Misc

5 Maps Showing the Extreme Variance in U.S. Population Distribution

Published

8 years ago

December 24, 2015

Jeff Desjardins

The United States is the third most populous country in the world with approximately 320 million people living within its borders.

However, the country is also the third largest in land size, giving it a wide and diverse geographical landscape. As a result of these factors, it is possible to have both ends of the population distribution spectrum.

Many people live in modern megacities, while others choose to reside in a vast countryside sparsely dotted by cottages and lakes. A small tract of land such as Manhattan has 1.6 million people living in a relatively small space. Meanwhile, a state that is 2,900x larger (Wyoming) has a more modest population of just 600,000 people in total.

The below visualizations use data on the country’s 3,142 counties (and county equivalents) to show the extreme variance in U.S. population distribution.

1) The 144 most populous counties in the United States account for half of the country’s population:
The 144 largest counties account for 50% of total population

2) The 10 most populous counties have the same population as the 2,167 least populous:
The 144 largest counties account for 50% of total population

3) The two most populous counties have the same population as the 1,437 least populous:
The 144 largest counties account for 50% of total population

4) The most populous county (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA) has the same population as the 1,171 least populous:
The 144 largest counties account for 50% of total population

5) The most populous county has more people than the 11 least populous states:
The 144 largest counties account for 50% of total population

Original graphics by: Dadaviz

Politics

Charted: Trust in Government Institutions by G7 Countries

How much do you trust the government and its various institutions? We look at data for G7 countries for the time period of 2006-2023.

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2024

Nick Routley

Trust in Government Institutions by G7 Countries

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

How much do you trust the government, and its various institutions?

It’s likely that your level of confidence probably depends on a wide range of factors, such as perceived competency, historical context, economic performance, accountability, social cohesion, and transparency.

And for these same reasons, trust levels in government institutions also change all the time, even in the world’s most developed countries: the G7.

Confidence in Government by G7 Countries (2006-2023)

This chart looks at the changes in trust in government institutions between the years 2006 and 2023, based on data from a multi-country Gallup poll.

Specifically, this dataset aggregates confidence in multiple national institutions, including the military, the judicial system, the national government, and the integrity of the electoral system.

Country	Confidence (2006)	Confidence (2023)	Change (p.p.)
Canada	57%	64%	+7
Britain	63%	63%	+0
Germany	55%	61%	+6
France	54%	60%	+6
Japan	48%	59%	+11
Italy	41%	54%	+13
United States	63%	50%	-13

What’s interesting here is that in the G7, a group of the world’s most developed economies, there is only one country bucking the general trend: the United States.

Across most G7 countries, confidence in institutions has either improved or stayed the same between 2006 and 2023. The largest percentage point (p.p.) increases occur in Italy and Japan, which saw +13 p.p. and +11 p.p. increases in trust over the time period.

In the U.S., however, confidence in government institutions has fallen by 13 p.p. over the years. What happened?

Key Figures on U.S. Trust in Institutions

In 2006, the U.S. was tied with the UK as having the highest confidence in government institutions, at 63%.

But here’s where the scores stand in 2023, across various institutions:

🇺🇸 Institutions	Confidence (2023)
Military	81%
Judiciary	42%
National Government	30%
Elections	44%
Overall	49%

Based on this data, it’s clear that the U.S. lags behind in three key indicators: confidence in the national government, confidence in the justice system, and confidence in fair elections. It ranked in last place for each indicator in the G7.

One other data point that stands out: despite leading the world in military spending, the U.S. is only the third most confident in its military in the G7. It lags behind France (86%) and the United Kingdom (83%).