,980,000,000 Out of $700,000,000,000 available
Estimated TARP taxpayer losses $41,660,000,000 The chart depicts 36 blocks instead of 42.
Value of outstanding TARP assets $144,440,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $144,440,000,000.
Bailout funds returned $206,880,000,000
Current Eurozone bailout fund $1,361,700,000,000 The chart depicts 1162 blocks instead of 1362.

Federal Payments[edit]

Item Cost Notes
Annual improper federal payments comprising fraud, abuse and poorly-documented payments $125,400,000,000
Federal payments to dead retirees $120,200,000
Ground Zero medical expenses fund $2,800,000,000
NEA-estimated cost to bring all US schools into good repair $413,300,000,000,000 The chart depicts 423 blocks instead of 413.
Annual economic cost of unmaintained infrastructure $129,000,000,000
Estimated direct annual agricultural value of bees $220,000,000,000

Military/Security Spending[edit]

Item Cost
Wasted money in Afghanistan/Iraq war contracts $60,000,000,000
Reconstruction money reportedly missing $18,000,000,000
Total US spending since 2001 to secure borders $90,000,000,000
US nuclear arms spending during the Cold War $2,818,300,000,000
Ballistic missile submarines $451,360,000,000
Ballistic missiles to put on those submarines $136,690,000,000
The $87 billion which John Kerry voted for/against $101,800,000,000
"Star Wars" missile defense system (1987 Heritage Foundation estimate) $185,300,000,000

US Spending on Wars[edit]

Including only direct spending on war operations, and not the resulting veterans' benefits or interest on debt incurred.

War Cost Notes
World War I $334,000,000,000
Spanish-American War $9,030,000,000
Civil War $79,740,000,000
American revolution $2,410,000,000
1812 $1,550,000,000
Mexican War $2,380,000,000
World War II $4,104,000,000,000
Korean War $341,000,000,000
Vietnam War $738,000,000,000
Persian Gulf War $102,000,000,000
Iraq War $784,000,000,000 The chart depicts 786 blocks.
War in Afghanistan $321,000,000,000
Total $804,410,000,000 This appears to be a mistake by Randall and should read $8,044,100,000,000.

Trillions[edit]

Size of derivatives market by year[edit]

Year Amount Notes
1988 $3,090,000,000,000
1995 $26,690,000,000,000 Rounded down to 26 blocks.
2001 $86,390,000,000,000
2005 $227,260,000,000,000
2009 $439,000,000,000,000

Size of credit default swap market by year (included in derivatives)[edit]

Year Amount
2001 $1,150,000,000,000
2005 $19,350,000,000,000
2007 $66,280,000,000,000
2009 $31,350,000,000,000

US household net worth[edit]

$58,740,000,000,000

Item Net Worth
Richest 1% $19,620,000,000,000
Richer half $57,270,000,000,000
Poorer half $1,470,000,000,000

Total debt in the US[edit]

$36,560,000,000,000

Item Debt
Household $13,560,000,000,000
State and local government $2,500,000,000,000
Federal government $9,510,000,000,000
Business $10,980,000,000,000

World GDP[edit]

$62,900,000,000,000

Region GDP
North America $17,850,000,000,000
United States $14,530,000,000,000
South America $3,070,000,000,000
EU $16,240,000,000,000
Europe (incl. Russia and Turkey) $20,130,000,000,000
Africa $1,610,000,000,000
Asia $17,530,000,000,000
Oceania $1,310,000,000,000

Total public debt[edit]

Note: US figures are from 2011, while the other totals use 2010 debt in 2011 dollars, which is likely an underestimate.

Region Debt Notes
EU (total) $13,340,000,000,000
United States $10,200,000,000,000 Plus internal government borrowing of 4,740,000,000,000
Japan $8,630,000,000,000
Germany $2,480,000,000,000
Italy $2,140,000,000,000
India $2,140,000,000,000
China $1,907,000,000,000
France $1,767,000,000,000
United Kingdom $1,654,000,000,000
Brazil $1,281,000,000,000
Canada $1,130,000,000,000
Spain $834,210,000,000
Mexico $584,860,000,000
Greece $460,180,000,000

World total[edit]

