Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Figure 1. Industry dependence by county, 2015 edition

The figure includes two panels stacked on top of one another, each containing one map that displays the industry dependence codes assigned to each county by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. The map in the top panel shows the industry dependence codes for metro counties. The map in the bottom panel shows the industry dependence codes for nonmetro counties. Each type of industry dependence is assigned a different color: farming is green; federal and state government is light blue; manufacturing is dark blue; mining is grey; recreation is dark orange; and nonspecialized is light tan.

The map in the top panel displaying the industry dependence codes assigned to each metro county shows that most metro counties are a light tan color, indicating that they are nonspecialized. In the Midwest, South, Southwest, and along the West coast there are a scattering of light blue and dark blue colored counties, indicating that some counties in these regions are specialized in federal and state government or manufacturing, respectively. While there are some in other regions, the majority of dark blue counties are in the Midwest and South. There are a scattered number of green counties across the country, primarily in the Great Plains region, but also in the Midwest, as well as Northern Texas and Southern Idaho. A scattering of counties in the Northeast, upper Midwest, Southeast, Southwest, and along the West coast are colored a dark orange, indicating that they are dependent on the recreation industry. A handful of counties in Appalachia and in the South as colored grey, indicating a dependence on the mining industry.

The map in the bottom panel displaying the industry dependence codes assigned to each nonmetro county shows only a scattering of light tan-colored counties, indicating that more nonmetro counties are dependent on a particular industry than is the case for the metro counties in the top panel. The map does show a concentration of light tan-colored counties in Southern Missouri as well as covering much of Mississippi and large parts of Illinois. There are large pockets of light blue-colored counties in the Southwest, as well as in Eastern Oregon, North-central Idaho, Western Montana, and the panhandle of Florida, indicating that those areas are dependent on federal and state government. Other light blue counties are scattered across the rest of the country. There are large pockets of dark blue-colored counties in the Midwest and Southeast, indicating that these areas are dependent on the manufacturing industry. There is a significant block of green counties running from the north-central border with Canada down to North Texas, as well as covering large parts of north-central Montana, indicating that these areas are dependent on farming. There are large patches of counties in the Northeast and upper Midwest that are dark orange, indicating that they are dependent on recreation. There are also a large number of scattered counties in the Rocky Mountains, Southwest, and Southeast regions, as well as in Alaska, that are colored dark orange. Lastly, there are pockets of grey-colored counties throughout the Appalachian and Rocky Mountain regions, as well as in Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Alaska, indicating that these areas are dependent on mining.

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Figure 2. Percent of the population, select races and ethnicities, 2021

The figure includes four panels, each containing a map that displays the share of the population identifying as a certain race or ethnicity. Counties with less than one percent of the population identifying as the race or ethnicity are colored grey. Counties with between one percent and ten percent of the population identifying as the race or ethnicity are a light blue. Counties with between eleven percent and twenty-five percent of the population identifying as the race or ethnicity are a medium blue. Counties with between twenty-six percent and fifty percent of the population identifying as the race or ethnicity are a moderately dark blue. Counties with fifty-one percent or more of the population identifying as the race or ethnicity are a very dark blue.

The top left panel includes a map of the share of the population identifying as Black or African American alone. It shows that much of the Northeast, Great Plains, Rocky Mountain regions are grey, indicating that less than one percent of the population identify as Black or African American. It also shows a large concentration of moderately dark and very dark blue counties in the Southeast region of the country, covering most states along a stretch of the East coast from Maryland to East Texas.

The top right panel includes a map of the share of the population identifying as Asian alone. In it, much of the country is colored grey, with a scattering of light blue counties throughout the country. Much of the West coast is colored light blue, as is the East coast from Southern New Hampshire to Northeast Virginia. There are small pockets of medium blue counties around Boston, New York City, Washington, DC, Seattle, Fresno County, California, as well as North of San Francisco, California. Several counties around San Francisco, California are colored a moderately dark blue, indicating that between 26 percent and 50 percent of the population identifies as Asian alone.

The bottom left panel includes a map of the share of the population identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native alone. In it, much of the Eastern United States is colored grey, indicating that less than one percent of the population identifies as American Indian or Alaska Native alone. The exception is North Carolina, much of which is colored light blue, and which contains Robeson County, which is a moderately dark blue. Much of the West of the United States, starting in Western Arkansas, is a light blue. There are pockets of moderately dark blue and very dark blue counties scattered throughout the Western U.S., including in South Dakota, Montana, eastern Oklahoma, the four corners region of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, and parts of several other states. Much of Alaska is dark blue.

The bottom right panel includes a map of the share of the population identifying as Hispanic or Latino. Much of the East, Midwest, and Great Plains regions are light blue, with the exception of several pockets of medium blue along the east coast in Southeast New York, Northern New Jersey, and Western Pennsylvania, as well as around Chicago, near Washington, DC, and in central North Carolina. Central and southern Florida is moderately dark and very dark blue. Much of the south-central, southwest, and lower Rocky Mountain regions of the U.S. range from medium to dark blue, indicating high concentrations of people who identify as Hispanic or Latino. Much of central and eastern Washington also ranges from medium to dark blue.

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