Metro Areas That Most and Least Resemble the U.S.

It’s hard to define what is or isn’t American. Although we can’t patent freedom, we can safely lay claim to buffalo wings, bluegrass and David Letterman. But we can’t have it all. Contrary to popular belief, English isn’t our official language. And the rumor that New York’s Italian immigrants invented pizza? That’s been laid to rest. Heck, even Lady Liberty was a French citizen.

So how can we quantify our nation’s identity? Parsing demographics is one way to do so, and it can be surprisingly revealing. Characteristics such as ethnic makeup, household size, educational attainment and household characteristics help encapsulate America’s uniqueness from a statistical perspective. And it’s easy to imagine why the results would matter, whether you’re a parent looking out for your family, an entrepreneur nurturing a nascent business or even a marketer trying to target customers.

So in order to identify which metro areas bleed the most red, white and blue this Independence Day, WalletHub analyzed demographical statistics for 379 of the largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs. Our data set includes simple metrics such as age, gender and income as well as more complex measures such as household makeup and housing tenure. The results, additional expert commentary and a detailed methodology can be found below.

Main Findings

Rankings by MSA Size

U.S. Snapshot

Sociodemographic Stats

1. Gender:
   1. % of Female Population: 50.81%
   2. % of Male Population: 49.19%
2. Age:
   1. % of Population Younger than 19 Years: 26.30%
   2. % of Population Between 20 & 24 Years: 7.10%
   3. % of Population Between 25 & 34 Years: 13.40%
   4. % of Population Between 35 & 44 Years: 13.00%
   5. % of Population Between 45 & 54 Years: 14.10%
   6. % of Population Between 55 & 64 Years: 12.30%
   7. % of Population Aged 65 & Older: 13.70%
3. Race:
   1. % of White Population: 73.80%
   2. % of Hispanic Population: 16.90%
   3. % of Black or African American Population: 12.60%
   4. % of American Indian or Alaskan Population: 0.80%
   5. % of Asian Population: 5.00%
   6. % of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Population: 0.20%
   7. % of Other Population: 4.70%
4. Household Makeup:
   1. % of Family Households (Families): 66.20%
   2. % of Non-Family Households: 33.80%
5. Family Relationship:
   1. % of Population Who Are Householders: 38.00%
   2. % of Population Who Are Spouses (in Households): 18.40%
   3. % of Population Who Are Children (in Households): 30.50%
   4. % of Population Represented by Other Relatives (in Households): 7.20%
   5. % of Population Represented by Nonrelatives (in Households): 5.90%
6. % of Foreign-Born Population: 13.10%

Housing Stats

1. Housing Tenure (Renter-to-Owner Ratio): 55.40%
2. Median House Price: $175700
3. Median Monthly Owner Costs: $1108
4. Vacancy Rate: 12.5%
5. Average Home Square Footage: 1817

Economic Stats

1. % of Population with the Following Household Income Levels:
   1. Less than $25,000: 23.20%
   2. $25,000 – 34,999: 10.20%
   3. $35,000 – 49,999: 13.50%
   4. $50,000 – $74,999: 17.80%
   5. $75,000 – $99,999: 12.20%
   6. $100,000 – $149,999: 13.00%
   7. $150,000 or More: 11.50%
2. % of Families Below Poverty Line: 11.50%
3. Wealth Gap: 15.93
4. % of Households Receiving Food Stamps: 13.00%
5. % of Population with Health Insurance Coverage: 85.80%
6. Number of Part-Time Employees for Every 100 Full-Time Employees: 59.61
7. Unemployment Rate: 5.80%
8. Commute Time: 25.7 minutes
9. Length of Average Workday: 7.68 hours
10. Civilian Employed Population Aged 16 & Older by Industry:
    1. Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, and Mining: 2.00%
    2. Construction: 6.20%
    3. Manufacturing: 10.40%
    4. Wholesale Trade: 2.70%
    5. Retail Trade: 11.60%
    6. Transportation and Warehousing, and Utilities: 4.90%
    7. Information: 2.10%
    8. Finance and Insurance, and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 6.60%
    9. Professional, Scientific, and Management, and Administrative and Waste Management Services: 10.90%
    10. Educational Services, and Health Care and Social Assistance: 23.20%
    11. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, and Accommodation and Food Services: 9.50%
    12. Other Services, except Public Administration: 5.00%
    13. Public Administration: 4.90%
11. % of Government Workers: 14.60%
12. % of Veterans: 8.70%

Education Stats

1. Educational Attainment:
   1. % of People Aged 25 & Older with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 29.30%
   2. % of People Aged 25 & Older with Some College Experience or Associate's Degree: 29.10%
   3. % of People Aged 25 & Older Who Are High School Graduates: 28.00%
   4. % of People Aged 25 & Older Who Did Not Complete High School: 13.60%
2. % of Population Aged 3 & Older Enrolled in School: 27.40%
3. School Enrollment Type:
   1. Public School Enrolment: 83.70%
   2. Private School Enrolment: 16.30%

Ask The Experts: Cities that resembles the US

Depending on our specific priorities, diversity — or a lack thereof — can be either good or bad. For deeper insight into the advantages and disadvantages of a diverse population, we turned to a panel of experts who shared their thoughts on the following key questions. Click on the experts’ profiles below to read their bios and responses.

