Archives: Community Types

Ownership of Stocks, Mutual Funds, and Retirement Accounts Across Communities

For Americans, Faith in Private Is Strong, While Religion in Public Deeply Divides

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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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Middle Suburbs

The Middle Suburbs have been slower to urbanize than the semi-urban places around them. At 83% white, 6% Black, 5% Hispanic, and 1% Asian, they are less diverse than the Urban Suburbs and the Exurbs. They are also less wealthy, with a median household income of $64,600. The presidential vote in these counties had been close in the 2000s, but Republican Donald Trump won them big in 2020 by nearly 11% and in 2016 by 12.5%.

Community Snapshot

These 57 counties are located around the major cities of the Northeast and the Midwest.

The Middle Suburbs are home to about 12.2 million of the U.S. population. They feature average education levels — about 27% of the population has at least a bachelor’s degree. People living in Middle Suburbs seem to have better access to healthcare than other community types in the American Communities Project, with only 8% of the population lacking insurance compared to the national average of 10%. The broadband access rate is 86%, just a point below the national average. Voter turnout sits at 69%, just above the national average.

Median Household Income

$64,600 Annual Median

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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.

Learn More

Evangelical Hubs

The key distinguishing characteristic for these 375 counties is the high number of religious adherents tied to evangelical churches like the Southern Baptist Convention. They are also one of the most politically conservative types in the American Communities Project. Donald Trump won 79% of the vote from these places in 2020 and 77% of the vote in 2016.

Community Snapshot

Evangelical Hubs are concentrated heavily in the South, forming a belt that spans from Texas to North Carolina.

Evangelical Hubs (pop. 9.9 million) have a few key elements beyond religious ties driving their community culture: They are less diverse (90% white), with lower incomes (a median of about $47,000) and lower education levels (16.5% of the population have a bachelor’s degree). Access to healthcare in these communities is low, with nearly twice the population per primary care physician. Evangelical Hubs are also among the leaders in teen pregnancy, with a rate of 36 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19, nearly twice the national average. These counties experience fewer housing problems on average than the rest of the country. Broadband access is just 76%, which is 11 points lower than the national average. Voter turnout sits at 59%, which is 9 points below the national average.

Teen births

36 Births

Number of births per 1,000 female population ages 15 to 19

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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.

Learn More

Aging Farmlands

These counties are the oldest on average in the American Communities Project, with 24% age 65 and over, and the least diverse racial and ethnically. The Farmlands are 91% white and about 4% Hispanic. As may be expected, these counties are strongly Republican. In the last six presidential elections, they have not given less than 66% of their vote to a GOP candidate. Donald Trump won 79% of their vote in 2020 and 77% in 2016.

Community Snapshot

There are 268 counties in this group set on the Great Plains, with a median of 3,400 people per county.

Just over 1.13 million people reside in the Aging Farmlands, with 100% living in a rural area, according to Census Population Estimates. These areas experience low rates of higher education, only 21% have a college degree, compared to the national average of about 34%. Broadband access, at 80%, is 7 points below the national average. Unemployment in the Aging Farmlands sits low at 3%. Though these areas are not prone to excessive drinking, the percentage of driving deaths involving alcohol is 25%. The national average is 27%. Voter turnout, at 72%, stands above the national average.

Senior Population

24% age 65 and over

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