Archives: Community Types

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Vol. 3 2020-2021

Deaths of Despair Across America

The American Communities Project is undertaking a 30-month study of Deaths of Despair in its 15 community types.

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Rural Middle America

These counties have a less diverse population (91% white) than other American Communities Project types. They are also spread into less urban locales — 59% of the population lives in places the Census labels as rural. Though they tend to be made up of small towns, these places do not generally rely heavily on agriculture. In presidential politics they lean strongly rightward. President Donald Trump won these counties by about 34 percentage points in 2020, a big swing from 2012, when Mitt Romney won them by 18 points.

Rural Middle America

Community Snapshot

A large collection of counties, some 628, that runs across the northern half of the country, starting up in Maine through the Great Lakes and across to Montana and Washington state.

Wealth in Rural Middle America sits below the national average, with a median household income of $61,300. Educational attainment is at the lower end of the spectrum. In these counties, just 22% have college degrees, 12 points lower than the national average. Access to healthy food in these communities is favorable, with a Food Environment Index of 8.1, above the national average of 7. Although this food is available, these communities still experience a high rate of adult obesity, 37% compared to 32% nationally. Despite this, healthcare seems accessible here, with only 8% of the population uninsured, 2 points lower than the national rate. Broadband access stands at 83%, which is 4 points below the national average. Voter turnout mirrors the national average of 68%.

Educational Attainment

22% Bachelor's Degree

% of residents who have at least a bachelor’s degree

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Vol. 3 2020-2021

Deaths of Despair Across America

The American Communities Project is undertaking a 30-month study of Deaths of Despair in its 15 community types.

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Urban Suburbs

They are densely populated — the median Urban Suburb has roughly 542,000 people living in it — and diverse. The population of these counties is about 60% non-Hispanic white, 16% Hispanic, 11% African American, 6% Asian, and 1% American Indian or Alaska Native with high incomes and many college degrees. Joe Biden won these counties by 19 percentage points in 2020, following a 13-point win for Barack Obama in 2012.

Community Snapshot

These 112 counties hold the wealthy, diverse suburbs of most major cities and they have come to take on many of those big city characteristics.

Roughly 70.2 million people live in these dense close-in suburban areas and over the past 20 years they have changed dramatically. They are still the wealthiest and best educated of all the types in the American Communities Project — with a median household income of about $87,700 and 42% of adults with a bachelor’s degree. Broadband access reaches a high of 91%. These communities have also experienced the growth and racial diversification of their big city neighbors. As they grow denser and more urban, they are seeing growing poverty rates as well. Currently 11% of children here live in poverty and 43% are eligible for reduced price school lunch. And as these changes have remade the Urban Suburbs, they have become decidedly more Democratic in their politics. They have voted for the Democrat in every presidential election since 2000. Voter turnout stands at 74%, which is 6 points above the national average.

Median Household Income

$87,700 Annual Median

About $18,000 above the national average

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Vol. 3 2020-2021

Deaths of Despair Across America

The American Communities Project is undertaking a 30-month study of Deaths of Despair in its 15 community types.

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Native American Lands

The Native American Lands are heavily rural with low college education rates — only 16% have a college degree. They also have the lowest “white only” population of any American Communities Project type, about 28%. They are closely split politically. President Donald Trump won these counties by about seven percentage points in 2020, flipping Barack Obama's three-point win in 2012.

Community Snapshot

Dotted primarily across the west, these 45 counties are marked by large Native American populations – more than half the people who live in these counties overall are indigenous Americans.

The Native American Lands are one of the smallest community types, home to about 914,000 people. These are not wealthy places, with a median household income of about $47,300. Health behaviors fare worse here than across the other types. About 28% of adults in the Native American Lands are current smokers, 12% more than the national average. Obesity is also a problem in these communities, with cases of adult obesity rising 7 points above the 32% national average. The people in these areas have limited access to exercise opportunities, with only 42% of the population receiving adequate access to facilities for physical activity. Likely due to the poor health behaviors, more than 20% the population reports fair or poor health, above the national average of 12%. Broadband access sits at 70%, which is the lowest rate among community types and 17 points below the national average. The voter turnout rate is 54%, sitting 14 points below the national average.

Voting Engagement

54% Voter Turnout

Percentage of citizen population aged 18 or older who voted in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election

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Vol. 3 2020-2021

Deaths of Despair Across America

The American Communities Project is undertaking a 30-month study of Deaths of Despair in its 15 community types.

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Military Posts

These communities have a distinct demographic look and feel. Their military ties make them relatively young, only 15% of the population is 65 years of age or older. And they feature a larger African American population than average, 14%. Their connections to national defense give them solid conservative leanings. In 2020, Donald Trump won the Military Posts with 54% of the vote. In 2016, he won with 55%. In 2012, Mitt Romney won with 56%.

Community Snapshot

Marked by the presence of troops and bases, these 77 counties are located largely in rural locales.

The median household income in Military Posts is $63,600, below the national average. These communities are fairly well-educated compared to other American Communities Project types — 31% of residents have a college degree. Despite the high levels of education, the youth of the counties in this type shines through incidents involving alcohol and sexually transmitted infections. These communities report 2 percentage points more alcohol impaired driving deaths and 34 more cases of sexually transmitted disease per 100,000 population than the national averages. Physical health is not emphasized as much here as in other places, with adult obesity climbing 3 points above the national average and physical inactivity hovering above the average as well. Meanwhile, voter turnout is 4 points below the national average of 68%. Broadband access stands at 88%, just above the national average.

