Personal savings are up, carbon emissions are down, and 5 other charts that show the silver linings of the coronavirus pandemic

An aerial view of light traffic on Hollywood Boulevard (L) and the 101 freeway mid-morning amidst the coronavirus pandemic on April 18, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data from March showed that Los Angeles had its longest stretch of air quality rated as ‘good’ since 1995 during ‘Safer at Home’ orders given in response to the spread of COVID-19.Mario Tama/Getty Images

• More than 100,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
• To slow the spread, officials have implemented varying forms of shelter-in-place orders and closed businesses.
• A side-effect of those closures has meant an uptick in savings, cleaner air, and cheaper cars and homes, among others.
• Here are seven charts that show a bit of silver lining to the crisis.

By all measures, the coronavirus pandemic has crippled the United States economy: Unemployment is at record highs, lines for food banks circle entire city blocks, and the rate of business bankruptcies has accelerated.

But there are small glimmers of hope to be found in the new reality.

These aren't meant to diminish the suffering, of course, and pale in comparison to the pain inflicted by more than 100,000 deaths in the United States alone at the hands of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Taken together with the outpouring of economic data, these charts offer a brief respite to gloom.

Ripped from their usual habits, Americans unable to go to concerts, bars, or out to eat significantly padded their savings accounts. Stuck at home, less driving meant fewer accidents and the cleanest air that smog-choked cities have breathed in decades.

Here are seven charts that offer a silver lining to the crisis: