Two interesting numbers, courtesy of the folks at Governing magazine:

• 28: the states in which the largest public paycheck goes to a higher education official — university president, chancellor or state commissioner. The top salary is $525,000 for the University of North Carolina president.
• 74: deaths (criminal and accidental) per 100,000 residents in the nation's most rural counties. The rate in urban areas: 50 per 100,000 people.