SEGMENTS, MAPPING AND UNDERSTANDING MODERN

AMERICAN POLITICS

Problem with the Red/Blue Breakdown

Fine for keeping political score, but doesn’t acknowledge the immense diversity of 300 million people, 3.5 million square miles

Leads to stereotyping and creates camps within the electorate, the idea that all Red places are similar, all the Blue places are alike

Problem with Demographic Slices

It removes people from their environment and pays little or no attention to the surrounding influences

So that this….

... is seen just like this

The American Communities Project

# Counties Names Population222 Exurbs 32 mill364 Graying America 15.3 mill371 African American South 16.7 mill373 Evangelical Hubs 12.5 mill337 Working Class Country 8.5 mill89 Military Posts 9.7 mill

106 Urban Suburbs 66.2 mill161 Hispanic Centers 11.5 mill42 Native American Lands 695,000

599 Rural Middle America 21.5 mill154 College Towns 17.9 mill41 LDS Enclaves 3 mill

161 Aging Farmlands 576,00046 Big Cities 73.6 mill77 Middle Suburbs 16.3 mill

15 County Types created with 40-plus demographic data points

www.AmericanCommunities.org

The Divides Inside the Country

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Party Affiliation by County Type (without leaners)

DemocratRepublican

The line between the Suburbs and Exurbs is an important divider for Democrat- and Republican-leaning America.

Gallup Data

Racial Breakdowns

Aging

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urbs

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Race and Ethnicity

White BlackHispanic

The rising tide of racial and ethnic diversity looks very different in different communities, helping create different partisan leanings.

Census Data

The Changing Demographics

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Hispanic Growth

Hispanic 2012Hispanic 2000

The U.S. Hispanic population has grown everywhere since 2000, but the impactsare very different depending on the community.

Census data

The Changing Economics

Exurb

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urbs

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Rising Poverty Rates

Poverty 2010Poverty 2000

Poverty have risen across every county type since 2000, though some of that may have to do with the great recession.

Census data

Income and Poverty

$0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000$50,000$60,000$70,000

Average Median HH Income

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%

Poverty Rates

Census Data

Different Skills and Education Levels

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urbs

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College Bachelors+

While education levels vary across community types, rural communities consistently have lower levels overall.

Census data

Faith Differences

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urbs

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Catholic Protestant

The line between Suburbs and the Exurbs is also the line between Catholics and Protestants.

Gallup Data

Inequality Across the Types

Urban communities – Big Cities, Urban Suburbs, College Towns – tend to have more built-in cultural and socio-economic tensions.

Using the Gini Index you can see how divided their base communities are.

Big C

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urbs

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0.4

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0.46

0.480.5

Average Gini Index

Census Data

Very Different Social Values

Urban

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urbs

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ry0%

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Gay Marriage

Favor Oppose

There is a divide on social issues between the more socially moderate urban communities and rural ones like the Evangelical Hubs and

Working Class Country.You can see the split on issues like gay marriage, where the gap is

pronounced. Pew Research Data

Behind the Views on the ACA – Part 1

Rural

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Uninsured By ACP Community Type

Animosity toward the ACA is driven by a complicated set of factors, some of the places that stand to gain coverage from the law are the most opposed.

Census Data

Behind the Views on the ACA – Part 2

Native

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urbs

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Monthly Premium

Axis Title

On top of politics, cost may play a big role. Rural communities, which lean Republican and have lower income play more under many federal

exchange plans.

Federal Exchange Insurance Data

You Are Where You Eat

Evang

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ou...

Aging

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urbs

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rs0%

5%

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25%Who goes to Cracker Barrel

Who visited in the last 12 mos

Urban

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urbs

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Evang

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s0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%Who shops at Whole Foods

Who Shopped in the last 4 weeks

Experian Data