What state statistically "most like America"?

[MethuenProgressive]

Is there a state that is close to the demographic "average"?

[wuushew]

1. If such a state is too large, then perhaps a major city

to destroy the Iowa/New Hampshire "whiteness problem"

[Zynx]

2. New Jersey is damn close.

A little too high income, but otherwise close. These numbers are close to nationwide: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/NJ/P/00/epolls.0.html

Virginia is also similar, though a little too heavily African American and not enough Hispanics.

[Dancing_Dave]

14. New Jersey has the highest population density in the country

There don't seem to be any major agricultural areas left there, just to many people per square mile and to high land values for much agriculture to fit in anywhere.

That's not so typical of America as a whole. We love to have our countryside and subsidize agriculture a lot.

[rug]

3. Not Delaware.

[Zynx]

4. Not Wisconsin either.

[MethuenProgressive]

5. Nor Iowa and New Hampshire.

[Zynx]

6. I maintain New Jersey is a good cross-section of America or Virginia.

Missouri isn't bad.

[rug]

15. It's more a crosssection of Long Island.

[Zynx]

16. B.S. look at the demographic numbers.

Its electorate is 70% white, 14% black, 10% Latino, 4% Asian. That's pretty close to the mark.

[rug]

20. I was counting the cars and chain stores.

[calico1]

7. New York, New Jersey, California.....

Big cities, small towns, farming, industry. Some of everything and a good mix as far as population.

[Dancing_Dave]

8. California or Illinois

CALIFORNIA...well, it's just blatently obvious to anyone whoever drove around California for a while that it really mirrors all the diversity of the United States.

But I'm from the Midwest, so I have to say that Obama's state of Illinois is also a pretty good microcosm of the U.S.A. Spend awhile checking out all the ethnic communities in Chicago, the go downstate for a bit...you'll soon see it's all there.

I've lived in Iowa and like the place, but it's obviously no microcosm of the US...much more rural in it's population base than the national average, more white/northern European, and so on

[Zynx]

13. California is actually more diverse than the rest of the country.

[upi402]

9. State of Denial

SRV

[johnaries]

10. Tennessee, believe it or not. Let me explain before you freak out.

East TN leans strongly to the Right. West TN leans strongly to the Left. Middle TN is Centrist.

TN is largely rural, but also has several large cities with extremely varied economies: Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. It also has a sizeable Military Population as most Ft Campbell soldiers living off-base live in Clarksville.

Since 1952 TN has picked the winner in Presidential Elections 11 out of 12 times, the only time it did not do so was in 1960 when TN favored Nixon over Kennedy.

If Gore had carried TN in 2000, FL would have been moot.

[onehandle]

11. Ohio. nt

[Arugula Latte]

17. I'd agree. That's why companies often test products in Ohio first.

[annabanana]

12. Surely someone has the numbers to crunch on this...

It shouldn't be too hard for someone to ferret out..

[MethuenProgressive]

19. I'm not getting anywhere with Google.

Maybe we need a middle school student to work out the Web's take.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. "There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damned Lies, and statitistics." - Mark Twain

That's kind of like trying to figure out statistically what kind of weed is most like a weed.

[WinkyDink]

21. Mine: PA. Farms, industries (well, erstwhile), cities, 'burbs, lots o'colleges, pro teams,

ethnicity galore, major media hub, HOME OF THE LIBERTY BELL!!

[MethuenProgressive]

22. You might be right!

Gettysburg and Herseypark, too :O)

[Skittles]

23. dup

argh

[Skittles]

24. I did two work TDY's to PA and LOVED IT

(Philly and W-B) - I just felt - well, so comfortable - they were MY KIND OF PEOPLE. :thumbsup:

[WinkyDink]

27. I live equidistant between Philly and W-B. I love my Blue State!

And Bucks County is as beautiful as America gets.

[SammyWinstonJack]

25. Texas! LOL!

:rofl:

[Blue-Jay]

26. Whichever state hates Obama the most.

Maybe Mississippi or Alaska or Douchebaggerie.

[Beelzebud]

28. Illinois.

We have Chicago, which has the mentality of coastal states. We have central, which has the mentality of the midwest. and we have southern Illinois, which is like southern states more or less.

[spooky3]

29. I'd guess that Virginia is close.

[pinto]

30. Off the top of my head, I'd guess Illinois. Guess the B of Census would have "stats"

to break down demographics. :shrug: