The opinions stated in this article are solely those of the author. 

Statistics can be enlightening, but they can also be deceiving. Rankings and comparisons, for instance, are only as good as the information analyzed, just as an omelet will taste differently depending on the ingredients poured into the pan.

Last week, for example, national ranking placed Utah in 15th place in the U.S. for satisfactory/enjoyable living. Which states finished at the top? Massachusetts and New Jersey!

Really, New Jersey? With the exception of Bruce Springsteen, have you ever heard anybody wishing they lived in New Jersey? As for Massachusetts, it’s probably a wonderful place to live if you can afford beachfront property like the Kennedys or cuddle up during the cold winters in a brownstone near Harvard University, but the state lacks Utah’s vibrant economy. Would you rather live near an abandoned shoe factory or a bustling Silicon Slopes business?

Here are some interesting statistical examples and ways to perceive them:

A government report noted that the most high-income county in the U.S. was Teton County, Wyoming (Jackson Hole). What it didn’t say was that the high incomes are derived from only 13% of the residents, the uber-rich. Most of the other 87% are cooks, nurses, teachers, bus drivers, and retail clerks who don’t own private jets or live in ski chalets. Think of it this way…if Elon Musk moved into your neighborhood, your entire block would have the highest income of any street in the country!)

A friend of mine is concerned about the high level of mercury in seafood. Yes, her statistics are correct. But a 150-pound person would have to eat 105 pound of tilapia each week or more than seven pounds of salmon to hit the mercury threshold she is worried about. To do that, a person would essentially have to live at a Red Lobster restaurant.

What Utah City has the highest poverty rate? Gee, it’s Provo. But its low earning rate is directly connected to the larger number of non-employed or part-time employed college students at BYU and Utah Valley University. If you lived on a block where every family had four to five young children, the average per-person income would fall off the charts too.

Then there is the survey conducted among 7,500 commuters that found a morning cup of coffee was preferable to sex. In the same survey, more than one in every five said they couldn’t even get out of bed without a morning cup. How does this work? Do they sleep next to a Mr. Coffee machine or keep a thermos in their bed? 

The bottom line is that we should not always be overreacting to statistical findings without understanding all the research.

And getting back to the statistic on people favoring coffee over romance…statistically speaking that means the Democrats best bet of winning the 2024 election is to nominate a barista. 

Bryan Gray, a longtime Davis County resident, is a former school teacher and has been a columnist for more than 26 years in newspapers along the Wasatch Front.