Adult Obesity

36% Obese Population

Percentage of adults that report a BMI of 30 or more

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Vol. 3 2020-2021

Deaths of Despair Across America

The American Communities Project is undertaking a 30-month study of Deaths of Despair in its 15 community types.

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LDS Enclaves

The Enclaves are one of the least diverse types, with a population that is 85% white, 10% Hispanic, 1% Asian, and 0% African American. Even though 52% of these counties are rural, the large Mormon population results in a younger average age than other places. Only 15% of the population is over the age of 65, compared to almost 17% nationally. They are reliably Republican but had somewhat mixed feelings about Donald Trump. He won 59% of the vote in this community type in 2020, but that was one of the lower GOP percentages on record.

LDS Enclaves

Community Snapshot

Based around Utah and the Mountain West, these 39 counties are the centers of the nation’s Mormon population.

The LDS Enclaves are one of the youngest types in the American Communities Project, with 28% of the population under the age of 18. They are middle-income with a median household income of $63,600 annually. The Enclaves experience a relatively low rate of children in poverty, 13%, compared to the national average of 17%. The people here are fairly well educated, with 35% holding at least a bachelor’s degree. Likely due to the large LDS population, there is also less excessive drinking in these communities, 6 percentage points below the national average. They also experience significantly fewer instances of sexually transmitted infections, 197 cases per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 481 cases. The broadband access rate is equal to the national average of 87%. Voter turnout climbs to 72%, which is 4 points above the national rate.

Youth Population

28% Below age 18

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Hispanic Centers

These 178 counties are not necessarily majority Hispanic, but they are places where self-identified Hispanics make up a large part of the population, 53% on average. They are younger than other types in the American Communities Project, with 26% of the population under 18. The presidential vote in these places has grown increasingly divided as more of the young Hispanic population reaches voting age. In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden narrowly won these counties by 1.5 percentage points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won them by about 3.5 points.

Hispanic Centers

Community Snapshot

These counties are heavily rural and based primarily in the southwest, though there are some large urban areas in Texas and Florida that also fall within the group.

More than 17.4 million people live in Hispanic Centers. Only 20% of these individuals hold a bachelor’s degree and the median household income sits at $51,600. The broadband access rate is 80%, which is 7 points below the national average. The voter turnout rate is 11 points below the national average of 68%. Many people living in these communities recognize health as an issue. A fifth of residents report fair or poor health, which is 8 percentage points more than the national average. In addition to experiencing poor health, these communities have limited access to care. About 20% of people in Hispanic Centers are uninsured, possibly due to documentation issues, twice the national average. However, the insurance barrier is only a part of the problem as these areas have fewer options for medical care. On average, Hispanic Centers carry the burden of an additional 1,200 people per primary care physician compared with the rest of the country.

Uninsured Population

20% Uninsured

Percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance

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The American Communities Project is undertaking a 30-month study of Deaths of Despair in its 15 community types.

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Exurbs

The Exurbs are populous, with about 31.2 million people, and relatively wealthy, with a median household income of about $80,300. Though there is sprawl here, the counties’ rural attributes and their less-diverse citizenry lead the Exurbs to be pretty comfortably Republican in their presidential vote — but the numbers have shifted recently. Donald Trump won these counties by 11 percentage points in 2020, but that was down from a 16-point margin in 2016.

Community Snapshot

These 196 counties generally lie on the fringe of major metro areas, in the space between suburban and rural America — with some more densely settled places and some sparser areas.

People residing in the Exurbs are among the most educated in the American Communities Project (ACP), with 36% of the population holding a bachelor’s degree. The wealth in these communities extends to children as well, affording a child poverty rate of 11%, which is 6 points lower than the national average. Broadband access is 90%, one of the highest rates in the ACP. Living on the outskirts of metro areas, many residents tend to have lengthy, solo commutes — 5 percent more on average than the rest of the nation. Access to physicians is slightly below average here, with an additional 386 people per primary care physician compared to the U.S. as a whole. Mental health providers are even more scarce, with more than twice as many people per provider than the rest of the country.

Children in poverty

11% Children in poverty

Percentage of people under age 18 in poverty

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College Towns

Filled with college students, 10% of the population sits between the ages of 20 and 24 — the highest of any county type. Incomes tend to lag the national average here because of the large student populations. They are also less diverse than the nation as a whole: about 78% white, 6% Black, 5% Hispanic, and 3% Asian. These counties have trended more Democratic in recent presidential elections. Joe Biden won the vote coming out of these counties in 2020 by about 10 points, 54% to 44%. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won 49% of the vote while Trump received 45%.

College Towns

Community Snapshot

These 171 counties are scattered around the country and are generally located near large colleges and universities.

College Towns are home to nearly 25 million people. These counties also hold a large number of college graduates; 38% have at least a bachelor’s degree. Despite high levels of education, median household income in College Towns is $59,200, below the national average. Access to healthcare in these communities is more available than in other places, with nearly 100 fewer people per primary care physician than the national average. Similarly, the median ratio of population to mental health providers is 305:1, compared to the national average of 338:1. Voter turnout sits at 62%, which is 6 points below the national average.

Voting Engagement

62% Voter turnout

Percentage of citizen population aged 18 or older who voted in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.

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