Of course, there are plenty of examples of political outcomes that are impacted by the same phenomenon. It’s no stretch to say that the manner in which county-level maps privilege spatial accuracy over demographic accuracy can be undemocratic. As the group size gets larger, the more likely it is that certain subgroups’ needs or outcomes will be rendered invisible. The same disadvantage occurs in virtually all of our nation’s urban counties, where populations of color predominate. And being visible is a necessary step to securing resources. But their needs are not visible whatsoever on a county-level map.
![population density map us by county population density map us by county](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hl9wLSW_C4s/TntpJgVlsVI/AAAAAAAAAAU/Zoapb9j34rM/s1600/2010PopulationDensity2.jpg)
![population density map us by county population density map us by county](https://www.utoledo.edu/research/advancing-geospatial-thinking/images/Population%20Density%20by%20County%202010.png)
These census tracts are populated by mostly Black and Asian and Latino residents, and their combined population of more than 8,500 is greater than each of Minnesota’s 13 least populous counties. Yet within it lie three census tracts in north Minneapolis where 10% or fewer of the residents have earned a four-year degree-a lower percentage than in any Minnesota county. So a map that equally features the state’s 87 counties commits both geographic bias and racial bias.įor example, Hennepin appears as one of the state’s leaders in educational attainment on a typical map, with nearly half of its adult residents possessing a bachelor’s or higher degree, the highest of any county. While Hennepin is home to 22% of all Minnesotans, it is also home to 35% of our populations of color. Here in Minnesota, the largest county of Hennepin is 381 times more populous than the smallest, Traverse. The 10.1 million people who live in Los Angeles County are greater than the combined populations of Wyoming, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Rhode Island, Montana, Maine and New Hampshire. But county-level maps leave the impression of a landslide. Although President Trump won 84% of all counties, he received only 46% of the popular vote. The most obvious example of this are the numerous county-level maps depicting broad swaths of red following the 2016 Presidential election. Given these wildly disparate populations, this is like comparing a potted plant to a redwood forest. This has the pernicious effect of making the viewer imagine these counties as rough equivalents, to which we should give equal attention. Yet on countless county-level maps, all of these geographies get equal billing. Half of all Americans live in less than 5% of all counties (143 total) and fully 90% of Americans live in only 36% of all counties. The 45 largest counties, all those with a population of 1 million or more residents, are collectively home to 3 out of all 10 Americans. In fact, 1 in 10 Americans lives in one of just seven counties.
![population density map us by county population density map us by county](https://i.redd.it/4te6qu482gu21.png)
Texas contains 254 counties, but nearly 1 in 6 Texans live in Harris County, population 4.7 million. Illinois is carved into 102 counties, but Cook County comprises nearly 5.2 million people, or 41% of Illinois’ residents. That’s because America is a patchwork of 3,142 counties (or equivalents), but Americans are not equally fond of living in all of them. You folks, carry on: your work is legendary.īut when it comes to describing how or what people are doing, county-level maps do an almost criminally poor job of revealing the status of most Americans. I have no quibble with county-level overlays on weather maps, or road maps, or those showing topographical features. But I’m starting to lose sleep about it these days. And I say we because I’m as guilty as the rest of the journalists, data visualizers, and other map-makers in this regard: most of us share a history of pouring data into county-level maps with as little forethought as refilling the ice cube tray. You know, the shaded-color “choropleth” maps that purport to tell us everything from our health outcomes to voting behaviors to opioid prescribing rates to likelihood of being audited? We need to do so much better. Then we need to have an honest conversation about our maps. Research Associate The unequal counties of America We have to stop being so dense about population densityĭo you care about equity? Or democracy? Good.