Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 15, 1992                   TAG: 9203150110
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: E7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

NOW, VA. STATISTICIANS DON'T NEED TO BUY A PIG IN A POKE

The Virginia Statistical Abstract, published by the University of Virginia's Center for Public Service, contains at least a little about seemingly everything that affects Virginia, from its weather trends to population shifts.

The 2-pound, 831-page book - the only comprehensive source for data about the state - is designed for serious research into Virginia's trends and conditions but can satisfy trivia buffs as well.

The abstract was started in 1987 after UVa demographers discovered that Virginia was one of the few states in the country that didn't have such a resource guide. That omission, in fact, was embarrassingly noted on a map in the back of the U.S. Statistical Abstract.

"Virginia had nothing. We thought that was strange," said Michael Spar, the UVa demographer who now directs the biennial project. "The statistics were available but no one had put them together."

The book features sections on topics from agriculture to communications, tourism to vital statistics.

Some facts in the latest edition:

Virginia had 430,000 pigs and hogs living on its farms in 1990.

Interstates cover just 1,000 of Virginia's 67,000 miles of highway, but carry a fourth of the all the state's highway traffic.

Half the state's 6 million residents are packed onto less than 6 percent of its land - with most of the squeeze in eastern and Northern Virginia.

The abstract also reports that Danville has the warmest weather, recording the most days with temperatures above 90 in recent decades, with an average of 57 such scorchers a year. For those preferring a cooler climate, Highland County is best, with temperatures dropping below freezing an average 144 days a year.

Virginia's prison population totals 14,000 adults, up by 35 percent in the last five years. Also, some 1.2 million civil lawsuits were filed in the state in 1989, or one for every five residents.

"Most of the data comes from state agencies, federal agencies and, in some cases where I don't have any other data, from trade associations," Spar said. Literally hundreds of sources are consulted, including research centers and private foundations Spar has discovered through the years.

UVa sells the $35 text primarily to libraries, schools, municipalities and businesses. Members of the General Assembly receive complimentary copies.

How does Virginia compare with other states?

It ranks 34th in the nation for violent crime per 100,000 people. New York is in first place.

It places 34th for motor vehicle accident deaths per 100,000. New Mexico has the highest rate.

There are 204 physicians per 100,000 Virginia residents, which places the state 14th in the nation, and 421 residents for every lawyer, which gives Virginia a ranking of 26th.

Virginia ranks in the middle third of the nation for its average teacher salary in public schools, $30,926. The leader in this category is Alaska, with an average salary of $43,153.

The state ranks eighth in the nation for the percentage of black residents and ninth for the percentage of Asian and Pacific Islanders.