Item Value Notes
proven oil reserves $131,960,000,000,000 November 2011 prices
US reserves $20,580,000,000,000
proven coal reserves $72,850,000,000,000 2011 central Appalachian prices
US reserves $20,020,000,000,000
proven natural gas reserves $21,470,000,000,000 2011 NYMEX prices
US reserves $930,470,000,000
liquid assets $77,000,000,000,000
Estimated total economic production of the human race (so far, roughly three-fifths of it since 1980) $2,396,950,000,000,000 largest single amount of money in this comic

Value of 10 years of electricity generated if the surface of Texas were converted to:[edit]

Item Value
Solar power plants $89,240,000,000,000
Wind turbines $7,950,000,000,000

All US real estate[edit]

$28,380,000,000,000

Type Value Notes
Home $23,010,000,000,000
Commercial $5,370,000,000,000 includes stores, apartments, industrial, etc.

Value of all gold ever mined (late 2011 prices)[edit]

$9,120,000,000,000

GDP by year[edit]

Year GDP (total economic activity) the world (minus the US) GDP (total economic productivity) of the US (minus government) US federal government
1920
1930
1940
1942 $500,000,000,000
1943 $1,000,000,000,000
1944 $1,000,000,000,000
1945 $1,000,000,000,000
1946 $500,000,000,000
1947 $2,000,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1948 $2,000,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1949 $2,000,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1950 $2,500,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1951 $2,500,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1952 $2,500,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1953 $2,500,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1954 $2,500,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1955 $3,000,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1956 $3,000,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1957 $3,000,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1958 $3,000,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1959 $3,500,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1960 $3,500,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1961 $3,500,000,000,000 $500,000,000,000
1962 $3,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1963 $4,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1964 $4,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1965 $4,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1966 $4,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1967 $5,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1968 $5,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1969 $5,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1970 $5,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1971 $5,500,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1972 $6,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1973 $6,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1974 $6,000,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000,000
1975 $5,500,000,000,000 $1,500,000,000,000
1976 $6,000,000,000,000 $1,500,000,000,000
1977 $6,000,000,000,000 $1,500,000,000,000
1978 $6,500,000,000,000 $1,500,000,000,000
1979 $7,000,000,000,000 $1,500,000,000,000
1980 $19,000,000,000,000 $6,500,000,000,000 $1,500,000,000,000
1981 $19,000,000,000,000 $6,500,000,000,000 $1,500,000,000,000
1982 $19,500,000,000,000 $6,000,000,000,000 $1,500,000,000,000
1983 $20,000,000,000,000 $6,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1984 $20,000,000,000,000 $7,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1985 $22,000,000,000,000 $7,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1986 $23,000,000,000,000 $7,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1987 $23,500,000,000,000 $7,500,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1988 $25,000,000,000,000 $8,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1989 $26,000,000,000,000 $8,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1990 $27,000,000,000,000 $8,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1991 $27,000,000,000,000 $8,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1992 $31,000,000,000,000 $8,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1993 $32,500,000,000,000 $8,500,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1994 $33,000,000,000,000 $9,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1995 $34,000,000,000,000 $9,000,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1996 $34,500,000,000,000 $9,500,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1997 $36,500,000,000,000 $9,500,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1998 $36,500,000,000,000 $10,500,000,000,000 $2,000,000,000,000
1999 $37,000,000,000,000 $10,500,000,000,000 $2,500,000,000,000
2000 $39,000,000,000,000 $10,500,000,000,000 $2,500,000,000,000
2001 $39,000,000,000,000 $10,500,000,000,000 $2,500,000,000,000
2002 $41,000,000,000,000 $10,500,000,000,000 $2,500,000,000,000
2003 $42,500,000,000,000 $11,000,000,000,000 $2,500,000,000,000
2004 $45,000,000,000,000 $11,500,000,000,000 $2,500,000,000,000
2005 $47,500,000,000,000 $11,500,000,000,000 $3,000,000,000,000
2006 $50,000,000,000,000 $12,000,000,000,000 $3,000,000,000,000
2007 $53,000,000,000,000 $12,000,000,000,000 $3,000,000,000,000
2008 $58,500,000,000,000 $11,500,000,000,000 $3,000,000,000,000
2009 $57,500,000,000,000 $11,000,000,000,000 $3,500,000,000,000
2010 $61,000,000,000,000 $11,500,000,000,000 $3,500,000,000,000
2011 $63,500,000,000,000 $11,500,000,000,000 $4,000,000,000,000