Photo: Francisco Collazo
Though the “By the Numbers” series usually runs on the Notebook, we take a look at St. Thomas’ numbers not as a place we’re passing through, but as locals see and live in it.
Yesterday, I wrote: “[A] tropical island is only paradise for people who come for a short, pleasant visit, not for the people who live there day in and day out.” Read on if you’re wondering why.
Number of years since being bought by the United States: 92
Photo: Francisco Collazo
Amount of money paid by the US for St. Thomas (along with St. Croix and St. John): $25 million USD
Current population: Just over 50,000
Current minimum wage (as of late July 2009): $7.25
Average monthly electricity bill (for a family of 2 that runs air conditioning at night): $300.00 + (Yes, you read that correctly)
Average weekly wages for a St. Thomas resident (as of last quarter of 2008): $673.00
Total number of St. Thomas residents employed in the last quarter of 2008: 23,900
Guardsman in Iraq. Photo: National Guard
Number of St. Thomas National Guardsmen who have served in Iraq & Afghanistan since 2001 (total number reflects National Guardsmen from St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John): 500
Number of St. Thomas National Guardsmen who have been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan in the line of duty since 2001 (total number reflects National Guardsmen from St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John): at least one dozen
Number of St. Thomas National Guardsmen who have ever been able to vote for President of the country they serve: ZERO. Due to the terms of its status as a US territory, St. Thomas residents are citizens of the United States but do not have the right to vote in federal elections.
Number of people who have told me “Things aren’t what they used to be.” 7
Community Connection:
Want to learn more about the Caribbean? Read “Hope, Change, and Yes, We Can in St. Kitts.”
Julie Schwietert
Julie Schwietert Collazo is a writer, editor, researcher, and translator currently in New York, formerly of Mexico City and San Juan. She is Matador's managing editor and is the lead faculty member of MatadorU's travel writing program.
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