2015’s Metro Areas That Most and Least Resemble the U.S.

From Wallet Hub June 22, 2015

With Fourth of July around the corner, it’s a good time to ask: Which U.S. cities bleed the most red, white and blue? To find out, the leading personal finance website WalletHub took an in-depth look at 2015's Metro Areas That Most and Least Resemble the U.S.

It’s important to do so for many reasons, such as:

1) deciding whether we want cultural variety or uniformity;

2) learning which cities exceed or lag behind national standards for certain factors such as education or income; and

3) finding the most fertile ground to develop an entrepreneur’s business idea.

To determine which metro areas most or least mirror national standards, WalletHub examined various demographical statistics for 381 of the largest U.S. metro areas. Our data set includes 23 key metrics, such as age, gender and income as well as household makeup and housing tenure.

Key Stats

• In terms of gender, Des Moines, Iowa, most closely resembles the U.S. Hanford, Calif., has the least national resemblance, with 24.3 percent fewer females than males.
• In terms of age, Beaumont, Texas, most closely resembles the U.S. The Villages, Fla., has the least national resemblance, with 35.2 percent more residents who are aged 65 or older.
• In terms of race, Bridgeport, Conn., most closely resembles the U.S. Pine Bluff, Ark., has the least national resemblance, with 35.4 percent more residents who are black.
• In terms of housing tenure, Pueblo, Colo., most closely resembles the U.S. Salinas, Calif., has the least national resemblance, with 51.2 percent more renter-occupied than owner-occupied housing units.
• In terms of income, Atlantic City, N.J., most closely resembles the U.S. California, Md., has the least national resemblance, with 11.1 percent less residents earning below $25,000 a year.
• In terms of educational attainment, Hattiesburg, Miss., most closely resembles the U.S. Houma, La., has the least national resemblance, with 15.1 percent less people with a bachelor’s degree or higher.