Buzz
About half of our audience resides in the United States, while the other half knows it well through its pervasive influence in media and entertainment. Despite being a place frequently documented in films, literature, and daily life, the US still holds unexpected wonders. Even though we might believe we understand the world’s third most populous nation, America—and its people—are far more intriguing and peculiar than we could have imagined. These 10 maps reveal the reasons behind this.
10. US Military Expenditure is Astounding
It’s widely known that the United States allocates a significant portion of its budget to defense, but few realize the sheer magnitude. As illustrated in Bank of America’s “Transforming World” atlas, the US military expenditure vastly exceeds the combined spending of all other nations globally.
To clarify, the map above scales each country’s size according to its defense budget in billions of dollars. The tiny circle at the top represents Canada’s spending, while the one below signifies Mexico’s. Nearly all of South America, except Brazil, and most of Africa contribute so little that their representations are almost negligible. In stark contrast, the US appears as an enormous sphere, dominating the visual.
Beyond highlighting the disproportionate scale of US defense spending, the map underscores the nation’s global military dominance. Among the top-spending countries, only Russia and China are not traditionally aligned with the US (with India and Saudi Arabia occupying a middle ground). If we consider Europe, Australia, Japan, and South Korea as sharing similar ideological goals, the US and its allies effectively command military influence across the planet.
9. The Most Racist Regions in the US Might Surprise You
When discussing racism in the US, the Deep South often comes to mind first. Former Confederate states are frequently associated with strained racial dynamics. However, a study published in PLOS ONE challenges this assumption. As depicted in the map above, the Appalachian region, stretching into the Northeast, might be the most racially prejudiced area in the country.
The map’s findings are based on a methodology developed by data scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. In a previous study, he analyzed Google search frequencies for a specific racial slur to assess its impact on President Obama’s re-election prospects. The authors of this study applied a similar approach, narrowing their focus by region and excluding slang variations tied to music genres. While not every search for the slur indicates racism, the vast amount of Google data likely reflects broader patterns. The results are displayed above.
What’s striking is the unusual distribution of racism. Ohio, Vermont, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula show high levels, while Florida and Texas barely appear on the radar. East of Texas, searches for the slur are consistently below average. Notably, the areas highlighted in red align with regions where black mortality rates are 8.2 percent higher on average, suggesting the map’s accuracy.
8. Individual US States Outpace Most Nations in Wealth
The United States boasts the highest GDP globally, with China being the only nation that comes close. In terms of GDP per capita, the US ranks near the top, trailing only affluent micro-nations like Luxembourg and oil-rich countries such as Qatar. Simply put, the US is extraordinarily wealthy, but the extent of its wealth might surprise you. Even individual states have economies larger than most nations.
The map above illustrates which countries match the GDP of each US state. The findings are astonishing. California’s economy rivals Brazil’s, while Texas is comparable to Australia. North Carolina aligns with Norway, Pennsylvania with Switzerland, and Alaska with Luxembourg. Even small Rhode Island generates as much as Bulgaria’s entire economy.
Not even the wealthiest Middle Eastern kingdoms can compete with individual US states. Saudi Arabia’s GDP is equivalent to Illinois’s, while Qatar matches Alabama’s. These comparisons highlight the staggering wealth of the US. Although the data is from 2013, the country undoubtedly remains the global leader in GDP. In 2014, Japan, the nation with the next highest GDP, trailed the US by over $12 billion.
7. The US Housing Market is Wildly Unpredictable
It’s no secret that New York City’s housing market is chaotic. Apartment prices often wildly exceed average incomes, making the situation hard to comprehend. While imagining it is one thing, visualizing it is another. This Zillow map illustrates the distortion by resizing each state to reflect the total value of its housing stock.
The outcome is a striking visual of how uneven housing prices are across the country. While it’s expected that densely populated California dominates, the small size of Texas is shocking. Despite being the second-most populous and one of the wealthiest states, Texas’s housing value is comparable to New York’s. This is due to the concentration of ultra-expensive properties in Manhattan, parts of Queens, and Long Island. Even Florida appears larger than expected, driven by its pricey beachfront retirement homes.
This map invites endless comparisons between US regions, but its core message is undeniable: the housing market in certain areas has spiraled out of control. History shows how such scenarios typically conclude.
6. A Redrawn US Map Where States Have Equal Populations
The majority of America’s population is clustered in major coastal cities or the South. Texas alone has more residents than Australia, and New York state surpasses the Netherlands in population. In stark contrast, Glasgow’s population matches that of the sparsely populated state of Wyoming. These imbalances have sparked curiosity about how the US would appear if its 50 states were redrawn to ensure equal populations. Neil Freeman’s visualization above offers a perspective that will forever alter how you perceive each state.
A significant portion of the western United States is dominated by just three states, which Freeman has renamed Salt Lake, Shiprock, and Ogallala. In contrast, California, Texas, and the eastern US have fragmented into a chaotic blend of overlapping borders. Michigan has been divided into Detroit, Menominee, and Firelands (the latter two shared with neighboring states), while Florida has split into Canaveral, Tampa Bay, and part of King. Meanwhile, Washington state, now called Rainier, has absorbed the entirety of Alaska.
