Population Distribution Numbers
This is the density dot distribution of Nevada per square mile in 2020 looking at the ASC five-year estimates. As shown here, the areas of higher density are in Clark County which houses Las Vegas. The next largest hot spots are in Washoe County and Carson City. Interestingly, the largest counties by square miles tend to house lesser populations. For example, Carson City, an independent city that serves as the capital of Nevada, is 168 mi² and has the fourth largest population of the counties out of the 17. Northeastern and Central Nevada have relatively low populations that range from 1,030 - 52,537 people. One of the variables responsible for this higher concentration of people in Northern Sierra and Southern Nevada can be explained by the foreign-born population.
Foreign Born Percentages
This is a map of Nevada's foreign-born percentage data in 2020 looking at the ASC five-year estimates. The data shown is the percentage of immigrants compared to the entire population of the county. Since this map is not looking at raw numbers it aids in demonstrating comparative data between counties without taking into account the varied population numbers of each county. Although the map is taking the percentages, there seems to be a correlation between this map and the population distribution map. The regions with the highest percentages are the Northern Sierra and Southern Nevada (exclusive to Clark County) which were similar to the total population distribution. Clark County has the highest percentage with 22% of immigrants which is around 1.7 times the U.S. foreign-born percentage of 13.7%. The counties with higher percentages compared to Nevada are Washoe County with 14.37% and Carson City with 12.82%.
Election Competitiveness
This election competitiveness map of Nevada shows the percent difference between the top two presidential candidates voted for in the county. Nevada is considered a swing state and this map shows how close the race between Biden and Trump was. The two most populated counties won the democratic vote but by slim margins. In Clark County, the most populated county, the vote had around a 9% difference, while in Washoe it was an ever smaller 4% difference. Carson City also experiences a close race with it winning the Republican vote by a little less than 10%. The densely and more urbanized areas of Nevada have either voted Democrat or have a close race in choosing a candidate.
What This Means for the Election
When looking at the total population and foreign-born population together and comparing it to the election competitiveness, one can see the correlation between the urban and densely populated areas in Washoe and Clark County voting Democratically. Immigrants tend to vote democratically and can screw the election votes from one party to the other. They may go for the Democratic party even this year due to the more "lenient" immigration policies compared to the Republican party. The growing population of immigrants in urban areas means a good turnout for the Democratic party. However, the metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Reno are still close to voting Republican by being shy of a few percentages. Nevada is a swing state we should be keeping a close eye on this election because it can easily swing the other way in the upcoming months.
1 comment:
I find the glaring differences between urban/big city areas geographically and demographically and how it affects the presidential picture very interesting. Texas has similar qualities in which most of the state is occupied with more rural areas, however the density and culture of the larger city areas even the scales of democrats and republicans greatly.
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