1. Do local economies benefit from having a diverse population that closely resembles the U.S. population?
2. What lessons can we learn from the social, political and economic experience of cities that closely resemble the U.S. that might benefit the country as a whole?
3. Do cities that closely resemble the U.S. benefit from increased attention from advertisers? Politicians?

Ask the Experts

Jennifer Ball
Professor of Economics at Washburn University School of Business
Read More

Robert E. Wright
Nef Family Chair of Political Economy at Augustana University
Read More

Adam A. Millsap
Research Fellow for the State and Local Policy Project in the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
Read More

Robert W. Glover
Assistant Professor of Honors and Political Science in the Department of Political Science at the University of Maine
Read More

David J. Kuenzel
Assistant Professor of Economics at Wesleyan University
Read More

Kim Holder
Lecturer of Economics and Director of the Center for Economic Education at University of West Georgia, Richards College of Business
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

To determine which metro areas mirror the demographics of the U.S. most and least, WalletHub examined 379 of the most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across four key dimensions: 1) Sociodemographic Stats, 2) Housing Stats, 3) Economic Stats and 4) Education Stats.

We did so using 26 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights and subcomponents. We determined the weight of each metric's subcomponent according to its prevalence at the national level. For instance, the “% of Population Younger than 19 Years” subcomponent accounts for 26.3% of the overall “Age” metric, as this age group comprises 26.3% of the overall U.S. population.

For each metric, we calculated the absolute difference between each MSA’s result and the U.S. average. A score of 100 on this 0-to-100 scale corresponds to a perfect match with the country’s overall demographic breakdown. Final scores were then calculated by tallying the individual metric results to arrive at Overall Resemblance Index scores for each state, with the states being ranked accordingly.

Each MSA was categorized according to the following population sizes:

• Large: More than 1 million residents
• Medium: 200,000 to 1 million residents
• Small: Fewer than 200,000 residents

Sociodemographic Stats – Total Points: 25

1. Gender: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
   1. % of Female Population
   2. % of Male Population
2. Age: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
   1. % of Population Younger than 19 Years
   2. % of Population Between 20 & 24 Years
   3. % of Population Between 25 & 34 Years
   4. % of Population Between 35 & 44 Years
   5. % of Population Between 45 & 54 Years
   6. % of Population Between 55 & 64 Years
   7. % of Population Aged 65 & Older
3. Race: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
   1. % of White Population
   2. % of Hispanic Population
   3. % of Black or African American Population
   4. % of American Indian or Alaskan Population
   5. % of Asian Population
   6. % of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Population
   7. % of Other Population
4. Household Makeup: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
   1. % of Family Households (Families)
   2. % of Non-Family Households
5. Family Relationship: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
   1. % of Population Who Are Householders
   2. % of Population Who Are Spouses (in Households)
   3. % of Population Who Are Children (in Households)
   4. % of Population Represented by Other Relatives (in Households)
   5. % of Population Represented by Nonrelatives (in Households)
6. % of Foreign-Born Population: Half Weight (~2.27 Points)

Housing Stats – Total Points: 25

1. Housing Tenure (Renter-to-Owner Ratio): Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
2. Median House Price: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
3. Median Monthly Owner Costs: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
4. Vacancy Rate: Half Weight (~2.78 Points)
5. Average Home Square Footage: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)

Economic Stats – Total Points: 25

1. % of Population with the Following Household Income Levels: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
   1. Less than $25,000
   2. $25,000 – 34,999
   3. $35,000 – 49,999
   4. $50,000 – $74,999
   5. $75,000 – $99,999
   6. $100,000 – $149,999
   7. $150,000 or More
2. % of Families Below Poverty Line: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
3. Wealth Gap: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
4. % of Households Receiving Food Stamps: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
5. % of Population with Health Insurance Coverage: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
6. Number of Part-Time Employees for Every 100 Full-Time Employees: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
7. Unemployment Rate: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
8. Commute Time: Quarter Weight (~0.83 Points)
9. Length of Average Workday: Quarter Weight (~0.83 Points)
10. Civilian Employed Population Aged 16 & Older by Industry: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
    1. Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, and Mining
    2. Construction
    3. Manufacturing
    4. Wholesale Trade
    5. Retail Trade
    6. Transportation and Warehousing, and Utilities
    7. Information
    8. Finance and Insurance, and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
    9. Professional, Scientific, and Management, and Administrative and Waste Management Services
    10. Educational Services, and Health Care and Social Assistance
    11. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, and Accommodation and Food Services
    12. Other Services, except Public Administration
    13. Public Administration
11. % of Government Workers: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
12. % of Veterans: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

Education Stats – Total Points: 25

1. Educational Attainment: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
   1. % of People Aged 25 & Older with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher
   2. % of People Aged 25 & Older with Some College Experience or Associate's Degree
   3. % of People Aged 25 & Older Who Are High School Graduates
   4. % of People Aged 25 & Older Who Did Not Complete High School
2. % of Population Aged 3 & Older Enrolled in School: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)

1. School Enrollment Type: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
   1. Public School Enrolment
   2. Private School Enrolment

Sources: Data used to create these rankings were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau and Zillow.