Almost any demographics reporter can attest to this: Poring over spreadsheet after spreadsheet of U.S. Census Bureau data can be a mind-numbing experience. And even if done with the keenest demographic eye, it often leads to a numbers-heavy story with little potential for readership.
So as the two-man, tag team of demographics/Census reporters at the Tribune, we decided to take the opposite tack: Look at a fascinating human phenomenon that seems crystal clear to us in the real world, and then turn to the numbers to see if they