Freeman’s map carries a profound political message, highlighting how the state-based electoral college system disproportionately values some votes while marginalizing others. Even if the political implications don’t captivate you, the map remains a captivating portrayal of a US that will never come to be.
5. US Immigration Defies Common Assumptions
Immigration is an undeniable reality of modern life in the United States, whether Americans embrace it or not. Across the nation, individuals born abroad are employed in millions of jobs. While pop culture and stereotypes often portray these roles as low-skilled or undesirable, Business Insider discovered a different truth when analyzing the data. The types of jobs immigrants hold vary significantly depending on the state they reside in.
This map reveals that states rely on immigrants for diverse roles. In the West and South, immigrants often work in manual labor positions like agriculture, construction, and housekeeping. Moving northward, the trends shift. In at least five states, immigrants predominantly work as cooks, while in four others, they are employed as college professors. Seven states depend on immigrants to fill critical roles as nurses, home health aides, or personal health aides. In Delaware, the most common job for immigrants is software development.
4. US Counties Ranked by Scenic Beauty
If you live in the US, take a moment to look out your window and assess your county’s surroundings. Do you find it dull, unattractive, or stunning? Here’s something surprising: your opinion doesn’t matter. In the 1990s, the federal government conducted an objective ranking of every county in the continental US based on natural beauty.
The map above displays the results. Dark green areas represent counties deemed the most beautiful (or “highest in natural amenities,” as described), while dark yellow areas indicate the least attractive. The evaluation ignored human influence and focused on “the physical characteristics of a county that enhance its livability.” According to the report, Ventura County, California, was ranked the most visually appealing, while Red Lake County, Minnesota, was considered the least attractive.
To be clear, these rankings are objectively absurd. A quick Google search reveals a surprisingly charming image of Red Lake County. (Admittedly, some time was spent distracted by cat gifs.) Still, it’s intriguing to see how the federal government views different regions. As The Washington Post noted, the fact that Washington, DC, isn’t at the bottom suggests potential bias in the rankings.
3. San Francisco Faces a Human Waste Problem
Occasionally, a powerful data visualization is needed to drive home a critical point—one so essential that it must be understood by as many people as possible. In this case, the point is that San Francisco is being completely overrun by an overwhelming surge of human feces.
In October 2015, a data visualizer named “William” created an animated map tracking all reports of human feces in the city. The map spans from summer 2008 to summer 2015, with larger, bluer circles indicating more reports. What he revealed was an uncontrollable epidemic of public defecation.
Over the past seven years, incidents of people defecating on San Francisco’s streets have escalated from disappointingly common to alarmingly rampant. While the map initially shows a few clusters in the downtown area, by 2015, much of the city is buried under a deluge of human waste.
To illustrate the severity, in 2012, a city escalator became so blocked with feces that it malfunctioned, requiring a hazardous waste cleanup team. Since then, the problem has worsened. While San Francisco may top the government’s natural beauty rankings, it’s safe to say no one in Red Lake County, Minnesota, is spending their free time defecating on escalators.
2. The US is Much Whiter Than Most Realize
The US is a nation founded on immigration. It is the world’s largest recipient of refugees, home to a historic indigenous population, a substantial black community, and a president of Kenyan descent. While it’s accurate to describe the US as one of the most multicultural societies globally, this overlooks a stark reality: the country remains overwhelmingly white.
In a series of maps on his Flowing Data blog, Nathan Yau utilized US Census data to illustrate the distribution of racial groups at the county level. His analysis of Asian populations revealed concentrations in California and scattered pockets elsewhere. The black population was largely clustered in the South, with minimal presence in other regions. In contrast, white populations dominated nearly every part of the map.
Outside of Indian reservations, white individuals constitute the majority in nearly every county beyond the Deep South. This includes Latinos (who are not classified as a separate racial group by the Census), but a separate map distinguishing those who identify primarily as one or the other reveals it barely alters the overall picture.
This won’t shock anyone familiar with Census data. Non-Latino whites still account for roughly two-thirds of the US population. The US is significantly whiter than most people realize, regardless of their stance on immigration.
1. The US is a Nation Dominated by Goats
Have you ever pondered where all the goats in the United States are located? If so, The Washington Post’s Wonkblog has the answer. In January 2015, they created a map pinpointing the location of every goat in the country, revealing unexpectedly intriguing results.
In 2012, the US Department of Agriculture conducted a census of the nation’s goat population, finding over 2.6 million goats. If these goats formed their own state, it would surpass the combined populations of Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, and Washington, DC.
Did we say “if”? According to the data, goats already dominate Texas, which has the highest goat concentration in the country. Of the 21 US counties where goats outnumber humans, only one is outside Texas. In Edwards County, there are 22 goats for every resident.
Other states aren’t exempt. Out of the nation’s 3,143 counties, 2,996 host commercial goat farms. Only Alaska seems indifferent enough to keep goats at bay. Combined with the 3.2 million YouTube videos dedicated to Capra aegagrus hircus, it’s clear the US is truly a nation of goats.
