Chris Walker

Bio

Chris heads up interactive content and data visualization at Mic. Previously he blogged about data visualization while traveling around India, and before that he worked on big data applications at Palantir Technologies. Chris grew up in the SF Bay Area and graduated from Stanford. In his free time he's training for a marathon and trying to become a better cook.
20 Charts That Will Change Your View of America
By Chris Walker
The American Dream is dead! We’re no longer #1! America is falling apart! With all the sensationalist media coverage of everything from America’s terrible economy to the Ebola epidemic, you would think America is on the brink of collapse. And yet,…
One GIF Shows What the World Series Would Look Like Without Immigrants
By Chris Walker
As the World Series unfolds between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants, it's worth remembering what makes America's pastime so, well, American. One look at the everyday lineups for the Royals and the Giants shows that players born…
Here's Where Most People In Their 20s Are Living
By Chris Walker
If you’re in your 20s and want to make the most of it, you might consider living in one of the purple areas on the map below. That’s where most 20-somethings in the United States are hanging out. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey, 2012.…
How Original Is Your Halloween Costume Idea? Check These Charts.
By Chris Walker
Thinking of dressing as Elsa from Frozen or suiting up as Captain American for Halloween this year? You might consider some other options, because those costumes are likely to be super popular. Using Google Trends, Mic attempted to predict which…
It's Official: America Is at Peak Turnt
By Chris Walker
America is officially all turnt up. That’s according to a very scientific analysis of English slang word popularity conducted by Mic. The analysis relied on Google Trends, which gives search terms a score between 0 and 100, with 100 meaning peak…
Up to Half the U.S. May Be Victims of JPMorgan Cyber Breach
By Chris Walker
Have a Chase bank account? There’s a good chance that your email address, phone number and home address are now in the hands of hackers. Yesterday JPMorgan Chase & Co. disclosed that a shocking 76 million households were affected by a massive…
One Chart Shows Just How Terrified of Hong Kong China's Government Is Right Now
By Chris Walker
Protesters in Hong Kong aren’t just in the streets. They’re flooding into social media too, and that’s made the authoritarian Chinese government nervous. Predictably, the government’s army of Internet censors has been ruthlessly removing social…
How the U.S. Spends Its Dollars Every Second, In One GIF
By Chris Walker
$15,700 per second. That's how much the U.S. will spend on defense and intelligence in 2015, according to President Obama's proposed budget. This amount is 100 times greater than what the government invests in cancer research, and 235 times greater…
What's the Most Important Job Skill To Have in Your State? Check These Maps.
By Chris Walker
If you’re on the job market, chances are you should brush up on your analysis skills. That’s according to data provided to Mic by LinkedIn and Hunch Analytics, a technology consultancy. The data shows the most frequently mentioned skills in job…
The Most Common Job Listings in Every State, in One Map
By Chris Walker
Looking for a job in Utah? You might check out the listings for truck drivers, the top occupation in demand in that state. It turns out truck drivers are the most demanded occupation in multiple states, including Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, New…
The Ray Rice Video Inspired Thousands of Americans to Do One Important Thing
By Chris Walker
The strong media outcry over the NFL’s tolerance of domestic violence has produced one silver lining: More people are now aware of resources like the National Domestic Violence Hotline that can help them escape abusive relationships. Last week, more…
To Understand Obama's Firm Stance on the Islamic State, Check This Chart
By Chris Walker
On Wednesday, President Obama announced the U.S. would lead a "broad coalition to degrade and destroy" the Islamic State, but that the U.S. military's role would be limited to targeted airstrikes and supporting Iraqi forces. If you ask Fox…
Why Student Debt Is a Race Issue, in 4 Charts
By Chris Walker
The average white student graduated with $19,613 in debt in 2012. The average African-American student? $27,808. That 29.5% differential is huge — and not only in its translation to dollars. It proves that while college is often touted as an…
Which Careers Will Be Around in 2022? Check These Charts
By Chris Walker
Are you a college student trying to decide on a major? Or a recent graduate open to pursuing any line of work? Here's what the numbers say will be the best career paths to take. Or at least which ones you should avoid.  The Bureau of Labor…
Why College Students Should Be Outraged Today, in One GIF
By Chris Walker
Housing and medical costs have soared over the past 30 years, but their rises are nothing compared to the exploding costs of college, according to price data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average college tuition has risen by a whopping…
These Are the Alarming Charts Police Don’t Want You to See After Ferguson
By Chris Walker
Tear gas. Armored transports. Military-grade weaponry. These are the images burned into our minds in the wake of the chaos in Ferguson earlier this month.  Just one of the many disturbing revelations coming out of Ferguson is the militarization of…
Which Hipster Fad Foods Are Actually Good For You? Check These Charts
By Chris Walker
It seems like every day hipsters are touting a new miracle food. Kale, quinoa, tofu, açaí, almond milk—the list goes on. But are hipster foods actually better for you? Taking a look at the actual nutrition facts for each food reveals the harsh…
Here's a Running Tally of All the People Who Have Caught Ebola in the U.S.
By Chris Walker
ZERO. But you wouldn’t know it by today’s media coverage. Yes, a few people have been flown to Atlanta and New York City hospitals for treatment. And yes, the death toll in Africa is alarming: 932 deaths across Guinea, Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra…
One GIF Shows the Hellscape America Would Become If We Legalize Marijuana
By Chris Walker
Graphic by Chris Walker. Data from the New America Foundation and the Cato Institute. Both figures in 2011 dollars. Far from tearing apart the social fabric of America, as some opponents say, legalizing marijuana could be exactly what’s needed to…
Hate Crime Maps Reveal the Most Prejudiced Places in America
By Chris Walker
Hate crimes are still far too common in the United states today. Just look at a couple of recent incidents. Earlier this month, a man in Los Angeles assaulted a Muslim woman and tore off her hijab. Last week, someone in Miami Beach vandalized a…