Here are some statistics about America's economy – and its people – that may surprise you:

♦ 10 – The unemployment rate, in percentage terms, in the United States.
(Source: U.S. Labor Department)

♦ 10 – The number of states in America that face looming budget disasters.
(Source: Pew Center on the States)

♦ 10 – The amount, in billions, that Facebook is valued at by investors.
(Source: The Wall Street Journal)

♦ 10 – The amount spent per month, in billions, on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
(Source: The National Priorities Project)

♦ 10 – The percent of disposable income that the average American spends on food.
(Source: U.S. Agriculture Department)

♦ 10 – The number of Americans, in millions, that are shopaholics.
(Source: American Journal of Psychiatry)

♦ 10 – The average amount of credit card debt, in thousands, per U.S. household.
(Source: Bankrate.com)

♦ 10 – The percentage of uncollectable credit card debt that banks charged off in the second quarter of 2009.
(Source: Federal Reserve)

♦ 10 – The number of Americans, in millions, who are victimized by identity theft each year.
(Source: Javelin Strategy & Research)

♦ 10 – The number of U.S. households, in the millions, that are unbanked or "under-banked" and use checking-cashing firms or payday lenders versus traditional banks.
(Source: FDIC)

Numbers like these kind of make you wonder, right? Depending on your perspective, a few of these numbers will make you want to laugh, cry, or perhaps beg for mercy. What do you think about the levels of dept, shopping dependency, money spent (or wasted) on wars and more -- especially given our dire financial circumstances as a society?

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Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, an award-winning financial news journalist and former Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, has been featured in the Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times, as well as magazines ranging from Essence and Redbook to Black Enterprise and Smart Money. Check out her New York Times best seller 'Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom.'